Wolf in the City: BBW wolf shifter romance (Shifters of the Glen Book 3)

by Skye Jones

  “Wait here. I’ll be one moment.” Jake jogged off around a corner.

  “Does it hurt a lot?” Laura asked.

  I nodded, flinching at the slight movement.

  “Who’s the stud?” Gemma stared after where Jake had disappeared.

  Great. A possible busted jaw, and the minute Jake clapped eyes on Gemma or Laura, or both, he’d be all about the model crew.

  I mumbled something about him buying me a drink, and Gemma grinned, full-on and blindingly beautiful. Seriously, Gemma’s smile rivaled the sun for glorious warmth.

  “I’m so glad you’ve finally started to talk to guys and let them in a bit. He’s nice. Sexy as hell, and a gent too.”

  “I’m more worried about her jaw than her love life.” Laura clicked her tongue.

  “Of course. I’m worried about her jaw, too. It’s nice, though, to see her getting the attention she deserves. I told you the green dress would get you some looks, girl. I’d kill for your booty.”

  Was she mad? Or blind? Maybe both. My girlfriends’ beauty came matched by nice personalities. Not like the pretty girls in movies who were inevitably bitches. These two were good pals, and they cared about me. Still, wouldn’t stop it hurting when Jake saw their true beauty up close and forgot all about me. Not that anything could possibly hurt as much as my jaw. Where’d he get to?

  About to head back inside and call for a cab, or get one of the girls to call one for me, I paused when a sleek black car pulled up.

  The window wound down, and Jake stretched out a hand and flicked his fingers at us, gesturing for us to get in.

  I went to climb in the back, but Gemma and Laura widened their eyes at me and pushed me toward the front seat. Not having the strength to argue, I opened the front passenger door and clambered in.

  Jake reached over me as soon as I sat and pulled the seat belt over, fastening it in place with a solid click.

  “Nccicce crrr.” Jesus. I sounded like I’d drunk a bottle of vodka. I couldn’t make my mouth work right.

  “What?” Jake rubbed his forehead and glanced at me.

  “Niccce cccarrr.”

  “Oh. Right. It’s a rental. Look, I think you ought to keep quiet till we get to the hospital, okay?” He gunned the engine and shot me another concerned glance. “Okay?”

  “Hhmmm.” Wow, even humming hurt.

  Within fifteen minutes, we pulled up outside the accident and emergency department. Jake jumped out of the driver’s seat to come around and open the door for me.

  “Here.” He stuck his hand into the dark interior of the car and helped me out.

  The pain reached a level best described as epic. Each step I took sent bright shards of agony piercing through my jaw and ear.

  We walked through the sliding doors into the hospital, and the fluorescent lighting made me wince.

  “We need to get you seen straightaway.” Laura looked around, her lips drawn into a tight line. “The last thing you need is a five-hour wait to see a doctor.”

  “It’s swelling.” Gemma stared at my face as if it would tell her the secrets of the universe.

  “Ssstop sstarrring at me.” I hoped this inability to speak properly didn’t last long.

  “It’s going all funny colored too.”

  “Stop cataloging it all. You’re freaking her out,” Laura said.

  Gemma shrugged and looked away, but now and again, she glanced back at me.

  Jake stalked off around the corner. God knows what he thought he’d achieve. The rules were, you took a ticket, which Laura had kindly done, took your seat, and waited to see the triage nurse. Then you’d wait again to see the doctor. How long depended on the severity of your condition. I doubted a possible broken jaw proved to be the worst this place got on a Saturday night.

  I shuffled to an orange plastic seat and sat down on its unyielding surface. Comfy—not!

  Jake came striding back into the waiting area, and I blinked twice. A nurse followed on his heels. When they reached me, she bent forward and peered at my face. “Ouch.”

  Ouch, indeed. Triple ouch, in fact.

  “Come through, sweetheart. We’ll let the docs take a look, but I think I can safely say you’re going to need an X-ray.” She shot me a sympathetic glance as we walked down the corridor. “Are you in pain?”

  I nodded, not wanting to speak if not vital.

  “Okay. We’ll get you on a bed in a cubicle, and I’ll go see if I can get you some painkillers.”

  She hurried off, leaving me with my girls—and Jake. Here, in the bright lights of the emergency bay, he looked even better. No one should appear hot under strip lighting. Instead of taking on the sallow hue most people wore in these conditions, Jake’s skin glowed with health.

  His gaze roamed around the room every so often, only to alight once more on my face and hone in on my jaw.

  “I think it’s broken.” He reached out as if to touch me, but he pulled his hand back at the last moment.

  I nodded. I thought so too.

  Gemma’s phone beeped. She pulled it out of her tiny evening clutch and frowned. “Oh, crappy, shitty, big, fat, hairy bollocks!”

  Jake’s eyes widened comically, and I cracked a grin.

  “Owwww.” I instantly regretted the smile. Shit, it hurt.

  Gemma’s propensity for colorful swears was legendary in our little gang, but Jake wouldn’t know as much. He looked at her with puzzled amusement etched across his handsome features. And then it hit me. Among all the ways I’d seen him react to the supermodel squad in the short time I’d been in his company, I had not once seen him look at them with lust in his eyes.

  “What’s up?” Laura kicked the toe of Gemma’s shoe with her own.

  “My stupid, lousy, fuckfrog of a boss has ordered me to go with him to the conference a day early tomorrow.”

  “No!” Laura pouted. “We were all going to do brunch.”

  Brunch! Seriously? I groaned, and when they looked at me, I waved my hand over my face.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Cait.” Laura came to me and put her arms around my shoulders, giving me a gentle squeeze. “I keep forgetting for a minute why we’re here. Of course, brunch is going to be off. It means we won’t see one another for two weeks now.”

  “Why?” Jake butted in.

  I didn’t get why he wanted to know, and I opened my mouth to tell him to butt out, but Laura answered him.

  “I’ve got to go to the US on business.” She beamed, and her pride shone in her pretty face. “I’ve been promoted to head buyer at the store where I work, and I’m off to New York. Fly out Monday morning and have to pack tomorrow. I’d planned to start straight after brunch. I can stay with you tonight, though, Cait.”

  “Ooh, don’t forget to go to the place where we heard you can get discount Jimmy Choo’s.” Gemma clapped her hands.

  Jake sighed, and the soft sound cut through the room. “Why are you going to be away?” He jerked his head in Gemma’s direction.

  Jesus. Talk about nosy!

  “I’ve got the conference. Four days in Harrogate, and then a wedding the following weekend in London. So I’m heading from Harrogate down to London a day early. After the wedding, I’m staying visiting friends for a week’s holiday. Why?”

  “Because, Cait here looks pretty beat-up. She told me earlier her mum is away on holiday, and now both her friends are going to be away. Is there anyone who can look after you?” He turned to me, and I understood his questions.

  I considered it, and a none-too-nice realization hit. Without my mum and my two besties, I didn’t have anyone else close.

  “No siblings? Other friends?” Jake said.

  I had other friends, but they were more acquaintances and going-out buddies. I doubted any of them would rearrange their lives to help me out. What would I need them for, anyway? It wasn’t as if I’d hurt an arm or a leg. I’d be able to move about. Cook for myself and other stuff.

  “Maybe Tracy will be willing to come keep you company for a few
days?” Gemma supplied.

  I scrunched my face up and regretted it instantly. Yeah, the bitch would be only too happy to come and lord it over me while I suffered. She’d love to get the chance to tell me where I’d gone wrong in life and what I should do to fix it. Tracy had been part of our gang for a long time, but she’d met some other girls who weren’t nice, to put it mildly, and now she hung around with them. It meant she’d become a bitch, too. Almost as if the bitchy gene rubbed off from one catty girl to the next.

  “Nnnooo.”

  Gemma laughed. “Yeah. Be my reaction too. Babe, I feel terrible, but I can’t miss the conference. I’m already fighting for my job, and I’ve got to pay my rent.”

  She did need to make the rent. Gemma had grown up in the system and didn’t have family to fall back on if it all went wrong. I wouldn’t ask her to stay, anyway. Or Laura. The girl had been excited about this trip for months. She’d worked seventy-hour weeks to get the job, and no way would I be responsible for putting it in jeopardy.

  “What about you, Jake?” Laura looked at him and lowered her lashes. If I didn’t know her better, I’d say she was flirting with him, but Laura interacted with all men the same way. “Can’t you help out if Cait needs anything?”

  What the hell? I sat up straight, which didn’t come easy with the angle of the hospital bed. No. No way. I shook my head.

  I didn’t know him. I’d only met him this evening. I tried to communicate all this to Laura using only my eyes. I don’t think it worked because she carried on.

  “I don’t mean stay with her or anything.” Cue husky laugh, another patented Laura move. “But you can maybe drop in and make sure she’s okay for the first few days.”

  Jake regarded me, eyes narrowed. Yeah, he didn’t need to say a word. The guy clearly didn’t want to be saddled with caring for someone he’d only bothered with to kill some time.

  The nurse bustled back in.

  “Good news. We’ve got you in line for an X-ray. Bad news, there’s a wait as there’s been a pileup on the motorway. So, I’ve spoken to the doctor. We’re going to admit you to the surgical ward.”

  I squeaked. Surgery?

  “It’s procedure. You may need surgery depending on what we find, but probably not. We’ll get you on there, though, and they can administer some of the good stuff for your pain.”

  “Good stuff?” Gemma said.

  “Yeah, morphine or fentanyl. Something heavy-duty. You’ll be able to rest. We’ll X-ray you and take it from there.”

  “I’ll stay until they get you settled,” Jake said.

  What the heck?

  Chapter Two

  A loud bang at the door made me jump out of my skin. Jesus, if that was the Amazon courier again, I’d be telling him to knock it off with the heavy-handed shit. I crossed the floor, careful not to jar my jaw as I walked. I pulled back the latch and swung the door open.

  “How’s the jaw?”

  Jake stood there looking all kinds of hot, with one arm leaned up against the doorframe. He wore a white T-shirt and jeans with dark blue trainers. Casual attire suited him.

  “What are you doing here?” My words came out mumbled, but he must have understood me because he answered straightaway.

  “I wanted to make sure you’re okay. I knew you were alone. Not much fun with a broken jaw. You’re not back at work yet either, so I figured you were still feeling crappy.”

  “No, not back at work yet. How did you know?”

  “I called them and asked for you to see if you were okay, and they told me you were still off sick.”

  “Oh.” Not sure what to say, I scuffed my toes against the wooden floor. He seemed a bit…intrusive. How did he know where I worked?

  “Like I said, I only wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  “But…you don’t know me. It’s not your concern.” I sighed. Talking hurt, and it exhausted me. The effort it took to carefully enunciate each word sapped my energy.

  “I feel responsible. You were with me when it happened. I brought you some food.” He held up a bulging carrier bag. “Can I come in?”

  I hesitated. I didn’t know this man. Yes, we’d ended up spending hours together at the hospital as he waited with me. He’d been kind and patient and fetched me some water and hunted down a straw. He’d talked some about where he came from and then left the hospital for ten minutes to go and fetch me some magazines to bring home with me. I’d given him my address and phone number, but I’d honestly never expected him to show. He’d called me once and we’d carried on a short conversation, and I’d assured him I could manage.

  Now here he stood, and nerves fluttered in my belly. He was big. Bigger than I’d realized the other evening. His T-shirt all too clearly showed off his ripped arms.

  “Or I can leave the food here, if you’re not sure about inviting me in.” He put the bag down and ran a hand through thick, dark hair. “Which is probably sensible.”

  He shot me a small smile and held out a card. “Here. Take my phone number, and then you can at least call if you need anything.”

  Part of me didn’t think it wise to invite him in, but another part—the bored and feeling sorry for myself part—won over. He looked so damn delicious; I’d have been tempted to lick him all over if the pain wouldn’t have knocked me out.

  Oh, sod it. I had neighbors on either side and above and below. The walls were as thin as tissue paper. My friends had met Jake, and he’d been with me at the hospital, seen by all the staff. Letting him in was probably safe. I’d done stupider things when younger, dumber, and high on vodka and coke.

  I moved back and motioned for him to come inside. He grinned and strode into my tiny bedsit. It was comprised of one L-shaped room for living and sleeping in, with a tiny corridor leading to a small bathroom. Damp in the summer, cold in the winter, the hovel matched my pauper’s budget. Veterinary nurses did not make bank!

  My cat, Darcy, wound his way out from behind the sofa and slunk over to us. He took one look at Jake and arched his back, hackles shooting up as he hissed a warning. Whoa! Darcy never reacted to people with anything other than goofy love. I momentarily regretted my instant of throwing caution to the wind and inviting this man into my personal space. Darcy loved all and sundry, so why the hating on Jake? On edge now, I moved toward my cat and put myself between him and the man in question.

  “Sorry.” I picked Darcy up and held him to my chest, shushing him with what I hoped were soothing noises but probably sounded like the Elephant Man trying to speak, what with my jaw.

  Jake eyeballed Darcy with some wariness. Weird.

  “He doesn’t like you.”

  “No shit.” Jake started to unpack the bag he’d brought with him.

  I carried on holding Darcy, and I admired the flex of his muscles as he went to work. I could spend hours perving over his fine physique, and it took my mind off the unease I kept feeling in his presence, which possibly made me stupid or shallow. I’d read once that people trusted good-looking people almost implicitly, and I hoped I wasn’t being incredibly gullible.

  I would bet he usually went for sporty types. Girls who did triathlons every weekend and whose idea of fun came in the form of an impromptu hill run. Not me, with my penchant for eating a whole tub of ice cream in one go. So why turn up now?

  “I bought you soft things.” His voice startled me out of my reverie.

  I cocked my head to one side, and he pointed at his jaw. “Easier to eat. I got a few different soups. Some noodle dishes…although they are mostly broth, and some ice cream.”

  Ice cream? I perked up a tad. “What flavor?”

  “Chocolate.” He held up one tub, then dropped it and picked up another. “Or there’s good old-fashioned vanilla. Wasn’t sure what flavors you liked. Figured most girls like chocolate, though, so I hoped at least one proved a safe bet.”

  “You did well. I like both.”

  “Do you want some now?” he asked. “I bought a movie, too.”

 
He held up a DVD case. I peered closer, pulling back when Darcy wriggled in my arms and threatened another hissy fit.

  “Cover Girl?” One of my favorites. A classic with Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth. A Hollywood musical didn’t seem like the sort of movie tall, dark, and muscled would go for.

  “Your friend, the blond one, told me you loved Gene Kelly. I saw this when getting the food and grabbed it.”

  Once again, his actions seemed too…much. Too intimate for the little time we’d known one another. Part of me liked the consideration, but another part screamed out caution. Maybe after today, I’d screen his calls.

  “Have you seen it?” I asked.

  He shook his head, and I smiled. Ouch! I needed to stop doing that. He’d probably hate it. Most guys did.

  “Hurts, huh?” Jake reached toward me, but another hiss from Darcy and he pulled back.

  “Sorry. He isn’t normally so rude to people.”

  “It’s okay. Cats don’t like me.”

  What sort of person did cats—as a whole species—turn against?

  He popped the lid off the tub of cool, chocolatey heaven, and for a moment, I forgot my suspicion.

  “Bowls?”

  “Cupboard above you. Spoons are in the drawer under the sink.”

  He clattered about, and all I could think was how right he looked in my space, among my things. Freaked out by the direction of my thoughts, I crossed to the sofa and sat. I let Darcy go, and he jumped out of my arms to land with a thud on all fours on the wooden floor. He settled down to stare at Jake, tail twitching.

  “If I come and sit next to you, is he going to launch himself at me?” Jake strolled over to the seating area with two bowls.

  “Not sure, to be honest. As I’ve said, you’re the only person he’s taken such a dislike to.”

  He handed me a bowl and sat next to me, swirling his spoon through his already melting ice cream.

  I lifted my spoon to my mouth and parted my lips a couple of centimeters. Any more and it hurt like hell. I pushed the spoon in and let the taste of cool, creamy chocolate hit. Heaven! I almost groaned. Swallowing also hurt, but no way was this concoction going anywhere but down. Determined, I braced myself and made the muscles of my throat contract. Pain blasted my ear and jaw, but the coolness soothed my dry mouth.