Taryn’s Wolf

by Marisa Chenery

  “A wolf?”

  Looking over her shoulder at Wade, she saw he had a funny expression on his face. It quickly disappeared when she caught his eye. “Yeah, a wolf. I heard one howling last night. When I looked out my bedroom window, I saw this huge wolf in the backyard. I just thought you may have seen it since it would have been at the front of the house when you came back from your run. It had been heading in that direction when I saw it.”

  “You sure it wasn’t a dog? There shouldn’t be any wild wolves around here.”

  Taryn gave Wade a look that said she wasn’t that stupid. “I do know the difference between a dog and a wolf. This was most definitely a wolf.”

  Wade shook his head. “Nope, I didn’t see it. Maybe it got scared and took off.”

  “I hope so. I know I don’t want to run into it when I’m in the vineyard working.” Taryn shivered at the thought.

  “You know it would probably be more afraid of you than you are of it. Have you always been afraid of wolves?”

  Wade leaned forward in his chair as he waited for her to answer. Taryn had the feeling what she said would mean more to Wade than just a simple answer. “No. I’ve always thought wolves were beautiful.” Taryn shook her head. “I don’t know why that wolf makes me uneasy. Maybe the dream I had last night is feeding my fear of it.”

  “Want to talk about your dream? Sometimes it helps to tell somebody about it.”

  Finished cooking the bacon and eggs, Taryn dished up two plates and brought them over to the kitchen table. Wade started to eat as soon as she placed a plate in front of him. She sat down in the chair next to him and laughed. “If you want more, help yourself.”

  “Good. Now what happened in your dream?”

  “I don’t know. It will sound silly.”

  “Come on. I won’t make fun of you. I promise.”

  Taryn knew she would be too embarrassed to tell it if she had to look Wade in the face, so she kept her eyes glued to her plate. “All right. The dream starts out fine, actually better than fine. I’m in your arms and you’re kissing me. Things start to really heat up, but that’s when the dream gets a little disturbing. A large grey wolf appears behind me. The way he’s growling at us, I know he’s going to attack. Before he can, you push me aside and turn into the wolf I saw last night and attack him. That’s pretty much around the time I forced myself to wake up.” When Wade remained silent sitting beside her, Taryn looked at him. There was no expression on his face. “I know. It sounds stupid even to me. Forget I said anything.”

  “It doesn’t sound stupid. Have you ever seen this grey wolf before?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I just wondered.”

  When Wade didn’t add any more, Taryn let the matter drop. Even though Wade hadn’t said much about her dream, she had to admit that it seemed less disturbing now that she had told him about it. Determined to forget it, she picked up her fork and started to eat. At the rate Wade was shoveling food into his mouth, she thought it would be wise to clean her plate before he ate what was left and then asked for hers.

  Chapter Five

  Taryn hung up the phone in her office and sighed. Trying to find a replacement crew to help on the vineyard was not going to be an easy thing. All the crews were either already scheduled to work on another vineyard, or had another reason for not being available. This had never happened to her before. If she were a suspicious person, she would think there was a conspiracy against her. That someone didn’t want her to get her grapes harvested.

  Pushing back her desk chair, Taryn left her office and went outside to see how Wade was managing. She had set him to work with the permanent workers who worked at the vineyard year long. Growing grapes needed constant care.

  Wade was bent over with his back to her when Taryn arrived at the field. He was busy tying the grapevines to the trellis system where new growth needed to be supported. Taryn slowed and watched him as he worked. She realized she would be quite happy to stand there for hours watching him. And the longer she watched him, the more she felt pulled to him. Even though they hadn’t had intercourse the night before, she felt closer to him, as if a connection had been started between them.

  The muscles in his arms and back flexed as Wade worked. Her stomach fluttered just thinking about how it felt to be held in his strong arms. Surprisingly, the idea of Wade crushing her to him didn’t make her feel so panicky. Last night had shown she could possibly trust him. Even though he was twice the size of her, he would never use it against her. At least that was the impression she had gotten from his touch. He had handled her with the greatest of care.

  Wade straightened to his full height and stretched a kink out of his back. Taryn’s gaze moved down the broad expanse of his back to his hard ass. His jeans were tight in all the right places. Her mouth went dry, causing to her lick her lips. Feeling eyes on her, Taryn looked up to find Wade turning around so he could stare at her intently.

  Taryn crossed the remaining distance and went to stand in front of Wade. His nostrils flared slightly has he took in a deep breath. “I can smell you, as well as the grapes and the roses. For a winery, you grow an awful lot of roses.” Wade gestured over to the rose bushes growing along the edge of the vineyard.

  “Roses serve an important purpose. Both grapes and roses can get a fungus called powdery mildew. Roses tend to get the fungus first. When that happens, we know the grapes have to be sprayed with sulfur to prevent it from spreading to them. The roses warn against other diseases as well.” Taryn sniffed the air, but she could only smell the grapes. Wade had one powerful sense of smell.

  “And here I thought you were just a rose fanatic.”

  Taryn chuckled. “Well I do love roses.”

  Wade moved closer to her, until their bodies were almost touching. “Did you have any luck?”

  With Wade this close, Taryn could smell the sweat on his body along with his musky male scent. Her eyes fell to his mouth. She watched his firm lips form the words he spoke, but she had no idea what he said, she was so distracted. “What?”

  His lips formed into a smile. “I asked if you had any luck finding another crew.”

  “Oh, no, I didn’t.” Taryn dragged her gaze back up to Wade’s. Her breath quickened as he looked down at her with his eyes dilated with arousal. “It looks as if I may have a harder time finding one before the crush starts.”

  “Crush?”

  “The harvest. Crush is what we in Napa Valley call this time of year because we harvest the grapes and then crush them.”

  “Makes sense.” Wade reached up and gently pushed a lock of her hair out of her eyes. “How about we go and talk to Beowulf tonight?”

  “How can your brother help me find a crew?”

  “It wouldn’t be a crew per se. More like a group of guys who would be willing to help out. Beowulf has a lot of connections, and he probably would be more than happy to help you out. We’ll make a night of it. We can go to Wulf’s Den and have a few drinks.”

  “I don’t know, Wade. I have so much work to do here in the vineyard.”

  Wade captured her chin with one hand and brushed his lips across hers. “Just one night, Taryn. You work too hard. Once the harvest starts, you’ll be even busier. We’ll go to Wulf’s Den, have a few drinks, maybe dance a bit, then I’ll take you back to my house. We can come back to the vineyard in the morning.”

  The idea of spending an evening out with Wade was tempting. “I don’t know, Wade. I don’t exactly have nightclub wear, you know. I’d stick out like a sore thumb.”

  “Don’t worry about the clothes. The owner is my brother, remember? I can do pretty much what I want at Wulf’s Den. And if Roxie, the hermit/computer geek, can manage to feel comfortable at the nightclub, so can you.”

  Taryn laughed. “Hermit/computer geek? Roxie didn’t come across as either of those things when I met her.”

  “Well, she isn’t exactly a hermit anymore, Beowulf fixed that, but she is most definitely a computer geek. She has her
own web design business. I think she spends most of the day in front of a computer.”

  “Okay, I’ll go.”

  She had barely managed to get those words out before Wade claimed her lips in a searing kiss. He kissed her until she was breathless and her legs almost gave out. Lifting his head, he grunted with satisfaction and turned her in the direction of the house.

  “Go get yourself ready, Taryn. I’ll give you enough time to shower before I come up to the house. I don’t think it would be a good idea right at this moment to be in the house with you naked. I’m liable to get too distracted and forget about taking you to Wulf’s Den.”

  “And that would be a bad thing?”

  “Yes. I plan on showing you a good time before I get you into bed. Don’t forget to pack an overnight bag.”

  Taryn shivered with anticipation. Without looking back, she quickly walked toward the house. Remembering the feel of Wade’s mouth on her most intimate spot, she sighed. If the night before was any indication, tonight should end up being very satisfying indeed.

  * * * *

  Wade took a quick look over at Taryn. They were in his Infiniti heading for San Francisco. She was settled back in the seat watching the scenery go by. She had forgone her jeans and t-shirt and now wore a conservative looking black dress. Even her high heeled shoes were conservative. Taryn had made it a point to tell him she never did the sexy look, and that conservative was her middle name. Wade had wisely kept his mouth shut on that comment, smiled at her, and ushered her out the door.

  The next time he looked over at Taryn, Wade found her looking back at him with a small smile on her lips. “You know if you don’t keep your eyes on the road you’re going to end up hitting someone.”

  “I can look at you and drive at the same time.”

  “Stop it anyway. I feel self-conscious enough without you staring at me.”

  “Why? You look great.”

  “Not for a nightclub. I look downright dowdy compared to you.” Taryn swept her eyes up and down his body. “I still find it hard to believe you would have packed a pair of dress pants and a dress shirt to come work at a vineyard.”

  “What can I say? I like to be prepared for any eventuality.” Wade decided not to tell her he had packed those clothes knowing he would at some point end up taking her to Wulf’s Den.

  Taryn shook her head. “I guess.” She fell silent for a few seconds before she asked, “Are you sure Beowulf won’t mind us asking him for help?”

  “Positive. Now no more fretting, we’re here.”

  Pulling into the parking lot at the back of Wulf’s Den, Wade parked the car and then went around to the passenger side to help Taryn out. He purposely arrived before the club opened. He wanted to have the business part of the evening over as soon as he could manage it. The rest of the night he planned on having Taryn all to himself. Taking her by the hand, he led her through the back door.

  Voices came from the main part of the club. Heading in that direction, Wade was surprised to find Beowulf and Roxie standing at the bar talking with someone he hadn’t seen in years.

  With Taryn in tow, Wade walked over to them. “Well, look who has decided to show his ugly face. Thought you could fit seeing old friends into your busy schedule, did you?”

  At the sound of Wade’s voice, the other man turned to face him and smiled. “I thought I’d better drop by and see whether you were still alive and kicking.”

  The two men shook hands. Wade turned to Taryn. “Taryn, this is my friend, Braedan.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Taryn said softly.

  Wade noted the way Taryn was looking at Braedan. Being a werewolf, Braedan was no slouch in the good looks department. With his wavy blond hair and green eyes, he turned many a female head. Even though Wade knew Taryn had no designs on Braedan, he still didn’t like the way she was checking his friend out. Hoping to put a little distance between them, Wade looked over at Roxie. “Do you mind keeping Taryn entertained for a few minutes while I talk to Beowulf?”

  Roxie bit back a smile. “Of course I can.” Linking her arm through Taryn’s, Roxie led her over to a table a short distance away from the bar.

  *

  Taryn slid into the chair next to Roxie. Roxie groaned with relief as she kicked off her high heeled shoes. “I see you hate wearing heels as much as I do.”

  Roxie laughed. “They’re the bane of my existence. I’m not the most coordinated person in the world, so the chances of me making an ass out of myself while wearing heels are pretty high up there. But they do go with the outfit.”

  Taryn had to agree with that. Roxie was dressed in a short dark grey skirt and a silky black blouse. The strappy black high heel shoes she had kicked under the table gave the outfit an extra bit of sexiness. On Roxie the whole ensemble looked terrific, but Taryn didn’t think she could pull it off. “Yeah, wearing flats with a short skirt just looks ridiculous.”

  “Very true. So what do you think of Wade?”

  “I think he’s a great guy. Though I still find it hard to believe he’s interested in me. Look at them over there. How is it possible three such utterly gorgeous men could end up being in the same room at the same time? I know Beowulf is your husband, but I have to say he took my breath away the first time I saw him.”

  Roxie looked over at the men. “He did the same thing to me the first time we met. But I bet you would pick Wade over Beowulf and Braedan. Right?”

  Taryn blushed slightly. “Let’s just say I’m having a hard time not going over to him and dragging him to a dark corner to have my way with him.”

  Leaning in closer to Taryn, Roxie spoke for their ears only. “Then do it.” At Taryn’s shocked expression, she quickly added, “I don’t mean actually drag him to a dark corner here and now and have your way with him. I mean don’t fight the attraction you feel for Wade. Go with it. It will make it a lot easier on the both of you. I know from first hand experience. I tried to resist Beowulf in the beginning, but it was only a losing battle. We were meant to be together. Just as you and Wade are.”

  “So you think it’s perfectly normal for me to be obsessing over Wade? That whenever I’m around him all I can think about is getting him into bed and having my way with him?”

  “Perfectly. I’m still that way with Beowulf. He swept into my life and basically changed it for the better.”

  Taryn smiled. “Wade did say that you were a hermit/computer geek before Beowulf broke you of your hermit ways.”

  “So Wade thinks I’m a computer geek, does he?”

  “Basically.”

  Roxie smiled at Taryn sweetly. “Will you excuse me for a minute?”

  Taryn nodded and watched Roxie make her way over to the bar. She went to Beowulf and stood on tip-toe to whisper something in his ear. Beowulf chuckled as he picked up Roxie so she was now level with Wade. Roxie then proceeded to deliver a slap to the back of Wade’s head. Taryn laughed as Wade rubbed his head and looked at Roxie as if to say what the hell. The sound of Roxie telling Wade to never call her a computer geek again reached Taryn’s ears easily.

  Returning to the table, Roxie looked at Taryn apologetically. “Sorry about that. I couldn’t let that one slide. Wade needs to be put in his place at times. But from learning what you did to him the first time you came to Wulf’s Den, I think you’re more than capable of keeping him in line.”

  “Oh, you found out about that, did you?”

  “Kind of hard to miss, what with Wade rolling around on the ground outside in the parking lot. You’re a woman after my own heart. I have a feeling the two of us will get along just fine.”

  * * * *

  With the club set to open in a few minutes, Beowulf had suggested they all go up to his office to talk. Braedan had joined them as well.

  Sitting next to Taryn on the couch, Wade squeezed her hand encouragingly before he spoke to Beowulf. “Taryn is in a bit of a jam and wonders if you could help her out.”

  “If I can, I’d gladly help you out, Taryn. What ex
actly do you need?”

  Taryn shifted on the couch beside him. Wade had a feeling this was probably the first time Taryn had ever had to ask someone for help. She was the type of woman who did everything herself, not wanting to rely on anyone. “The harvest is about to start and the regular crew I hire on to help with the extra work was unable to come this year. And I can’t seem to find a crew to replace them, for some reason. The problem is I don’t have enough people working at the vineyard to get all the grapes harvested in time without the extra hands. Wade seems to think you can find me the workers I’ll need.”

  Beowulf arched his brow at Wade before he turned back to Taryn. “He did, did he? I can see no problem in getting the men you would need. When would you want them at your winery?”

  “The day after tomorrow. And you can tell them I’ll pay the going rate. It doesn’t take much skill to harvest grapes, but it is hard work.”

  “The wages you would normally pay are fine. And the hard work won’t be a deterrent. How many men would you need?”

  Taryn shook her head as if she was still having a hard time believing Beowulf could manage to get the number of men needed. “At least eight. I don’t mean to be rude, but how is it you can promise me you will be able to find that many men at such short notice?”

  Beowulf chuckled. “Let’s say I have a lot of friends and family that would be more than willing to help out just because I’m the one doing the asking.”

  Braedan, who was sitting on the corner of Beowulf’s desk listening to the conversation, spoke up. “If you find it agreeable, I wouldn’t mind being one of the eight. Working on a winery sounds like something I would enjoy. Besides, it would give me more time to catch up on things with Wade, and get to know his ma…” Roxie, who was standing beside Beowulf’s chair behind the desk, gave Braedan a punch in the ribs and glared at him when he turned to look at her. He quickly recovered his almost slip-up. “I mean, it will give me a chance to get to know Taryn better. I take it the two of you are dating?”