Six o’clock.
She only had a few hours to make the biggest decision of her life. Her heart was already leaping in early-expectation, but her mind—her mind teetered between courage and doubt.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Aww, sweetie. You look gorgeous,” Colleen said as Melina opened the front door to her apartment. “Spanx doesn’t really scream black tie to me, but whatever.” She shrugged. “To each her own.”
Melina pushed Colleen through the door and kicked it shut behind her before anyone spotted her in her flesh-toned sausage-stuffer. “I’m putting on the dress last,” Melina said, double-checking the time. “What’s in the bag?”
“I came bearing gifts!” Colleen dropped the bag and removed its contents. “Vodka to watch with your favorite movie: The Devil Wears Prada.”
“That sounds like a killer date night.” Grinning, Melina planted her hands on her hips. “But I might not be here for it.”
“You still haven’t made up your mind whether or not you’re going with him?”
Melina shook her head as nerves rattled through her.
“Well, I’m getting started.” Colleen started streaming the movie, and flopped onto Melina’s bed. “If you decide to answer the door, I’ll wish you well and watch the movie by myself. If you don’t, we’ll get plastered, watch it together, and vote on the best outfits. Win-win for me.”
This whole situation had given Melina a serious case of déjà vu.
“I’m just glad the shoe’s on the other foot this time,” Colleen went on.
“There’s still a chance he’ll stand me up.” Pulling her gold Prada gown off the hanger, Melina stepped into it and twirled in front of the mirror. It had a bustier top and silk skirt. Brighter on the top, more muted on the bottom. Draping train, with a glimpse of her feet in front. And it was absolutely show-stopping. She spun, eyeing the large bow tied at the back of her neck. “But I don’t think he will.”
“And you really haven’t made up your mind?” Colleen kicked off her heels and dropped back on the bed. “The Prada dress you’re wearing says something different.”
“Part of me is all fluttery and anxious, and can’t wait for him to knock on that door.” Melina slipped into the bathroom and touched up her makeup. “But another part of me feels like I might be asking for disappointment.”
The opening song for The Devil Wears Prada cued up. Melina peeked around the bathroom wall. All those city girls, glamming up for their big day. She felt like one of them, minus one teeny-tiny thing…most of them were leaving an apartment where a man was tangled in their bed sheets. She didn’t have anyone but Colleen, a bottle of Grey Goose, and a movie. Trying not to think about the grim reality facing her, Melina shoved a few bobby pins into the hair she’d pulled back from her face, dashed on sweet vanilla perfume, and hopped into her strappy Prada heels.
“So what are you waiting for?” Colleen unscrewed the top on the vodka and poured two glasses, filled to the rim. “What’s going to make your decision?”
With a huff, Melina perched on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know. I guess I’m waiting for the moment to strike me. Something that’ll make me wake up and know absolutely, positively that he didn’t mean those things he said. You didn’t hear him, Colleen. It seemed so easy for him to push me out of his life.”
“I still don’t understand,” Colleen said. “It feels like you’re leaving out a part of the story. What reason would he have to break up with you? You said everything was going great, he was exceeding your expectations, and then—wham!—you’re out on your ass.”
She hadn’t told Colleen all the details—she’d left out every mention of werewolves. Maybe, when the time was right, she’d share the truth with her best friend. On second thought, if Colleen knew about their secret society, would she say something? Would she freak out and expose them? If she did, it wouldn’t do anything but thrust her into the limelight, for all the wrong reasons. She’d become a target of the wolf pack. How far would they go to silence the truth? Would they hurt her?
No, Melina decided. The only way to keep Colleen safe was to keep her separate from the lives of the wolves in the city. She’d have to live in secret, keeping Colleen completely out of it.
Shit…
“You just went pale,” Colleen said. “Drink up, sister.”
Melina took her drink and tipped it back. She’d just committed the same sin as Hayden. She’d just decided, whole-heartedly, that it was safer for someone to be kept on the outside of the wolf pack society.
Was that all Hayden had been trying to do?
Could he really, truly love her, even though he hadn’t said those three little words yet?
She wrung her hands in front of her and checked the time. He’d be here any—
A knock on the door had Melina and Colleen jumping to their feet.
“Holy shit,” Colleen said. “He’s here. What are you going to do?”
Blinking quickly to stop the tears from falling, Melina threw her arms around Colleen’s neck and squeezed. “I know you can’t understand this, but you just helped me make up my mind.”
“I did?” She beamed. “I don’t know what I did, but I’m glad I could be of service.”
Adjusting her dress, Melina swept to the door and paused, hand to handle.
And then slowly, heart in her throat, she opened the door.
Hayden stood in front of her, a single, gold-tipped rose in his hand. His dark eyes were fraught with worry, and his full lips had pressed into a hard line.
“Thank God.” He spoke softly, as if he couldn’t catch his breath. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
She smirked, feeling weightless. Bold. “I live here.”
“Yeah.” He seemed to tremble. “You do.”
His hair was slicked back, and his face clean-shaven, accentuating the ruggedness of his jaw. He stood tall, wearing a Prada suit and black bow tie.
“Melina,” he said, handing her the preserved flower, “you wear a gold ring on your finger to remind you of where you come from and who you are. I want this to remind you that I know who you are, too…” He wrapped his free hand around her back and tugged her into his arms. “Just like this rose, you are dainty and perfect, sweet, beautiful, elegant, with the softest petals.” He lifted her hand and brushed his lips over the back of her knuckles.
“Thank you.” She melted as he buried his head against her neck and breathed in deep. “That was sweet.”
She belonged with him, wrapped tight in his arms. For always.
This—right here—was her fairy tale.
“No fur coat tonight?” He pulled back, a sly grin curling his lips.
“No,” she said, cheeks heating. “I’ll have another opportunity to wear fur this month. I’ll save it for then.”
His lips twitched as if he was holding back a laugh. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks.” She tugged on his lapel. “You do, too.”
“Ah-hem.” Colleen made a noise from behind her.
Melina turned and introduced the two of them. Colleen curtsied as if she were the princess getting picked up for the ball, and then made a rude gesture with her hands when he glanced back down the hall. After handing Colleen the rose and asking if she’d put it in water, Melina snatched her bag, and shut the door behind her. Judging from the gesture, Colleen had more than given Melina her blessing. Apparently, she wasn’t going to be waiting up for her to come home.
“Are you ready?” Hayden asked, planting a soft kiss on her shoulder.
Melina took his hand. “Absolutely.”
Hayden led her down the stairs, his hand gently resting on the small of her back. And when they exited the doors to the apartment complex, a limo waited at the curb.
“Where’s the Bugatti?” she asked, sliding into the limo.
After catching the train of her gown and holding it up for her to adjust, Hayden got in behind her and scooted close. “There’s this really intelligent woman I know, who sa
id if you want to make a good impression, you should drive something classy, something that shows you’re ready to take on certain responsibilities.”
“You were listening.”
“I listen to everything you say.”
She lit up, from the inside out. But she liked the way the Bugatti clung to curves, and the way he handled the car. Powerful and assured. The way he handled her between the sheets, actually.
Turned out she liked a lot of things about Hayden…exactly the way he was. No image alterations necessary.
But he still hadn’t said he loved her…
“So where are we going?” she asked as the limo drove toward Golden Gate Park.
“There’s a poker tournament benefiting inner-city youth at the de Young Museum tonight.” He put his hand on her knee, and brushed his thumb up and down along her inner thigh. She shivered as lightning rods of delicious sensation shot between her legs. “Do you play?”
She’d play with him all night long if he said the word…
“I know the basics, but nothing fancy.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be at your side to help you.” He patted her leg, and then leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Thanks for coming tonight. I’m so relieved you opened the door.”
“I wasn’t sure what I was going to do until the last minute, to be honest.”
He rubbed his hands up and down his thighs as they rounded the park and approached the museum. “I expected that, and I don’t deserve a second chance from you, but you have to know…sending you away from me like that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. It felt like I was ripping my heart out of my chest.”
She knew the feeling well. She’d felt the same way.
“You don’t have to protect me by keeping me shielded from the dangers of the rogues.” She took his hand and weaved her fingers through his. “We can face them together.”
He cupped her chin in his hands. “You’re unbelievably brave, the way you take on the world. You aren’t afraid to take risks in life, or love. I stand to learn a lot from you.”
Was he kidding?
She wasn’t the one who took off to challenge a pack of wolves.
She shook her head. “I’m not brave.”
“Don’t do that.” He ghosted his thumb over her cheek and held her still. “Never underestimate yourself that way. When the rogues kidnapped you, you escaped on your own. You busted Reagan’s nose when he held you at gunpoint, and just offered to face the wolves again. I know you have a fairy tale in your head and think you’re the damsel in distress in all this. But I know better. You’re the heroine. No,” he corrected, planting a feather-soft kiss on her lips. “You’re my heroine.”
As the limo pulled up to the curb, she lost herself in this moment, and in this man. She coiled her arms around his neck and kissed him with all the passion in her heart and soul. Her lips tingled, and her heart clenched, as his mouth slanted over hers. He kissed her, open-mouthed, both hands softly cupping her face.
This was her fairy tale.
He was it.
She didn’t need a castle, a white horse, a crown, or even—gasp!—Prada. She needed him. With every fiber of her being. She needed him like the very air in her lungs.
“When I said I loved you,” she breathed against his lips. “I meant it. You don’t have to say it back until you’re ready, but—”
“I love you, Melina Rae Rosenthal. And I don’t want to be apart from you again. Not for one day, one hour, one minute.”
Her heart stuttered, and she fought to breathe. Outside the limo, cameras flashed and crowds of people waited for Hayden to emerge.
“I can’t make a promise that we’ll never fight,” he went on, “or that I’ll never piss you off and make you want to leave, because I will. I’ll probably screw something up because that’s what I’ve done best for the last two-hundred years. I can’t promise you a life without pain or loss, but I’ll be at your side the whole time. And it’ll be worth it in the end.”
Something erupted inside her. Her mouth dried. Her stomach ached. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was a blubbering mess. Removing the handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped away her tears.
“Don’t cry, doll.”
She smiled into a laugh, as tears caught on her lashes.
Doll.
She used to hate that word. But coming from the right person, the pet name was kind of freaking adorable. He could call her Doll until the day she died, and she’d be the happiest woman on earth, as long as he said it exactly the way he did now. Filled with love and total adoration.
“Ready to go out there and fuel the circus?” He nudged his chin at the parade of reporters lining the red carpet.
“I’m ready.” She kissed him, slow and tender, and then leaned over his lap to pull on the handle. “But I should be asking you that question. From the moment we step on that carpet, they’re going to know we’re together. You won’t be able to avoid the truth about our relationship the way you’re attached to my side this way.”
He eyed the hand that still gripped her knee. “Yet I’m not moving.”
Her thighs dimpled with gooseflesh. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” For a relationship. To go public with us. To declare to the world, essentially, that she was his only. “For what tonight brings?”
“Hell yes.”
She trembled as his lips caught hers in a smoldering kiss. Her heart filled with joy and gratitude, but most of all…love.
“Totally, completely, I’m yours,” she whispered against his mouth.
“And I’m the luckiest werewolf in the world for it,” he said, taking her hand. “Come on. Let’s go show them what love looks like.”
And then Hayden Dean, playboy, mogul, businessman, and Alpha wolf, led her down the red carpet as if she were his queen.
Chapter Thirty
The next full moon…
Melina never thought the day would come.
Shifting for the first time was nerve-wracking, even though Hayden had spent the last few weeks prepping her for what was to come. He’d said it wasn’t too painful, but it could be really uncomfortable if she wasn’t completely relaxed. If she didn’t accept the change whole-heartedly, it’d be harder. He said not to think about how she’d look in wolf form, or the pain she might feel.
The concept was like someone telling her not to think about elephants.
Yeah, okay.
Elephant. Elephant. Elephant.
She took one last, long look at herself in his bathroom mirror. She fluffed her dark strands as they fell over her shoulder, and then laughed at how absolutely ridiculous the thought was.
She’d just primped…to become a wolf.
Sighing, she adjusted her shirt—the one Hayden would love—and stepped into the bedroom of his Moss Beach home. The night was dark, but the full moon shone brightly through the windows, illuminating the room with a cool white glow.
“Hayden?” she called, tiptoeing into the hall.
“Downstairs.”
Wringing her hands, Melina traipsed downstairs and into the kitchen. Hayden stood in front of the French doors leading onto the deck, bare-chested, with a pair of black running shorts slung low on his hips. A sense of calm eased its way through her at the sight. Stealing behind him, she wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her face against his bare back. She could hear his heart beat, steady and true. She could feel his lungs expand and deflate. Both things warmed her and quieted her nerves completely.
“Your article came out today.” He gazed at her over his shoulder.
She hadn’t realized today was the day. Nerves flared through her. “How is it?”
Papers rumpled over his shoulder. She leaned around him, and noticed he held Eclipse in his hands.
“You have a knack for exposing the truth about people.” He flipped the page that showed a picture of Lydia’s desk, how full it was before, and how empty it was now that she’d been fired. “We never had reason to suspect she was s
tealing millions from the company and hiding it in accounts overseas. Are you sure you don’t want to take the job at Eclipse? It’s what you’ve worked your whole life for.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” She nodded against his back, and then let him spin around in her arms. “I think I want to start up a local off-the-runway rental store. Packmates get a discount, of course.”
She’d already started up the website, and looked at the upfront costs. They were doable, and she was surprisingly stoked about the idea. She’d actually get to work with the clothes hands-on this way, rather than sitting behind a desk and writing articles about fashion. And as a bonus, she’d get to go to all the fashion shows.
Hayden had already promised to take her to Fashion Week, if she wanted to kick-start her new business. He supported her dreams; reason number two million why she loved him.
“If that’s what you want, you could have it.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “You have the know-how, the work ethic, and the crazy sense of fashion.”
“Crazy?” She stepped back so he could get a good, hard look of tonight’s outfit. “What do you think of this?”
His mouth dropped as he eyed her hungrily, making her quiver. “I thought you hated the 49ers!”
He held her finger and made her do a little spin. She wore a small 49ers jersey that hugged her breasts and a pair of red booty shorts that hid little.
“Oh, I still hate ’em,” she said, planting her hands on her hips. “But you said I’d rip through my clothes during the shift. This was the only outfit I could think of where I wouldn’t mind if it got torn to shreds.”
“If only I had a Raider jersey to do the same.” He laughed, nodding. “But I don’t own anything that hideous. Now that you have your outfit picked out, are you ready?”
She nodded, unable to speak.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said, and grabbed a rolled up blanket off the table. “You’ll see.”
Taking her hand, Hayden led her out the French doors onto the deck, and then down a set of stairs to the beach. Once they reached the sand, the crashing sound of the waves was deafening. The moon’s glow illuminated everything, shining on the long stretch of white sand, the trees sheltering them from view, and the angry waves crashing against the shore. There wasn’t a hint of breeze, or threat that anyone would see them.
The Werewolf Wears Prada (Entangled Covet) (San Francisco Wolf Pack) Page 21