Wilde About Her (Wilde Pack Series)

by Daniels, Angie

  Nope. For now, what Denim thought she saw would have to stay a secret.

  4

  The following morning Denim showered and came down to the kitchen. Pappy was already making breakfast. He was standing in front of the deep farmhouse sink when he turned to her and smiled.

  “Good morning, Sweet Pea. You want any eggs?”

  “No, coffee and toast is fine,” she replied, rising on her toes to brush a kiss to his butter-pecan colored cheek.

  He frowned. “You need to fuel your body.”

  “And so do you,” she retorted with a hand at her waist, taking in his aging appearance. “How about while I’m here, I’ll make breakfast?”

  As she walked over to the large wooden table, Pappy gave her a dismissive wave. “I have country ham and toast every morning.”

  “How about some grits, the way Grandma Bea used to make them?” Denim suggested and she didn’t miss the twinkle in his dark gaze.

  “You got yourself a deal, young lady.” He smiled and looked lost in the memory of his wife’s grits with country sausage and plenty of butter. “While you’re here, if you could teach Kitty how to make Bea’s grits at the diner, I think the people of this town would really appreciate that. Hers can be a tad bit runny at times.”

  Denim grinned at the scowl on his face. “Sure Pappy, I’ll be glad to.” She walked over to a door near the sink and stepped inside a walk-in food pantry. On the bottom shelf she found a box of grits. She reached for it, and then gazed down at the expiration date while shutting the door behind her with a click. The pantry used to be one of her favorite hiding places.

  “If you’re wondering if they’re still good, I bought those a few months ago and tried to make them the way Bea did, but didn’t even come close.” Pappy gave a hearty chuckle.

  Grinning knowingly, she moved over to the white gas stove, reached for a small pot and filled it with water. Denim had a warm feeling flooding her chest at the thought of cooking in her grandmother’s kitchen again. Being here always had a way of making her feel good. There’s nothing stupid about this place. She was starting to think she had been ridiculous for allowing Grandma Bea’s death to keep her away for so long.

  Pappy carried a platter of country ham over to the wobbly wooden table along with a carafe of coffee while Denim put the pot on the stove and lit the eye.

  “Did you hear that wolf howling last night?”

  “Wolf?” She swirled around, eyes wide. “Uh no,” Denim stuttered, taken completely off guard. “I thought I heard thunder.”

  “Nope. It was those damn werewolves,” Pappy mumbled more to himself than to her, then he brought a mug to his lips and sipped before continuing. “I’ve been trying to tell folks around here for years they’re as yellow as the sun and humongous, but no one wants to believe me.”

  “I believe you, Pappy.” I’ve seen them and I wish I could tell you. But if she did, Pappy would spread the story all day long at the diner.

  Denim walked back to the table and took a seat while waiting for the water to boil. “Pappy, when was the last time you saw one?”

  His brow wrinkled the way it always does when he’s in deep thought. “It’s been several years since I’ve caught those beady eyes staring at me, but I feel them watching when I’m sitting out on the porch. In fact, I felt one lurking outside my house this morning. Just with my eyesight the way it is now, I couldn’t hunt them if I wanted.”

  Thank God for small favors.

  Denim reached for the carafe and filled both coffee mugs as she asked, “Have there been any reports of livestock being killed? That’s usually a sign.”

  Pappy blew out a frustrated breath. “No nothing, which I can’t figure it out, but there haven’t been deer sightings in these parts for years. It’s because of the wolves, I tell you!”

  Now that much she couldn’t argue. A deer had sense enough to stay away if there were wolves present and there definitely were. Three in particular.

  “What’s this about you getting married?” Pappy asked, changing the subject.

  Avoiding his eyes, Denim reached for the sugar dish and tossed two heaping teaspoons into her mug. “Not anymore. The engagement is off.”

  His eyes crinkled with worry. “Something you wanna talk about, Sweet Pea?”

  Shaking her head, Denim sighed and said, “No, not really. Guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”

  Reaching over, Pappy patted her hand. “You’ll fall in love again. You’ll see,” he said with confidence.

  Denim bit into her toast to avoid a response. After that fiasco, she wasn’t sure if she wanted another relationship… ever.

  Love hurt.

  * * *

  His brothers were standing in the foyer at the bottom of the stairs talking when Jax headed down.

  “Good morning,” he greeted.

  Aidan looked up and gave him a head nod. “Hey. What do you have planned for today?”

  Jax shrugged as he reached the bottom step. “Work over near the stable, repairing one of the fences.”

  Chayton nodded his spiky blond head. “I’ll give you a hand.”

  “Cool, the crew and I can use any help we can get.” They had dozens of hired hands working at the ranch, yet Jax really enjoyed pitching in whenever he could.

  “You plan on going back into town today for another hamburger?” Aidan asked.

  Confused, his brow rose. “A burger?”

  His younger brother smirked and replied, “Yep, from Pappy’s Diner.”

  Jax noticed the way his brothers were looking at each other, grinning.

  They know.

  Sidestepping Aidan, he avoided the question and headed into the kitchen where their housekeeper was making breakfast. Of course those two knuckleheads followed him.

  “I heard through the grapevine Denim is back in town. Have you seen her by chance?” Aidan asked, even though the sparkle in his golden eyes said he already knew the answer. Jax had known it was just a matter of time before they found out.

  He reached for the plate of bacon. Weres had a hearty appetite. Jax brought a crisp slice to his lips before speaking. “Yeah, I saw her. So what?”

  Amused, Aidan arched an eyebrow at him. “So what? Her scent… all you used to talk about was that delicious smell that drove you crazy. You telling me she no longer smells good enough to eat?”

  The question caught him off guard. Chayton eyed him speculatively. Jax didn’t bother denying it because all they had to do was be within a few feet of her and they would know Denim still smelled fucking amazing.

  “She’s human,” Jax replied, like that was the end all.

  “And?” Aidan said with a rude snort. “Weres have been known to fall in love with humans. Cousin Kyle is a good example.”

  Jax glanced back and forth between the two of them before speaking. “Not this werewolf.” Being a shifter was hard enough as it was without complicating his life even more.

  Chayton was watching him intently. “I agree. This pack has enough problems.”

  Aidan waved his hand. “Are you for real? Dude, things happen for a reason. You’re no longer with Troy, and maybe that’s because Denim is your soulmate.” Aidan was the youngest and the biggest pain in his ass. Usually he rolled with his brother’s jokes, but not this time.

  “She’s not. So, change the subject,” he growled, shaking his head in exasperation, then walked over to the refrigerator just as Ms. Gayla handed him a glass of orange juice. She had been with them for fifteen years, since their mother, an alpha female, died in a car accident. No matter how old the Wilde boys got, Ms. Gayla couldn’t suppress her maternal instinct to coddle them.

  “I hope you boys are hungry.”

  “Always,” Aidan replied as he leaned forward and planted a kiss to her cheek. Ms. Gayla smiled and handed him a glass as well.

  While Jax sipped from his glass, he stood at the island, flipped through the morning newspaper, pretending to read when he was actually thinking about Denim. Aidan was rig
ht. Her smell was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Even yesterday at the diner, the pull of pheromones had grown stronger the closer he’d moved toward the counter. Last night, all he could think about was her as he imagined bending her over one of the vinyl stools, lifting her skirt, and sinking deep inside—

  “One thing for sure, you better not let Troy find out about Denim,” Aidan said, with a chuckle, interrupting his explicit thoughts.

  Jax gazed at his brother’s wide smirk, pointed canines flashing.

  There was nothing worse than a she-wolf scorned. After their relationship ended, Troy stalked and taunted every female he’d attempted to date. And then a few members of the Chadwick pack got involved, and took her side, believing a Wilde had broken her heart. The entire situation had caused so much friction between the two packs that Jax finally decided to take a break from dating until the tension had ceased between them.

  Jax blew out a harsh breath and laid aside the paper. “You have to admit Troy’s been way too quiet.”

  Aidan looked over from the kitchen table and shrugged. “That could be a good thing.”

  “Maybe she’s found another Were,” Chayton added, while stuffing bacon into his mouth.

  One could only hope. But he knew better. Troy was vindictive and there was no way she was letting him off that easy. She had been so quiet, Jax’s animal instincts had kicked up a notch. Something was brewing.

  Chayton scratched his head. “I’ll get a few members of the pack to reach out and see what they can find out.” His voice was suddenly laced with urgency.

  “Good.”

  “In the meantime, bro, relax a little and get laid,” Aidan said, with a wolfish smile.

  Jax tried to ignore the tightening at his groin. Shifters had high sex-drives and getting laid didn’t sound like a bad idea. The problem was the only woman he had on his mind was Denim, and she definitely was not on the agenda.

  Chayton chimed in. “No, what he needs to do is help Dad come up with a solution to mediate the tension.”

  His big brother was always so serious. Might explain why he sucked at relationships.

  “Time to eat!” Ms. Gayla announced as she brought over a stack of pancakes.

  With a sigh, Jax dropped down onto a chair at the table and pushed thoughts of the tension between the two packs as well as Pappy’s sexy granddaughter from his mind. He wasn’t sure which was worse. One thing for sure, if thoughts of Denim continued, he was going to have to find another place to buy hamburgers.

  5

  Denim was working the counter when Quinn dropped by for lunch.

  “Don’t you look cute?” she teased with her usual cheer.

  Denim glanced down at the red apron she wore over a t-shirt that read Bite Me and a pair of cut-off blue-jean shorts. Her thick wavy hair was up in a sloppy ponytail. Denim was sure her lipstick had been long gone for hours. “I see you got jokes.”

  Quinn giggled. “How’s it going so far?”

  “Just like old times,” she replied, shrugging a slender shoulder.

  While Quinn sat on one of the empty stools at the counter, Denim took in her navy blue blouse and red and white polka-dot pencil skirt. On her feet was a pair of fire engine pumps. She definitely had a vibrant sense of style.

  “I’ll take a grilled cheese with fries.” Quinn didn’t even bother looking at the menu.

  “Really? You still eat that?” Denim asked, lips twitching with humor.

  She nodded and cried, “After all these years, it’s still my favorite.”

  “Coming right up.” She scribbled the order onto the note pad, then ripped off the page and slid it over the half wall. “Max, I need a grilled cheese meal.”

  “Coming right up,” he replied, without even looking up from the grill.

  Denim swung around, filled drink glasses for the other two customers sitting at the counter, then went back to visit with Quinn, carrying a cold glass of iced tea.

  “Thanks,” she said and brought it to her lips for a long thirsty drink. “Wanna go to a party with me Saturday evening?” she asked, after finally coming up for air.

  Denim stopped mopping the counter and moved back to the other end where Quinn was twisting side-to-side on the stool. “Sure, what kinda party?”

  “You remember Payton?”

  “Sure. Brunette, glasses, and braces?”

  Nodding, she replied, “Yep that’s her. Well, she just got accepted into law school so her parents are letting her have a big shindig at their house.”

  Denim’s brow rose. “Are her parents going to be there? I’m just saying…”

  Quinn took another sip before answering; “No, I’m sure the mayor and his wife are going away for the weekend.”

  A smile curled Denim’s lips. “I might come.”

  “Booze, food, a band, it’s going to be a blast,” she announced in a singsong voice.

  “Sounds like the place to be,” she murmured.

  “Anybody who’s anybody will be there,” Quinn announced proudly.

  A town with a population of six thousand that wasn’t saying much. “Sure I’d love to go.”

  “Great!” she screeched. “It’s going to be like old times, hanging out together.”

  Laughing, Denim greeted a customer as he came through the door and watched him walk to a table near the rear where Emily, one of the waitresses, was there to serve him before she shifted her eyes to Quinn again. “Hey, let me ask you a question. There was this guy that came in here yesterday.”

  “Really?” Her cocoa-brown eyes sparkled with intrigue. “What did he look like?”

  Denim bunched her brows as if she was trying to remember, when in reality there was no way she could ever forget that face. “Long blonde hair, gorgeous with tattoos. He left on a motorcycle,” she said and then something flashed in Quinn’s eyes.

  “Diamond earrings and swag?”

  She nodded. “Yes, that sounds like him.”

  Her eyes twinkled in amusement. “I can’t believe you didn’t recognize your old boyfriend.”

  “Boyfriend?” Denim was confused.

  Quinn snorted. “Jax. Jackson Wilde.”

  It took a few seconds for the name to register. Her jaw dropped. No freaking way. “I didn’t even recognize him.”

  “I know… right. One summer he just transformed and came to school in the fall looking like a totally different boy. He’s a definite cutie and every girl around here’s been after him, but he pretty much keeps to himself.”

  Cute was not an adjective she would have used to describe Jax. He was sexy, panty-dripping gorgeous, and definitely had swag. She couldn’t believe it. That had been Jax Wilde.

  The last time she had seen him, he had just given her a ride back to the farmhouse on his motor bike. He was a tall, lanky teenager with a cocky smile. It was also the same day she’d experienced their first kiss. She’d never forgotten Jax telling her how much he liked her, then leaning in and kissing her by surprise. Denim was so stunned, she broke it off and ran all the way to the house. That’s when she found Grandma Bea unconscious.

  It had been eight years, but she still remembered the boy who had given Denim her first kiss. And that boy looked nothing like the one who had walked into the diner yesterday. There was no way he could possibly be that gorgeous. Hell, if she had known he was going to grow up and look like that she would have allowed him to have kissed her a lot sooner.

  “They’ll probably be at the party,” Quinn said, breaking into her thoughts and her stomach knotted.

  “They?”

  “He and his brothers Chayton and Aidan. They always travel in a pack. Don’t you remember how we used to call them the wild pack?”

  Denim giggled, lip twitching with humor. “Yes, I do remember that.”

  She laughed, then shook her head at her. “Well the name stuck. The Wildes are wild alright. Bikers… all blonde and gorgeous.”

  “If they looked anything like Jax, they are definitely gorgeous,” she murmu
red and tilted her head to the side. “I can’t wait to see them.”

  Quinn laughed again, low and wicked. “You won’t have long to wait. They’ll be there. I’m certain of it.”

  6

  “So, this is how people party in Justice.”

  “Told ya!” Quinn beamed, the dimple at her left cheek flashing.

  They were standing under a tree, admiring the sprawling white house surrounded by lush green grass. She could have fit two of Pappy’s farmhouse inside.

  Slowly, Denim spun around, taking in the entire lawn. Tables covered with food were sheltered by a huge white awning. White streamers and lanterns hung from the branches of the trees, which was a good thing since the sun was just beginning to set. Waiters mingled through the crowds. A band was setting up near the gazebo. The female singer looked like a wannabe Ariana Grande.

  As they strolled around the property, Quinn introduced her to more people than Denim remembered living in Justice.

  “Very nice,” she said, once they started toward the food.

  “The night is still young,” Quinn replied and her voice held a hint of promise of what was yet to come.

  Denim’s gaze skated over Quinn’s dress. It was daring, red and formed to her body. Yesterday after work they had driven into Austin to go shopping. She had found a cute two-piece with a midriff top and miniskirt that hugged her hips just the way she’d hoped. She picked up a few other things she’d wanted to get while they were in the city, but for the most part they had hit the malls. It felt so good hanging out with Quinn again, shopping and laughing like all the years hadn’t passed between them. Afterwards, they had dinner at a seafood restaurant before heading back to Justice.

  Denim grabbed champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and handed one to Quinn. This wasn’t at all the type of party she was used to attending. Hers involved kegs of beer and drunken fraternity boys.