Craving (Legacy Book 2)

by Ciana Stone

  His thoughts were interrupted by his father. “So, I hear you’ve been doing a bit of range riding and camping this week.”

  John Luke looked at his dad. “I have. I’d forgotten how big the ranch is, and how beautiful. Oh, that reminds me. Is there a boundary fence on the eastern side?”

  “I guess there still is. You’d need to ask Logan about that. Why?”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll talk with Logan about it. Right now, tell me about the Wildlife aspect of this center.”

  “Dr. James is part of the efforts to protect and rebuild populations of animals on the endangered species list.”

  “Which animals?” John Luke didn’t know much about which animals were endangered.

  “More than I can remember, but I do know that wolves are on the list.”

  John Luke had not realized that wolves were an endangered species, but found it interesting that Texas was supporting efforts to revitalize the population. He was surprised when they arrived at the Center. He’d not expected a place quite so large. Built in a ponderosa style of logs and stone, the main building was two stories and boasted of wraparound porches on both levels.

  Several other buildings flanked the main one. One was large, built of block with no windows and one metal door. He assumed that was the lab. There were other structures, stalls, and what might be kennels, along with several smaller metal buildings. There were four cabins—he assumed for housing—and there was an actual ranger lookout behind the main building that towered above the trees.

  It was an impressive compound, at least to his eyes. And the parking area was already quite crowded. John Luke’s father was surrounded the moment he stepped from the car so John Luke, fell back to wait for his brother Logan.

  Logan and Sabine walked up, hand-in-hand. She took John Luke’s hand as well. “Looks like I’m the big winner tonight. Not one, but two gorgeous escorts. Do you think they’ll have food? I’m starving.”

  Logan laughed. “You’re always starving.”

  “I’m eating for two,” she retorted and tugged on his and John Luke’s hands. “Come on.”

  John Luke smiled and walked inside with her and Logan. Sure enough, the moment they were inside, Sabine spotted a buffet table and headed straight for it. Logan shrugged and followed, leaving John Luke on his own.

  He’d never been uncomfortable in a crowd and tonight was no different. Within minutes, he was deep in a conversation about politics with friends of his father.

  An hour later, he was tired of talking and wished he driven himself so he could leave. Since that wasn’t an option, he took his time checking out the main floor of the building. It was packed with people, and he figured that had more to do with his father than the Park service.

  John Luke spotted the stairs and decided to see what was on the second floor. At the top of the stairs was a long corridor. One wall housed four doors, spaced evenly down its length. The other wall was nothing but windows and a door that led out onto a covered balcony.

  There didn’t appear to be anyone around, so he let himself out onto the porch. That’s when he realized he’d been wrong. There was someone around. A woman, standing alone at the end of the porch, looking out into the night.

  Iliana stood on the second-floor porch, looking out over the grounds of the Center. The voices on the first floor were beginning to give her a headache. She hated this sort of affair but recognized the importance. She would not have gained this post if it were not for Senator Legacy, and she’d been eager to meet and thank him.

  Which she had done the moment he arrived. After that, well, after that it was just small talk and endlessly repeating how happy she was to be there, how much she appreciated the Senator’s help and how she hoped the Center would benefit the area, animal preservation, and medical research.

  Oddly, she’d noticed that not everyone there had a political agenda. There were actually people hooking up. She found it amazing that anyone would use this kind of event to try and score a date or a roll in the hay but to each his own. Iliana didn’t have any interest in one-night stands and relationships had never come easy for her.

  As she continued to look out over the ground, someone walked up behind her. She turned to look, and all coherent thought fled her mind.

  The man smiled and inclined his head toward the interior of the Center. "It's kind of loud in there. Do you mind sharing your spot?"

  Iliana felt like a gawking teenager, but God almighty, she’d never been this close to a man so fine.

  “I’m sorry, have I intruded?” he asked.

  Holy hell. She wasn’t sure what to say or even think. What was it about him that had her libido kicking into immediate overdrive? "It's—it’s not mine,” she said, trying to ignore his rugged good looks and trying not to imagine what he looked without the dark suit.

  Standing at least three or four inches over six feet, he was a big man. Not heavy or stocky, just big, like someone who had worked out most of his life. His hair was very dark, straight and thick, worn short around the sides and back, and longer on top. He had the kind of face that a woman would not be likely to forget. It was a rugged face with slightly chiseled features, housing beautiful smoky gray eyes. His were the kind of looks that made women fantasize about bedding him and men dreaming of what it must be like to be him. She estimated him to be around forty.

  "Well," he replied in response to her comment. "Do you mind sharing whoever's balcony it is? I’m John Luke Legacy."

  Legacy? “You’re related to Senator Legacy?”

  “Yes. His son. And you are?”

  “Oh, sorry. Iliana James."

  “Dr. James? The one in charge here?”

  "Yes."

  "Well," he said with raised eyebrows. "I'm surprised. My father spoke very highly of you, but I didn’t expect you to be so young.”

  "Oh? Well, thanks. I guess,” she replied, thinking that she liked the sound of his voice. It was deep yet soft, like someone who did not feel the need to be loud in order to be heard. "And what do you do, John Luke? Are you following in your father’s footsteps as the next generation of politicians or perhaps an executive in the family empire?"

  "Neither,” he said with a laugh that started as a deep sound in his chest that rose to emerge as an amused chuckle. "I'm just your average run-of-the-mill rancher."

  She raised her eyebrows at him. "Somehow, I don't think so, Mr. Legacy."

  "Oh? Why not?"

  "Well,” she said as she considered him. "To begin with, you speak well, in the manner of someone who is accustomed to presenting his ideas in some type of public forum. Your body language says that you're self-assured yet not arrogant, confident yet not brash, and your eyes tell me that you have a sense of humor. That's not exactly how I’d describe an average rancher."

  "So, if I'm not a rancher then what would you guess me to be?"

  She thought about it for a second. "Umm… An attorney, perhaps, or…well, I'm not sure. Why don't you tell me?"

  "You're pretty good,” he said with a smile and leaned his forearms on the balcony rail. "Until recently I was with the FBI."

  "With the FBI as in administration or agent?" she asked, then held up her hand. "No, wait, don't tell me. You were an agent."

  "Give the girl a chocolate chip cookie.”

  “But ex-agent?” she asked. “Why?”

  “It was time to come home.”

  “Well, that’s mysterious.”

  “Mystery is good, isn’t it? But enough about me. I know you’re Dr. James, but is there a Mr. James?”

  "No."

  “I’m glad to hear that.” His voice lowered slightly as his eyes met hers. "Any chance you’d show me around this place?"

  "Now?"

  "Unless you'd rather go back in and join the circus." He nodded toward the door.

  "No, I don't think I want to do that." She’d like to spend more time with him and get to know more about him. She had not been intrigued with a man for a long time, but John
Luke intrigued her. "And I’d love to give you a tour."

  John Luke offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

  She smiled and took it. "By all means.”

  When she took his arm, it allowed him to lean a little closer. He inhaled her scent. He’d noticed it the moment he got near her. His sense of smell was something that had changed of late, or perhaps had just normalized now that he was no longer under the effect of the masking drug his mother had given him his entire life.

  Whatever the case, his senses were heightened. His vision was sharper, as were his hearing and sense of smell. Like with Iliana James. One whiff of her and he knew beyond all doubt that she was attracted to him. But more importantly, her scent was like lure, drawing him to her.

  So why was her scent so powerful and intoxicating? He shook off the thought to pay attention to the woman. Sooner or later it would come to him. Until then, he’d enjoy spending a little time with her.

  Iliana was striking. Her long hair was a warm chestnut that hung more than halfway down her back in a tumble of soft, lazy curls. She was a tall woman, a good five-ten and all those inches were, at present, encased in black pants that emphasized her curves and firm ass. The matching fitted jacket did little to disguise her full breasts, but neither was it cut to accentuate them.

  She appeared modest in her dress, rather unaware of her appeal and beauty. Her light green eyes were rimmed with dark lashes, the slight up-cast of the eyes in combination with high, defined cheekbones and a set of the most kissable full lips he’d seen in a while combined to give her a bit of exotic allure.

  He had the fleeting thought that she could totally rock a Wonder Woman costume and that visual gave him a rush of lust. He mentally scolded himself for the childish notion but not for the lust. That felt good. It had been awhile since he’d felt this kind of desire for a woman and he’d forgotten how much he liked it.

  They wandered the compound, and she pointed out the nature and use of each area. It was easy to discern her passion for her work; it could be heard in the tone of her voice and seen from the expression on her face. She loved what she did.

  “And this is my baby.” She keyed in a combination on the digital pad beside a door on a building that looked something like a stable. When they entered, lights in the ceiling automatically illuminated the interior.

  John Luke looked down the long center aisle. There were cages on both sides but most were empty. “What’s this?”

  Iliana led him to one of the occupied cages. Inside was a red wolf, a female and two pups. She opened the door a crack, knelt and extended her hand toward the female. “She’d been shot and was near death when we found her. Her mate was dead, as were four pups.”

  John Luke remained standing behind her, watching the female wolf eye Iliana. He was shocked when the wolf rose and walked to sniff, then lick Iliana’s hand.

  Iliana started stroking the wolf’s head and face, speaking softly.

  “Red wolves are on the endangered species list in Texas. They’re primarily nocturnal animals, very shy and secretive. They’re quite interesting and have a complex social structure, consisting of not just the breeding adult pair or alpha male and female and their offspring but also a hierarchy of dominant and subordinate animals that help the pack to function as a unit.”

  The wolf made a low growling sound, and the pups scampered over. John Luke was stunned to see the wolf nudge one of the pups toward Iliana. She rubbed the pup, then scooped it up in her hand and held it for a moment. When the female made no protest, she pulled her hand through the opening and cuddled the pup to her chest. It squirmed, yipped and climbed up her chest to lick her chin and face.

  John Luke looked at the mother. She lay on the floor of the pen with the remaining pup, to all appearances content with the situation. “She doesn’t seem to mind you touching her pups.”

  Iliana looked up at him and smiled. “I’ve spent a lot of time with her over the last few weeks. In fact, the first two weeks I slept out here, and bottle-fed the pups.”

  “She was hurt that bad?”

  “She was. And I was afraid she’d grieve herself to death.”

  That shocked him. He slowly knelt beside her, resting his butt on his heels. “Animals don’t do that. Do they?”

  “They most certainly do. And red wolves tend to form pair bonds for life. She not only lost her mate but four pups. Poor little mama was so devastated I didn’t know if she’d make it. But she’s made progress, and now I think she’ll be okay.”

  “You really love them, don’t you?”

  “How could I not?” She cut a look at him. “They’re magnificent and deserve to live free, without the threat of man gunning them down merely for sport or spite.”

  He saw the fire come into her eyes and heard it in her voice and not only admired it but also was attracted by it. “Is it just the red wolf that’s endangered?”

  “No, the gray wolf is on the list as well, along with other animals. I just happen to specialize in wolves.”

  “Do you have any gray wolves here? What’s the difference between them and red wolves?”’

  Iliana settled down on the floor cross-legged with the pup in her lap. “Well, let’s see.” She looked at the pup as she talked, continuing to rub it. “Obviously, its pelage normally is more reddish than the gray and a little more sparsely furred than either the gray wolf or the coyote.

  “Morphologically, it’s an intermediate between the coyote and the gray wolf. It’s often been compared to a greyhound in general form because of its relatively long slender limbs. And their ears are proportionately larger than either a coyote or gray wolf. They have a narrow skull with a small braincase and a well-developed sagittal crest.

  “What’s particularly interesting is its cerebellum isn’t like that of other Canis species. It’s closer in form to canids of the Vulpes and Urocyon genera, which indicates the red wolf is one of the more plesiomorphic members of its genus.”

  “And that, ladies and gentlemen is as clear as mud,” John Luke offered in the way of a comment.

  Iliana looked at him and laughed self-deprecatingly. “Sorry.”

  “No problem. I followed most of it until you got into sagittal crests and Vulpes.” His gaze connected with hers and she felt the smile fade from her face. Damn, he was hot. Hot as in way out of her league, call the fire department hot.

  “May I?” He reached his hand toward her lap, and for a moment she thought he wanted to touch her. That caused a flush to work over her skin and embarrassment to heat her up more as she realized he was referring to the wolf pup.

  “Oh, yes.”

  He rubbed the pup’s head and then its face and belly as it rolled over with feet in the air.

  “That’s curious.” She watched the pup with interest. It behaved like a beta submitting to an alpha. “He’s treating you like an alpha.”

  “Well, I am a good deal larger.”

  “Hmm.” She didn’t want to argue but also didn’t believe it was simply his size. At any rate, she’d been away from the grand opening event for long enough. “Okay, little man, back to mama.” She put the pup back into the pen. As she went to stand, John Luke offered his hand.

  She looked at the offered hand and noticed he had a curious scar on his wrist, no, a brand. That was odd. She took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet. Something like electricity raced from the point of contact of their hands and straight up her arm.

  Iliana jumped and stepped back, running into the wall as John Luke abruptly moved toward her. She didn’t know what to expect, but his next act was not only a surprise but also something quite curious and unhuman like. He leaned down and sniffed the side of her face and her hair.

  When he pulled back, his eyes were dark. With more than a little shock, she realized that his pupils were dilated. “I know you probably need to get back to your guests, but I’d like to see you again.”

  It would have taken an act of Congress, armed men, and probably a tank to keep her from agreeing.
Right now, if she had her way she’d be seeing him—all of him—up close and personal.

  “I’d like that.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” She smiled up at him, appreciating the fact that she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.

  “Friday?”

  “Works for me.”

  “Then Friday it is. Pick you up at seven?”

  “Or I could cook.”

  “Can you?”

  “Not well, but I can grill a steak.”

  John Luke’s smile was sexy enough to have her forgetting food entirely. “Works for me. So, I guess you need to get back.”

  “Yes.” She immediately agreed then reversed that decision. “Well, in a minute. Right now…”

  Iliana wasn’t a particularly timid woman, especially when it came to something she wanted. She reached up to pull his head down. Their lips met, and two seconds later one of his arms was around her, hitching her up snugly to him.

  God almighty could the man kiss. His free hand moved to her waist and worked slowly upward until it was just below her breast level. She pressed closer, moving one hand up his firm back and back down to belt level.

  Time wasn’t something she gave a spare thought to. The kiss had her full attention. It was spurring ideas of all the ways she would like to touch and taste him.

  When he pulled back, she felt a stab of disappointment. Fortunately, that was mollified by his words. “Damn, girl. Friday’s a long time off. How about Wednesday?”

  “Or Tuesday.” She suggested. “I’m not on call that night.”

  “Even better.”

  “There you are.” A voice had them stepping back from one another.

  John Luke’s father walked up to them and glanced into the cage. “Is this the female and pups you rescued?”

  Iliana was shocked that he knew about it. “Yes, sir.”

  “They look like they’re doing well.”

  “Yes, sir. I’d like to thank you again, Senator.” She offered her hand.

  He took it and smiled. “I have the utmost confidence in you, Dr. James.”