Charmed by the Wolf

by Kristal Hollis

  Every time color burst in the sky, Nel’s heart swelled.

  When she’d accepted the summer job at the resort, Nel had wanted to make a definite change in her life. Never had she dreamed someone like Tristan would be part of that transformation.

  Sinfully handsome, Tristan could have, and probably did have, any woman he wanted. That he wanted her and all her flaws, well, it was indescribable.

  He nibbled her ear and a sense of him filled her spirit. Maybe it was imagination or wishful thinking. All she knew for sure was that she’d never felt more content. She’d heard the saying “You complete me,” and it always irked her. She didn’t need anyone to complete her. As an individual, she was complete. What she felt with Tristan was more like a painting suddenly taking on three dimensions. The painting itself was perfectly complete, but the textured layers added richness and depth.

  The last vibrant color burst faded from the sky, leaving thick, smoky scars in the black expanse, obscuring the starry twinkles.

  Nel wished for five more minutes. But, if given the extra time, she would’ve wished for five more. And so on and so on.

  She hated for the day to end.

  Tristan made no move to gather their things.

  “Man, I wish I didn’t have to work tonight,” he sighed.

  Nel laughed. “Bet that’s the first time you’ve ever wished that.”

  “Never had a reason to wish for it, until now.”

  Tristan walked Nel to her car. “Be careful. Unfortunately, there will be drunk drivers on the road tonight.”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  Neither made a move to part.

  “Do you want to make plans to do something next week?” she finally asked.

  “I haven’t decided if that’s a good idea or not.” He seemed as conflicted by their evolving situation as Nel. Was this thing between them only a summer fling? Was it wise to continue their course? What would happen when it came time for her to return to Atlanta?

  “Should we say goodbye, see you around?”

  Tristan frowned.

  “I didn’t like the sound of that, either.” She tugged on the front of Tristan’s shirt. “I like spending time with you. But if you want us to stop now, that’s okay. It’s been fun.” Really, really fun.

  Tristan’s frowned deepened. Dark emotions simmered in his eyes.

  He slanted his mouth over hers, kissing her soundly. Possessively.

  His heat warmed her as he held her against him. Slowly, his hips rocked against her and the rigidness pressed into her stomach. Not only did she feel safe and protected with Tristan, she felt wanted.

  “Good night, Nel,” he panted hoarsely.

  She practically floated on clouds back to the cabin. Because good night was definitely not a last goodbye.

  Chapter 25

  “Hey, Nel. Got plans this afternoon?”

  Nel put up the last of the supplies from Friday morning’s workshop and turned to see Cassie and Grace standing in the doorway. “Not really.” Tristan was working, so she expected another quiet afternoon of painting. “Why?”

  “We’re going shopping.” Cassie smiled.

  “Where? I haven’t seen any malls in Maico.”

  “We’re driving down to Commerce for the afternoon,” Grace said.

  “And you want me to babysit?”

  Grace laughed. “I told you she’d think that.”

  Cassie shook her head. “We’re childless for the afternoon. The kids are at the Co-op child-care center.”

  “We thought it would be fun to have a girls’ afternoon out.”

  “Wanna come?” Cassie prompted Nel with an affirmative nod.

  “Absolutely.” Although she loved painting, a break from another solitary day in the cabin would be nice.

  Nel hadn’t seen Tristan in over a week. When off-duty from the sheriff’s office, he was covering extra shifts for the Co-op’s security force because a nasty virus had left the team shorthanded.

  “Great,” Grace said. “Cassie is chauffeuring.”

  Nel locked up the classroom and accompanied them to the valet stand.

  “Why don’t you have Jimmy drive your car to the cabin?” Cassie suggested. “When we get back, I’ll drop you off at the cabin on my way home.”

  “I didn’t use the valet service.”

  “I’ll drop it off, just the same,” the young valet said.

  “Jimmy does it for me whenever I leave with Brice,” Cassie told her.

  “Just the car key, please.” Jimmy held out his hand.

  Nel fished the key off the ring and handed it to him.

  “I’ll treat your car as if it were my own.” Jimmy grinned.

  “I hope that’s a good thing.”

  A champagne-colored minivan pulled up.

  A sandy-haired young man exited the vehicle. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call Shane?”

  “No,” Cassie and Grace said in unison.

  Cassie walked around the vehicle to get in. Grace and Nel climbed into the passenger’s side.

  As they drove off, Nel asked, “Why would he ask to call Shane?”

  “Shane is like a pesky little brother,” Cassie said. “He believes it’s his mission to keep an eye on us when our husbands aren’t around.”

  “Why?”

  “Brice and Rafe told him to.” Grace cracked a smile. “They’re overprotective.”

  “With good reason,” Cassie said grimly. “But that’s all in the past and there is no cause for them to worry about a trip to the mall.”

  “Except maybe the credit-card bill.” Grace laughed.

  Nel didn’t have anyone to account to. Though she didn’t want a man who hovered over her every move, it would be nice to have someone who cared about her well-being.

  “How do you like teaching at the resort?” Grace asked.

  “It’s a lot of fun,” Nel admitted. “The hours aren’t bad, either. Neither are the perks.”

  “The Co-op takes care of its members and its employees,” Cassie said.

  “Tristan said the Co-op is like a huge extended family.”

  “It is,” Grace piped in. “It was daunting at first, but I’ve grown to love the Co-op community.”

  “Me, too,” Cassie said. “I don’t have any family of my own.”

  “Hey,” Grace protested. “I’m family.” She looked back at Nel. “Not by blood. We’re heart sisters.”

  “Must be nice.” Nel felt a twinge of jealousy. She had a few friends, but none she would consider a heart sister.

  “Gavin mentioned that the Co-op’s charter school will be hiring soon.” Cassie glanced in the rearview mirror at Nel. “Would you be interested in a position?”

  “I have a job in Atlanta,” Nel said.

  “Do you have family there?” Grace twisted in her seat.

  “An aunt and uncle, but we’re estranged. Permanently.”

  “Family isn’t just the people you’re related to by blood.” Cassie gave Grace’s arm a sisterly squeeze.

  “Good thing. My parents were overseas during my pregnancy. The Co-op was a godsend. They brought food and cleaned the house when all I could do was puke out my guts from the morning sickness.” Grace ran her fingers through her blond ponytail. “Good times.”

  Nel longed to experience the support and concern of so many people. Scared and alone was not a position she ever wanted to be in again, especially if she were sick.

  Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing to give thought to Cassie’s suggestion. The people, so far, seemed open and friendly. The Walkers had been good employers. She loved the area. And she’d painted more in the last few weeks than she had in the last two years.

  Then there was Tristan.<
br />
  A warm, cozy feeling ebbed through her body. He’d added a certain spice to her life. Going back to her bland existence would be difficult.

  Different than anyone she’d dated, Tristan appeared genuinely interested in what interested her. She loved the way he watched her paint and praised her talent, and especially how he gently thumbed the streaks of paint from her face and hands. Not to mention the fire in his eyes that could heat her body and rev her up faster than anyone.

  But as much as she enjoyed his company, he was a hardwired bachelor. Eventually she would want to marry and have a family. But how could she fall for someone else, if her heart wasn’t in it?

  “Even if I did relocate here,” Nel said, looking at the scenery flashing by the car window, “I’d have to marry a Co-op man to be included in everything.”

  “You and Tristan seem pretty cozy.” Cassie’s reflection in the rearview mirror targeted Nel. “I’ve never seen him take more than a split-second interest in someone.”

  “We’re friends.”

  “Tristan doesn’t look at his friends the way he looked at you at Brenna’s party or the Fourth of July festival,” Grace said.

  “You should explore that.” Cassie grinned. “The two of you fit together well. You’re very in sync.”

  “It does feel—” Nel paused “—comfortable.” But that could be in part due to their understanding that whatever was between them would only last the summer. She valued his friendship and didn’t want to risk losing him over a romantic blunder on her part.

  “Tristan and I have different lifestyles.” He was so busy with work, family and volunteering, there simply wasn’t much time for anyone else in Tristan’s life, at least long term. Nel had taken the back seat in her previous relationships. She wanted to break old patterns, not repeat them.

  * * *

  “Tristan?” Nel’s heart stumbled over its beat at the sight of him leaning against her car in the resort parking lot as she was leaving work. Only Tuesday, she hadn’t expected to see him until Thursday afternoon when he’d planned to take her fishing.

  Still in uniform, he looked so tired that he could barely stand. His hair was mussed, his eyes were bloodshot, rough stubble covered his jaw and his mouth was pulled down so tight his lips had lost color.

  “One of the kids I mentor,” he said in a ragged breath, “OD’d.”

  Nel’s heart clenched. “Oh, Tristan.” She took his hands in hers.

  “I was at the hospital with him all night.”

  Before she asked about the teen’s condition, Tristan subtly shook his head.

  Nel didn’t know the kid but the weight of Tristan’s loss and sorrow caved her chest.

  “Want to get away from here for a while?”

  “Sure.” She had no particular plans for the afternoon. “Do I need to change?”

  Tristan’s gaze moved over her summer dress down to her feet encased in white tennis shoes. “No, you look great.”

  Nel knew she didn’t. Comfortable, but not great.

  Still, his eyes warmed with interest and if his heart hadn’t been hurting he might’ve kissed her.

  She turned off the lights and locked the door to the activity room. Tristan hooked his arm around hers. They walked silently to his truck and he helped her into the vehicle. She didn’t offer any words of comfort. She knew there were none.

  But she did know one thing. “It wasn’t your fault. He was lucky to have you in his life, even as it ended.”

  He didn’t meet her gaze, but he did let go of a heavy breath and she could see the tension in his shoulders loosen.

  Tristan drove to his apartment. “Mind if I shower and change before we head out?”

  “Please do.” Her tease was rewarded with a tentative smile.

  He led her up the stairs and into his apartment. It looked exactly the same as when she’d picked up his clothes.

  “Your decorating taste surprised me.” She sat on the black leather sofa.

  “Not mine, my mother’s.” Tristan removed his weapon and secured it in a locked box he stored on a shelf in the hall closet. “She’s an interior designer.”

  “Does she know you at all?” Nel said without thinking. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “Don’t be,” Tristan said without censure. “And, no, she doesn’t know me very well. Make yourself at home. I won’t be long.”

  He headed into the bedroom, and a few minutes later Nel heard the water running in the shower. Trying not to picture him naked and slick with water, she picked up an Architectural Digest magazine off the coffee table. Two articles were dog-eared and one design had X’s and circles with scribbled notes as to what Tristan would change.

  Someone knocked at the door.

  Nel answered, surprised to see the resort’s chief of security. “Mr. Coots, come in.”

  “Call me Cooter.” Removing his hat, he eased inside. “Everyone else does.”

  “Please have a seat.” She waved toward the couch, feeling a bit awkward since this wasn’t her home. “Tristan will be out in a few minutes.”

  A strange look flashed in Cooter’s eyes and then it was gone. “Pardon my intrusion.”

  “We just came in ourselves.”

  “You and Tristan have become quite friendly, I hear.” His congenial smile didn’t match the suspicion in his eyes. “With you taking care of him and all.”

  “We’re friends,” she said, ignoring the compulsion to explain further. They were adults and she didn’t need to provide justification for her actions, or Tristan’s, to anyone.

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  “No, thank you, ma’am.”

  Nel gritted her teeth. Although ma’am was a polite social term in Southern communities, she hated the use of it when applied to her. Especially since Cooter was at least thirty years her senior.

  “Is this a social visit or business? I could ask Tristan to hurry, if you need him.”

  “I’m a patient man,” he said in a Southern drawl. “I can wait.”

  Nel didn’t believe in telepathy, but she sent a few thoughts Tristan’s way, urging him to hurry. She went to the kitchen and got herself a glass of water, just to have something to do.

  The shower cut off. Less than a minute later, Tristan strolled out wearing nothing but a towel fastened around his waist. His hair and skin were damp, as if he’d rushed out.

  “Cooter, why are you here?” Tristan’s voice sounded rougher than normal.

  The older man stood. “You weren’t answering your phone. Gavin has a new security plan for the Co-op he wants to discuss with us.”

  Nel’s heart sank. She was looking forward to spending the afternoon with Tristan and he needed the break.

  “Can it wait?”

  “Gavin wants this taken care of ASAP.”

  “It’s okay, Tristan,” Nel piped in. “I can take a rain check.”

  “I don’t want a rain check,” Tristan snarled, but not at her. Glaring at Cooter, Tristan stalked so close to the man, they nearly chest bumped. “If what Gavin wants has to be done today, recruit Reed. He wants more responsibility and he’s up for the challenge.”

  “Tristan—”

  “No.” He cut off Cooter. “I pulled a twenty-hour shift because one deputy is on vacation and two more were sent home with food poisoning. As I was getting off, I got a call that one of the Outreach kids had overdosed. I’ve spent the last nine hours at his bedside because we couldn’t locate the boy’s mother.

  “She showed up ten minutes too late. So, no, goddammit, I don’t want to sit through another one of Gavin’s long-winded security meetings where neither of you give a damn about what I have to say.”

  Tristan opened the door. “I’m spending the afternoon with Nel. If Gavin has a pr
oblem with that, he can replace me.”

  His entire body trembled and he balled his fingers into his palms. His face darkened, leaving no trace of his usual amicable, flirtatiously friendly demeanor. Instead, he looked dangerously angry.

  “As you wish.” Cooter slipped on his hat and stepped outside. “Nice meeting you, Nel.”

  Tristan slammed the door, stretched his arms, pressing both hands against the frame, and thumped his head against the door.

  Nel pressed the palm of her hand against the small of his back and a jolt of electricity shot through her. Tristan whipped around, hauled her against him and kissed her harshly and possessively. His hands urgently roamed her curves.

  Nel yielded without complaint and she felt pretty sure they’d spend the rest of the day in the bedroom. If they ever made it out of the living room.

  Suddenly, Tristan jerked away from her, his eyes fierce and his face strained.

  “Nel, we can’t do this,” he said, his voice thick and raw with emotion. “I can’t do this right now.” His face contorted and he squinted at her. “I need to get out of here and do something fun.”

  “Having sex with me isn’t fun?”

  “That’s not what I meant.” He took her face in his hands. “When we make love, I want to be in the moment with you, not trying to block something out.”

  Warmed, Nel slipped her arms around Tristan and pressed against his torso. “Whatever you need.”

  “I’m beginning to think...” His voice trailed off. “I should get dressed.”

  Nel watched him disappear into the bedroom, her heart suspended midbeat. She didn’t even dare to breathe, afraid to disperse the ethereal sentiment drifting through her soul because when his spoken words had faded, his voice in her mind continued.

  I’m beginning to think...all I need is you.

  * * *

  The sun dipped low behind the hazy blue mountain range, setting the sky afire with streaks of burnished orange. Nel stood on the observation deck of Brasstown Bald, the highest peak in Georgia. A summer wind, cooled by the higher altitude, nipped her skin and whipped strands of her hair around her face.

  Tristan moved behind her, caging her between his arms. His body blocked the restless wind and his heat warmed her down to her soul.