by Jane Jamison
“What’s going on?”
She’d whispered, but Sterling knew all the werewolves had heard her. “Heather, please. Leave. Now.”
“Yeah, Heather. Pretty please?” taunted Carl. “Unless you’d rather have my cock in your mouth first.”
Sterling’s wolf roared its anger and frustration. For a moment, the world lost its color, changing to an amber hue.
If I lose control…
* * * *
It had been amazing and wonderful having the Wilson men with her, but once the other men had burst through the back door, every bit of passion she had for the Wilson men was gone in a flash. She’d hurried to pull her clothes together, embarrassment flooding her.
What would they think of her now? Would everyone find out what she and the Wilson men had done behind the bar? Rumors about them were already spreading around the small town, but now they’d get even worse. She’d never be able to deny her feelings once her friends and others found out.
With their backs to her, she couldn’t tell what the men were doing, but something about them had changed. Did they appear larger as though their shoulders had broadened? Had Brogan’s hair grown longer? His hair no longer looked like normal hair. She stared at the hair on the back of his neck.
Is that…fur?
Of course it wasn’t. That didn’t make any sense.
A low, grumbling sound flowed out of Sterling. If she’d heard the sound anywhere else, she might’ve thought it was a growl. But that, too, was crazy.
“Sterling?”
He didn’t turn around, and yet she could feel the urgency, not only in his gravelly voice but also in the tensing of his body. “Heather. Leave.”
It wasn’t a request. It was an order.
At any other time, she might have ignored it. Even railed against him for ordering her around. But with the other men leering at her, she wanted to get away. What about the other girls? Raven had already gone, but where were Emeline and Betsy? The last time she’d seen them they’d still been inside the bar.
“I can’t. I have to see if Emeline and Betsy are okay.”
Another growl-like sound came. Was it really coming from Sterling? She did a quick glance around, seeing if there was a dog nearby.
“Don’t worry, sweet thang. We’ll check on your friends. They’ll be fine. I promise you.”
She didn’t like Carl. There was a darkness about him, a meanness that reminded her of a dangerous, angry animal. “You better leave my friends alone.”
“They’ll be all right. Others will look after them. Trust us,” interjected Sterling.
Did she trust them? The answer came to her faster than she’d have believed it could.
Yes. I trust them.
She wasn’t sure why she did. After all, she didn’t know them that well firsthand, but that didn’t seem to matter. Everything she’d heard about them had been great. Her intuition told her she could believe them. More, that she should trust them. Since that awful time in her teen years when she’d made the worst mistake of her life, she’d learned to listen to her gut.
Brogan craned his neck around and glared at Sterling. “Get her moving.”
She sucked in a breath. Had his eyes been yellow? Even glowing? Now that he’d turned his back to her again, she couldn’t be sure.
Sterling spun around. She’d never seen him so serious, almost as vicious-looking as Carl. “Heather, either get going on your own or I’ll make you go.”
Stunned at the harshness of his tone, she started to lash back then marched away, doing her best not to run and to hold her head high. What did it mean? At once, they’d gone from loving, sexy men to hard, cold beasts.
She kept moving, looking over her shoulder every so often to make sure one of the other men hadn’t decided to follow her. Fortunately, she and her friends had arrived in their own cars. She checked the parking lot.
Raven’s car was gone for sure. As for the others’ cars, she couldn’t find them.
Should I go back inside and make sure they’re all right?
Sterling had promised her friends would be safe, and she trusted him. From the way Betsy had jumped into the fight, she doubted she was in any trouble. On top of that, she’d noticed Tyler and Derek Mitchell and their friend Evan watching Emeline. She had no doubt they would do whatever they had to for her friend.
“Go.”
The command rang in her mind almost as though she had actually heard Sterling say the word. Checking around her one last time, she picked up her pace and rushed to her car.
She was behind the wheel when her nerves finally got the better of her. Shaking, she gripped the steering wheel. Her teeth chattered.
Yet, strangely, she wasn’t afraid. She was unnerved, her body finally letting go of the rush of adrenaline and sexual excitement that being with the Wilson men had created.
She’d had a crush on them before tonight. Now her feelings were clear. Now her feelings were so much more.
Oh shit. What have I done?
Chapter Four
“Hey, Heather, wait up.”
Heather had her hand on the doorknob of Classy Cat, Betsy’s new clothing store, when Emeline’s call stopped her. Although she recognized Emeline’s voice, she was still startled.
Since the night before at the bar, she’d been caught in a whirlwind of emotions. Was what she felt for the Wilson men more than an infatuation? Were they the ones she could finally trust enough to let her guard down? And then what? Tell them the truth and pray they understood?
Heather pulled herself together and faced her friend. “What’s up?”
“I want to know what happened.”
“I don’t know what you mean. Nothing. Nothing at all happened.” It was a lie, but she couldn’t tell her friend. Even if she’d wanted to admit to fooling around outside and then getting caught literally with her pants down, she couldn’t have given an explanation. At least not one she wanted to give. After a night tossing and turning, trying to sort out her feelings, she was more confused than ever.
“Uh-huh.”
Heather averted her gaze. Emeline wasn’t a fool, but thankfully, she was also perceptive enough to recognize how much Heather didn’t want to talk.
“Are you headed inside?” asked Emeline.
“Sure. I know the store’s not officially open yet, but I figured why not show up and give Betsy a little moral support? She’s got to be a bundle of nerves.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. Didn’t you see her last night?” Emeline swung her arm up then hard and fast, mimicking the way Betsy had crashed a beer bottle on a man’s head. “She was a freaking superwoman.”
As long as the topic of the fight didn’t bring up any questions about the Wilson men, then she’d go along with the conversation. “I did, and it was amazing. Then again, Betsy seems like the kind of woman you don’t want to mess with.”
“Let’s see if she’s got the same courage today. Opening a store is scary enough in a big city, but in a small town? The folks around here will either love it or hate it.”
“They’ll love it.” At least, she hoped so. But Emeline was right. In a city, the store would get new customers every day. In a small town, customers would have to be ones who came back time and time again. And if the people of Fate didn’t like the store… But no, she didn’t even want to think that might happen. Heather yanked the door open and heard the tinkle of the overhead chime announcing their presence. “And if they don’t, we’ll knock them over the head with a bottle.”
Emeline laughed. “There you go. Channel your inner Betsy.”
They were still laughing by the time Betsy and Raven noticed they’d come inside.
“Hey, girls. I’m glad you could make it.” Betsy wrapped her arms around both Heather and Emeline.
“We’re a little early. Is that okay?” asked Emeline. “We figured we could help out.”
“Early is fine.” A very proud Betsy turned around and motioned toward the store. Unlike only a few days
before, everything was in place and ready for her first customers. “So? What do you think?”
“It’s great.” Heather skimmed her hands along a pile of silk blouses. “Although I’m not sure—” Oh, shit. “I mean…” She’d come to give her support to her friend and had already blown that sky high. She shouldn’t have let any doubt cloud her mind in the first place.
Damn it. I have a big mouth.
“Too much for a small Georgia town?”
Heather cringed and wished she could take back every word. Still, Betsy didn’t act as though she was offended. That was one of Betsy’s best qualities. She was quick to react, and even quicker to give someone hell if they deserved it, but she also knew when an honest mistake was made.
“Maybe,” said Emeline, obviously trying to help Heather out. She took one of the dresses off the rack and looked it over. “Don’t get me wrong. Everything you have is beautiful. It’s just that…”
Betsy being Betsy, she forgave her friends. “It’s just that you can’t see the women of Fate wearing these kinds of things. I get what you mean. I can’t imagine anyone hauling around a saddle while wearing a sundress.”
“I can. Even if I’m wrong, I’m sure it’ll all turn out fine.”
Heather could, in fact, see Raven riding a black horse bareback with a sundress on. She was a beautiful woman who could get away with almost anything as far as Heather was concerned.
“Have any of you heard that some people don’t like the name of the store?”
Heather gave Emeline a pointed look. Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe Emeline wasn’t helping her out. Not that she was being negative on purpose. Maybe Emeline, like her, had diarrhea of the mouth and couldn’t help but keep slipping up.
“I don’t know what’s come over me. I’ve got diarrhea of the mouth.”
Heather bit back a laugh. Had Emeline heard her thoughts?
“Now that you mentioned it, I had a few ladies tell me they didn’t like that it had the word cat in it. Beats the hell out of me why and they wouldn’t say when I asked them.”
Betsy was right. She’d overheard a few people saying the same thing the day before. At the time, she’d shrugged it off, but now, it seemed out-right strange. Then again, several things were strange in Fate. Like how some people’s teeth seemed too large for their mouths at times. Or how she could see bits of amber in their eyes. Even Charles Victor, her landlord, had his own brand of eccentricity since, by his own words, he “didn’t like going out in the daytime.” She’d chalked it up to people having their own peculiar quirks.
“This town has a strange fascination with wolves. Haven’t you noticed?” asked Heather. “Sure, there are a handful of those who are cat crazy, but most of the folks around here lean toward the canine variety of animal. They even name their businesses and homes after wolves. Like the Wolf’s Den and Wag Your Tail barbershop. It’s kind of weird. I guess you should’ve called the store the Sharp Fangs or Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.”
“I’m sorry, Betsy. I should’ve kept my big mouth shut.”
Heather wrapped her arm around Emeline. Neither one of them had meant to say anything wrong.
“Don’t worry about it. I know it’s going to be a hard road, but I have faith that the women of Fate and the surrounding towns want to have something more than faded jeans and T-shirts in their closets. Plus, there are a few bigger girls in this area that either have to order online or go all the way into Atlanta to find sizes to fit them. I’ve got them covered, both emotionally and size-wise.”
“We’ll do everything we can to make sure the store’s a success. All you have to do is ask. Right, girls?”
If anyone was their cheerleader, it was Raven. Heather admired her willingness to stick up for Betsy.
“Damn straight,” said Heather. Although she hadn’t planned on buying anything—she really couldn’t afford it—she wanted to be supportive in a tangible way. She picked up a couple of dresses. “In fact, unless Raven beat me to it, I’ll be your first customer. Now where are the changing rooms?”
Betsy pointed toward the back of the store. “Right there. Oh, and don’t think I’m going to tell you not to feel obligated to buy something. Go ahead. Feel obligated. Feel very obligated. And thank you.”
Her credit card would have to take the hit. But what was more important? Finances or her friend? She snatched up a pair of slacks on her way to the back. “Talk up, everyone, so I can still hear you while I try these on.”
By the time she’d made it into one of the two changing rooms, the girls had already resumed talking. She shucked her shoes and jeans then undid her shirt. The first dress she tried on fit her in all the right places, hugging both her hips and her chest. She eyed her reflection.
Would the Wilsons like me in this?
“Betsy and I were just talking about the fight at the Wolf’s Den.”
Heather froze then exhaled slowly, thankful she’d left the room. She was sure that, if they’d seen her face, they would’ve gotten suspicious and started asking questions. As it was, they’d texted each other later that night to make sure they’d all made it home safely.
“Wasn’t that amazing? I mean in a bad way,” added Emeline. “But in a good way, too. I mean call me crazy, but I got a little turned on.”
“Especially when Tyler, his brother, and his cousin came to the rescue, right?”
Leave it to Betsy to bring up the men. Heather eased closer to the curtain and peeked out.
“Where’d you go anyway?” asked Raven. “I saw you bump into Evan, but I lost you after that.”
“Maybe that’s because you got out of there so quick-like.” Betsy almost sounded accusatory.
Heather jerked back as Raven glanced in her direction.
Had she looked a little guilty? The last time she’d seen Raven she’d been rushing out the front door of the bar. Later, when they’d texted, Raven had said she’d driven straight home. But now, Heather wasn’t so sure.
“Listen, girls, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Heather jerked off the first dress then pulled on the second without looking at herself in the mirror. She went back to the curtain, eager to hear whatever Raven was about to tell them.
“Are you in trouble, Raven?” asked Emeline.
Heather glanced between her friends. Had she missed something? Why did Emeline think Raven might be in trouble? She studied Raven and noticed the tension in her friend’s body.
“No. Yes. Kind of.”
She’s holding something back.
They’d all had the same idea about Raven at one time or another but hadn’t pressed her for information. She certainly wasn’t in the position to start talking about their past lives. Heather wondered if she wasn’t the only one who had a secret.
Betsy honed in on Raven. “What’s going on? Is someone bothering you? Tell me who and I’ll slam a bottle over his head. Is it one of the Hardwick brothers?”
Should she join in? Would it look suspicious if she didn’t? Probably. “If it’s one of them, then it’s a good kind of trouble.”
Great. Now I’m bringing up men. Stupid me.
“No. They’re great,” called Raven.
“Then what?” Betsy wouldn’t let it drop.
“An old…acquaintance of mine showed up in town.”
“What makes me think this guy was more than an acquaintance?” Emeline exchanged a look with Betsy. “He’s an ex, isn’t he? And not a good one from the look on your face.”
“No. He’s not.” Raven sounded worried. “Let’s just say we didn’t part on good terms. He kind of showed up out of the blue after a long time.”
So she was right. She wasn’t the only with a secret. Somehow it made her feel better.
“You should tell your men,” added Betsy.
What would it be like to be able to call the Wilsons her men?
Suddenly, Raven backed off as though she’d changed her mind. “Never mind. This isn’t the time or place. Besides, isn’
t it time to officially open your doors?”
If anything could take Betsy off the track of Raven’s secret, it was the grand opening of her store.
“Oh shit. It is. Wish me luck.” Betsy rushed to the front door and flipped the sign over. “Doesn’t look like I needed to be in a hurry, though.”
Raven joined her. “They’re getting a late start is all.”
“She’s right,” added Emeline. “No one wants to be the first to come inside. Give them time.”
Heather couldn’t help but hurt for her friend. She didn’t bother trying on the rest of the clothes. If they didn’t fit, she’d find someone she could give them to. Giving Betsy a good sale was the important thing. She hurried out of the changing room.
“Besides, I’m your first customer, remember?”
Betsy tried to smile, but it was obvious she was feeling down. “I was only joking before. You really don’t have to do this.”
“Hey, I want these things. They’re terrific. Seriously.” Heather pulled out her credit card and hoped it wouldn’t get rejected. How much was the balance on the last statement? “Ring them up.”
“Um, Betsy, don’t look now, but I think you’re going to need to hire a shop girl.” Raven brought their attention to the window.
The men Betsy liked, Billy Johnson and Scott Branton, along with their friend Foster Rittenhouse, headed toward the store with women tagging along. Obviously, they were out to make Betsy’s opening a huge success.
They must be good guys.
“Talking about stores, I’d better get going to my job before Babs decides to fire me. Betsy, I’ll be back later once the crowd thins out. Save something for me to buy.” Raven opened the door for the entourage and disappeared.
“That’s my cue, too,” added Emeline. “I’ll be back later, though.”
“Thanks for coming,” called Betsy then turned her mega-watt smile toward the men and the ladies spreading throughout the store.
By the time Betsy finished ringing up Heather’s purchases, Heather was sure she was leaving Betsy in good hands. She tossed her friend a wave, loving the excited glow on her face. Not looking where she was going, she left the store.