“No, I am fine.” Allison smiled at him. “Just ignore my nerves. I get frightened easily. I was just afraid you might be…?” She didn’t finish her sentence.
“A wolf?” He asked. She wasn’t sure if he was offended or just expecting her to naturally be afraid of him.
“No. That is not what scared me.” She looked down at the pink rose, but didn’t speak of it. How can she talk about such a thing?
“I apologize again. I was actually coming here to ask you something. Well, I thought maybe you’d like to accompany me to the fair in town.” His hazel eyes looked upon her eagerly as he waited for her to speak. It seemed silly to see a man who had not been shy at all in the bedroom, suddenly looking like a teenage boy asking a girl to prom, nervous and unsure of himself. “Do you want to go to the fair with me?”
“A fair?” Her heart was still pounding from the pink rose, but his genuine kindness was appealing and helping her focus on other things.
“Yes, there is a fair in town, but today is the last day so I thought maybe you would like to go with me, as friends of course, no pressure.” His smile was warm and she felt herself wanting to feel his lips on her own.
“Friends? Is that what we are?” She grinned. “When do you want to pick me up?”
“Right now.” He looked around the yard, as though he was afraid she might change her mind, and then he continued speaking. “The drag racing starts in thirty minutes. We can’t miss that, it is the best part.”
Allison laughed and nodded.
“I am more of a cotton candy and funnel cake kind of gal, but how can I say no to a friendly neighbor?” She winked at him before bending down and grabbing the purse and keys she had dropped. “Let just me take my dog out for a minute and then we can go.”
Nate seemed satisfied as she agreed. Her body was still overcome with confusion and fear from seeing the pink rose, but she figured that going to a fair with the hot guy from next door was better than sitting around her house all alone. Maybe she was thinking too much about the pink rose? It could have been anyone; the property agents she was renting from, someone she had met in town in the past few days, or even a person who was lost and had the wrong house. Besides, there was no way her ex-husband could have left it for her, that was impossible, and no one else knew about the roses he used to get her. It was hardly something you brag about to friends or family. Still, the irony was haunting and unforgettable. She hurried, letting her faithful dog outside for a few moments before putting him back in the house. When she turned to go, the rose was by her feet, a cruel reminder or how ugly a beautiful thing can be, she kicked it off her porch and out of sight.
Chapter 6
Nate had come just in time for Allison, he could feel it. When he saw how frightened she was on her front porch he wished he could hold her, take her in his arms and never let her be scared again. The woman was obviously scarred. She must have been through something terrifying for her to react the way she did when he called out her name. He needed to protect her, which was the plan anyway.
The whole reason he asked her to go to the fair was so that he could keep an eye on her and protect her. He wanted to get her away from the house and harm’s way. Of course she was beautiful and intriguing, so taking her out would be a pleasure, but he had more on his mind than drag racing and Ferris wheels. There were people after her of which she had no idea. Someone had been there, he could smell them, and he knew exactly who it was. But he’d known this was going to happen, in fact he moved her here just for that very reason. Sarah had guided her to the property management where he insisted they rent his house to her. He did it so that she would be close to him and he would know that she was safe. What he didn’t intend on was the Black Blood pack finding her so quick. It must have been his cousin Brett. He most likely informed someone that she was here.
When he found her in the woods yesterday with that wolf, he knew that the trouble had only just begun. The wolf was the leader of the pack, Frank, and he was not one to be crossed. He wished he had killed Frank right then and there, but regrettably he only wounded him. Now Frank was gone, most likely heading back in the city where he was from, and he was now sending his minions to take care of Allison.
Not all werewolves were like Frank and not all packs were like the Black Blood pack. Most werewolves ventured away from the packs because of the brutality and violence that went along with them. All werewolves were quick-tempered and hot-headed. They were all too fast to fight and too slow to back down, but when you run with a pack it all gets intensified even more, especially if the wrong leaders are running things. That is why more and more of the packs were separating; poor leadership and unwanted trouble with the law.
Nate had belonged to the Red Moon pack for many years. His father had been the leader of it his whole life, and still was, but his dad was a rough, hostile, and bad-tempered man who thought of himself and fellow pack member as above regular humans. He was a mean man with a vengeance set against all and anything and everything had the potential to set him off. He was a horrific leader, but no one would dare stand up and challenge him to the position. Some had thought that Nate might be the one to do just that when he began butting heads with his old man, but Nate didn’t want to be leader, he simply wanted to live his life without trouble and chaos.
Even though Nate left the pack and moved away from his father, pack members still thought of him as one of their own and he had made contact with many of them. One of them was Sarah, and when she told him the members of the Black Blood were after a woman in the city where she lived they had developed a plan to save the clueless woman from the savage beasts. The woman, who he had slept with was Allison, and even though he’d messed the whole thing up he was telling himself to refocus on her safety and not how beautiful she looked as she rode beside him on the way to the fair.
“Hey,” She said as she turned sideways to face him. “You didn’t get me a pink rose, did you?”
“A pink rose?” He shook his head. “No, but maybe I should have. Sounds like I have some competition.”
“Do not get me pink roses.” Her mood suddenly serious, “Never pink roses.”
Nate stopped at a red light so he was able to turn and look at her. She was so gorgeous with full lips and curious green eyes. His body began to grow warm as he thought about her naked underneath him the night before.
“No pink rose. Noted.” The light turned green and he took off driving again.
“I didn’t mean to sound rude, it’s just that pink roses disgust me and remind me of someone from my past.”
“So who gave you the rose then?” He had a feeling he knew exactly who was playing with this woman’s emotions.
“I don’t know. But someone left me one today on the porch.” She looked out the window as though the answer may be on the other side. “Never mind. We’re on a date. Let’s forget about that and have fun.”
“A date? We are on a date?” He joked. “Then I am a lucky man.”
Her smile was mesmerizing, it was like a sunset over the ocean on a perfect morning, so beautiful that it could make you forget any storm that was bound to come later during the day.
“Can I ask you something?” Her voice was soft, reminding him of the warm, breathless words she had whispered into his ears while he made love to her.
“Yes.” He waited for her to speak again so he could reminisce in her late night whispering.
“That other wolf in the woods, the one that attacked me, was that… someone like you?” She asked.
“He is a werewolf but he is nothing like me. He is dangerous and not to be messed with. I don’t think he will be around anymore, but you should still be on your guard and play it safe.” He didn’t want her to know everything about the pack. She was already being hunted by some of the Black Blood members, and if others in the were-community found out that a human knew the truth about them they may decide to join in and end her life before she could put theirs in question.
“Listen, I di
dn’t want you to know about me because it is dangerous information, but you’ve found out and there is nothing I can do about it now. All I can do is try and keep you safe and under my protection. Finding out anymore could cause even more problems. Don’t tell anyone what it is you know, for your own good, alright?”
“Of course not. I would never do that.” She shrugged. “I know that some things are better left unspoken, trust me.”
“There’s the Green County Fair.” He pointed ahead as they found a place to park.
Truth be told in the seven years that he lived in Bryansville he’d never been to the fair, but as he stood in front of the shaken up woman and fumbled through his head for an excuse to take her somewhere, it was all that came to mind. The smell of wolves was still around her house and he didn’t want to risk leaving her there alone.
“The sign says the drag racing ended yesterday.” She said as they walked into the fair side-by-side.
“Hmm, I guess I was wrong.” He chuckled. “But there is cotton candy and funnel cakes.”
“Indeed.” Her sweet smile stretched happily across her face.
He bought her one of each and they sat on a bench near the Ferris wheel. The town wasn’t very big but their county was pretty large and the yearly fair was a huge deal to the citizens. Children ran by laughing as he watched the people around him. It was a reminder of the childhood he never had. His father had never allowed him to be just a kid and have fun with friends, instead he’d been trained to fight and defend himself ever since he could walk.
Werewolves do not change until they are around sixteen years old, which was already a hard enough age with hormones and mood swings, but add a new phenomenal, uncontrollable, supernatural ability and teen werewolves are nightmares. At least being with a pack helped him with the process. There were other teenagers he could go through it with, and members who had been through it already to guide them. His father may have been a bad leader, but the pack was not all like him. So Nate may not have had fairs or cotton candy filled childhood adventures, but he had his family bonds and memories.
“Hello Nate.” He heard a woman say from the side of him. He didn’t have to see who her to who it was. Roxy’s scent had hit his nose before she had even spoke. If there would not have been so many people around he would have known she was there before she got too close.
“Rox.” He nodded without turning to see her.
“Who do we have here?” Roxy came around to the front of them and looked over Allison. “Aren’t you a pretty little thing?”
Roxy’s tight black tank top, pants, and boots made her look like an assassin as she stood five feet away from them. She was tall, with a model body and beautiful face, but in her eyes you could see something sinister. She wasn’t only part of the Black Blood pack, she was one of their most skilled fighters.
“Hi, I am Allison.” Clueless to the evil woman’s intentions, Allison reached out and shook Roxy’s hand.
“So nice to meet you, I am Roxy, an old friend of Nate’s. Isn’t that right Nate?” Roxy bit her lips as she looked at him and enjoyed how unsettled he was becoming, but Nate was more angry than uneasy. He knew that she would not do anything to harm Allison in public, that would be stupid and careless, and Roxy was too smart for that. This was a tactic for her, she was like a cat with a mouse, and she wanted to tease them before she went in for the kill.
“It has been too long since I’ve seen you Nate.” Roxy cocked her head to the side. “But you look good, really good. Time has been great to you.”
“Being away from my old life has been great for me.” He looked around for signs of other werewolves, but kept his eye mostly on her. “I see that your brother is with you. I hope Seth is still not mad about the last time we were together. How is his ear by the way?”
Now it was Nate’s turn to taunt her.
“He’s fine.” She raised her eyebrows and looked irritated. “He looks forward to seeing you again soon.”
The two of them stared at each other for a long intense moment before Allison stood up and broke the ice.
“I kind of want to go on the Ferris wheel and the line finally went down, would you like to go on with me Nate?” Allison awkwardly looked at them waiting for someone to speak and change the mood.
“Yeah, go ahead and grab us a few tickets and I will be over in a minute.” He handed her some money. “I just need to speak with Roxy for a second really quick.”
“Okay.” Allison seemed a little offended as she walked away from them and over to the ticket booth. He watched her to make sure she was fine before he turned and looked directly into Roxy’s eyes.
“If you touch her I will tear your throat out, do you hear me?” He looked to his right where he knew Seth was hiding nearby. “And that goes for your sneaky son of a bitch brother too! Stay away from her.”
“This does not concern you, mutt.” Roxy said. She assumed he would be hurt by being called mutt since it was how they referred to those who didn’t belong to a pack, but that didn’t matter to him anymore. “This is Black Blood business and you don’t get a say in how we handle it.”
“She is innocent, she doesn’t deserve to be punished.” He looked over at Allison who was smiling as she talked to the man running the ticket booth. She was too good for any of this nonsense. “Listen to me, if you or any other wolf touches her I will kill you. I don’t care about pack rules or leader commands. After all, I am only a mutt, and we don’t have to live by the same rules.”
“True, but you also do not get the protection, like we do, so if you kill us you will be hunted down by the pack and killed too. We don’t care who your father is. We can kill you, if you harm us.” She laughed as she thought about taking his life. “So ironic, huh, that you would be willing to fight for a human like her, when you have killed many for your own pack without question. Maybe I should tell her of that. I bet your pretty little sweetness might not look at you the same?”
“As I said, if you come after her, I will kill you.” He began to walk away from her.
“Even after all we have been through?” She asked. “As I recall there was a time when you loved me.”
Now her laugh was louder. Cat and mouse, but she making a big mistake in taking him for weak, believing their past relationship was still relevant. Her words did not weaken him, if anything they fueled him and he was now ready for anything they may send his way.
“That is where you are wrong Roxy.” He called back to her. “I never loved you. How could anyone love someone like you?” His words drained the confidence from her face. He was now the cat and her his prey.
Chapter 7
Allison tried not to watch Nate talk to that woman Roxy, but the urge to look over at them was overwhelming. No, she was not going to be a jealous chick and stalk him from the ticket booth. Nate was not her boyfriend and he could talk to whomever he wanted. Plus, he knew Roxy and maybe they were just friends. The tension between them seemed more like the kind that comes with exes though, and it was awkward to stand by them as they threw banter back and forth. Roxy was also gorgeous, she looked like a beautiful super model from a magazine, and that made it worse for Allison, to have to stand aside while Nate spoke with her alone. Jealousy was not an attractive quality, but she couldn’t help it, she wished he wasn’t over there by himself with Roxy. Allison gave in and turned to see what the two of them were up to, but now Nate was done talking and heading back her way. There was a smile on his face and it was apparent that the woman had made him happy. It was a sting to her heart and she wasn’t sure why it hurt so much to see this man she’d just met with another woman. Yes, they had been intimate and shared a passionate night, but he was not hers and she barely knew him.
“Everything okay?” She asked as he got closer.
“Yeah, did you get the tickets?” He said, but he wasn’t looking at Allison, instead he was looking past her, beside her, behind her; anywhere but in her eyes. Damn it, whatever that woman had said, it must have really tak
en his mind off of her and their date. “Come on let’s go ride the Ferris wheel.”
“Sure.” Allison shook her head slightly, but he didn’t notice.
They sat down on the metal seats of the Ferris wheel and waited silently as the wheel brought them up towards the sky so that it could let others take their seats. The ground was getting further and further away as they got higher up in the air.
“I haven’t been on one these since I was sixteen.” She said. “I am kind of afraid of heights.”
He nodded as he looked around the fairground from up above. He didn’t respond or speak, instead he just acted like he didn’t even want to be there next to her.
“Maybe we should just go home.” Allison said as she looked the other way. “You obviously have somewhere else you’d rather be.”
She didn’t care if she sounded bitter, she refused to be on a date with a man who would rather be somewhere else. He hadn’t been distant before Roxy showed up, but now his mind was far away.
“Why would you think that?” Nate asked, finally noticing her speak.
“You aren’t really looking at me or listening to me talk. Is it because of that Roxy lady?” She asked.
“I didn’t mean to make you feel like that. I didn’t realize I was ignoring you. Roxy just has a way of getting under my skin, but let's forget about her.” His eyes looked into hers.
“Was she your girlfriend?” Allison blurted out, and the words brought pink to her cheeks as she felt like a jealous woman.
“Many years ago, when I was young and stupid.” The Ferris wheel starting moving suddenly and it startled them, causing him to reach out for Allison like he was protecting her.
“I feel like there is something you aren’t saying.” She said as she allowed his arms to stay around her.
“Don’t worry about her, alright. She is nothing to me. I don’t even want to talk about her anymore. I am on a date with the most beautiful woman that I have ever met and we are sky high in the air on a terrifying Ferris wheel.” He winked at her. “So I think we need to hold each other close and keep each other safe.”
Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance Page 15