A Wolf's Desire (Wolf Mountain Peak Book 2)

by Sarah J. Stone

  The usually talkative Kate was so baffled that she would not dare say a word, fifteen minutes after their departure. As usual, Julia would not stop talking. She kept rambling on about how wonderful the ceremony was, and how happy their friend looked. Unwilling to discuss anything, Kate nodded along, as the moment of Dean’s kiss replayed in her mind, over and over again. What could it mean? Did he want something more from her, or did he do it only to express his gratitude? Whatever his kind gesture was, she couldn’t deny that she liked it, not just due to the way his lips felt on her cheek. It was a fantastic feeling, but it was his entire attitude that had intrigued her. Kate was very vulnerable. She knew it, and he knew it as well. Her sad expression: as well as her voice; were very clear signs of how blue she really felt. It would be strange for someone to not notice them. Still, Dean was a perfect gentleman to her. He didn’t pry into her personal life, although, after his own confession, he had every right to do so. He had told her what had been troubling his mind, why wouldn’t he ask of her to do the same?

  “Please, tell me you’re not jealous of Monica.” Julia’s squeaky voice interrupted her thoughts. Unfortunately, her silence gave her away. “You haven’t said a word since we left. What’s the matter?”

  “I saw ‘Mr. Sexy Beard’ walk away from our table.” Kate said, running her hand through her hair. “I got curious. I had a little talk with him. Damn…” She whispered. “He messed me up inside.”

  “You mean just for tonight?” Julia wondered, turning to her. “Don’t you always point out how hot he looks?”

  “Yeah, but tonight, he took this to a whole other level.” Kate said with a sigh. “First, he told me what had been bothering him. It’s the ‘broken hearts’ issue. Then, he asked how humans deal with it. I swear to God, I was about to cry. He could tell. But, here’s the thing: Dean respected my privacy, and then he offered to be my friend. How crazy is that?”

  “He wanted to be your friend?” Julia gave a snort of derision, a guy?”

  “I know!” Kate exclaimed, her brows popping up. “Right after that, he kissed me on the cheek. God…” She gasped. “I didn’t want him to stop there.”

  “Are you sure it wasn’t just a…”

  “… pickup line?” Kate finished Julia’s sentence. “No, Jules, it wasn’t. He liked it that I heard him out. He just offered to do the same. It was incredible. I mean, a guy, wanting to listen to me?”

  “Not just any guy: a sexy guy who wanted to listen to you.” Julia corrected her, with a devilish smile on her face. “I’m seriously getting turned on right now.”

  “I’ve been like that for hours, girl.” Kate confessed with a giggle, lightly shaking her head. “What he said made him irresistible to me. Honestly? I’d love to go back and seduce him.”

  “Kate, that’s Monica’s brother-in-law you’re talking about.” Julia spoke, a touch of disapproval in her voice. “Would you really sleep with him; especially on Monica’s special night, too?”

  “I needed to have some fun, Jules.” Once again, Kate could not keep her voice steady. Tears welled up in her eyes, as she turned her head to the right to face her friend. “He reminded me of my past. I got emotional. Sex would be a nice way for me to forget…”

  “…with Dean?” Julia squeaked, intensifying her stare.

  “Look, I know it’d be wrong.” Kate stated, her lips beginning to tremble, as she averted her gaze from her.

  “You bet your ass it would!” Julia yelled, jerking her head in a spasm of disapproval. “This isn’t some random guy you picked up in a bar, Kate! You can’t just spend a night with him, and pretend it never happened, don’t you get it?”

  Her friend’s harsh words scorched her insides. They were the truth; an awful truth that she had been shunning away from. But, how could she not? The lie she had created in her head was much more comfortable to live with. And it would be so sweet… No, it wouldn’t be just sweet. It would be passionate: sexy; hotter than sin. Dean was by far the best-looking man she had ever met. A one-night stand with him sounded like the stuff of dreams.

  Kate slowly bowed her head down, squeezing her eyes shut, as her heart shattered to a million pieces. Tears sizzled down her cheeks, as Julia reached her hand up to her shoulder. The sensation of her fingertips on her skin soothed her, but only for a moment. Kate was in agonizing pain, a pain she had to hide from Dean. Forcing her eyes open, she looked up at the road ahead, wishing she could see him again, confide in him like he had, and then vanish from his life.

  “That damn town is full of temptations.” This time, Julia managed to give her something to smile. “I really like Ray. He’s so cute. If I wasn’t dating Sean, I’d ask him out.”

  “We both need to get real.” Kate said on an exhale. “I should get Dean out of my head, and you should focus on guys who live closer to you.”

  “You’re right.” Julia agreed with a nod. “Maybe I should. But, you need to talk to your new friend. I mean, isn’t that what he wanted?”

  “I’m not sure.” Kate sighed, wiping her tears off her face. “Anyway, I’m too tired to think about it. Let’s just get back to New York.”

  A lie: a big, ugly lie; that’s what Kate had resorted to, in order to avoid discussing the matter any further. In truth, she had rejected the notion of meeting with Dean, long before Julia’s suggestion, for a more important reason than the distance that separated them, and the fact that he was Monica’s brother-in-law. He seemed different. More composed. More mature than the men she had socialized with so far. He was oozing with confidence. In other words, he was relationship material, and getting into a relationship was the last thing on her mind. Regardless of what had transpired between them that night, Kate was left with only one choice: To stay away from Paxton, for both of their sakes…

  Chapter Four

  Dean anticipated that work would serve as a welcome distraction. After all, repairing motorcycles – as well as building custom bikes from scratch—had been his lifelong passion. Still, as he would discover two days hence, this would not be the case. For the first time ever, banging hammers, drills, screwdrivers and bolts were not able to push the thought of Kate’s face out of his mind. Why? Because the sorrow in her eyes could only be compared with Raul’s, on the day that Monica left him. That harrowing sight was by no means easy to forget. In fact, Dean believed that it would never fade from memory.

  Just like his brother, Kate had suffered a broken heart. He could see it in her eyes. He could even hear it, racing in her chest. Still, Raul was reunited with his mate. He had been through hell, yes, but Monica would help him heal. Kate had clearly not, and, as it seemed, she was light years away from salvation. She needed help, but what could he do? Become her friend, like he had promised? It sounded nice, although a bit unrealistic. For Dean, friendship between a man and a woman was highly unlikely to say the least. Even if he did deliver his promise, what good could come out of this? She would open up to him, let him know what had hurt her in the past. So, what would follow: a friendly pat on the back; maybe a hug. Kate already had close friends. He doubted whether she needed one more.

  Hours after the start of the day, Dean considered asking Helena’s help. The witch’s assistance to Raul had been invaluable. She had saved his life. However, it quickly occurred to him that involving her would be a mistake. Helena could – and probably would – look into Kate’s future. Eventually, Dean would do precisely what he had avoided, on the night the two of them had found each other on the lake shore: Pry into her life. No, Helena should stay out of this.

  Raul and Ray could not know, either. Dean didn’t have a problem sharing details of his situation with either of his brothers. Nevertheless, Raul had never been this happy. Dean would not trouble him with any of his issues. Ray would end up joking about it, thereby adding to his frustration. The only person that could provide a valuable input, was Melissa, his little sister.

  “Lunch is ready.” She announced, knocking on the open door of th
eir workshop.

  “Awesome.” Ray smiled, tossing a wrench across the floor, as he brushed past Dean.

  “Thank God someone here can cook.” Raul murmured, patting his middle brother on the back. “Come on, man.”

  “You guys go ahead.” Dean urged, his voice calm. “I need to talk to Melissa.”

  “It's your loss, dude.” Ray teased, as he walked out of the door.

  “I don’t think I can ever leave you boys again.” Melissa chuckled, making her way towards him. “Dr. Weird is always at work, and you don’t even go to the supermarket. What the hell did you guys eat, while I was gone?”

  “Takeout.” Dean responded, grabbing a white towel from the rack on the wall on his right. “Dr. Weird?”

  “Yeah, I don’t…” She cringed, as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “I don’t like her very much. She’s a little too uptight. To be honest, I like Kate better. She’s just cooler. The redhead’s nice too, although she can get a bit ultrasonic sometimes. You said you wanted to talk to me. What’s up?”

  “‘Ms. Cool’ and I had a little chat by the lake.” Dean informed her , assuming a more serious tone. “I was upset. I opened up to her, told her I was afraid of our weakness. I asked her how humans handle broken hearts. She started explaining, and then, she just…” He faltered,“… turned into this sad little girl. I could barely hear. She wouldn’t even look at me. Before I left, I thanked her for hearing me out. I offered to return the favor, sometime in the future.”

  “Are you sure we’re talking about the same person here?” Melissa asked, as surprise spread all over her face. “Because the Kate I know is a happy girl. She’s got a great sense of humor, and she loves to tease.”

  “It’s just a façade, Melissa.” Dean shrugged, his voice coming out lazy. “She must be using humor as a defense mechanism.”

  “She hasn’t told me anything.” Melissa spoke, her own voice filled with tension.

  “I’m at a loss here.” He sighed, throwing the towel upon the counter in front of him. “Should I go find her? Should I just pretend I didn’t notice?”

  “No, no.” She shook her head sideways, taking a short step towards him. “I know the address of that piano bar she works in. Go see her. Do as you promised. She’ll appreciate it. Just be subtle. Don’t start asking questions, or they’ll come back to bite you in the ass. Give her some time. She’ll tell you.”

  “Could you come with?” Dean inquired, making his voice sweeter. “I’m sure she’ll feel more relaxed if she sees you there with me.”

  “Too relaxed,” Melissa snorted in amusement. “She’ll just start teasing me, like she’s been doing over the past week. Trust me. It’d be better if you went there by yourself.”

  “What the hell could it be, sis?” He wondered, exhaling hard as he lowered his gaze. “Who could have messed her up like that?”

  “A cheater,” her answer was quick, as if she had been anticipating his question. “Nothing can hurt a woman worse than being cheated on. Remember that. I still don’t understand why you’re so interested in finding out. Do you like her?”

  “I do.” Dean admitted with a firm nod, as his gaze shot up to meet hers. “She’s pretty, she’s a good singer, but I’m sure I could find that in many women. It’s that look in her eyes that got my attention. I don’t like to see that kind of despair, and she was sinking in it. It also shows she has heart.”

  “Go.” Melissa winked at him. “Be her friend. Who knows? You may just get lucky.”

  “Thanks for the advice, little one.” Dean gave her a broad smile. “I’ll be out in a second, ok?”

  “Sure thing,” she chirped, as the thought of seeing Kate that night sent goose bumps all over his body. Up until then, his inner wolf had been lying dormant. This was a human problem; he simply couldn’t have a say in it. Now though, he was becoming restless. Regardless of her issues, Kate was a woman; a beautiful woman. The possibility of claiming her was more than enough to awaken him. A deep snarl clawed its way up the back of his throat, at the mere thought of taking her in his arms.

  “Patience,” Dean said to himself, swallowing it in haste, “One thing at a time.”

  Chapter Five

  After a well-deserved rest, Dean took a quick shower, wondering, at the same time, what to say to Kate. As he would soon come to realize, practicing was of no use whatsoever. Amazingly enough, he couldn’t find the right words to say, and was forced to give up. Part of him wished he had found himself in a similar situation. The experience would have helped him. Sadly however, Dean Bradford’s life had been much simpler. It consisted of work, fun with his siblings, scarce –and short—relationships with women of his kind, and worry about his bills. Broken hearts was a matter he had been blissfully unaware of.

  Still, his ignorance had to end sometime, just as Raul’s had. By abolishing the rule about mating with humans, his brother had opened the door to a whole new, and much more complicated world than theirs. Judging by Kate’s knowledge, the issue of broken hearts was common among humans. It plagued them as well, sure, but it wasn’t a death sentence. Even if he didn’t get into a relationship with Kate, it was vital that Dean knew more. It would be ideal if he could get her to talk to him about her own experience, but any kind of input could prove useful.

  A few minutes after crossing the New York City limits, the reasons why he had failed to visit it became crystal-clear to him. Excessive noise, endless traffic jams, people swearing at one another, foul smells in the air... Even at 9:30pm, it was bustling, testing the limits of his senses and his patience alike. Indeed, Dean was beginning to suffer. All the same, he had to be patient. “Tommy’s Pit” was very close. Should he change his mind and drive back to Paxton, he would have to endure the same agony.

  Finally, more than half an hour later, his patience paid off, as he parked his car in the underground parking lot of the bar. Dean could hear Kate’s voice, as well as melodic piano notes, much before he reached the entrance. Much to his surprise, though, his ears couldn’t pick up anything else, other than car engines in the distance. And, when he entered the bar, he discovered why. It was almost packed. Each and every table, except the one in the upper left corner was full, and the customers were staring at her in total silence. Kate had focused on her sheet music in front of her, singing passionately. If anything, she sounded even better than the first time he had heard her sing. Luckily, the lighting was dim. There were two, silver chandeliers on the ceiling, and the light that descended upon glasses and tables, was very soft. Dean strode across the large hall, lowering his head, his gaze settled on the empty table. He seated himself, as dozens of scents filled his nostrils. Among them, Kate’s cinnamon, familiar and sweet, as she dazzled the bystanders. “Tommy’s Pit” was a fancy and tastefully decorated bar, with music note posters on the walls and hardwood floors, but Dean didn’t pay attention to that. He preferred to watch Kate, as she ran her fingers along the piano keys, tapping one or two for the outro. The two hundred or so customers didn’t even wait for her to hit the last notes. They all burst into a long round of applause, bringing a proud smile to her face.

  “Thank you.” She spoke through her microphone. At that, Dean felt a sliver of fear slicing through him. For a moment, he believed the lights would be lit. Happily though, such thing never happened. His initial thought was to get up and congratulate her on her performance. Still, he remained bolted to his seat. His presence could have consequences he could not predict. So, Dean chose to stay at his table, and enjoy the rest of the night. After all, he loved her voice. “A couple of days ago, I was attending my best friend’s wedding.” Kate went on. “I was minding my own business, when this crazy-hot guy walked up to me and said: ‘How does it feel to have a broken heart?’ I kid you not. This tall, handsome man didn’t have a clue. I did my best to explain it to him, but, now that I think about it, I shouldn’t have. All I had to do, was sing to him one of my all-time favorites: Vixen’s ‘Love is a killer’.”

/>   A sad, piano introduction filled the air, just as Kate finished her short narrative. Needless to say, Dean was thrilled that she had called him all those nice names, but the title of the song sent waves of tension coursing through his body. And, when the young blonde opened her mouth again, she absolutely mesmerized him. Kate was not just a talented pianist. The passion and the presence in her voice proved to him that she was much more than that, as lyric after lyric made his heart melt. “Love is a killer” wasn’t a slow ballad. It was an epic song, riddled with pain, describing perfectly the feelings one gets, upon losing their significant other. But, it wasn’t just Kate’s smoky voice that blew Dean’s mind. All that tension on her face, and the passionate way in which she tapped her fingers on the keys showed to him that she believed the lyrics, and also felt the exact same pain as portrayed in the song. Kate’s powerful voice echoed back from the walls of the hall, her passion exploding like a volcano, spewing streams of hot lava among the audience …

  “Only a fool believes

  It's better to have loved and lost

  Than never to have loved at all

  But I don't wanna take that fall

  It's a long, long, long way down

  I'm hurt

  Love struck me down again

  Enticed me in and pulled the pin

  Blew my tender heart sky high

  Now in my pain I'm asking why

  As I'm crying

  Should I give it my last try