by Cara Carnes
***
Drayce intended to kick Eldan’s ass for whatever shenanigans the son of a bitch planned. The phone call couldn’t have come at a worse time. He’d been neck deep in explaining what was what with Tricia, which was difficult enough since Melanie and Ellie were asleep in the cabin’s only bedroom.
Everything in him ached when he thought of the young Omega and her daughter. He wasn’t the right one to care for them, but a vow was a vow. Robert had been a brother to him. The least he could do was tend his family since he’d gotten killed saving Drayce’s miserable ass.
Caring for his friend’s heartbroken mate and six-year-old daughter was tough enough. What the fuck did he know about responsibility? Nothing. Now, Tricia was spewing shit around the pack about her plans with him, leaving Melanie agitated and terrified of her future.
Tricia was not his woman. She’d been a convenient fuck he didn’t even remember. She’d been a mistake from the moment he’d spotted her across the packed bar one night when memories of another lush blonde with perky tits and an ass from hell haunted his dick to a dull throb. Jesus, he was pathetic. He’d compared every woman to her since. He hadn’t even managed to get a sober hard on after he’d sprinted his ass out with his heart in his dick. She’d undone him.
And he couldn’t even remember her fucking name.
She’d been a temptation the moment she flashed a come hither smile his direction. Her scent was implanted in him, a permanent reminder he’d fucked up huge. First, by drinking way too much bourbon and then leaving like a chicken-shit loser.
He’d always thought the instantaneous attraction and need to claim a woman was utter bullshit until his animal encountered the human female. Now, the son of a bitch could still taste her sweetness and wouldn’t accept anyone else. But he had enough shit to deal with without adding a mate into the mix, which was why he’d run.
The old family homestead was a three-mile run by paw and five if the footpaths were used. Turning the corner into town, he halted. Fuck, he could smell her in the air. Her sweet succulent scent made his dick ache. He was such a loser. Thousands of miles from his quarry, and he was still pining for her like a fresh furred pup.
“Dude, hold up.” Eldan trotted his direction. “Warning, Ryker is not happy.”
Fuck. The last thing he needed was Ryker crawling down his throat—or ripping it out. The latter was definitely possible. No one fucked with the enforcer. “What’s up?”
“I don’t even know how to explain it.” Eldan chuckled. “I’m thinking you didn’t tell me everything about your trip out East. Fucking prick, I was feeling bad for asking you to handle shit for me.”
“You owe me. Their Alpha is a ballbuster when it comes to negotiations.”
But securing an ally within the feline shifter packs on the eastern seaboard was critical. Drayce didn’t envy Drew his alpha position within the Tao pack. His father’s ruthless reign had burned a hell of a lot of bridges. Rebuilding relationships would require patience.
Drew was the man for the job. He was a hell of an alpha and had already turned the pack around. Drayce had hightailed it out of town during Magnum’s leadership. A man could only take so much shit before he cracked. Good soldier Wolves obeyed their leader without question. Back then, Drayce had danced the line and almost crossed into rebellious because of Magnum’s bullshit. Leaving had been the only option if he’d wanted to remain faithful to his pack. There’d been enough bad blood between the old prick and Drayce’s kin as it was.
A small crowd had gathered around the bar. Weird. He settled in an uneasy stance beside Ryker, who glared before commanding, “Handle her.”
His gut pitched as adrenaline surged. “Her?”
Ryker pointed up. Drayce followed the line of sight, and his brain froze on a pert ass shimmying into a window of the bar’s second floor. He knew that ass. At least, he thought he did. What the fuck?
He headed toward the roof’s lowest point. Why the hell hadn’t anyone gotten her down from there? Eldan moved in front of him, hands held up.
“Not a good idea, man. Otherwise, I would’ve done it myself. You know how rickety the roof of this place is. It’s on the list to get redone. We aren’t lightweights.”
“Don’t even think about it, Drayce. I’m heading down. Don’t move.” The silken voice lanced his insides. He peered up, his gaze sweeping across the fleshy swell of her gorgeous tits. Jesus Christ, she wasn’t even dressed.
He growled his disdain for the thickening crowd but remained silent and still, mainly to avoid any shit with Ryker—or Drew, in case he’d wandered out as well. An unknown human female wasn’t exactly a common occurrence in Los Lobos. The fact she’d clearly tracked him here settled a weight in his gut. How had she found him? What the fuck was he supposed to do now?
A couple of throats cleared, and he turned in time to see a breathless, sexy-as-fuck woman his dick still ached to slide into smile at him as though he’d hung the moon. She sped up, arms extended, and leaped into him. He braced himself with one footstep backward, his hands settling at her waist. Her hands drifted down his arms, across his chest.
“What are you doing here?”
She blinked up at him, her pink tongue flicking out to lick her full lips. Lips he remembered wrapped around his dick. Why the fuck couldn’t he remember her name?
“I’m here for you, silly. Why else would I be here?”
“How the hell did you find me?”
“Well”—she looked down as crimson spread across her cheeks—“I may have had my best friend do something not quite right such as, oh say, break into her dad’s office and gather some information.”
“Your best friend. Her dad?” He processed the bits of data, and his wolf rumbled. “Lauren Jago?”
“Yes. She wasn’t exactly thrilled about my plan, but friends do for friends, you know?”
“Your plan.”
She sighed and patted him on the chest. “To win you over, of course.”
The pack tensed around him. He had to cut this off before it got any worse. Keeping their pack secret was critical to their security. They couldn’t have unknown humans traipsing in and out trying to win them over. Fuck, this sucked. His wolf growled its disdain for the words he was about to lob at the sexy female he wanted more than the air settling thick in his lungs. “Lady, I fucked you. It was good, but damn. Get a clue. I left right after I was done having you. You tasted good and felt even better wrapped around my dick, but it’s done. I don’t even remember your name.”
Her mouth formed an O, her eyes widening slightly as she looked up at him. She took a deep breath, drawing his gaze to her tits. Why the fuck hadn’t she put a real shirt on? Jesus, he could see her nipples through the thin, white spaghetti-strapped excuse for clothing. “First of all, it was more than good. I wouldn’t traipse across the country for good. Secondly, I figured out why you ran the next morning when Lauren walked into my place hissing because the room smelled of mangy mutt.” When someone growled, she shrugged and held up her hands. “Her words. I’m personally more of a canine lover myself.” She ran her hand down his chest. “Thirdly, you don’t remember my name because I never gave it to you.”
“Man, you need to move this inside,” Eldan whispered. “Shit is about to hit.”
His neck tingled with foreboding when talon-like fingers raked down his back. Grabbing the human female and shoving her behind him, he turned and faced down hell. “Step away, Tricia. This doesn’t concern you.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Tricia growled.
“I’m Kinsey.” She peeked around Drayce, hands settled on his biceps. “I’m sorry, are you a friend of Drayce’s?”
“Friend?” Tricia smirked. “Seeing how his dick has enjoyed my orifices, I’d say I’m more than a friend.”
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