by Lisa Kessler
If I really wanted to know my mate was safe, leaving Sedona seemed like a no-brainer. My gut twisted. I’d just found her; I was too selfish to send her away. “Getting out of town is probably a good idea on his part.” I bent over, resting my elbows on my knees. “Since I was bitten, I’ve been fighting for my life. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else, especially not you.”
“Please.” She nudged me with a chuckle. “Until last night, you barely knew I was alive.”
I smirked, glancing back at her. “In my defense, Asher set a hard line for the pack where you were concerned. I didn’t dare look in your direction.” A smile tugged at my lips as I studied the shoppers again. “But I did a few times anyway. I couldn’t help it.”
“No way.” She laughed, and the sound buoyed my spirits. “I saw you meet a couple of your Bumble and Tinder dates at the restaurant across the street from the office. I was just a convenient babysitter.”
Staring down at my feet, I made a confession. “You have a jade-colored sweater that makes me jealous because of the way it clings to you. I’ve been stealing looks at you more than once.” I glanced her way and straightened up. “Doesn’t matter. It wasn’t like you were interested anyway. You only had eyes for my little guys.”
“Seriously?” Her eyebrows shot up. “Have you looked in the mirror lately, Gage Woods?” Her hand swept up from my boots to the top of my head. “You’re like an action movie star. Plus, you’re such a sweet dad to Hawk and Henry. Ovaries explode every time you pick them up.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re still single.”
My heart thumped in my chest so hard I wondered if she could see it. “Are you saying you think I’m good-looking?”
She tipped her head back, laughing. When she looked at me again, the sun sparkled in her eyes. “Who wouldn’t?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t care about anyone else. I’m asking you.”
“Well…” She fought to hold back a smile. “It wasn’t all bad when you tackled me last night.”
I raised a brow as my lips curved. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“Really?” Her grin captivated me, and I ached to kiss her full lips.
I nodded as I leaned in closer, unable to fight the pull between us any longer. “Yeah,” I whispered. “You’re beautiful, Becca.” I studied her face. “When you came over last night, I was trying to respect Asher’s boundaries but…” I shook my head, my lips hovering over hers.
Her whisper warmed my skin like a summer breeze. “It was my gifted talent for shooting trash into the recycle can, wasn’t it?”
I grinned, but before I could kiss her, my phone buzzed, bringing me right back into reality. She rocked back as I took my phone out of my pocket.
A text from Dex filled the screen.
You coming over to the jobsite soon? We need you to lay the tile in the living room. Deacon is fucking up the pattern.
“Shit.” I sent a quick reply that I’d be there soon.
“More shooters?” she asked.
“No.” I shook my head. “I forgot to tell Dex I was going to be dropping a werewolf bomb on you this morning.”
“Is he Asher’s friend?” She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Dex and Deacon have come into the tour office a couple times to talk to Asher.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “He and his twin brother are my packmates. They own a construction company. I’ve been working with them since we broke free from our old Alpha.”
That sounded more benign than telling her how one of the bitten women, Raven, had driven an ice pick through Caldwell’s neck. He’d had it coming, but after seeing Becca’s reaction to my comment about ripping out the throats of the Evolution Defense goons, I thought less would be more.
“Were they bitten, too?”
“No.” I stood and offered her my hand to help her up. “They were born shifters like Henry and Hawk.”
She took my hand, the weight of hers making my wolf eager for more. He didn’t seem to understand that living happily ever after with Becca was far from a sure thing.
“I think I’ve had all the werewolf stuff I can handle for now. Maybe we can talk about more mundane things for a while.” She walked beside me a few paces and then asked, “Do you like working construction?”
“It pays the bills.” I glanced over at her as we crossed the lot. “What about you?” My smile tipped a little as I teased, “Did you always want to be an office manager?”
“No. I had my eyes on the NBA.” She stole a glance at me and grinned.
I laughed harder than I had in a long time. Smiling, I asked again, “Really, I’m curious.”
She shook her head, looking straight ahead. “I never really thought about it.”
“Come on.” I nudged her. “Not even an astronaut or a doctor?”
Her lips curved as she looked my way. “I loved camping and Girl Scouts, but it’s tough to make a living doing that, and I thought about law enforcement like my dad, but—” She went silent for a few steps. “After he was killed in the line of duty, I sort of gave up on the future.”
I squeezed her hand, wanting to support her. The connection made my chest tight with emotions I couldn’t pinpoint. She threaded her fingers with mine, and I wished I had the ability to freeze time and live in this moment with her.
“Sorry about your dad.” And I meant it. Although I didn’t have any clear memory of my parents, the loss of my grandfather was still raw and painful.
She squeezed my hand. “Thanks.”
“Is your mom still…around?” I asked.
“If by around, you mean alive? Then yes. In my life? Not really.” She sighed. “I think I was always too much of a tomboy for her. I was Daddy’s girl, and when we lost him, we sort of lost the thing holding us together. It’s not like there’s bad blood—just nothing in common, I guess.”
When we got to her car, she popped the locks and looked up at me. “Thanks for telling me the truth. Even if I’m still on the fence about all this werewolf stuff.”
I chuckled. “Full moon is right around the corner. I can prove it to you then.”
She looked up at me. “So now we go back to our jobs and pretend none of this ever happened?”
The corner of my mouth quirked into a frown. “I wish it could be that simple.”
“Can’t even humor me for a minute?” There was a sadness in her eyes in spite of her beautiful smile. How many times had I missed it over the years?
“I’ve only given you the tip of the iceberg. The pack has plenty of irons in the fire to keep our existence hidden from the rest of the world.” I sighed, glancing at the shoppers and struggling not to envy them. Everyone had their struggles, I knew that. Mine just seemed to involve life and death more often than most. “All I want is for Henry and Hawk to be able to grow up without being hunted or used as lab rats.”
She looked over at me. “You’re a good dad.”
“Thanks.” My gaze cut to hers, and until that moment, I hadn’t realized how much I had yearned for some kind of validation. For almost three years I’d been scrambling to keep the boys happy and out of trouble, with a roof over our heads and in clean clothes, all on my own. And ever since someone from the Timberwolves squad grabbed Hawk at this market a couple months ago, I’d been second-guessing myself.
Her words meant everything to me right now.
I caressed her soft cheek, losing myself in the kindness in her eyes. “Thank you.”
“It’s the truth.” Her mouth curved as she shrugged.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Can I call you tonight?”
She raised a teasing brow. “As long as it’s not to ask me to babysit so you can go on a date.”
“Didn’t you hear? I gave up on dating.” I chuckled, heat crawling up my neck as I shook my head. “My New Year’s resolution was to just be a dad.”
She raised a brow. “Wow. It’s March now, and I’m just hearing now?”
“Wasn’t like I made a
big announcement or anything.” I chuckled.
“Either way, it’s good to know.” She stared at me, her lips parting, tempting me closer.
I bent, just starting to close the distance between us again when she stepped back. “I better get back to work.”
I straightened up, my ego taking a bruising in spite of reminding myself I’d just dropped a huge supernatural secret on her today. Finding out I was a werewolf probably scratched me right off her list of potential boyfriend candidates.
But she had admitted she thought I was good-looking. A smile tugged at my lips as I got into the passenger seat. It was someplace to start.
CHAPTER 6
Becca
I wrestled with monumental kiss regret on the drive back to Wild Sedona Tours. When Gage had touched my cheek and asked if he could call me—not to babysit but to talk—he’d wanted to kiss me. And I’d wanted to climb him like a tree.
But a drip of reality had hit my system just in time.
He had just told me he was a werewolf, someone had shot at us the night before, and there was still the question of how my uncle might be involved. It was too soon for me to be choosing a side when I still couldn’t see the entire board. I was sick of being pushed around in this game with no clue as to the rules, and until I discovered what was truly at stake, I was not allowing myself to be swept off my feet by someone who might not have my best interests at heart.
But every time I glanced over at the attractive man in my passenger seat, I kicked myself. One kiss wouldn’t have hurt anything. Maybe it would’ve helped. As far as I knew, he never went out with anyone more than a few times. He could be a terrible kisser, or maybe bad in bed.
I took the roundabout, catching a glimpse of his chiseled forearm resting on the passenger door, and raw desire burned through me. No way he was bad in bed with arms like those. That would just be cruel.
Still, I’d probably made the right move. If he was a good kisser, I’d be a goner, and I was too smart to get dragged into some supernatural government conspiracy. I forced my focus back onto the road.
Gage broke the silence first. “Since you didn’t answer my question earlier, I’m probably going to call you after I put the boys to bed tonight.”
“Okay,” I replied, hoping it didn’t sound as stiff as it felt. It was like I’d fallen into an alternate reality where hot guys who could pass for Captain America were interested in me.
It wasn’t that I had low self-esteem. I liked myself just fine. But I also had no trouble admitting I wasn’t a hard body. My ample curves looked okay in the mirror, and years of braces and headgear had given me a great smile. But I hadn’t been on a date in years. I guess I didn’t put the vibe out. My signature style was a ponytail and maybe some mascara. Not really much of an “on the hunt for love” look.
It wasn’t always like this. I used to date. I used to be alive.
It all stopped the day my dad had taken that bullet.
Shoving the thoughts away, I said, “I’m going to see if I can find out why my uncle is interested in Asher. If he knows Asher is a werewolf, maybe I can find out how came by that knowledge. If nothing else, I can see if he’ll tell me anything about who might’ve been coming for Henry and Hawk.”
“Let me help.” Gage rolled his broad shoulders, a muscle clenching in his cheek. “These are dangerous people, Becca. They shot at us last night.”
“I remember.” I focused on the road again. “I’m not stupid.”
“I wasn’t implying you were. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
I pulled into the parking lot of Wild Sedona Tours and turned off my car before looking directly at him. “Why the sudden concern? Before yesterday you barely knew I existed, and today we’re almost kissing and you’re worried about my safety.”
He studied me and finally shook his head. “I told you, Asher had a big wall around you. That’s out of the way now. You know our secret.”
When I was a teen, I used to pepper my dad with questions about solving crimes and questioning suspects. He had told me that what people didn’t say was almost as important as what they did. And right now, my radar was pinging. He was holding something back.
I opened my door. “Until I know how my uncle is connected to all this, I can’t trust whatever this—” I gestured between us “—is.”
Hurt shone in his green eyes, but he nodded anyway. “I understand.” He got out of the car and went to his truck before glancing back at me. “Be careful, okay?”
“I will,” I replied, and he got behind the wheel of his truck.
When I stepped into the office, Asher’s head popped up from the computer screen. “Becca…” He watched Gage’s truck drive away and met my eyes again. “Did he tell you…?”
I checked to make sure we were alone. “That you’re werewolves? Yes.”
Asher raised a brow. I’d known him long enough to know he was asking a question without a word. Did I believe it?
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.” I sat in my chair and rolled it over to his desk. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Because I was worried for your safety. Remember when Caldwell took over this company?”
I would never forget. One day Asher and I were working together, and the next day, Allen Caldwell, a local businessman, had walked through the doors and told me he’d bought Wild Sedona Tours and I could either work for him or he’d bring in one of his own people. I’d been so stunned that I stayed on, hoping to find Asher and get his side of the story. But he hadn’t been answering his cell phone, and Caldwell had claimed Asher had taken the money from the sale of the business to vacation in Mexico. It had felt wrong. Asher wouldn’t have left without at least telling me goodbye. But I’d had no way to check it out.
A few months later, Asher had come back. He had said he’d hated retirement and bought his company back.
“Yeah.” I nodded slowly. “I couldn’t believe you’d sell Wild Sedona Tours without telling me.”
“Well, at the time, I was locked in a storage facility after a werewolf bite. After our pack had broken free from Caldwell, the previous Alpha here in Sedona, we had new enemies coming at us from all sides. I thought the less you knew, the safer you’d be.” His eyes went to the door and back to my face. “I’m the Alpha of this pack now, and I set that rule, not Gage.”
“He told me that, too.” I inspected my hands to escape the weight of his stare. “I’m not sure what to think about any of this, but I need to find out how my uncle is connected.” I lifted my gaze to his face. “I want to believe you’re my friend as much as I want to believe that Gage’s sudden interest in me is real, but you’ve all been lying to me.”
“I’m sorry, Becca.” And he looked like he meant it. He shook his head slowly, his gaze never straying from mine. “When you were on the phone with your uncle, he mentioned we were going to be exterminated as if werewolves were an infestation of bugs instead of people. That’s the kind of enemies we’re fighting. This isn’t a battle for dominance. It’s a fight for survival. It’s dangerous and very real. You’re my friend. I thought you’d be safer not knowing.”
His words weighed on me like a boulder. “In case you’re wondering, I’m not going to tell anyone your secret.” I crossed my arms. “One thing I know for sure is that all these little kids shouldn’t be living in fear that someone might kidnap them and lock them in a lab.”
“Thank you.” Asher leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk. “And for what it’s worth, I really am sorry I didn’t tell you about all this sooner. Between suddenly becoming a werewolf, the Alpha of my pack, and a dad…” He shook his head. “I was bound to make mistakes, and one of them was keeping you in the dark.”
His apology brought hot tears to my eyes, but I did my best to blink them back. “Thanks.”
“That said, I don’t like you digging into your uncle’s situation alone.” He frowned. “If he’s part of the T
ransparency Collective, they won’t hesitate to use you for leverage against my pack.”
I raised a brow. “The what?”
Asher rested back in his chair. “Gage didn’t tell you about them.” He pulled in a deep breath, his gaze going distant. “They’re a group of humans who know about the existence of werewolves and the government’s interest in using shifters for super soldier research. The Collective wants to expose werewolves to the world and prove we’re a danger.”
“So the world would hunt you down,” I finished. My stomach tied in a knot as I shook my head. “My uncle believes in the rule of law and that all men are created equal under it. He’d never be a part of something that could lead to…”
“Extermination?” He shook his head slowly. “Are you sure?”
I thought I was.
Asher sighed. “Just keep me in the loop, okay?”
“I will.” And I would. In the years Asher and I had worked together, we’d had slow times in the office and we’d talked for hours. Although there had never been a romantic spark between us, he’d always been like the older brother I wished I’d had. We’d both grown up without any siblings.
Which made the huge secret he’d kept from me even more painful. I’d thought of him as a friend, but he obviously hadn’t felt the same about me. “Did you ever worry I’d spill your secret if you confided in me?” The question popped out unbidden, but I couldn’t take it back now.
“Never.” His gaze didn’t waver from mine, and the honesty in his eyes soothed some of the hurt.
“Good.” I stood up. “Can we hug it out?”
He chuckled and came over to me. “I’d like that.”
He gave me a tight hug, and I closed my eyes, drinking in the physical contact. I stepped back, determined not to cry, no matter how hard my body was trying to produce tears. “I’ll let you know what I find out from my uncle.”
He raised a brow. “And you won’t be pissed at me when you discover I’m watching your back?”
A rare Asher smile made me laugh as I nodded. “Mild annoyance, tops.”