by Sam Crescent
His arm shot out and her drink went flying into the road, the remnants spilling everywhere as the lid popped off. Her wrist stung a little, but mostly she was struck with shock. She hadn’t honestly expected him to strike her.
Liv made a startled sound and took half a step backward, likely on reflex. The scent of her spiking fear only made Aniya angrier.
“Next time it’s you,” the poacher warned. “Move.”
“Touch me and I’ll rip your arm off,” Aniya said, silently daring him to try. Someone had honked at the sight of the flying cup but otherwise, no one around seemed to be interested in their confrontation. That suited her fine. Bastard deserved to have his arms ripped off, anyway, for what he chose to do with his time.
She could tell by his scent, and the darkening of his eyes, that her challenge tipped him over the edge. Apparently, he didn’t like women who weren’t afraid of him. He clenched his hand at his side and raised his arm, as if he actually intended to punch her right there on the sidewalk. But she saw him think better of it, only to instead dip his hand into his pocket and extract a switchblade. An actual blade. “I’ll cut out that tongue and hang it on my wall, whore,” he spat as he swung.
The forward momentum of his arm ceased when another large, male hand wrapped around his forearm and squeezed.
“Drop the knife or lose your head.”
Aniya’s heart skipped a beat and her adrenaline spiked. She may never have heard the tone before, but she knew that voice. She knew that hand, and the strong arm extending from it. She remembered well what other wonderful things that hand could do. Her mouth went dry as heat pooled low in her belly and she dared to drag her gaze from her would-be assailant to the wolf who’d just stepped between them.
What a mistake that was.
Either he’d grown sexier in the two years since their encounter or her memory hadn’t actually done him justice. He towered over her respectable five feet, eight inches by nearly a foot, had strong, broad shoulders and a chiseled jawline the likes of which sculptures aspired for. His reddish-brown hair was just as long as before, hanging past his ears on either side of his devastatingly handsome face and accentuating the green in his hazel eyes. Even as he leveled an angry glare at someone else, Aniya couldn’t suppress the surge of desire in her blood.
This was exactly how it had happened before. Minus the poacher, the clothes, and change the setting. Was it any wonder she’d been unable to control herself?
The poacher released a sound of disgust, jerked his arm free—likely assuming they couldn’t tell he was in pain—and turned, walking away. His arm would be sore for days with the grip her wolf had had on it.
My wolf? Well, it wasn’t like she knew his name. She officially had to refer to him somehow.
The full force of those green-hued hazel eyes settled on Aniya and she had to fight to keep from running away like a startled housecat. But what was she supposed to do? Did she say something? Should she pretend they’d never met? What was the protocol here? What if he’s not alone? She couldn’t smell another wolf nearby, but her nose seemed pretty focused on him at the moment so she could certainly have missed one or two. Why does he smell so good…?
“What were you thinking,” he began after a moment of intense silence, “squaring off with a poacher in broad daylight?”
Well. That certainly wasn’t a contender on her list of probable first-conversation topics.
Aniya drew as deep a breath as she dared, despite knowing the danger, and forced herself to keep his gaze. The way he held her stare … it was almost as if… Oh, God! There was no way. Could he be— Could she have—?
“Um,” Liv said, her tone cautious but significantly less frightened. Her renewed presence at Aniya’s side did a decent job of distracting Aniya from her building panic. “Did you say ‘poacher’?”
The nameless wolf Aniya prayed to any listening deity wasn’t an Alpha inclined his head with a brief glance in Liv’s direction. Then it slid right back to her and Aniya swallowed before she even realized one was building. How had she missed it before? This man standing before her was all Alpha. Now if only she could decide whether that was more frightening or exciting.
A slow, sexy smirk tipped his lips. “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?”
That snapped her out of it. Aniya frowned and planted her hands on her hips. “Hilarious.” Checking herself, partially in light of their current location and partially in recognition of the fact that he’d willingly assisted her, Aniya eased her stance and added, “Thank you, though. Not that I needed the help, but I appreciate the gesture.”
“You’re welcome.” Damn, his voice was deep and smooth at the same time. It sent chills down her spine.
Liv cleared her throat. “So now that I’ve taken a breath. Obviously you two know each other.” She extended her hand toward Aniya’s mystery wolf. “I’m Liv.”
Aniya’s eyes widened. No!
His expression softened to simple and friendly and his hand lifted, reaching for Liv’s. “I’m—”
“Late!” Aniya exclaimed loudly, grabbing Liv’s outstretched arm by the elbow and tugging gently. “So sorry, but we’re running late! Happy hunting and all that!”
“What? Wait, An—!”
“Don’t dawdle!” Aniya called as she practically dragged her poor, baffled friend back the way they’d come. Away from the wolf whose name she was suddenly terrified to learn.
Chapter Four
Maddox watched, stupefied, as his favorite cat panicked and ran away. At the prospect of learning his name. Or had it been the idea of him touching her friend’s hand? He doubted that. Though the idea was kind of amusing.
He shook his head and turned, looking down the sidewalk in the direction the damned poacher had run off in.
Poachers. Of all the fucking things. It was good he’d chosen now to come and check in, he supposed. Running into poachers in the woods never went well. Then again… The memory of spotting her of all people across the street, in a stare down with a poacher, popped up in his mind. How he’d kept from just ripping the man’s head off right there and then, he actually had no idea. When that knife had come out of the poacher’s pocket, Maddox’s first instinct had been to shift and sink his fangs into the bastard’s throat. But that kind of behavior wasn’t permitted in the city.
Still, what had she been thinking? She never had answered him. Something he wouldn’t have let a pack member get away with. Was that a good enough reason to track her down this time? Maybe, but not when there was an angry poacher on the loose. Maddox had a responsibility to his pack that took priority over his raging lust. He’d have to take the poacher off the board before he found his cougar—whether he liked it or not.
It didn’t take Maddox long to track the scent to a cheap motel on the outskirts of town. The motel seemed to be where the monster was staying, though he hadn’t lingered for long this time. What concerned Maddox, however, was the additional scent around the door. Apparently this particular poacher didn’t fly solo. That was a problem.
Two poachers were harder to lure to their ‘accidental’ deaths. Especially while maintaining his secret. He would have to be careful.
So would his unnamed cougar.
****
“Aniya!” Liv exclaimed when they settled on an old bench. It was one of Aniya’s favorite spots, on the edge of the city, overlooking the wide creek. That was probably why she’d dragged them there.
Aniya sagged back against the bench, absently humming her inquiry. Her mind was still reeling and her body was still sizzling. How, after two years, had she not gotten him out of her system? He was a wolf! An Alpha, no less! She only wished she could tell herself that knowledge might have stopped her last time. But she knew better.
“Don’t ‘hmm?’ me!” Liv pushed, poking Aniya’s shoulder. “What the heck was that? Possibly the sexiest man alive saves us from an asshole—who was apparently a poacher—and you go running in the other direction?”
“Wh
at happened to your fiancé?”
Liv’s cheeks flushed. “I think if he saw that guy even he’d feel things.”
Aniya laughed in wholehearted sympathy.
“Okay, but, seriously,” Liv said after a moment, “what was up with that?”
Looking around to be sure no one was eavesdropping, despite that she knew they were alone, Aniya finally glanced over to her friend and confided, “That was him.”
Liv gave her a blank stare.
Not wanting to say it all out loud in the open, Aniya emphasized, “Him.”
Recognition lit Liv’s eyes and her mouth fell open. “Oh. My. God.” She looked behind them, in the direction they’d come from, before returning her gaze to Aniya. “Wow. Girl, no wonder you jumped him! I’d jump him if I were single!”
“Not so loud!” Aniya said with a hiss. “Anyway, it’s not like I was ever expecting to run into him again, you know? Random, anonymous encounter. One-time thing.”
“Ani,” Liv said, using her silly nickname for Aniya, “you might not have been expecting to see him again, but you did.” A mischievous grin spread across her face and Aniya knew the next words from her friend’s lips were going to be dangerous. “You’re here for the day, he’s in town … could be a prime opportunity.”
Aniya groaned and dropped her head into her hands. Yep. Dangerous.
****
Maddox was searching for the second poacher, wanting to get a good look at him, when he bumped into her again. Except this time she seemed to have been looking for him, and she was alone. He stared into her amber eyes for a moment, and when she didn’t back down, he took a step forward and invaded her personal space. “Looking for me?”
Her chest rose with a deep inhale. “Guilty,” she said with a small grin. She lifted one hand and danced her fingertips lightly up his chest until they covered his heart. “You’re a hard man to forget, Wolf.”
Her touch shot sparks through him and his cock twitched, hardening quickly.
“Glad to know I left an impression,” Maddox said, his voice low and gruff. He caught her wrist and tugged her up against him fully, unashamed at letting her feel his erection. Catching her other wrist as well, Maddox wrapped his arms around her waist, effectively pinning her arms behind her back. He lowered his head, running his nose over her hair until his lips found her ear, and he smirked when she shivered. “I’m surprised you came looking for me.”
“What can I say,” she whispered, her lips teasing his throat, “I’m a glutton for punishment.” She tested his grip and made a half-whimper sound that had him fighting the urge to spin them around and take her against the side of the building next to them. “Is it really necessary for you to restrain me?” He could hear the pout in her voice and he couldn’t help but press his lips to the skin beneath her ear. She moaned low, leaning in to him, and he knew he wasn’t the only one fighting his baser urges.
“You have a history of fleeing,” he replied. “And we need to talk.”
“Do we?” she asked, not seeming to find it necessary to argue the first comment. At least she knew herself, then. “Talking’s not exactly high on my agenda right now.”
His dick throbbed as she followed her teasing promise with a sensual lick over his pulse point.
“Baby,” Maddox began, his voice little more than a carnal growl, “do that again and I’m gonna fuck you right here in the heart of town.”
She tested his grip again and found it solid. Instead, she pushed up on her tiptoes in order to brush her own lips over his ear. “Promises, promises.”
Oh, he was tempted. He might have even caved if not for the almost immediate sound of semi-distant gunfire.
Both lifted their heads, temporarily forgetting their lustful banter, and looked in the direction of the sound. A single shot. Maddox waited, holding perfectly still, but no urgent sense of panic filled him. He released a breath.
“Maybe it wasn’t even the poacher,” the woman still in his arms whispered, her tone somewhere between doubtful and hopeful.
He sympathized. But it was a good reminder of why he couldn’t just fall on her the way he wanted to. Instead, he adjusted his grip, releasing one arm and taking her other hand in his, and began walking. He held tight enough that she would have to comply, because he couldn’t let her disappear again. He was still telling himself it was because of the poacher threat, but a voice in the back of his head whispered it was more than that. His biggest regret of the past two years wasn’t bedding a cougar—it was not chasing after her when she ran off once they were done. Not at least getting her name.
Before his venture into the city was through, he was going to know her name. He was going to find out just why he hadn’t been able to shake her from his mind—or his hormones—for the past two years. And if it meant what he suspected it did, then he’d deal with that, too. Even if she was a werecougar. Even if their packs—or clans, or whatever her people called them—were at war. If she was his, if she was meant to be his, no stupid, old political feud would keep him from her.
Chapter Five
They’d only been a few blocks from the small house Maddox’s pack kept on the edge of town, so he took her there. It was the safest place to talk outside of pack territory. Once they were inside, he let go of her hand, at that point fairly confident she wouldn’t leap out a window, and took a moment to lock the door behind him.
She stepped a couple of feet forward, into the sitting room, surprise coloring her scent. “You have a house here? I always thought the wolves’ territory was in the heart of the forest?”
Maddox watched her for a moment as her gaze traveled from the sitting room to the partially separated kitchen area. The house wasn’t elaborate by any means, but it sufficed. “You’re right on both accounts,” he said. He strode up next to her, looped his arm around her waist, and hauled her up to him. They needed to have a conversation about the poachers. But first, he needed a taste of her.
She started but offered no resistance when he sealed his mouth over hers. Instead, she leaned into the kiss, grabbing hold of his head with both hands and challenging him for control. Their tongues fought in sensuous combat from mouth to mouth as Maddox held her locked against him, a growl vibrating up his chest.
He was ready to lay her over the counter and have his way with her by the time he managed to break the kiss.
Judging from her scent, she wouldn’t have complained.
“Is it possible you missed me?” she teased against his lips, her voice breathless and ragged.
He scoffed, angled his head to nip at the edge of her shoulder where her shirt collar opened, and rumbled, “I’ll let you figure that you on your own.”
She hummed, the sound almost a purr, and he found himself smiling in satisfaction. He recalled earning a similar sound from her before. It felt oddly congratulatory.
Knowing the limits of his restraint, Maddox lifted his head and loosened his arms until he could look into her warm amber eyes again. “I was serious before, though. We do need to talk.”
She arched a brow at him. “About what?”
He guided her to the single sofa and tugged her down beside him, angled so he could face her while keeping her in arm’s reach. “That poacher earlier,” he said.
She huffed in frustration and rolled her eyes. “He was an ass. I could have handled it. I’m not some frail kitten.”
Maddox couldn’t help but smirk. Oh, he had no doubt this woman could handle herself. The way she manipulated him with so little effort was convincing enough. “That isn’t what I was getting at,” he said. “I’d have loved to watch you put him on his ass.” I’d also have loved to rip his head off. Neither were really publicly appropriate by human standards.
The eyebrow arch returned. “Then what?”
“There are two.”
A couple of seconds ticked by before her eyes widened. “Two? Two poachers? Here?”
Maddox nodded.
She shook her head in disbelief. “What is there even
to poach around here? Rabbits? The occasional bear?”
“Us.”
She paled as horror spiked in her scent. That obviously hadn’t occurred to her. It wasn’t a thought he liked, either. He’d simply had no choice but to acknowledge the truth of what she had just been pondering. They didn’t have reliable game to poach in their area. Mostly because the more desirable predators tended to give a wide berth to their shifter cousins. From a poacher’s perspective, however, a wolf—or a cougar—was still just a wolf. All it would have taken was a solid rumor and a hungry hunter.
“You can’t be serious,” she mumbled.
“It’s a high possibility,” he said.
She clenched her hands into fists in her lap and he could tell she was trying to control her instinctive fear. It was a natural reaction to be afraid of a threat like this. Especially when she was alone and exposed, so far from her pack.
Maddox scowled at the thought. Without considering his actions, he scooped her into his lap and tucked her head beneath his chin. She stiffened for a moment before relaxing against him. “Just be careful while you’re in town,” he said quietly, his fingers threading her long, dark hair. “I’ll deal with them.”
She adjusted in his lap until her nose pressed against his throat. “By yourself?”
“Obviously.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she lectured. “You’re outnumbered.”
He grinned and gave her thigh a squeeze. “I’m an Alpha, baby. They don’t stand a chance.”
Her hands twisted in his shirt and the fear formerly lingering in her scent gave way to a new wave of arousal. “Damn you, wolf,” she muttered. “I can’t get close enough to smell you without wanting to rub myself all over you. It’s driving me crazy.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” he replied, visualizing her doing exactly what she’d described.
“I mean, it sort of is,” she said. “We’re supposed to hate each other, remember?”
Maddox snorted and rolled her beneath him on the sofa, angling so that his face landed in the hollow of her throat. He took a deep breath of her intoxicating scent as one of his hands stroked down the side of her body. She shivered and moaned. “The only thing I hate about you,” he murmured as he dropped a kiss to her collarbone, “are your clothes.”