by Jodi Vaughn
“Don’t even think about moving, asshole.” She glanced down at her phone and managed to punch in a nine. “The cops are going to take your naked ass to jail.”
Too bad, ’cause he had a nice ass.
The man tensed and then leapt to his feet in one swift movement. He turned and faced her.
Her mouth dropped open.
He wasn’t your typical drug user. No, this guy wasn’t skinny, far from it. He was broad, with muscles that spanned his broad chest and six-pack abs. His muscular thighs tensed and moved with each breath, and she felt the hair on her neck stand at attention.
Her gaze dropped lower.
He was huge.
Everywhere.
Her face heated as she dragged her gaze up from his nice package to his face. She shook her head as she tried to focus on his features in case he made a break for it and she had to identify him to the cops.
His dark hair was short and neat and framed his stunning face. He glared at her with light blue eyes that seemed oddly familiar, and she didn’t think she’d ever seen a more handsome yet dangerous-looking man. He probably made women fall at his feet for one minute alone with him, despite the fact he looked more than ready to end your life.
She lifted her face and inhaled as his familiar scent drifted to her.
“You’re not human.” She cocked her head as she kept her gun trained on him.
Surprise flickered through his eyes, followed by confusion.
“What did you say?” He frowned at her as his nostrils flared.
“You heard me, wolf.” She ended the phone call before it went through and shoved her phone into her pocket.
“How do you know that?” He glanced around as his fingers curled into fists at his side. His gaze darted from her to the door, as if he was contemplating whether he could make it past her before she got off a shot.
“I know because I’m a wolf too.”
The color drained from his face as he met her gaze. His breathing increased and he looked at the floor.
He shook his head and murmured, “That’s impossible.”
“Why? Because you don’t think I’m pretty enough to be a wolf?” She gritted her teeth. She’d spent her life growing up being criticized because of her red hair and her stick-thin figure. It wasn’t until she’d hit puberty and gotten her curves that the men who hung around her dad had started looking at her differently. Being a female wolf was nothing but a curse.
Those old insecurities rose up in her head as she stared back at the dangerous wolf. He had her heart tripping in her chest at how attractive he was. But his dismissive words had turned her blood cold and brought up a past that she’d hidden away.
“That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” Her eyes narrowed. She wanted nothing more than for him to hit the road.
He met her gaze. Fear crossed his expression, and her heart tugged in her chest. His eyes widened as he took a step closer.
“If you’re a wolf, then why can’t I smell you?”
Chapter Two
Zane stared at the beautiful woman in front of him. Something about her was vaguely familiar. If what she was saying was true and she was in fact a wolf, then he was beyond fucked.
“What did you say?” She frowned as she lowered the gun she’d aimed at him since she’d burst through the door.
“I can’t smell your scent.” He gritted his teeth until his jaw ached. He glanced down at the injury on his thigh. In addition to losing control of his shift, now he’d lost his sense of smell.
Basically, he was blind.
“That doesn’t make sense.” She eyed him warily. “All wolves can smell other wolves.”
“Yeah, well, apparently my sniffer is on the fucking blink.” Along with other things. The floodgates of anger spilled into his veins like a slow-rising river ready to flood the valley.
“How’d you do that?” She eyed him.
“Do what?” He slammed his eyes shut and tried to control his anger. The overwhelming urge to shift was bearing down on him, and he knew if he didn’t get her out of here, he might hurt the pretty little wolf.
“How’d you break your nose?” She cocked her head and crossed her arms over her full breasts.
His eyes popped open. She was making fun of him.
A laugh rolled out of him before he could stop it.
“If I knew, then I would know how to fix it, wouldn’t I?”
“So how did you end up in my shed?” She glanced around the room, taking inventory.
“I didn’t steal anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Her gaze landed between his legs, and her face turned a pretty shade of red.
“Although I wouldn’t hesitate stealing some clothes right now.” He shot her a grin as she lifted her gaze to his.
“So you shifted without having an extra set of clothes. That’s not very . . . smart.” She looked up to the ceiling.
“I was kind of in a tough spot.”
“Oh yeah? Like you got some bad drugs or something? That kind of tight spot?”
It was obvious from the look she was shooting him that she didn’t trust him.
Smart girl.
“I don’t do drugs.” Drugs did him. Or whatever the hell that was in his system that was trying to fuck him up.
“So why are you in my shed?” Her eyes darted down to his erection and then back up.
He contemplated how much to tell her. So he went for the half-truth.
“I was infiltrating a drug deal by some rogue wolves. Shit went south. I shifted and went after the dealer. Suspect got away, and I was caught without access to my clothes. I saw your building and thought I could hide out until I figured out how to get some more clothes.”
“So the tattoo on your back . . . ”
“It means I’m a Guardian.” He finished the sentence for her.
“I’ve never met one before. I figured you guys were a myth.” She gave him a suspicious look.
“We are only around when there’s trouble. I doubt you had any kind of trouble when you were growing up.” He snorted and looked around for an old rag or something to at least cover his dick with.
“Right.” She narrowed her gaze. “Or maybe Guardians wouldn’t even come to the places I grew up in.”
He jerked his head back to her and studied her face.
Her straight red hair hung past her shoulders, and he wondered if she smelled like strawberries. She had bright blue eyes the color of a summer sky and perfect pink lips. Despite the growing heat of the day, she wore jeans that hugged her curves and a sleeveless white shirt that showed off the muscles in her arms. She had an old baseball cap pulled down on her head, and from the looks of the paint stains on her clothes, she was the one who’d been doing work on the house.
And even though he couldn’t smell her scent, he was inexplicably drawn to her.
He took a step closer, expecting her to step back.
She held her ground and his gaze.
“How about you go see if you can fetch me up some clothes.” He stared down into her face. Fuck if he couldn’t get lost in those eyes of hers.
She smiled and placed her palm in the middle of his naked chest. His dick ached and swelled from the innocent touch.
“How about you fetch them up yourself. I’m nobody’s bitch.” She turned on her heel and marched out into the yard.
Zane watched her disappear into the house and scratched his chest. Usually women would do anything he asked.
Not her. No, this female was different.
He glanced down at his erection and groaned.
Not only was he fucked, things looked like he wasn’t going to get fucked either.
***
“Where the hell is Zane?” Barrett growled.
Lucien grimaced and held the phone away from his ear. He hated lying, and he avoided it at all costs, especially when it came to Barrett. He knew his Pack Master could make his life a living hell if he so chose. He also knew
Zane, and what had happened last night wasn’t like his fellow Guardian.
“He’s still at the tattoo shop.” Lucien flinched at the lie. Well, Zane’s Harley was still at the tattoo shop. That much was true. As far as where the fuck Zane had gone after Lucien had gone inside last night, he didn’t have a fucking clue.
“How did the tatts go? Anyone cry like a bitch?” Barrett asked.
“Not that they would ever admit. But I think Jayden got glassy-eyed once or twice when they were working across his spine.”
“Yeah, that always smarts a little,” Barrett said.
Lucien relaxed a little. As long as Barrett didn’t ask about Zane again...
“Tell Zane to answer his fucking phone. I need to talk to him.”
“Will do, boss.” Lucien ended the call and shoved the cell phone back into the pocket of his leather jacket. He glanced around the street before entering the alley by the shop.
Why would Zane leave without telling him where he was going? And why the hell would he leave when he had no clothes to change into?
He frowned as the faint coppery scent of blood drew his attention to the ground. He crouched and ran his hand across the dark spot on the concrete.
“Zane’s blood.” He’d noticed the blood around Zane’s mouth after Jayden had punched him. He stared at the smear of red on his fingers before swiping them across a patch of green grass that had stubbornly pushed through a crack in the concrete.
The question was what was going on in Zane’s head. He’d never seen the Were get so heated so quick before.
He knew there was some history between Zane and Jayden when it came to Zane’s sister, Katy, but from what he could tell, that shit had happened years ago. Jayden was mated and was even getting married to Haley.
There had to be something else going on with his partner.
He pulled out his phone and glanced around, making sure he was alone. He’d left Jayden and Braxton inside to get their tatts. When they’d asked about Zane, he’d covered and said that Zane had been called away for some mission from Barrett.
He punched in some numbers on his cell and waited for the call to connect.
“Jaxon, we’ve got a problem.”
***
Skylar stormed into the house, putting some much-needed distance between herself and that gorgeous werewolf who had her body overheating like an air conditioner in the middle of an Arkansas summer.
He hadn’t recognized her. After all these years, he hadn’t recognized her, yet she hadn’t forgotten him. Story of her life.
The arrogant asshole had another thing coming if he thought she was going to do his bidding. Her father had tried to control her, and she wasn’t going to let another man or wolf try to do the same.
She stomped through the house and set the gun down on the board that was lying across what would soon be the kitchen island. The smell of wood shavings and paint had always calmed her down before. Maybe it was the possibility of creating something new and starting over.
Right now, the scent wasn’t working.
What the hell was Zane doing here anyway? It unnerved her that a Guardian was poking around her construction site. She didn’t need him around bringing up her past. She was in a different place in her life now. She was productive and happy and meeting her goals. Bringing up stuff from the past was only going to hinder her future.
She fished her cell out of her back pocket and pulled up the phone option. Her finger hovered over the number pad as she contemplated her choices.
If she called the cops, then he would probably make trouble for her, since he was one of the well-connected Guardians of Arkansas.
She could call the Pack Master of Arkansas and lodge a complaint about finding one of his Guardians naked. She seriously doubted he would even listen to her, and she certainly didn’t want to make trouble with the Pack. She didn’t need that. She just wanted to be left alone to build her business and make the town a good place to live.
She sighed and shook her head.
“I guess it’s up to me to handle him.” The thought made her stomach churn. She pulled out her phone and dialed Hector. She quickly told him to call her workers and tell them they were getting a late start on the day again due to materials not being delivered.
Maybe if she was lucky, she could find Zane some clothes and he’d leave.
Skylar had never been lucky in her life, so maybe it was time for her luck to change.
***
Zane found a drop cloth with paint stains crumpled up under some buckets in the corner of the shed. After shaking it out, he wrapped the material around his waist and headed after her. He didn’t need that woman calling the cops—or worse, his Pack Master.
He needed to find that drug dealer who had been in the meth house that night. He needed to know what exactly he’d been infected with so he could find a cure.
He hurried across the yard as the early morning sun peeked over the horizon. It wasn’t even full daylight and the air was already stifling. It was going to be another hot July day.
He walked around to the back door and noticed the door was ajar. He made it up the steps and into the kitchen and froze.
“What are you doing?” He kept his voice low as he studied the cell phone in her hand.
“Well, I was going to call the cops to get you off my property. But I figured if I could find you some clothes, then maybe you would leave on your own.” She lifted her chin.
“Clothes would get you one step closer to getting rid of me.”
“Promise?” Her sapphire-blue eyes narrowed. It was clear she didn’t believe a word he was saying.
“I swear it.”
“Fine. Stay here while I run to the consignment shop.”
“Consignment shop?” He hadn’t intended for her to buy him clothes. He’d figured she could borrow them from a friend or relative.
“Yeah. Consignment shop.” She propped her hands on her hips and scowled. “Look, I know you Guardians are used to wearing high-end jeans with all that money you make, but I can’t afford designer jeans.” She turned on her heel and headed for the door. She stopped at the door and shot him a glare over her shoulder, holding up her finger in warning. “And don’t touch anything while I’m gone.”
He stood in stony silence after she slammed the door behind her.
Never in his life had anyone talked to him that way. Especially a female.
Well, there was this one female, but that had been a very long time ago, and she had been just a child and full of spunk. That child had the same flaming red hair and startling sapphire blue eyes as this woman—
His breathing hitched as déjà vu settled over him.
He might have lost his sense of smell, but his sixth sense was screaming at him that this was the same person.
After all these years, he’d found that little girl, and now she was all grown up.
***
Skylar plunked down some bills as the old man at the cash register bagged up her purchase. She’d managed to find some jeans and a T-shirt that would fit the werewolf. She’d even found some secondhand boots that she hoped would fit. She’d not really looked too hard at his feet when he had been standing in front of her naked. But if the size of his boot correlated to the size of his package, then the large boots would fit.
“Thanks.” She snagged the bag off the counter and headed out the door. She walked past the tattoo shop and glanced down at her phone to check the time. She’d wasted enough hours today taking care of some Guardian werewolf who probably wouldn’t even lift a finger to help her if she needed it.
Distracted by her cell phone, she slammed into a wall of muscle. She stumbled back and caught her balance before she fell.
“Sorry.” She glanced up and gave the stranger an apologetic smile. She froze, her blood turning to ice in her veins.
“Skylar Wade. Long time no see.” The large Were grinned as his vulgar gaze roamed up and down the length of her body.
“Hershel.” She
clutched her phone in her hand like a weapon and forced herself not to look away. Hershel Baker had been one of her father’s loser friends. He was always hanging around when she was growing up. Every time she saw him, he was either drunk or high. He’d always given her the creeps, and she’d learned to keep her distance from the Were.
“I didn’t know you were back in Arkansas. I thought you were still living in Louisiana.” His grin stretched wider, revealing yellowed teeth in a pockmarked face.
“Just here on business.” It was a total and complete lie. She’d moved to Louisiana to get away from her father and his nasty drug trade. It wasn’t until after he’d died in a drug deal gone wrong that she’d moved back home. She hadn’t even bothered going to the funeral. When she’d heard about his death, she’d been relieved. It was one less drug dealer in the world.
She didn’t want to be reminded of any ties to her past. She wanted to concentrate on her future. That was why she was back in Jonesboro.
She’d taken her skill of building stuff and her love of drawing and developed her own construction company. She’d built a few houses from the ground up and had done quite well. “You’re looking good, Skylar.” He leaned in close and sniffed. “Not a little girl anymore, I see.” His lips curved up over his tobacco-stained teeth.
“I see you haven’t changed one bit.” She took a step back and wrinkled her nose at his scent. Male red wolves carried a musky scent that turned her stomach. Her breathing increased as panic began to settle in her chest.
“It’s been too long. We need to get together, get reacquainted.” His grin grew to a menacing promise of evil.
“No, we don’t.” She stuck her hand in her jeans pocket and gripped her keys. She regretted leaving her gun in the truck, but she hadn’t expected trouble at the consignment store in the middle of the day.
Hershel’s grin faded as his gaze zeroed in on the large boots sticking out of her plastic bag.
“You mated?” He narrowed his eyes on her.
“Yes, I am.” The lie came easily enough, and for a brief second, she wondered what it would be like to be bound forever to a werewolf like Zane. What would life be like being cared for and protected by a Guardian?