by Jodi Vaughn
“Doggie,” Sophia whimpered.
Skylar met his wolf’s gaze and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you dare think about touching her.”
Much to her surprise, he lowered his head and then curled up on the floor, all the while keeping his eyes on them both.
His eyes no longer glinted yellow, promising bloodlust. Instead, they were his normal blue color.
She slowly turned so Sophia could look at the “doggie.”
He rested his long snout between his outstretched paws. His dark fur ruffled a little as the air conditioner vent overhead circulated the cool air. He kept her gaze, only breaking his stare to blink. His chest rose and fell in an even rhythm, one she’d not seen when he’d shifted before. Odd. Usually he was on edge, angry, and dangerous. But now, he looked as if he could control his emotions a bit better.
“Zane.” She spoke his name quietly and stepped closer. Right now, he was between her and the bedroom door. She needed to get Sophia to bed, and she didn’t intend on spending the night on the couch with a four-year-old. She had too much work she needed to get done tomorrow since she was a day behind.
“I need you to move so we can get to bed.”
Zane lifted his head and squinted at her. Her heart stumbled to a halt in her chest, and she forced herself to suck in deep breaths. Just getting upset and showing fear was the worst possible thing she could do right now.
“Move,” she repeated and hugged Sophia close to her chest.
A low rumble came from behind his closed lips, yet he didn’t show his teeth. He looked like he was pissed at having to move his large body out of the way.
Slowly he got to his feet and let out a sigh like she was inconveniencing him. He padded over to a corner, walked out a circle, and lay down.
She arched an eyebrow and waited a few seconds before heading into the bedroom and shutting the door behind her. She reached out to turn the lock on the doorknob. Her fingers brushed across something wet.
“So that’s how he opened the door. With his mouth.” She wiped her hand on her jeans as she walked over to the bed. Pulling down the comforter, she placed Sophia in the soft bed and tucked her in.
“I’ll be right back.” She brushed the hair out of the child’s face as her eyelids fluttered closed.
She turned on the faucet and made quick work of brushing her teeth. She peeked her head around the corner to make sure Sophia hadn’t gotten up.
A smile lit her face as she watched the little girl sleep deeply. Her arms were stretched over her head and her pouty lips were slightly parted. Her pink pajamas were hiked up, showing off her chubby stomach.
She tiptoed in the room and carefully opened a drawer and pulled out an old T-shirt and some shorts. She didn’t usually sleep in anything, but with Sophia here and Zane in the next room, tonight called for clothing.
After donning the T-shirt and shorts, Skylar slipped between the covers, careful not to wake her little bed partner. Out in the distance, the first peals of thunder echoed and a brief flash of lightning slashed across the sky.
Skylar settled into the bed and smiled with the promise of rain. At least it was going to be a good night to sleep. After today’s events, she needed it.
***
Zane woke to booming thunder that rattled the tiny windows of the apartment. He sat up and frowned at his nakedness.
Easing up off the floor, he looked around. His gaze landed on a green bag sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter. He remembered Skylar bitching about having to buy him clothes.
Another round of thunder echoed outside.
Despite her own hectic schedule, she always seemed to be anticipating what he would need next. She was fluidity to his discipline.
He opened the bag and pulled out a white T-shirt with an eighties band scrawled across the front, then a pair of jeans. They were just his size. At least he didn’t have to replace the boots she’d bought him earlier. That was the one thing he never ruined when he shifted.
He pulled on the jeans, smirking as he realized she didn’t buy him any underwear. Maybe it was a subconscious thought on her part.
Lightning stretched across the sky like claws.
He ambled over to the window and pulled back the flimsy white curtain. Resting his hand on the top of the windowsill, he gazed out at the summer storm rolling in.
The parking lot was half full and all the other tenants’ windows were dark. The only light was the lightning in the bleak sky. He glanced over at the clock on the microwave and noted the time. Two a.m.
It would be light in a few hours. And once that sun came up, he was going to have to leave. He needed to find the cure to whatever was preventing him from controlling his shift.
Pushing away from the window, he sunk onto the couch. It was too short for him to be able to stretch out, but if he bent his knees, he should be able to sleep in that position.
He’d slept in worse conditions than this.
Hell, at least he was inside and out of the weather.
Chapter Seven
Skylar yawned and stretched out in the bed as the light of dawn sparkled through her window. She glanced over and noted the sky was bright and clear with no evidence of last night’s rain.
She turned over to check on Sophia. Her heart stuttered to a standstill when she saw the bed was empty.
She jumped out of bed and threw open the bedroom door. She made it only a few steps before she froze at what she saw on the couch.
Zane had shifted back into his human form and was lying on his back on the couch. Little Sophia was lying sprawled on his bare chest, and he had his arm draped over her back, making sure she wouldn’t fall.
Her heart and her womb lurched at the tender sight.
She let a sigh slip past her lips as she brushed her hand over her heart.
Zane stirred and blinked awake. He glanced down at the child in his arms and then up at her.
“Morning.” His hoarse voice had her stomach turning warm with desire.
She cleared her throat and nodded toward the precious package he was holding.
“How did she end up here?” Her gaze flitted back to his sleepy eyes.
“Not sure. She came out during the night when the thunder got bad. She must have thought I was her dad, ’cause the next thing I knew, she’d crawled up on me like a ladder and lay down.” He tried to shrug from his reclining position. “I didn’t want to disturb her so I let her sleep.”
“Oh.” She swallowed. Her throat was like sandpaper while her other parts were heating up.
“When did you, ya know”—she waved her hand at him—“shift back?”
“Around two.” He wrapped both arms around Sophia’s tiny back and sat up. His muscles clenched and strained with the motion in a beautiful dance.
He stood with her still in his arms. Barefoot and dressed only in jeans, he looked like something out of a woman’s fantasy.
“Where are you going?” she managed to squeak out when he walked past her.
“I’m putting her in the bed,” he whispered over the child’s shoulder.
He might be a Guardian, but he knew how to handle a lady, no matter what her age.
She smiled as he gave her his back and walked into the bedroom. She followed behind, watching him gently lay the child down and pull the sheet up to her chin. Sophia mumbled something in her sleep and turned over to the side.
He turned and shot her a glare. “What?”
“You look like a natural.” She grinned.
“Don’t let your womb get all weepy. The kid was scared of the thunder and thought I was her dad. It’s not personal.” He shifted his weight and stuck in hands in his jeans pockets.
“I never thought you would be so good with a little girl. Growing up, you seemed so distant. So aloof.”
“I didn’t have time to be bugged by little kids like you and my sister.” He padded toward the kitchen. “Want some coffee?”
“Sure. I was just about to make some.” She brushed past hi
m, trying to calm her heartbeat. How was it he could still smell so freaking good without even having a shower? Totally wasn’t fair.
She pulled out the coffee filters from the top cabinet along with the canister of coffee. She busied herself setting up the coffee pot for brewing. She sighed at the pungent scent of the ground beans. She was going to need a lot of caffeine to get through the day.
The coffee sputtered and began spilling into the carafe. She pulled out two large coffee mugs with big blue flowers and placed them on the counter beside the coffee pot. Reaching in the refrigerator, she tugged out the creamer and set it on the counter.
Once the carafe had enough brewed coffee for one, she poured a cup of coffee and handed it to him.
“No. You take it.” He gently shoved it back into her hands. “I can wait.”
“Thanks.” She frowned. Never in her life had anyone put her first. Certainly no male. But Zane treated her differently, like she was more than a pair of boobs in work boots.
Shaking off the silly, nostalgic feeling, she turned her attention back to doctoring her coffee with a liberal amount of creamer. Then she retrieved a canister from the cabinets and cut her eyes at him as she opened the lid.
He narrowed his eyes at her as she spooned a heap of dark powder into her coffee.
“Is that what I think it is?” He cocked his head.
She could feel the censure pouring off him in waves. She’d taken precautions for years to keep her identity hidden. She just wanted to blend in, be normal. If that meant not shifting then so be it.
“The red wolves don’t have a reputation for being greeted warmly by the rest of the wolves in Arkansas. I really don’t blame them. Our kind has been a pain in the ass. I’d rather continue to take precautions to keep from shifting than be placed in a category with them. The less that other wolves know about me, the better.” She met his gaze and took a sip. “There’s no harm in that is there?”
She waited a beat to hear a lecture from him about denying what she was. But it never came. His gaze softened as if he understood her reasons.
“So what’s up with the kid?” He nodded toward the bedroom as he rested a lean hip against the kitchen counter.
“She’s the daughter of one of my construction workers, Hector. He was in a tight spot last night and needed me to babysit.” She shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. The hot liquid slid down her throat with comforting warmth. She could always count on coffee.
“Anything going on between you two?” He scowled and flexed the muscles in his arms.
She barked out a laugh. “With Hector? He’s married with a brood of kids. He had to drop Sophia off because his wife, Maria, went into labor.”
“Oh.” He relaxed back against the counter. The stress lines around his eyes disappeared.
“Hector’s been working with me since I started the business. He’s always on time, he’s gotten me more workers, and he’s loyal. His wife is a doll. She’s always inviting me over for dinner and trying to fatten me up.” Skylar laughed, thinking back to the last dinner she’d shared with the family. Maria had told Skylar that men liked women with some meat on their bones before shoving another piece of blueberry cheesecake at her.
The coffee pot had stuttered to a stop. She pulled out the carafe and filled his mug.
“Creamer or sugar?” She glanced up at him.
“No. Just black.”
“Ah, like your heart,” she joked.
“Smartass.” He accepted the hot mug and took a sip. “Good coffee.”
“Thanks. I like it strong.”
“Like sex.” He smirked.
Her face heated.
“Shush. You can’t talk about that. Sophia’s in the other room.” She slugged him in the arm.
“She’s asleep. Besides, I doubt she knows what we are taking about.” He chuckled.
“You never know. The last time she came to the construction site, she picked up a dirty word from one of the workers. Her dad didn’t let me forget it, either.”
“What did she say?”
“‘Shit.’ And she repeated it at preschool.”
Zane barked out a laugh.
“Hector blamed me for it when he got the phone call from the school. She didn’t even hear it from me.” She scowled at his grin. “It’s not funny.”
“It kind of is. I can’t imagine that little bit saying anything so bad.” His eyes sparkled as a slow grin teased the corners of his lips. His gaze dipped to her thighs. She’d forgotten about the tight, skimpy shorts she’d slept in last night.“So what’s your plan for today?” She tugged her shirt down, but there was no way it was going to cover her stomach.
“I need to go get my Harley.” His eyes narrowed a little, and he looked away.
“Where is it?”
“At the Moon Goddess.”
“Do you think it’s still there?” She knew the shop well. It was off Main Street and the college crowd liked to frequent the place to get their first tattoo after drinking too much. Even a few of her workers had gotten their arms inked there. She knew there wasn’t much parking available and if he’d left his bike there, there was a strong possibility that it had been towed.
“It’s still there. Matt is the artist for the Guardians. Since I didn’t return, he would have moved it to the gated area in the back.”
“So the Guardians get their tatts here? I didn’t know that.” She took another sip and glanced at his back when he turned to refill his mug. The signature black wings and eyes that spanned his back were impressive. The wings were jagged, and there was nothing serene about them as they arced across his back. Then there were the eyes that peered out between the wings as if they were watching her. The tattoo was intimidating.
“Yep. The same family has done it for generations.” He turned around and faced her before taking another sip.
“Always in Jonesboro? I would think they would have someone in Little Rock do it since it’s near the Guardian base.”
He shook his head. “The council and Pack Master wanted it away from the base. Jonesboro is far enough away but close enough to drive to in a few hours.” He took another sip. “Jonesboro is small enough to seem inconspicuous and large enough that we don’t draw too much interest when we ride into town.”
“I’m sure you draw a lot of interest, from the college girls in particular.” She smirked. She could only imagine how gorgeous he looked riding into town on his Harley Davidson. She’d never seen a Guardian who didn’t look like a cover model for a magazine. Their sexual appeal made them a target for every hot-blooded woman within a hundred-mile radius.
Her stomach knotted as she thought about how many women he’d already been with. Probably thousands.
“I don’t have time to entertain little girls and their fantasies. My job comes first.”
The little knot in her stomach relaxed. Maybe the number was in the hundreds instead of the thousands.
Didn’t make her feel much better.
She ran her fingers through her hair and set her coffee cup down. She had a thousand things to do today, from checking on her construction site to seeing how Maria was doing. She didn’t need to be thinking about Zane’s many conquests as well.
“I need you to drive me to the Moon Goddess.” His rough voice shook her out of her mental fog.
“I’ve got to run by the hospital to check in and see what’s going on with the babysitting situation. The grandmother should be getting into town today so I can drop Sophia off and then take you over to get your bike before going to the construction site.”
“Sounds good. Why don’t you go ahead and get in the shower? I’ll start breakfast and then maybe little bit will be up by the time you get out.” His muscles rippled as he bent to take a skillet out from a cabinet. He moved easily about the kitchen, pulling out eggs and bacon from the fridge and getting plates together. He was clearly comfortable in a kitchen. To her it was an odd sight.
“What?” He frowned when he caught her looking at
him.
“I just didn’t expect you to know how to cook. I know growing up, your family had a maid.” The Steele family’s housekeeper made no bones about how she felt about Skylar. She’d made it clear to the Steeles that Skylar was beneath them and that Katy shouldn’t be playing with her.
“You mean Hildie?” He snorted. “She cleaned, but she never once set foot in the kitchen. My mom didn’t like anyone in her kitchen. It was her domain.” He smiled with genuine affection.
“I didn’t know that. I thought your mom was always too busy with running charities and looking after you guys. I just assumed she didn’t have time to cook.”
“My mom made time for the things that mattered. She always told me that family came first, before anything else.” He cracked the egg against the corner of the counter and spilled the yellow, oozy contents into the small bowl he’d retrieved from the cabinet. He cracked several more before dipping a fork into the mixture and whisking until the eggs were beaten and frothy.
Skylar nodded. “Your mom was a very smart woman.” Her first memory of being shown kindness was from Victoria Steele. She didn’t think she would ever forget the woman.
“Yes, she is.” He cut his eyes at her. “She asked Katy about you throughout the years. She wanted to know how you were doing.”
“Really?” A twinge of guilt assaulted her gut. She should have kept in touch with his mom—at least she could have sent a letter or taken the time to make a phone call. But she hadn’t been sure how it would be received, and she hadn’t wanted to bother the woman.
“Yes. She always knew you were going to be successful in whatever you put your mind to.” He grinned. “And now look at you. You have your own construction company. That’s something to be proud of.”
“Thank you.” She meant it. It felt good to hear him say that. “I’ve thought about her too. About your whole family,” she admitted.
He stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. “Really? Did you think about me?” He took a step closer and brushed a stray hair out of her eyes.