by Chloe Cole
“Sorry, I was just daydreaming.”
Mila snorted. “I don’t blame you. A hunk like that after you? I’d be daydreaming too. And night-dreaming, and dusk-dreaming, and--”
“Got it,” Amber cut in. The heat was rising in her cheeks fast, and she spun her stool back around to face the bar again. Blushing like a schoolgirl with a crush wasn’t going to get Mila to stop teasing her, that was for sure. “He’s a nice guy and all, but he’s not my type.” And she’d probably never see him again, after she threw herself at him.
“Oh, sweetie, don’t be silly.” Mila slid her trim form into the chair next to Amber and reached out to pat her hand. “A guy like that is everyone’s type.”
A surge of irritation that felt an awful lot like jealousy raced through her, but she forced it aside. Mila was right. Billy was universally, undeniably gorgeous.
Sex on a Popsicle stick.
Which was exactly why she had to get him out of her head. Not only was he tied irrevocably to the worst day of her life, he was also far too tempting.
As strange as it was, being in his arms felt like home. Seeing him again would only make her crave more, and right now, the last thing she needed was a distraction like that. Not when there were still so many unanswered questions, not the least of which was whether or not she was clinically insane.
She shot a glance in Mila’s direction. “Have you ever seen a wolf?”
“Like, in the zoo, or?” Mila stared back at her, clearly nonplussed.
“No, I mean in the woods. Or in your backyard or anything like that? Up close.”
Mila shook her head, dark hair gleaming in the dim light. “No, I can’t say that I have.” Her black brows came together in a puzzled frown. “Why do you ask?”
Amber hesitated for a long moment. She and Mila had worked together for more than a year. Hell, they’d even shared some lunches and gone shopping together a few times. But as much as she needed someone to talk to, she couldn’t seem to squeeze the words out.
A second later, though, her phone vibrated on the bar in front of her, saving her the trouble. She snatched it up and held it to her ear. “Hello?”
“Amber? It’s Billy.”
Like he had to tell her. She’d have recognized that silky baritone anywhere. Mila’s gaze lasered into her, and she willed her face to stay neutral in spite of the fact that her pulse was beating like a kick-drum.
“Hi.”
Her greeting might have been innocuous, but her brain was churning, double-time. He’d given her his number, telling her to call if she needed anything, but she’d never given him hers. Now, with internet magic, it probably wasn’t too hard to find, but she was definitely surprised to hear from him. She’d gotten the distinct impression that he needed some distance from her and, after a long, restless night, she’d finally convinced herself that was probably for the best.
But now…
“I spent a lot of time thinking about you today and was wondering if you’d like to go out this evening. Grab a drink, maybe shoot a game of pool. Might help to get out and do something normal, you know?”
She snuck a peek at Mila who stared back with unabashed interest before plugging a fistful of bar-nuts into her mouth like she was snacking at the movie theater while she enjoyed the show.
Amber turned her attention back to the jewel-toned mosaic of bottles behind the bar and found her mouth working on autopilot.
“Okay. Yeah, that sounds good.”
Probably, she should’ve thought about it for a second before saying yes. Maybe run through the pros and cons of spending more time with Billy MacKenzie again. Last she had checked, there were definitely more cons than pros. Not only did she have enough on her plate with this mystery of the magically appearing wolf. Even if Billy and his friends weren’t thieves like Tobias Wheeler had claimed, something was still very strange about the way they all lived on a compound like some sort of eerily attractive and compelling cult. Being around a man shrouded in mystery who probably couldn’t be trusted shouldn’t feel so good.
But, god, it did. And, mysterious or not, she couldn’t bring herself to back out and miss another chance to be near him. Who knew? Maybe she’d also luck into some answers she could cling to this time.
“Great. Pick you up at your house at seven, then.”
He disconnected before she could respond and she set the phone back on the bar, still half in a daze.
“So can I assume by your five-alarm coloring and those dreamy eyes that it was Mr. Hardbody McSexmuffin on the line?”
Amber leaned forward and laid her head on the bar with a groan, relishing the feel of the chilled wood against her flaming cheek.
“Is it that obvious? Ug. How humiliating.” She sat up and eyed her friend. “I don’t really know him that well. Do you get a sense of…” She ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. “Something a little dangerous or strange about him? Not like he’d hurt me or anything, but just…different? Maybe I shouldn’t go.”
Mila shoved the bowl of nuts away and wiped her hands off on her jeans.
“He’s like a golden-dipped sex god, for Christ’s sake. Of course you should go.” She leapt up and grabbed Amber by the wrist, dragging her to stand beside her. “And I know just how to get you in the mood. Let’s go shopping for your date. It will be fun. We’ll even pick out some sexy underwear, just in case you decide to do what I would do, and get naked with his fine ass as soon as possible.”
Mila turned her attention to the bartender.
“Tell Max to put our money in envelopes, and we’ll be back to get it around dinnertime. Me and my girl Amber are going shopping.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Shopping.
For sexy underwear.
Billy yanked the headphones from his ears and tossed them onto the desk with a growl. He’d been monitoring Amber’s listening device in real time since noon, but after all the chatter he’d been privy to over the past few hours, only the last thirty seconds of it stuck out in his mind.
Sexy. Underwear.
And Amber hadn’t even put up an argument when her friend suggested it. That was baaad news.
He shifted in his high-backed desk chair and squeezed his eyes closed in an effort to staunch the images flickering through his head.
No dice.
Like scenes from an old silent movie, they flipped by, one after another. Amber in a peach thong. Amber in a red thong. Amber in fishnet stockings, a pair of thigh-high, black boots and nothing else.
Yeah, his imagination was in overdrive when he should be focused on one thing and one thing only.
Sexy underwear or no, Amber wasn’t going to stop pushing.
Last night he’d thought—well, maybe not thought, but hoped—that she’d take the easy road and believe his little fairytale about wolves in her neighborhood. But just this morning she’d gone to the library on her way to work to get more books. And after work, she’d been asking Mila pointed questions about wolves in the area.
Clearly, he’d had no choice but to call and nip that convo in the bud. She wasn’t just researching now. She was talking. And talking was very, very bad.
He had his order. Get close to her if he needed to and try to contain the situation. But there was no question, Chandra’s words from earlier that day still played over in his mind, about love and life...
“Don’t squander it.”
She was so right. All the strife between the packs and the deaths and near-deaths. It made a body realize exactly how fleeting it could all be. Such a simple concept, but one that was reshaping his view of the future.
A sharp rap on the door interrupted his thoughts, and he straightened. “Yep, come on in.”
His packmate, Maggie, strode into the room, her posture as no nonsense as her expression.
“You need a break? I can man the controls for a while.” She jerked her chin toward the headphones on the desk and pinned him with her onyx gaze.
“Nope. No need.” The lies flowed fro
m his mouth, smooth as whipped cream. “I’m going to meet up with her tonight to double check, but I spoke to her last night and she believes the story about wolf sightings in the area. I’m confident she’s going to drop the whole thing.”
She eyed him hard and tossed her dark mane over her shoulder. “You sure? Because she didn’t seem even close to okay that last time I tailed her.”
“I’ve got it covered. Trust me.”
The last bit tasted bitter in his mouth, but it was a necessary evil. And at least it wasn’t a lie. She could trust him. He was going to make sure it all worked out in the end.
But Maggie was definitely going to disapprove of his method. Of everyone in the pack, she was the least trusting of humans, and hadn’t even fully come to grips with the half-baked plan himself.
He was still running through all the possible pitfalls himself when he felt it. Maggie’s consciousness reaching out to his, a gentle pressure in his mind as she attempted to link with him. He didn’t fight it, because that would only make her more suspicious. Instead, he shut down all thoughts of Amber and focused on the computer screen in front of him.
A new building site. Missing permits. Numbers, numbers, numbers.
Jesus, not thinking of something when you were actively trying not to think of something was a bitch.
Right when he thought he might blow it, Maggie broke the mental connection and stepped back.
“Okay, you’re obviously busy. As long as you say you’re going to take care of it, I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got loads of work to do at the office anyway.” She turned on one, high-heeled boot, heading for the door, but paused before stepping through to shoot him a look over her shoulder. “But Billy?”
“Yeah?” He tried to look annoyed as he tore his gaze from the screen in front of him to meet her gaze.
“Don’t let your little head do the thinking for your big one, all right? This human woman is a moment in time. The pack is forever.”
With that, she strode into the hallway and closed the door behind her with a decisive click, leaving him staring at the wide, walnut panel.
Okay, so he apparently had the worst poker face in history if both of the packmates he’d seen since spending time with Amber last night were onto him. Both had different takes on how he should handle the situation.
Hell, even now, his head told him Maggie was right. Falling for Amber was a shit-show in the making. But his gut agreed with Chandra, one hundred percent. On a purely instinctive level, he wanted nothing more than to immerse himself in Amber and cross all the hurdles that would surely crop up in his path as they came.
The mind of a man versus the heart of a wolf.
There was no contest.
And, tonight, he was going to put his life on the line and risk his place within his pack to protect this woman.
He’d just have to hope his wolf had it right, and that she was worth the risk a thousand times over.
BY THE TIME he stepped onto the porch of her little Victorian house a few hours later, he was feeling irritable and out of sorts. Now that he’d made his decision, he was restless, his wolf tensed and ready to claw its way out to get to her.
Before he even had a chance to knock, the door swung open, and Amber stood in the frame, a tentative smile on her lips.
“Hi. You’re right on time.”
She wouldn’t meet his gaze and one hand fluttered to her chest to toy with the slim, gold chain around her neck. Apparently, whatever need had been driving her to kiss him the night before seemed to have been dominated by a bout of nerves tonight. That was good. They had a lot to talk about, and he had a chance of controlling his urges if they were his alone.
If he had to be strong enough for the two of them until he’d said his piece?
Yeah. Not happening.
“Um, did you want to come in and see the place or?” Her cheeks flushed and she rolled her eyes. “Wait. You saw the place before. How many times does somebody need to see a place, am I right? A house is a house. Seen one, seen ‘em all.”
Her laugh sounded tinny and he found himself torn between the urge to hug her and another, far darker one, to bend her over the nearest fussy little piece of furniture and slide so deep inside her, she could think of nothing but him.
Almost as if she could read his mind, she took the decision out of his hands by stepping out, yanking the door closed behind her and practically running down the pathway to his truck.
He followed, bemused by the start to the evening. She was obviously as conflicted about their relationship as he had been. Odd how, in spite of everything that was at stake, just being in her presence made the weight lodged in his chest feel a little lighter.
“You look great, by the way,” he said when they settled into the seats of the truck. She was wrapped in a bulky, cream-colored wool coat, but he could make out her curvy form beneath it and he couldn’t help but wonder what underwear she’d wound up with.
Not that he was going to see it.
“Thanks.” She was wringing her hands together and staring out the windshield so intently, he wondered if he’d misread her nerves. Maybe something more serious was at play here--
“I can’t sleep with you,” she blurted.
His brain went into overdrive as he turned the key in the ignition and the truck’s engine roared to life. He let the words sink in for a few seconds before finally responding.
“Okay.”
She turned to face him, her breathing coming in white puffs of steam into the icy, night air. “I mean, I want to sleep with you. I’ve been thinking about it pretty much non-stop. But it would be a terrible idea for both of us. I’m not even sure if I’m sane or not, and, until I figure things out, I can’t get involved. No matter how much I--” she broke off and swallowed hard. “I just wanted to be up front about it so you wouldn’t think I was a tease or anything.”
She’d been thinking about sleeping with him.
Pretty much non-stop.
That sent a hot rush of blood south, filling his cock with a pulsing need that had already been too close to the surface. But then the rest of her words sank in, reaffirming what he’d already known. She was digging her heels in even deeper now, doggedly determined to find out the truth.
A truth that could kill her.
The rightness of his choice settled over him like a blanket. This was his best chance to protect her, and that was the most important thing.
He backed out of her driveway and pulled onto the street, taking the time to choose his words carefully. “I don’t think you’re a tease, Amber. And I definitely don’t think you’re crazy.”
Stubborn, yes. Like a dog with a bone, but that was a flaw he both shared and kind of admired.
“So why don’t we do exactly what we agreed to do when I called? Just have a fun night and try to put the past behind us for a while. Kick back, relax. Enjoy each other’s company.” And hopefully, get a few drinks in her, so the shock of what he was going to tell her didn’t kill her on the spot.
She let out a sigh and her posture went from stiff to relaxed in an instant.
“That sounds really good to me. I can definitely use a mental half-time. But I have to warn you.” She twisted in her seat to face him. “I’m a fantastic pool player, so you’d better get your game face on, buddy.”
He let out a chuckle as a little of the tension left him. So long as she was willing to spend time with him, that meant he still had a chance.
A chance to protect her.
A chance to prove to the others that she was worthy of their trust.
A chance to convince her that the beast she saw that night might have looked fierce, but it would never, ever hurt her.
It wouldn’t be easy, though. Because, right now, he felt very much like The Big Bad Wolf from that old-time scary-tale, which made Amber his Red Riding Hood.
And he wanted nothing more than to eat her up.
* * *
“NINE-BALL, corner pocket.”
Ambe
r leaned forward and lined up her shot, taking the time to suck in a steadying breath. She was two balls away from winning the game and she wasn’t about to blow it just because Billy had brushed by her, leaving his masculine scent trailing behind him.
She pinched her eyes closed and willed herself to focus. God, what was it about the way he smelled? It literally made her whole body tingle with the need to get closer. Breathe him in. She couldn’t pinpoint it…like exotic spices, and leather, and masculinity times ten.
Totally addictive.
And was it her imagination, or did he seem to touch her every time he passed by, just a little?
“Nine-ball, corner pocket,” she repeated, more firmly this time, ignoring the pressure pooling low in her belly. She took two practice strokes before firing off the shot. The cue-ball met the yellow striped one with a soft snick, and Amber grimaced as she watched the trajectory, knowing it was a miss long before it bobbled in the pocket and hung there.
“Well, shit,” she muttered under her breath before straightening. “Looks like you’re going to get another chance.” She met Billy’s gaze and made a sweeping gesture toward the green, felted table. “Better make the most of it.”
Weird, how disappointed she was. Sure, she liked winning, but shooting pool with a friend while they drank a few beers didn’t typically bring out her competitive nature. Now, though, with Billy looking on, studying her every move, eyes filled with respect whenever she made a difficult shot, she wanted so badly to win.
Friend, my ass. You want so badly to impress him. You couldn’t care less about winning.
She reached for her pint of beer and took a sip, watching from over the rim of the glass as her opponent prowled around the table, circling like a shark on the hunt. Odd to see a man so big and muscular who managed to move with such effortless grace.
It captivated her.
“Four in the side,” he said, his low voice carrying in spite of the jukebox playing in the background.
She set down her beer and leaned on her pool cue, watching with bated breath. If he missed, they’d continue playing, but if he made it, the eight-ball was a sitting duck in the opposite side pocket. He was sure to win the game.