Beneath a Blue Moon (Crescent City Wolf Pack Book 2)

by Carrie Pulkinen

  “Exactly. I’m a rogue. Always have been. She can’t expect that to change. People don’t change.”

  He rubbed at the scruff on his chin. “That’s where you’re wrong. People can change if they want to.”

  “Situations change. People don’t.” She’d learned that the hard way. Several times.

  He arched an eyebrow as he stepped toward the bar. “If you say so. What are you drinking?”

  “Whiskey, neat.”

  James turned to the bartender, and Alexis gazed toward the window where she’d seen Bryce, but he was gone.

  “Excuse me, ma’am, would you care to dance?” Bryce’s deep, rumbly voice came from right behind her, and she jumped.

  Her heart fluttered, and she pressed a hand to her chest as she spun to face him, discreetly running a finger over the top of her dress to be sure nothing had popped out when she’d startled. A quick glance down assured everything was in place. “Do you always sneak up on women like that? Trying to shock me into saying yes?”

  Shrugging one shoulder, he grinned and held out a hand. “Whatever works.”

  His dark suit accentuated his broad shoulders, and he wore a gray shirt with a charcoal tie. Alexis pressed her lips together and glanced at his outstretched arm before looking into his eyes. That was her first mistake. The little brown flecks in his hazel irises seemed to sparkle with his smile, drawing her in and holding her. Mistake number two happened when she placed her hand in his and let him lead her to the dance floor.

  She hadn’t thought about it. Her arm acted of its own free will, extending toward his until their palms touched and his fingers closed around hers. By the time she realized what she’d done, Bryce’s right hand rested on her hip, and his left hand held a firm grip on hers.

  James caught her gaze as he sauntered toward the dance floor with two glasses of whiskey in his hands. He grinned and tossed back one of the shots before taking a sip of the other and winking. What had she gotten herself into?

  “It was a nice wedding.”

  Bryce’s voice drew her attention, and she glanced at his lips before looking into his eyes. Mistake number three. No lips should look that inviting. She swallowed the dryness from her mouth. “Yeah. It was.”

  He chuckled. “I never thought I’d see the day Macey got married.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “She never was one to share much about her emotions. I’m glad to see she finally let someone in.” He tugged her closer as he eased into a spin.

  With her face this close to his neck, she couldn’t help but take a sniff. He had a masculine, woodsy scent with a hint of citrus that made her mouth water. Damn it, why did he have to smell so good? She cleared her throat. “Funny. She said the same thing about you.”

  “She knows me better than anyone.” As the spin slowed, he loosened his grip, putting some much-needed space between them. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

  “You’ve seen me every time I’ve been in town.”

  “You should be in town more often then.” He looked into her eyes, and a familiar sensation stirred in her soul.

  A sense of longing tightened her chest—a feeling that seemed to grow stronger every time she was near this man. The same words coming from her sister would have irritated her, but for some reason, when Bryce suggested she should be around more often, something deep inside her wanted to agree.

  Snap out of it. She needed to put an end to these stirrings right now. She was done with emotionally unavailable men. Why did she keep having to remind herself of that? “I’m a busy woman. I stop by when I have time.”

  He nodded. “I respect that.”

  Sure, he did.

  “Do you want to have dinner with me tomorrow night?” So much for respecting her busy life.

  No, she definitely did not need to have dinner with him. “I’m leaving town tomorrow. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

  “How about tonight then?”

  “We already ate.”

  He pursed his lips as if he were thinking. “How about this? After this shindig is over, we’ll go to Café du Monde for a café au lait and maybe split an order of beignets. Will that work?”

  The man was persistent; she’d give him that. “I prefer my coffee black.”

  He grinned. “Got it. Café without the lait. No problem; we can do that too.”

  Why was she having such a hard time telling him no? Half of her wanted to say to hell with the job she had lined up and stay in New Orleans so she could have that dinner date with Bryce. The other half—the logical half—wanted to turn tail and run out the door right now. She didn’t need yet another man’s emotional baggage weighing her down, trying to drown her. She’d been there, done that too many times already.

  Maybe spending some alone time with Bryce would wake her up to the fact that he was no different than any other man she’d tried to save. He was damaged goods, like all the guys she’d fallen for, and that would never change, no matter how hard she tried to fix him. Then she could squelch that nagging message her wolf had been trying to wriggle into her brain since the moment she met him.

  “I do love beignets, but it will be awfully late.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t mind if you don’t. I work nights, so I’m used to it.”

  “Not for long, I hear. Macey said you might be getting a promotion.”

  He eased her into another spin, and his masculine scent danced in her senses again. Having coffee with him would also satisfy the half of her that wanted to get to know him better. Well, that half wouldn’t be completely satisfied until she’d gotten to know what was beneath his tailored suit, but that would never happen. Not if she could help it.

  Sliding his arm around her waist, he tugged her closer so their hips touched, and against her better judgment, she didn’t pull away.

  He grinned triumphantly, as if he thought he’d broken down one of her walls, but he had no idea who he was dealing with. Her walls were fortified with titanium.

  “Did Macey use the word might? Surely she thinks more highly of me than that.”

  She fought her eye roll. If he kept up the cocky attitude, she’d have no problem telling him goodbye after coffee tonight. “I didn’t mean to bruise your ego. What were her exact words?” She gazed at the ceiling, feigning deep thought.

  He let out an irritated hmph. “It takes a lot more than that to hurt my pride.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. Something told her he wasn’t as tough as he pretended to be. “She said you were up for a promotion and wouldn’t be her partner much longer.”

  His grin returned. “That’s more like it. I knew she had faith in me. I’m going to be promoted to sergeant.” He straightened his spine, inclining his chin like he had no doubt the job was his. “A spot as negotiator opened up, so I applied for that too. I want to get into community policing—be present at the area schools, get to know the kids. Hopefully I can save a few lives so no one will have to investigate their deaths later.”

  “That’s noble of you.” And a little bit hot.

  He shrugged. “Being a homicide detective is noble too, but this is what I’ve always wanted to do. My life’s purpose.”

  The song ended, and as she stepped away, Bryce tightened his grip on her hand. The band played a cover of Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,” and he tugged her to his body.

  “One more dance? I love this song.”

  “Sure.” And there she was telling him yes again, when she should have said no. His muscles were firm beneath his suit, and as he slid his arm tighter around her waist, she leaned into him, allowing herself…at least for the moment…to enjoy the feel of his strong arms wrapped around her.

  She’d never dated a human before. Maybe Bryce would be different since he wasn’t a werewolf. Maybe without an animal side, he… No, no, no. She’d made a promise to herself, and she intended to keep it. No more relationships.

  The song ended, and she stepped away before he could pull he
r into another inviting embrace. “I need to use the restroom.”

  He walked with her to the edge of the dance floor. “No problem. I’ll find you again before the party ends.”

  She flashed a weak smile, turned on her heel, and strode out of the ballroom. And hopefully out of Bryce’s life forever.

  Bryce shoved his hands in his pockets and watched as Alexis strutted away. Her maroon dress hugged her curves in all the right places, and her hips swayed in time with the music as she drifted through the door. What a woman.

  He couldn’t fight his smile. He’d jokingly asked her out a few times…well, every time he’d seen her since they first met, but she’d never taken him seriously, especially since Macey was always around when he did it. After a pep talk from Chase’s wife, Rain, on the balcony, Bryce had gathered up the courage to ask her out for real this time, and his pulse was sprinting from her answer.

  Wait…she hadn’t exactly said yes, had she?

  She hadn’t said no either, though.

  She was mysterious, and he liked that about her. Most of the women he’d dated wanted to spill all their secrets and load him down with their problems before they’d gotten to second base. Not Alexis. She was a woman who knew how to handle herself.

  He’d had to fight the urge to slide his fingers into her silky, blonde hair while they were dancing. She smelled like cinnamon and vanilla, and she’d fit in his arms perfectly. He could get used to holding a woman like that.

  “You’re smiling.” Rain grinned as she and Chase moved closer to him from the dance floor. Her long, dark curls swished across her back as her husband spun her under his arm before pausing in front of Bryce. “I guess it went well?”

  He tried to flatten his mouth into a neutral expression. “We’re having coffee tonight.”

  “Good for you.” Rain waved as Chase led her into another turn.

  His own smile returned as soon as she looked away, so he sauntered to the bar and ordered a Jameson. Sipping his whiskey, he kept an eye on the door, watching for Alexis to return.

  He couldn’t explain the way he felt about the woman. There was something about her that made him want to dive into her mystery and swim through her soul. Independent and strong, she didn’t seem to give a damn what anyone else thought of her. She was who she was, and she made no apologies. He could learn a lot from a woman like Alexis.

  The band played three more songs, and Bryce ordered another drink. After another three numbers, she still hadn’t returned, and a sinking feeling formed in his stomach.

  Grabbing his third drink from the bar, he found Macey sitting at a table near the wall. He strolled toward her and settled into a chair. “Congratulations, again.”

  She smiled. “Thanks. Thirty more minutes, and we can get the hell out of here. I’ve dealt with enough people for one day.”

  He chuckled. “I bet.”

  “I saw you dancing with Alexis.” Her brow puckered, her eyes holding way too much concern.

  His stomach sank a little further. “I’m supposed to take her out for coffee after this is over, but I haven’t seen her in a while.” He set his drink down and drummed his fingers on the cloth.

  Macey reached across the table and stilled his hand. “She left.”

  He blinked. “She went to the restroom. She’s coming back.”

  “She left fifteen minutes ago. Said she wanted to make the drive to her new job tonight so she’d be fresh in the morning.”

  “She…” He let out a heavy sigh. “She didn’t tell me that.”

  Macey squeezed his hand before leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. “Her excuse was a load of bull if that makes you feel any better. Between me trying to get her to stay at my house while I’m gone and you asking her out, we probably scared her away. What else did you talk about?”

  “Nothing really. I was my usual charming self. Don’t think I’ve ever scared a woman away before.” He tossed back the whiskey and focused on the burn it caused on its way down to his stomach. At least that was a welcome burn.

  “She’s skittish. It may not feel like it now, but it’s better this way.”

  He arched an eyebrow.

  “She ran away when she was thirteen. I didn’t see her for twenty years, and now she’s been in and out of my life so many times in the past year that I’ve lost count. I love her, but…Alexis always leaves. It’s the only dependable thing about her.”

  There had to be more to it than that, but if the woman didn’t want to go out with him, he wouldn’t push it anymore. Despite what he led people to believe, he was no stranger to rejection. It had been a while since it had happened, but he’d get over it. He always did.

  Plastering on his most confident grin, he straightened his spine. “She’s still pretty, though.”

  Macey rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

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  Also by Carrie Pulkinen

  Crescent City Wolf Pack Series

  Werewolves Only

  Beneath a Blue Moon

  Bound by Blood

  Spirit Chasers Series

  To Catch a Spirit

  To Stop a Shadow

  To Free a Phantom

  Stand Alone Books

  The Rest of Forever

  Reawakened

  Bewitching the Vampire

  Young Adult

  Soul Catchers

  About the Author

  Carrie Pulkinen is a paranormal romance author who has always been fascinated with things that go bump in the night. Of course, when you grow up next door to a cemetery, the dead (and the undead) are hard to ignore. Pair that with her passion for writing and her love of a good happily-ever-after, and becoming a paranormal romance author seems like the only logical career choice.

  Before she decided to turn her love of the written word into a career, Carrie spent the first part of her professional life as a high school journalism and yearbook teacher. She loves good chocolate and bad puns, and in her free time, she likes to read, drink wine, and travel with her family.

  Connect with Carrie online:

  www.CarriePulkinen.com