by Terry Spear
“What are you going to do now that your brother is gone?”
“Find a way to get him out of prison. I have to discover who Bethany Wade was seeing behind Michael’s back. I really believe he’s the clue to this.”
“If you’re right in thinking someone had anything to do with her death, it’s too dangerous for you to look into.”
What other choice did she have? Not that she would personally chase after a killer. That would be way too risky. She’d hire a good detective who could discover the truth.
“I’m not giving up.”
Hunter folded his arms across his chest and speared her a look that said he would have his way or else. “Here’s the deal. I need to find out what happened to me. If someone pushed me off a cliff, I don’t want whoever did it to know I’m still alive, yet. So I need a nice out-of-the-way place to stay. You require some protection. Michael’s window is broken and needs to be repaired. And if you think you locked the back door, then someone used a key to get in. You’ll need your locks changed, and I can assist you. In the meantime, I’ll snoop into Bethany Wade’s death.”
Tessa’s mouth gaped.
He added, “For room and board.”
“But if you can’t be seen, how can you investigate?”
“I’ll manage.”
Again, she had the feeling he knew more about himself than he was letting on. He sounded like he was an undercover operative used to slipping in and out of dangerous situations, unseen and unheard. He certainly was built like a man who physically trained all the time. Plus, he exhibited an unswerving confidence, bordering on out-and-out male arrogance, as she assumed someone in the Special Forces or Rangers would act.
“All right. You can sleep in the spare bedroom.”
“I’ll sleep wherever you bed down for the night.”
That left unbidden thoughts of rugged sex with a mountain man blazing across her brain. She clamped her mouth shut, blinked, and managed to reopen her mouth and say, “Pardon me?”
Chapter 3
IF EVERY MUSCLE HADN’T ACHED SO MUCH—THE PAIN slicing all the way through to the marrow of his bones—the incredulous expression on Miss Tessa Anderson’s face would have made him smile. But the situation was too dire to make light of it. He might not remember his whole name or what had happened to him, but one thing the concussion had not robbed him of—his wolf instincts.
They warned him whoever had broken into the house and stolen Tessa’s gun had also lain in her bed—on the side of the mattress where she always slept—rolled in her scent and carried it with him. Which meant only one thing. The perpetrator wanted her for his own—and since he was a lupus garou, that was bad news.
Worse than that, she triggered a craving in him to such an extent, he was having a hell of a time tamping down the feelings, and remembering why he had to keep his interest to himself.
Her hair cascaded over her shoulder blades, thick, soft red curls he longed to plunge his fingers in again. Her clear green eyes were tinged blue, not a speck of amber: bright, expressive, not wary as he expected, being that he was a stranger without any memories and here most likely due to foul play.
And the frumpy emerald sweats she wore, although designed to hide a woman’s sensuous shape, did nothing of the sort. The swell of her generous breasts, the curve of her thighs, her rounded ass, all were perfectly outlined by the soft attire. No belts or buttons to hinder their removal either.
He took a ragged breath and sat taller, absorbed the heat from the fire, which helped to ease the ache in his bones, and raised his brows. “I’ll stay with you wherever you make your bed. The house isn’t secure. Either we sleep here by the fire, or if you have enough blankets for your bed, we stay in your room.”
If it was up to him, he would have opted for the comfort of the mattress, but most of all snuggling with the woman. But her scent, her pheromones, the feel of her silky hair, the way her soft body had pressed against him—and the kiss—had aroused him to such a degree, everything about her was throwing him off kilter. A one-night stand with a human female was one thing. But he was certain one tumble with her wouldn’t satisfy the carnal urge. And since he needed to stay longer to protect her, it was better to keep their relationship as platonic as possible. Yet, the wolf part of him was already heading down a dangerous, forbidden path.
She licked her lips and turned her gaze to the fire. His groin tightened. The light sparkled off her eyes and her moistened lips glistened. He’d been in a half-aroused state ever since the woman had manhandled him on the beach in her tight black denims and breast-hugging turtleneck, dampened by the sleet, her hardened nipples teasing his chest when she had tried to revive him. Even half-conscious, the wolf side of him had been aware of her special scent, sensed her fear—not of him, but for him. If she learned what he was, what he was capable of, she would fear him.
“I guess we could sleep here. By the fire. It would probably be warmer.” Her gaze shifted from the flames to him.
The look in her eyes said she’d be safer curling up next to the fire. Less intimate than sleeping with him in her bed. Yet there was a hint of something else. Desire to be with him? But she seemed to be waiting for him to make a decision. Which couldn’t help but please him. His sister was so testy of late, seeing a female bow to his leadership was much appreciated.
Sister? Where the hell had that memory come from? He tried to dredge up more, but came up blank.
“Don’t you think?” Tessa asked, when he didn’t respond.
Jarring him back to the situation at hand, he rubbed his right arm, the muscle caught in a spasm. He should have said she was right, sleeping by the fire was a good choice. Safer for both of them. But his animal needs were getting the best of him. He took another deep breath of her scent, sweet and musky. He wanted her, no matter how much he tried to persuade himself it would be a mistake.
“That would be fine,” he said slowly, his gaze never leaving hers, all the while judging her reaction. “But already I’m stiffening up pretty badly. Maybe I will take something for the aches and pains.”
He wasn’t lying, but normally he would suffer rather than let a woman know how he felt.
Tessa’s face grew shadowed, and she hurried to take the plates. “Oh, oh, of course. You must be feeling awful.”
She rushed into the kitchen, and he almost felt guilty. But he liked her maternal instincts, and no matter how much he knew he should shove his baser needs aside, he wanted to share the bed with Tessa. She was a grown woman after all, and he, a grown…well, man of sorts.
He glanced at the living room window, the curtains drawn.
Had the gray been watching them when they climbed to the house from the beach? The sleet was coming down hard, cleansing the air. He couldn’t have smelled him if the lupus garou was being careful. Not a true alpha male then. If he had been one, the wolf would have made his presence known, indicated up front that he had laid claim to the woman. As a beta, the wolf would have rolled in her sheets before he saw Tessa hauling an injured gray up the hill. The lupus garou must have observed them, hiding in the trees, loathing him.
If the thief got anywhere near the house, he would regret it. But even a beta lupus garou could be a dangerous proposition for a lone human female.
Tessa returned with a glass of water and a couple of white pills. “This should help. I’ll be right back.” She whipped around and headed for the kitchen, then banged inside the cabinets.
He took the medicine, finished off the water, and rose from the floor. Not meaning to, he groaned, and she caught him in the act.
Her brows furrowed deeper as she tightened her hold on a stainless steel saucepan. “You’re really hurting, aren’t you? Why don’t you lie down on the floor next to the fire, and I’ll rub some liniment into your muscles. I’ll warm this water over the fire, and you can wash the saltwater off your skin. When the electricity’s back on, you can shower properly.”
He meant to conceal his satisfied expression, for her sake,
but he couldn’t help it. She was eating right out of his hands.
She twisted her mouth and set the pot on the fire. “I’ll be back.”
After watching her walk down the hall to the bathroom, and seeing nothing amiss, he returned to the living room, stripped out of her brother’s sweats and reclined on his stomach on the carpeting next to the fire. He rested his head on his arms, but even that movement sent a streak of screaming pain from his arms to his back.
Tessa stepped into the room and he heard her intake of breath. Her eyes grew big and her lips parted, but she had already seen him nude.
“I hope that stuff works.” He attempted looking as innocent as an alpha gray pack leader could manage who was already fully aroused, his voice way too husky.
“Uhm, you’re awfully cut up. Let me get some antibacterial cream, too.” She set the tube of liniment next to the fire and left. Down the hall, she rummaged around in some drawers.
She returned posthaste, carrying a handful of creams, his salvation. In anticipation, he relaxed his stiff muscles.
After leaving the creams on the coffee table, she knelt beside him and dipped a washcloth in the water. She slid the hot wet cloth over his shoulders, her touch gentle, and he gave a raspy sigh. “Got hot fast.”
“Too warm?”
“No, feels just right.”
“The faucet still had some hot water. The pipes would be cold and it takes forever for the bathroom water to heat even on a warm day, but you might be able to take a fast lukewarm shower.”
He needed a cold one to keep his libido in check with the woman touching him so tenderly. “This is fine.” Better than fine.
She washed his right shoulder and arm and before he could grow chilled, she patted the skin dry with a towel. He closed his eyes and enjoyed her ministrations. No one had ever treated him with so much kindness that he could recall. Hell, his sister would have shoved him in a tub of cold water, not wanting him to soil the sheets with the odor from the sea.
Again, an elusive memory of his sister. But he couldn’t dredge up anything further.
Tessa probably couldn’t smell the fishy odor on his skin like his kind could, but the scent was pretty pungent. He felt like he had been dropped in a vat of freshly caught fish off the coast. Not that it bothered him. Getting skunked was about the worst odor any wolf would have to contend with. Although he had been a pup when it happened, too curious for his own good, his parents wouldn’t let him inside the house for days. Thankfully, the weather had been mild and the moon out so he remained a wolf the whole time, foraging in the forest, no chores to do.
Again, a memory. But even so, he couldn’t recall what had happened to his parents or anything else about the incident.
After Tessa washed his neck, she left. Hating to admit it, he wanted in the worst way to drag her back, beg her to finish, then make love to her. He opened a sleepy eye, wondering what she was up to.
With a slight blush to her cheeks, she stood over him holding the afghan. “You must be cold.” Before he could tell her she was heating him up just fine, she covered the lower part of his body with the soft blanket, and then started to wash his back, her touch methodical and soothing. “You sure took a beating.”
She might have talked further, but he couldn’t be sure. His thoughts had drifted to his current predicament and how he’d gotten here. If he had a sister, were they in a pack? He had to be the leader. He couldn’t imagine serving in any other role. But what of his people? Were they from this area?
The lupus garou skulking around Tessa’s place didn’t remind him of anyone he knew. And then another concern: if his pack thought he was dead, one of the emergent alphas—if there were any—would try to take over. Well, he would remedy that when he got back.
“I had a premonition something bad was going to happen,” Tessa was saying.
He opened his eyes, turned his head, and stared at her.
“Oh, I’m not psychic or anything. I just have these—bad impressions sometimes. Anyway,” she said, scooting the afghan down to the tip of his spine, “sometimes I feel like something is wrong. When my parents died, I felt that way. Before they arrested Michael, it hit me again. Now tonight. I just couldn’t pinpoint the feeling, but I couldn’t squash the sensation of being watched.”
Yeah, by the gray. He assumed the man had been stalking her for some time before he finally made a move.
She finished washing his back, slipped the afghan higher, covering his back and shoulders, and began washing his lower extremities. “Are you all right? Not getting too chilled?”
More than all right. In heaven, as much as he could be, the way he was so bruised and every muscle ached. “It feels good to have the salt washed off my skin,” he said, his voice muffled in relaxation.
“Tell me if I hurt you and I’ll quit.”
He would suffer anything as long as she kept touching him.
When she began to work the liniment into his shoulders, the way her fingers massaged the muscles sent a sizzling heat through every fiber. He groaned with pure pleasure.
She stopped. “Am I hurting you?”
“Only if you quit.”
She chuckled.
Despite how good she was making him feel, he couldn’t prevent his mind from working over the problem with the gray wolf intruder. “Who would have a key to your house?”
She hesitated and then began to rub his lower back. “Michael, of course. Bethany had a key.” Her fingers rested on the tip of his spine.
Move lower, he silently pleaded.
“Ohmigod, what if the killer had taken it off Bethany?
What if he was looking for evidence Michael might have against him, except my brother was unaware of it?”
What if the whole scenario was a setup to get rid of Michael so the lupus garou could have a free shot at Tessa? What if it had nothing to do with Bethany Wade?
It would make sense that a sneaky beta was seeing Bethany behind Michael’s back, cagey enough not to get caught, but giving Michael an alibi he couldn’t prove. Oh, hell, if a lupus garou killed Bethany, no way could he expose him for the crime. If the killer went to prison, the moon’s appearance would eventually force the man to turn wolf. But to get Michael off, they needed to catch the murderer and have him convicted.
Hunter let out his breath in exasperation.
“Did you want to turn over, and I’ll wash the rest of your skin?” she asked.
He didn’t think she could handle what she had done to him with her sweet touch, but he was more than ready and rolled over. He groaned with the effort and any fear she might have had that he would want to take their relationship too far seemed to fade as her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly. Not that he couldn’t make love to her despite the way he ached. Dealing with that torture would only help alleviate other discomforts she was now making worse.
She covered him quickly, although the afghan couldn’t hide his full-blown erection, and her cheeks blushed anew. “I don’t believe anyone else had a key to our place.”
He studied her face as she washed his chest, her lashes hiding her eyes as she concentrated on her work. He wanted to ask her if she was seeing anyone regularly. The scent of several different males filled the house, but they might have been her brother’s friends. He hoped they were her brother’s friends. But if he asked if she was seeing anyone special, she might make more of an issue of his question than he intended. Still, being an alpha he couldn’t skirt around the situation. What if a suitor turned up and found Tessa and him sleeping together?
He didn’t want to ruin her relationship with a guy if it was important to her. He couldn’t claim her for his own. He didn’t believe in changing humans, and he hadn’t known anyone personally who had ever done so. At least that he could remember.
Certainly, he couldn’t imagine anyone doing it in this day and age. Although he supposed if the two were mutually agreeable…he mentally shook his head. It wasn’t possible without the wolf telling the human what t
hey were, which wasn’t allowed. And even if a lupus garou did explain the situation, how could a human truly understand the ramifications of the change? He or she couldn’t.
Tessa lowered the afghan and then worked on his stomach, her hair caressing his belly. Tickling, tantalizing. He itched to take handfuls of her hair and lower her fascinating mouth to his and kiss her again. Only this time with a lot more stamina.
When she began washing his legs, she avoided looking in the direction of his erection staking the cover in the form of a mountain peak.
“Tessa,” he said, raising up on an elbow, “are you seeing anyone regularly?”
Wide-eyed, she looked at him.
He sure as hell didn’t mean it like it sounded. “I don’t want to ruin your relationship with a man if you’re serious about one while I’m staying with you, and he was to drop by unexpectedly.”
“We could say you’re gay.”
He raised his brows. Not only did he not care for the idea, he didn’t like that she had a boyfriend. “Then you’re seeing someone?” He hated how gruff his voice sounded. He meant to ask casually, not like he was ready to rip the guy’s head from his shoulders.
She shrugged, but avoided looking at him. He smiled. She wasn’t seeing anyone, but was afraid to admit it—maybe embarrassed that she didn’t have a guy, or maybe she thought she could prevent her houseguest from getting too frisky with her in the event he wanted something more.
He leaned back again, his head resting on the crook of his arms while she washed his feet. From the moment he’d found himself half frozen and hurting beyond belief on the beach, he’d never thought an angel would be the one to save him, or tempt him like she did.
“What about you? Do you have anyone?” She set aside the wet washcloth and applied ointment to a cut on his shin.
Hell, he’d never considered that. What if he did have a mate waiting at home for him? There were too few to leave widowed, before another male would jump to claim an unattached female.
Tessa rubbed more antibacterial ointment on a deep scrape on his inner thigh, stirring his erection. But he couldn’t quit worrying if he had a mate. Surely if he did have one, she’d wait for some time before giving up hope on him.