by Milly Taiden
“Then count yourself lucky you only know two. In my business, I’m surrounded by them. Something I think you would hate.”
Izzy kept her eyes on him. “Why would you say that? You barely know me.”
He shrugged. “Because I’m an excellent judge of character and my guess is you’re not like most women, so what’s trendy or imposed by fad doesn’t apply.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” she ventured.
He took in her face and the soft blush that stained her cheeks. “Definitely a good thing. I wish more women were true to themselves and cared less what other people think. I find that kind of independence extremely attractive, and when that kind of spirit is wrapped in someone who looks like you, even better. Pretty and smart on the inside, and pretty and smart on the outside.”
The hostess took them to a curved booth in the back and Zander waited for Isabel to slide in first before taking a seat. She left two menus on the table, letting them know the waitress would be over shortly. He nodded to her before she walked away, and then picked up one of the menus and handed it to Isabel. Only three feet of tufted leather separated them, and his wolf growled even louder. Down boy.
The waitress walked over with her pen and pad. “What can I get you?”
Isabel gave the menu a cursory glance, but then closed it, handing it to the waitress. “I think I’ll have his favorite. The King Kong, but with a strawberry milkshake and sweet potato fries.”
The server scribbled on her pad and then looked at Zander. “I’ll have the same, but with a chocolate shake and waffle fries,” he replied.
After the waitress walked away, Isabel asked him, “So, tell me about Jezebel. How long have you had her?” Isabel smoothed her paper napkin.
Zander watched her fidgeting and almost grinned. He made her nervous and the scent was intoxicating on her skin. “Since I was a boy. Jezebel’s an old girl for sure, but she’s my oldest friend. She goes everywhere with me.”
“Everywhere?”
He nodded. “Everywhere. It’s harder for her now that she’s almost fifteen, but she loves being with me and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“What do you think happened today? You must have been frantic,” Izzy asked.
“I wasn’t frantic. I was furious. Jezebel’s never done anything like this before. She’s super smart and loyal. Plus, the groomer is someone I trust. He’s been taking care of Jezzie forever, but he hired a new trainee, and like I said, Jez doesn’t warm to strangers easily. The reason I was so surprised she not only came to you, but let you put her in your car, is because Jezebel doesn’t like women. Don’t ask me why. Growing up, it was just my father and me, so maybe that has something to do with it, but whenever I’ve brought a lady friend home, it’s been a problem.”
Isabel’s brows pulled together. “That doesn’t sound like the squishable fur face that found me this afternoon. She got my attention by licking my leg.”
Zander laughed. “That does not sound like my Jezzie. Biting your leg, yes. But definitely not licking.”
“So, she doesn’t let you have company? At all?”
The waitress brought their shakes and set them on the table. “Your food will be out soon.”
“Thanks.” Zander gave the server an absent nod, but then turned back to Izzy. “Jezebel doesn’t have a problem with women as part of a large group, so parties are fine. It’s the one-on-one she has issues with.”
Isabel toyed with the plastic straw in her shake. “Sounds to me like she’s jealous. Not that I blame her.”
He licked his lips. Was that an opening or was she just being polite? Zander inhaled. Isabel’s scent was clean and genuine, but there it was. A spark of attraction. Cautious and unsure, but undeniable, and his wolf howled.
“Maybe,” Zander replied softly. “Or maybe she’s never encountered a woman like you. Someone special.”
“I don’t know about that. I’ve always had a connection to animals.” Isabel’s eyes met his. “My mom was a shifter, so I can only assume I get my affinity for animals and vice versa from her.” She shrugged. “I always seem to know what they need. It’s easier for me to reach them, to calm them. I volunteer at a few shelters and many of the rescues I’ve helped are now in happy homes.”
“Your mom was a shifter?” he asked?
5
“She died when I was very young. Like you, it was just me and my dad.”
He looked at her. “And what about your dad? Is he a shifter, too?”
She shook her head. “No. Unfortunately, he’s gone, too. About ten years ago.”
“I’m sorry, Isabel.” He reached out and took her hand, sliding her fingers into his palm. Her scent ratcheted to saturated, her arousal thick and pure the moment he touched her. His wolf growled at the wet scent of her musk, snapping for him to pull her across the table and kiss her, hard.
“Don’t be.” She shrugged. “After my mom died, he retreated from me completely, so I was on my own long before he passed.”
“I guess it’s safe to assume you don’t know much about being dual-natured,” he prompted.
She shook her head again. “Nothing other than what I’ve read.”
“I’m originally from the mountains near the Russian River Valley. Lots of shifter families live there.” He paused, gauging if she understood his meaning. “My family is still there.”
“I can’t believe you left that kind of peace and natural beauty for this rat race.” She slid her hand from his grip to point to herself and he had to stop himself from snatching her hand back. “Me? Never.” She exhaled. “In this city, you can barely catch a clean breath.”
Zander nodded, licking his lips. “I know it’s hard. I’m assaulted by every foul scent this city produces, but I deal with it. Just like you. It’s what shifters do.”
Bingo.
Isabel’s eyes flew to his and she coughed, grabbing another paper napkin. He wasn’t sure if the look on her face was rocked-back surprise or revulsion. He’d just admitted he was shifter, too, and for most women that was the immediate aphrodisiac. Then again, Isabel wasn’t like most women, which was probably why his wolf wanted her so much.
“Zander, I’m—” Her words cut short in her mouth when the waitress brought their food.
The server put their plates down and dropped a small stack of extra napkins on the end of the table. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
Isabel shook her head. “I think we’re good for now, thanks.”
The server walked away and Zander picked up half of his sandwich, but kept his eyes on Isabel. A faint blush stained her cheeks, and the nervous energy coming off her in waves was thick in his nose. Was it the fact he was a shifter that made her so tense or was it because she wanted him as much as he wanted her?
Admittedly, she had no experience with their kind. He inhaled again, and smiled to himself. Her panties were damp. Whether she knew it or not, she wanted him. Still, instinct was instinct, and for a shifter female as wet and aroused as Isabel, they should be fucking against the wall in the ladies’ room by now. His mouth watered at the thought of her bare lush curves, his hips grinding between her full thighs.
Isabel lifted her straw from the thick berry flavored milkshake. The sight of her pink tongue curling around the frosted plastic was so erotic, Zander’s cock jerked in response. He groaned inwardly at the thought of that same full mouth on his hard length.
He cleared his throat, mentally tamping down on the images in his head. “Anyway, if Jezebel likes someone, I can unusually take that to the bank.” His gaze met hers. “I know we just met, Isabel, but I like you. A lot. What you did for my old girl wasn’t usual. At least, not in this neck of the woods.”
“I’m just happy I was there to help.” She smiled, tentatively reaching for his hand.
“Any chance we could turn this lunch into a dinner and drinks? Maybe a moonlit walk on the beach?” Zander watched her for a physical answer as much as a verbal one, but his cellphone
rang before she could reply. He glanced at the caller ID. “It’s the vet’s office. Excuse me a moment.”
“Dr. Lewis. How’s my girl doing?” He nodded, listening. “Oh, okay. I’ll be there straight away.” He pressed end on his phone and then signaled for the waitress to bring the check.
“Everything okay?” Isabel asked.
He nodded. “Fine. Jezebel’s ready, but the vet’s office is closing early. Something to do with road repair, so I need to grab her before they lock up.” He gestured toward the register. “I’m going to pay the check, but can you wait for me? I’ll only be about ten or fifteen minutes and I’m sure Jezzie wants to see you again as much as I do.”
She smiled. “Sure. I’m in no rush.”
Inhaling, he got his answer. She’d be his before the night was out and his wolf howled inside. “Good. Order dessert or something.” With a nod to the waitress, Zander gave her the check with a handful of money and then winked at Isabel. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be quick.”
Taking a chance, he leaned in and kissed her, letting his lips linger on hers for a moment. The subtle taste of her beneath that sweet kiss made his cock thicken. It was only a matter of time until he’d taste her full and deeply, yet there was something about her that made him want to know every part of her, inside and out. He winked again and then was out the door like a shot.
Isabel watched him rush down the street toward the vet. The waitress chuckled, giving her an easy grin. “Can I get you anything else, honey? Your fella gave me enough to cover the entire menu.” She held out the wad of cash in her hand.
Isabel shook her head. “Not really, just a cup of coffee. Large, if you’ve got one.”
She nodded once. “Sure enough.”
It was close to rush hour and the street was crammed with cars. Isabel gazed at the noise and traffic on the opposite side of the diner’s window. With a soft cry, her mouth dropped open.
“Oh, shit!” She got up, scraping her chair back so hard it clattered to the floor.
“What happened? Are you okay?” the waitress asked, rushing over with her coffee.
“That’s my car!” Izzy pointed to the white hatchback hooked to a tow truck heading in the opposite direction of the vet’s office.
“Oh boy,” the waitress clucked. “That’s going to cost you a pretty penny. The impound is no joke. They take cash and only cash.”
Isabel fumbled for her purse. “How? I parked in a legit space out front of the vet’s office!”
The waitress snapped her gum. “They’re starting construction on that side of the street today. All cars needed to be cleared by four p.m. The receptionist didn’t warn you?”
“No, she didn’t.” Isabel took three steps toward the door, but then turned. “Shit! Zander.” She looked at the waitress again. “Can I borrow a pen?”
With a shrug, she handed Izzy a red felt tip marker. “This is all I have, hon. Customers keep leaving with my pens.”
“That’s fine, thanks.” Izzy grabbed a clean napkin from the stack on the end of the table and scribbled a quick note to Zander with her name and cell number, asking him to meet her tonight. She stuck the note under her milkshake, hesitating as condensation from the glass spread onto the napkin’s edge. She reached for it, but the waitress shooed her out the door.
“Go, honey. The impound won’t wait. I’ll see Prince Charming gets your note.” She winked.
Izzy exhaled. “Can you tell him what happened with my car? I don’t want him to think I ran out on him for no reason.”
“Sure, honey. No worries. Now, get going. Maybe you can catch the driver and sweet talk him out of taking your car.”
With a nod, Isabel rushed for the door, her gut in a knot over more than paying the impound fee.
6
“Zander, when did you get here?” his father, Misha Petrov, grinned, stifling a cough. “I wish you’d told me you were coming. I’d have met you downstairs in the sitting room or the library—hell, even the kitchen would be a better place than this prison they call a bedroom.”
“I didn’t know I was coming myself until this evening. I jumped in the car and found myself winding my way here. I guess I needed a dose of peace and natural beauty.”
That was how Isabel described the mountains. A frown pulled at Zander’s mouth, but he squelched it. He didn’t need his father worrying any more than he already did.
He reached into his pocket for the note Isabel left. The damn waitress had let the wet glass bleed all over the napkin until the note was practically illegible. Three words were all he could make out.
See you tonight. ♥
Except he wouldn’t see Isabel tonight or any other night. Not unless his people were successful in hunting her down, but Los Angeles was a city of roughly four million people. The odds of finding her were almost zero. He knew nothing about her, really. Just her first name and that she was a half-blood shifter who found his dog and volunteered at a few animal shelters.
The waitress barely had a chance to talk to him. The place was packed and she was too busy to do more than hand him the ruined note. She said Isabel apologized, but she had to leave. Something about car trouble.
Damn.
He should have given her his cell number or taken hers. If he was lucky, she’d call the vet’s office and ask them to contact him. He shook his head. Odds were that wouldn’t happen, either. On the outside, it looked as if he stood her up. Annoyance, fresh and fierce, bubbled up again and closed his eyes. Maybe she’d call the vet’s office just to deliver him a piece of her mind. Even that was better than nothing.
Misha cocked his head, his eyes narrowed at his son. “Peace and natural beauty. That’s very poetic coming from you—” He dissolved into another coughing fit before Zander could reply.
At the violence of the spasm, a nurse rushed in carrying what smelled like a fragrant herbal tincture with a hint of medicine. “Mr. Petrov, please. You must drink this,” she urged, but he waved her and the cup away.
He eyed his son. “You see? I wasn’t exaggerating. I’m being held prisoner in my own bedroom and this is my warden.” Misha grinned, his papery fingers taking the nurse’s hand. “At least, she’s pretty. Not like that hatchet-faced nightmare your aunt hired.”
The nurse pfft, but there was genuine affection in her face, and Zander couldn’t help but chuckle. Leave it to his father to lift his black mood.
Misha gave the girl’s hand a squeeze before letting go. “Huff all you want, Gretchen, but I’m still the big bad wolf around here, and I refuse to drink that foul bilge no matter how you swish your pretty tail at me.”
His father met Gretchen’s exasperated frown with a wink. “Have you met my boy, Alexandr?” Misha turned, waving the two together with a wink. “She’s a full-blood, son. A cougar. Fully fleshed and as feisty as she is pretty.”
She exhaled. “And already mated. You left out that tidbit, you dirty old dog.”
Zander grinned as Gretchen tucked his father’s blankets tighter around his knees. She gave them both a quick once over with a sniff. “Don’t you get him riled,” she said, eyeing Zander. “He’ll only cough until he turns blue and since he’s too pigheaded to drink the tincture I made—”
Zander held up his hand. “Message received, boss.”
“Good.” With a sharp nod, she turned to leave, but not before wagging her finger at Misha. “Listen for once, you quarrelsome old canine, or I’ll be the one who huffs and puffs and blows your house down.”
Zander laughed, shaking his head as he closed the door behind her. “You’re even more incorrigible than the last time I came to visit. You’d better leave that pretty nurse alone or she’ll send you packing.”
“You can’t blame me for playing cupid, Zander. You need a mate.” He shrugged. “Plus, I’ve got a soft spot for Gretchen. She’s a good girl.”
With a quick inhale, Zander sat on the end of his father’s four-poster bed. “You’re the alpha of our pack, not a matchmaker. I promised you I
’d take a mate, and I will, but in my own good time.”
Misha’s humor faded as he looked at his son. “I’m ill, son. Truth is, I’m not getting any better. It’s time, boy. You know the rules. No more playtime.”
After tonight, a lecture on pack duty was the last thing Zander needed. “Is that what you think I’ve been doing? Playing?”
“You live in Fantasyland. What else am I to think? The parties, the clubs, the movie openings and press parties. I read the papers, boy. Your life is one long Christmas holiday with girls unwrapping themselves like presents under your tree. That is not how you’re going to find a suitable mate. A mate appropriate for our next alpha.”
His father coughed again, but this time the spasms held off. Zander got up from the bed and poured him a glass of water with a splash of whiskey from the sideboard and the old man drank it in one gulp.
“Our pack is small but ancient, son. You must mate and it must be an advantageous match. I let you run away to la-la land to let you sow your wild oats, but now it’s time to take your place, here.”
“Dad, the papers only cover what’s sensational. There’s much more to what I do than parties. I work, and I’m good at my job. Because of everything I do, our pack now has plenty of money and resources available to our youth like never before. College, industry, careers. My businesses take care of all that. La-la land, as you call it, has been good to me and we’ve prospered because of it. The papers call me The Idol Maker. To the people down there, I’m the King of Hollywood—”
His father sniffed, cutting him off. “You’re starting to believe your own hype.”
“You didn’t let me finish. Even with all that, I haven’t forgotten who I am or where I come from.”
“I’m glad to hear that, son. Your work has been lucrative, and you’re right, the pack is flourishing, but we’re still small. We need new blood. An alliance with another pack will give us that infusion. You need an alpha female. Not a human. A mate that is right for us.”