The urge to taste her had his head moving infinitely closer.
“Don’t worry you two, I’ll just see myself home.”
Briggs’ shout as he closed the apartment door and jogged down the steps snapped McQuade’s head up. Closing her door, he moved around the back of the vehicle to the driver’s side, catching Briggs’ knowing smirk as he started the engine. McQuade gave him the one-finger salute as he drove off. The man was a major pain in the butt.
“I like your friend. He seems really nice. And funny.”
Well, damn. “He’s a womanizer and a flirt.”
“Aren’t all men?”
The hurt behind the words made him angry at himself. “He likes you too, honey.”
He pulled the SUV into the diner at the end of Rose’s block. She threw him a curious look but didn’t say a word. He smiled as he walked around the front of the vehicle, offering a hand to help her down. “Come on.”
“I take it you didn’t like my coffee.”
He hated to hurt her feelings but he couldn’t lie to her. “Not really, sweetheart.”
“What about the muffins?”
Damn it, she looked as if his answer was going to break her heart if he hadn’t liked them.
“I didn’t get the opportunity to eat one. But I’ll eat a dozen next time.” He took her elbow and guided her through the diner’s door.
Rose was too busy thinking about what he’d said to protest when he ushered her into an empty booth and slid in beside her.
Did that mean she would see him again or had he simply been trying to salvage her feelings? Drat it, she wished she knew more about men.
The waitress came over immediately and he ordered two glasses of sweet tea.
“I thought you were taking me to my car.”
“I am.” He held a menu out to her and she took it automatically.
“So what are we doing here?”
McQuade looked up from the menu he was studying. “I’m feeding you.”
“Feeding me?” Rose was thoroughly confused. First he acted as if he couldn’t wait to get rid of her and now he’d stopped to have a meal with her. “Why?”
He leaned forward, making her meet his gaze, the menu forgotten. “You don’t have any food in your kitchen, Rose.”
Okay, now she was embarrassed. He thought she was a charity case. Just great. “I haven’t had time to go shopping.”
“Haven’t had the time—or the money?”
“The answer is none of your damn business,” Rose snapped, sliding the menu across the table with such force he had to grab it before it sailed off the table.
“Damn it, woman, quit being so stubborn and decide what you want to eat.” He pushed the plastic coated menu back across the table.
Rose looked at him for several minutes, indecision written all over her face. He held her gaze as if daring her to disobey. The waitress brought their tea, breaking the silent standoff.
“What’cha having, handsome?”
The woman was old enough to be McQuade’s mother but was still giving him the once over with an ‘it’s yours if you want it’ gleam in her eye. It made Rose want to growl.
“Ladies first.” He turned his attention immediately to Rose, but not before he smiled at the woman taking away any sting from the soft rebuke of the waitress’ etiquette for not asking Rose first.
The man was more charming than she’d thought.
Rose cleared her throat, unsure whether she felt worse for herself as the charity case or the poor waitress who’d just been shot down with a killer smile. “I’ll have a burger and fries, please.” Might as well feel like shit on a full stomach.
“Double that for me.” He handed the menus back and the woman left to place their order.
Once they were alone, Rose didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t had a date in over six months and that had been with the brother of one of the nurses she worked with. After the first ten minutes they realized there was no attraction, but decided to relax and enjoy the evening. It had turned out surprisingly well.
But this wasn’t a date.
Even though she wished it were.
“What are you thinking about?”
“My last date.” She blurted out the first thing that popped into her head. Besides, it was partially true.
McQuade leaned forward. “I suggest you concentrate on your date now.”
Rose shivered at the golden hue of his eyes. “This…isn’t a date.” She had to keep things in perspective.
Before he could reply, their dinner arrived and McQuade dug into his food. Rose’s mouth watered at the smell of the freshly made burger and crispy fries. Deciding it was best to let go of emotions she couldn’t control, she picked up her burger and took a healthy bite. Might as well enjoy the free meal. Besides, she loved the food here. It was good, wholesome food. She could afford to eat here at least once a month. No matter what she ordered, she was rarely disappointed, but the burger was her favorite. She couldn’t imagine anything better.
Except maybe sex with McQuade.
She almost choked on her burger. Forcing her thoughts away from the one thing she knew she could never have, she concentrated on her food.
Even with his double portion of everything, McQuade finished first. The waitress took away his plate and topped of their tea.
When almost all of her burger was gone, Rose pushed her plate away. She’d eaten too fast.
“Do you want desert?”
Her stomach tightened. Was he simply being nice or thinking the fat girl needed some sugar? “No, thanks. I’d like to get my car before it gets dark.”
As the waitress took away the rest of their dirty dishes, McQuade leaned back in the leather booth, one long arm stretched along the back. “No one has given you any trouble, have they?”
“You mean besides my sister?” She smiled, refusing to allow him to see how much his question had startled her. There was no way she was telling him about the feeling of being watched as she’d left this morning and walked home today. No matter how many hamburgers he bought her, it didn’t mean he wanted an actual relationship with her.
He just felt sorry for her. And that, she could do without.
“Give me your phone.” He held out his hand, palm up.
When she hesitated he asked, “You do have it, don’t you?”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “Yes, I have it, and it’s charged.”
“Then give it to me.”
“Alright, alright.” It was easier just to go along. She dug around in her purse until she pulled out the phone.
He took it and pushed several buttons before handing it back. “I programmed in my phone number. Call me if anyone bothers you.”
She refused to meet his gaze.
“Rose.” Why did the sound of her name on his lips make her insides melt?
“I promise.” Good thing he couldn’t see her fingers crossed under the table.
The waitress returned to see if they needed anything else. When they both declined desert and coffee, she left the check. “Okay, I guess it’s time to go,” McQuade said as he picked up the check and slid out of the booth.
“Please let me pay for this,” Rose said as she scrambled from the booth and followed him toward the front. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the aisle and she almost ran into his broad back.
He turned and steadied her with lightning quick reflexes. “If you offer to pay me back one more time for your car or the food or anything else, I’m going to make you pay in a strictly un-monetary way.”
Was he actually talking about what she thought he was talking about? As in sex? Her mouth went dry. “Really?”
“Damn it, Rose.” His fingers bit into her shoulders and he lifted her until she stood on the tips of her toes. His mouth came down, crushing her lips beneath his. The kiss was hard, but not brutal, and he was definitely in complete control. Before she could pull her shocked senses together and think to kiss him back, he released her and turned away.
Dazed, she stood in the aisle, one hand held to her tingling lips as she replayed the feel of his mouth moving on hers. Slowly she became aware of the clank of silverware and the hum of voices. She didn’t know if she should run forward and demand to pay the check—or just run.
He’d already saved her a lot by changing her tire and giving her a lift back to her car. Still, Rose wanted to protest his paying for her food, but she knew it would be useless. Just as it would be to try and get him to take payment for his time and trouble.
Since he wasn’t going to let her spend her own money, she was definitely going to make him a cake. Having made up her mind there was at least some small way she could repay McQuade, Rose relaxed, determined to enjoy her last few minutes in his company. It seemed he was having similar feelings—or he was just happy that in a little while he’d be rid of her, something Rose was determined not to think about—and the ride to her car was surprisingly restful. They made casual conversation about the town and even the weather with the expected gaps as most questions required only monosyllabic responses. Yet the lapses in conversation weren’t awkward or uncomfortable. They arrived at the spot where her small compact was parked much too quickly.
CHAPTER FIVE
The emergency room was slammed again when Rose arrived at the hospital three days later. Her time off had been unexciting and she was ready to get back into the thick of things. She barely had time to hang up her coat and clip on the silver pin bearing her name and title before being pulled into the madness. When she was finally able to look up again, it was late afternoon.
“Hi, Rose. What did you do on your days off?” Wanda, the other registered nurse, helped Rose sanitize the now empty cubicles and restock supplies before the next wave of patients hit.
“Besides getting a flat tire fixed? Not much.” Even though she was close to a couple of nurses at the hospital, she wasn’t a sharing kind of person. And of course, she really didn’t want anyone to know how Alice behaved.
Or about McQuade. As she told her friend what had happened over the last couple of days, her mind drifted to the bad-ass shifter. His silky black hair, the tattoos she’d seen peeking from the edges of his black t-shirt, his gorgeous golden-hued eyes, not to mention his buff body.
The closet holding the clean linens was next to a floor-to-ceiling window. As she walked with Wanda, she caught a glimpse of herself in the glass. Amorous thoughts of the hunky wolf shifter died an instant death. She drew in a sharp breath, angry in a way she’d never been before at the hand fate had dealt her. An overweight nobody like Rose Spencer would never, ever, have a man like McQuade. He’d done his good deed. She was sure she would never see him again.
Besides, even if she wanted to—and she told herself she didn’t—she wouldn’t be able to find him since she didn’t even know his last name or where he lived. She assumed he lived somewhere in the surrounding area but, really, he could live out of town. As a shifter, he didn’t exactly have to hang around in one locale. So that meant he could be anywhere.
Or was he a creature of habit? If so, he was probably doing pretty much what he’d been doing when she first met him. Of course, she couldn’t go back to the bar and, like, stalk him or something. Could she? She had his phone number, maybe she should make him a chocolate cake and ask him to meet her at the bar.
No, going anywhere near that place would be an incredibly stupid move. She shivered as she thought of what might have happened if he hadn’t been there the other night. The mark on her neck tingled.
“Who the hell is in charge here?” A loud roar came from the front of the ER, just around the corner from where Rose and Wanda were working. The other nurse walked ahead of her, coming face to face with a giant of a man. Behind her, Rose froze as she recognized the lion shifter from the bar. She took a step back, plastering her back against the wall, afraid to let him see her.
“What’s the problem, sir?” Wanda moved past him and Rose realized she was trying unobtrusively to maneuver him back to the waiting area where there were other medical personnel and more importantly, security guards.
“My boy here needs some attention.” Holding the back of a child’s blue shirt, he thrust a smaller version of himself forward. The boy didn’t appear to be more than ten years old but it was already evident he was also a shifter. He had the same untamed wildness about him. He was also suffering from a compound fracture of his right forearm. Both bones were sticking through the broken skin. Tears fell from the boy’s eyes which no doubt pissed his asshole of a father off even more.
Wanda’s eyes immediately softened when she saw the injured child. “Rose? Can you come here and help me?”
Rose wanted nothing more than to crawl under a gurney and hide. Or run straight home and lock herself in her apartment. But she couldn’t do either. She had a job to do.
Would the shifter recognize her? She stiffened her spine. McQuade wasn’t around to protect her now. If his scent had worn off, she’d just have to deal with the lion on her own. She was in a hospital setting with armed security guards stationed close by. She was safe. With that thought in mind, she walked through the exam room door, determined to help her colleague—and especially the injured child—as best she could.
From what she knew of shifter physiology, shifting usually healed any type of injury. Even before they reached the age when they could shift at will, the young ones healed at an amazing rate, making it essential to get prompt medical attention. If they didn’t, their wounds would heal incorrectly and the child could wind up deformed or crippled until after the first shift. Even then, shifting couldn’t guarantee the old injury would be completely repaired. More often than not, it wasn’t, and the physically impaired ones were often shunned and ostracized from the pack.
That wasn’t going to happen to this child in spite of his father.
Wanda was already showing the boy to an exam room when Rose stepped out. She was so intent on helping the child, she’d briefly forgotten how scary his father was.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the stinking wolf’s little bitch,” the lion shifter sneered, his lips pulling back to reveal elongated teeth.
Rose’s heart beat so rapidly it threatened to choke her. Fear, immediate and real, held her immobile. She was grateful Wanda hadn’t heard the disparaging remark and wouldn’t try to intervene in something that could get her hurt. Belatedly, she wondered if McQuade’s scent was still strong enough to protect her. She had her answer when the man leaned forward and sniffed. The smile on his oily face was smug. Apparently McQuade’s scent was either gone or fading quickly because the man backed away with a look that plainly said he was content to bide his time.
“Rose.” Wanda’s sharp tone pulled Rose out of her fear-filled stupor. Calling on years of practical experience, she stepped forward, forcing the shifter to move out her way. The small triumph would have made her feel better if a sinister smile hadn’t split his thin lips as she passed.
The two women worked quickly, cutting away the boy’s shirt and preparing a tray for the doctor. By the time the physician on duty arrived, everything was ready. Rose bit her tongue to keep from saying something when the doctor didn’t give the boy anything for pain. Drugs were often useless on shifters, burning off too quickly due to the shifter’s high metabolism to do much good. But that didn’t mean the man couldn’t have provided some relief for the child. She wanted to give the boy her hand to hold as the doctor enlarged the puncture wound in his skin and pushed the bones back in place, but she remembered the orderly who had offered comfort to a teenage bear shifter a few months back. The girl had broken his hand. Anyway, she didn’t think the father or his son would appreciate her simple gesture of comfort.
As soon as the arm was set, Rose left Wanda to work with the doctor, escaping from the room as soon as she could. The hall was clear and she heaved a sigh of relief as the door closed behind her. Just a few minutes more and she would be headed home.
“Going somewhere little girl?”
B
efore she could react, the lion had her caged against the wall, his large body pressing into her. It was almost impossible to find an ugly shifter; most were gorgeous and built like Greek gods and goddess. But calling this one attractive was being nice. His blonde hair was slicked back from his face with either styling gel or his hair’s own natural oils. Either way, it was totally disgusting and gross. He was dressed in ratty jeans, a dirty t-shirt under a leather vest and he smelled to high heaven. Apparently shifters could—and did—have issues with body odor. At least this one did.
McQuade had smelled…wonderful.
“We’ve got unfinished business, you and me.” His hot breath was even more rancid than his body odor and the combination made her stomach churn.
Rose’s mind raced and she forced herself to think rationally. There were people within hearing distance and all she had to do was scream. She could only surmise that just like any other bully, the shifter was simply trying to scare her. But to what end? He was a hunter—a natural predator. He could snap her neck and be back in the room with his son before she hit the floor.
Rose closed her eyes preferring not to see what was coming. When she felt the bristles of the shifter’s beard scratching the side of her neck, her eyes popped open. Was he going to bite her? Mark her?
“His scent is getting weaker, bitch.” He rubbed his face against McQuade’s mark and it burned like hell. “Once it’s completely gone, you’re mine. That mangy wolf won’t save you a second time.” He pushed away, giving her one last leer as he walked back into the cubicle to get his son.
Rose was shaking so badly she didn’t think her legs would hold her. She wanted to sink to the floor and stay there. How had her life gotten so complicated so fast?
“Hey, Rose, you look a little pale. Are you okay?”
Drawing a deep breath, she nodded, unobtrusively wiping her watery eyes. She was not going to boohoo. She wasn’t that type of woman. She’d been handling her own problems for years. Granted, this one was brand new and totally out of her depth of experience, but she’d figure it out. She had to. “Yeah, Wanda, thanks. I guess I’m just really tired.”
McQuade: The Lone Wolf Takes a Mate Page 7