by Jaci Burton
Jamming his fingers through his hair, he let out a forceful breath. "You're right. Sorry. I'm just...agitated today."
She frowned and tilted her head as if she didn't believe this abrupt change. "I understand. I'm a bit agitated myself."
His agitation was physical. He felt the blood racing through his veins, making him want to shift and take off in a run to pour out some of the adrenaline coursing through him. It was probably because they hadn't made love for two weeks. The anxiety building up within him had nothing to do with this move or with business. It was one hundred percent attributable to the cool brunette standing in front of him. He wanted her, and she wasn't giving him easy access. For a wolf...an alpha wolf...that was damned annoying.
He was just going to have to learn to treat her differently, because his normal alpha tactics weren't going to work on a woman like her. He'd push, and she'd push back. Then she'd distance herself.
No, this way wasn't working at all. Time to regroup and add some finesse to his seduction technique.
"Anyway, I'm sorry. I really appreciate you and your family coming out here to help me today."
Responding with a wary glance, she looked at the moving van coming up the driveway, then nodded. "You're welcome. I'm going inside to help them get started."
Shannon hurried up the porch steps before Max said anything else to her.
She blew a stray hair out of her face and tried to calm her tormented emotions. God, she really didn't want to be here today. He'd bet if she hadn't been browbeaten by her mother, sister and Lissa, she wouldn't have come.
Since the night they'd had dinner and came out here to look the place over, her emotions had been in turmoil.
Hell, she'd purposely picked a fight with him in the car on the way back. And sounded like a bitch royal in the process.
What was wrong with her, anyway? Why couldn't she even be civil with him? He was like itching powder sprinkled all over her body, and he was driving her crazy.
And this damn house didn't help her mental state. She walked through the long hallway in search of her family, once again hit hard with the feeling of home. She'd felt it the minute she'd walked inside that night. It was a beautiful house, but more than that, it seemed to call to her in ways she couldn't fathom.
She pictured her things in this house, her clothes in the closet, her cross-stitched pillows spread across a comfortable sofa. She visualized sitting with Max on a sliding loveseat out on the screened back porch, watching the sun drop down over the lake.
And that made her want to run. Hard, fast and as far away from Max as she could.
When she entered the kitchen, Lissa told her that her mother and Kaitlyn were upstairs getting the bathrooms ready. Lissa was cutting and lining shelf paper in the drawers and cabinets. Shannon worked with her, hoping this day would pass quickly and soon be over.
Max was prominent in her mind. All the time, day and night. Especially night, when he haunted her dreams, a strange mix of man and that crazy wolf she'd seen that one time. Why she continued to dream of the two as one she didn't know, and had given up trying to interpret the images that plagued her.
In her dreams, he made love to her. Savagely, passionately, taking her to heights of earth-shattering ecstasy. She'd wake drenched in sweat, the remnants of a climax shuddering through her.
It had gotten to the point where she was afraid to sleep. In sleep, Max took over and possessed her, and she gave up control to him without batting an eyelash.
"You're quiet today," Lissa whispered, gently laying a hand on her shoulder.
"I've got a lot on my mind." She cut and fit a piece of drawer liner and slid it in place, grateful for any task to keep her mind occupied.
"Something bothering you?"
"No, not at all." She turned and graced Lissa with a smile. "Although I'd rather be out shopping, or at home reading a book."
"I think you'd rather be avoiding Max."
Now Lissa was getting in on the act? "No, I'm not. I see him every day at work. That's enough for me."
Lissa laughed. "I used to feel the same way about Aidan. That man drove me crazy. Still does," she added with a grinning sigh.
"That's because you're in love. And when you're in love, men drive you to the brink of sanity."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she stilled, knowing she shouldn't have said it.
Lissa's eyes widened. "Maybe you're in love, too?"
"With Max?" She laughed and brushed off Lissa's comment, reaching for more shelf paper. "Hardly. We're more antagonistic toward each other than friendly."
"The night of the cocktail party you were anything but antagonistic."
Oh, shit. Did everyone know what happened between them? Not that they couldn't have figured it out after she'd left the balcony. Her hair had been a mess, her lips swollen from Max's passionate kisses. Hell, her face had beard scratches all over it. She'd looked like she'd been well and thoroughly fucked.
Which she had been. An event her traitorous body refused to forget.
"The night of the cocktail party was a fluke. Honestly, I don't know what happened out there. We were arguing and all of a sudden he kissed me."
"Uh huh. Been there, done that. Some men just get to us. Especially the man. The one."
Shannon rolled her eyes. "Ugh. You're spending entirely too much time with Mom."
Lissa laughed. "Maybe. And maybe I just recognize the look now."
"What look?"
"The I'm-falling-in-love-but-don't-want-to look."
If she had that look, then it was a mistake. She wasn't falling in love with Max. Damn her dreams, and damn her interfering family who seemed to think they knew more about how she felt that she did.
How could she be falling in love? She could barely stand him, and obviously he felt the same way since one minute he was nice to her and the next he was yelling at her.
What kind of relationship could they build on something so volatile? They had no foundation. Hell, they didn't even like each other! One push and they'd topple.
No way. She didn't feel anything for Max, and that was that.
Now if she could only stop thinking about him.
*
Max didn't have a chance to speak with Shannon alone for the remainder of the day. After his furniture had been brought in and placed around the house, the Storms dug right in, helping him open boxes and set everything up.
Then they'd barbecued and eaten out on the back porch, talking, laughing and arguing back and forth.
They were amazing. Rather like his family, a close-knit pack where everyone did their share of the work. The house wasn't huge, but large enough for a couple and growing family, even extra space for visitors. He walked from room to room and imagined a houseful of pups, Shannon running after them. Earlier in the day, he'd stood in the doorway to the master bedroom and watched the movers assemble his king-sized bed, his mind visualizing the set-up and hoping everything would fit. Now, his imagination took a different turn entirely.
Tangled sheets, sweat-soaked bodies and the waning light of sunset filtering through the windows filled his mind with an aching desire to completely possess Shannon.
Unfortunately, that would be hard to accomplish unless he planned to resort to kidnapping.
Maybe he shouldn't hang out in the bedroom right now. He started down the stairs, enjoying the feel of the smooth oak banister under his hand. He could hardly believe it, but the sense of home he felt from this place was comforting.
He liked this house. All wood flooring made the heat a bit less oppressive. There were plenty of screened windows that allowed a breeze to sweep through the downstairs. The living room was plenty big, the white-tiled kitchen enormous.
That's where he found all the women, arguing over placement of dishware. He leaned against the doorway and watched, knowing they hadn't seen him.
"Dishes in the cabinet to the left," Kaitlyn said, drawing a stack of plates and slipping them onto the shelf.
Shannon stopped her. "No, I prefer them on the right. Easier to unload the dishwasher. Plates are heaviest anyway. And the cooking utensils go there, in that drawer," she ordered, pointing to a long drawer next to the stove. "Mixing bowls should go in the cabinets above the island counter, since that's where food would be prepared."
By the time she rattled off her extensive list of what went where, Lissa, Angelina and Kaitlyn had stopped and crossed their arms, staring at her. It took her a few minutes to notice.
"What?"
"You're acting as if this is your house, and you're deciding where everything goes," Kaitlyn said.
Angelina nodded. "You feel at home here, ma belle. It's obvious."
Their comments mirrored his thoughts. Shannon had been ordering them around as if she were setting up her own kitchen. Max's heart slammed against his chest at the realization of how much he really wanted her in his home.
Shannon threw up her hands and shook her head. "That's ridiculous. I'm just trying to help out. And I do not feel at home here! I didn't even want to come." She pointed her finger at her mother. "You made me."
Max put his hand over his mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to spill.
"I don't recall having to twist your arm. Really, Shannon, you're acting like a petulant child. It's obvious to everyone that you have feelings for Max, and you're fighting them."
Now it was getting good. And he had a ringside seat.
"Yeah, and you're getting pretty damn cranky about it, too," Kaitlyn chimed in. "Living with you has been like two weeks with a woman with PMS and on a diet. Lord, you've been a bitch."
"Have not."
"Have too."
Angelina rolled her eyes. "How old are you, girls? Really. Shannon, you might as well face your destiny. You know it is inevitable."
"I will do no such thing. I can't believe the three of you are ganging up on me like this! I was merely unloading these boxes, and suddenly you have me married off to a man that, frankly, I can't stand!"
"Methinks thou dost protest too much," Kaitlyn said, a smug smile on her face.
"Don't you go quoting Shakespeare to me. You should get busy finding your own man instead of trying to match everyone else up, or you'll end up alone."
Kaitlyn lifted her chin and sniffed. "It's not my time yet."
"Well, make it your time. Mother, I love you. Kaitlyn, you're a pain in the ass. Lissa, mind your own business. I've had enough of this." She tossed a roll of paper onto the counter and whirled around, storming through the kitchen.
She skidded to an abrupt halt as she rounded the corner to find Max in the doorway. Her eyes widened, then narrowed.
Oops.
"Great. Just fucking great. Get out of my way!" Pushing him aside, she went out the back door, letting it slam behind her.
Max craned his head around the corner to find the three women staring at him. He walked in and leaned against the counter, trying for a look of chagrin. "Sorry," he shrugged. "I eavesdropped."
Angelina arched a brow and crossed her arms. "Didn't your mother teach you it's impolite to eavesdrop?"
"She tried. Obviously, I didn't listen. But yeah, she'd smack me in the back of the head if she'd caught me doing it."
Angelina's stern look turned into a smile, then a giggle. "I like your mother already."
"She'd like you, too. You're very much alike in a lot of ways."
"You miss your family," Kaitlyn said, reaching across the counter for Max's hand.
"Yeah, I really do."
"Then why move here?"
"Because it's his destiny to be here," Angelina said.
"I know that feeling," Lissa chimed in.
"I don't know about destiny, I just know it's something I have to do. Besides, I'm plenty old enough to live away from home and survive." He winked at Kaitlyn, who smiled brightly.
"Good. I'd hate to worry about you getting all homesick on us." Pushing away from the counter, Kaitlyn said, "I think I'll go see what everyone else is up to."
"I'll go with you," Lissa said.
He watched them leave, then turned his attention to Angelina. "Let me put that stuff away. You have all done enough today."
"Just about finished here anyway, and it was no trouble. I enjoyed it. We all did. You're like a member of our family."
"I'm hoping I will be some day." There, he'd put it out there. Might as well see how Angelina reacted.
She paused and leaned against the sink, her arms crossed. "Are you in love with my daughter?"
Love? What did love have to do with any of this? This was about primal urges, about the need to choose a mate. Wolves didn't love. He didn't love. "I want her."
She arched a brow. "Well, at least you're honest about your feelings. But wanting someone and loving them enough to spend the rest of your life with them are two different things, Max. I know Shannon. She won't settle for less than your heart."
He reached inside the box nearest him and unwrapped some glasses, placing them in the cabinet. This conversation had suddenly grown uncomfortable. Lying to Angelina about his feelings for Shannon wouldn't have been appropriate, though, even if it would have been more convenient to just say he loved her.
"Right now, your daughter can't stand the sight of me. So I'm pretty sure she doesn't love me, either."
"Maybe. Maybe not. But if you're not open to the possibility of love, it might pass you by. Are you willing to gamble on losing Shannon because you can't feel enough for her?"
"Angelina, I feel a lot for her. I just don't know yet if it's love."
She took the glassware from his hands and set it on the counter, then grasped his fingers in hers. "Fair enough. I feel what's in your heart. I'm not a mind reader, and neither are my children. Shannon can read your emotions unless you're very good at masking them. Sending her mixed signals will only make her back away from you. If you want her, you need to let her know in no uncertain terms how much."
He started to speak, intending to tell her that he wanted Shannon more than he'd ever wanted another woman, but she stopped him. "I don't mean just physically, although that's important, too. But you'll have to give up your heart to win her, Max. You'll have to do something monumental, something that will prove to her that she's the only woman for you. Otherwise, you don't stand a chance."
Moving away, he scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck and shook his head. "I won't tell her something I don't feel."
"Good. Because that girl has the best bullshit meter I've ever seen. She only wants your honesty. If you can give her that, it's a good enough start."
"I'll do that."
"Now, I think it's time I round up my family and leave you and Shannon alone." She turned and headed for the hallway, but then stopped and looked at him. "Max, remember what I said. I know you're very powerful. So am I. Don't hurt her."
He knew she'd back up what she said. "You have my word."
After she left, he stayed in the kitchen as the parade of Storms came by and wished him well. Shannon stayed outside, no doubt completely unaware that her family had abandoned her, leaving her alone with him.
He glanced out the back door and saw her at the water's edge, sitting on the dock and wiggling her feet in the water. The orange sun had begun to dip toward the trees, bathing her in its glow. Long shadows signaling the coming fall season drifted toward her from the overhanging trees.
Soon it would be dark. He looked up at the sky, not yet seeing the silvery orb, but instinctively knowing what kind of night it would be. He felt it surging within him, the call to turn, to run free, to find others like himself.
Or to make one like him.
It was time to set thing straight between him and Shannon. Time to lay it on the line and tell her his thoughts and feelings. One way or another, their futures would be decided tonight.
Tonight was the full moon.
Determination firmly in place, he headed to the refrigerator, thankful he'd had that appliance delivered early. Grabbing a bottle of wi
ne and a couple glasses, he filled a basket with cheese and slices of French bread.
He opened the back door and stepped out on the porch, a mix of certainty and uncertainty racing through his mind and heart.
Did he love her? Was he even capable of it? He was a cold, calculating, unemotional bastard in business. Arrogant, self-assured and damned successful.
With women, though, he'd never had to prove himself. They flocked to him like moths to the only light for miles. Not once had he given his heart. It had never been necessary.
Maybe it would be, this time. Shannon infuriated him. She was bossy, as arrogant in her business demeanor as he, and as alpha a female as he'd ever met.
She was his match in more ways than just sexually.
Sucking in a deep breath of courage, he pushed the screen door open and went to her.
Chapter Nine
Clouds gathered overhead and the wind shifted, coming in off the water. Shannon felt the change in the weather deep inside her, as she always did when her season came about.
Sometimes she wondered if the elements reflected her moods. Other than the ones she conjured up, of course. But sometimes the overall weather patterns in the fall seemed to come from within her. She'd asked her mother about that once, but had only been given a vague "it depends" as an answer.
She splashed water onto her legs, cooling her sun-heated skin, content to just sit here and brood.
Something would happen soon. Something major. If she had a better handle on her emotions, she'd be able to get a clearer picture of what was on the way, but she was too mixed up right now to discern what it was that unsettled her--the weather or her feelings about Max.
Try as she might, she couldn't put that needed distance between them. And because she'd been so damn stubborn, all it did was cause friction between them. Maybe it was time that she just played out this game with him and see where it led.
Down the road to disaster, no doubt. She'd walked that road before with a man she'd been highly attracted to, and what she'd felt for him was nowhere near the jumbled sensations that electrified her whenever she was around Max. Given that even being near him threw her emotions in a state of chaos, giving in to her feelings and attraction for him couldn't lead anywhere good.