Black Gold (27 page)

Evan rocked forward and shot to his feet.

“Drinks all around to celebrate.” He hung his head out the door and hollered. “Caroline, bring in the hootch. They said yes.”

A loud cheer poured in the open door, and Shaun rolled his eyes. “The pack knew? Fuck it, Evan, everyone in the pack knew before me?”

Caroline walked in and winked at him, the moonshine in one hand and a glass of white wine in the other. “A few of them were taking bets how long it would be before you figured it out.”
Sheesh
. “Nice. Nice to know I’m starting with them all shaking in their boots over my mighty authority.”

Caroline handed Gem the wine then passed Evan the bottle. “You’re not the one they want to impress.

They’re hoping Gem thinks they’re special.”

Oh, they did, did they? Shaun sauntered over beside the couch and faked a menacing glare as he stared into Gem’s eyes. “I know she’s something special, and that’s more than enough, right?” Gem winked at him. “Right.”

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Vivian Arend

Shaun sat next to her, the girls continuing to chat. Evan passed him a tiny glass of something that smelled familiar.

His wolf twitched.

Shaun raised his glass as Evan proposed a toast. “To the Takhini pack’s new Betas. May you find happiness in serving the whole crazy lot.”

The instant the glass touched his lips, something tight wrapped around his throat. A loud cry of surprise rose from Gem, and Shaun whirled. He fell to the floor, trapped in his clothes.

He’d shifted to wolf without meaning to and the tight collar of his T-shirt was choking him.

“Shaun? What happened?”

He tugged on the clothing awkwardly with his wolf teeth as Gem attempted to help him, Evan laughing mercilessly in the background.

“I’m not sure, I’ve never had that happen before.”

“You shifted when we first met, remember?”

Dangerous territory. Here be monsters.
“Umm, frankly, no, but I’ll explain about that later…”
Shaun took control of himself and shifted back, his shirt tangled around his head, the rest of his clothing a mess.

By now Caroline was giggling as well.

“Sure, laugh at the sickie. What the hell is up?”

It took a couple minutes to get himself back together. Gem very sweetly refrained from laughing. He picked up the shot glass from the ground.

“Sorry about the mess.”

Evan shrugged and reached forward with the bottle again.

Shaun’s belly quivered and his wolf howled in dismay. The world spun again.

“Shaun? Holy shit.” Evan pulled the moonshine away, and Shaun stared up at his Alpha from his haunches, back in wolf form.

“This is getting really boring, really fast
,” he complained to Gem.

Evan sat uneasily, shaking his head from side to side. “Oh man, I don’t believe it. Sorry, dude, but I think I know the cause of your problem.”

For the second time in less than five minutes, Shaun adjusted his T-shirt over his human chest. “Tell me, because flashing to wolf while I’m at twenty thousand feet could be more than awkward.” Evan placed the moonshine bottle on the side table away from Shaun then pointed at it. “You must be having a reaction to this.”

Shit, no.
“To your hootch?”

Evan nodded. “It’s not your typical Jack and Coke. I’m not saying you can’t drink, just not my special family blend. Your wolf is trying to stop you from getting looped again.” 154

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Black Gold

“A reaction, eh? That would explain why I had that hangover.” Among other issues. Gem was giving him this very concentrated stare, and he wondered how much it would hurt when she found out about his little memory faux pas. He really needed to tell her the whole story as soon as possible.

His Alpha looked apologetic. “Sorry, man. I had no idea. It’s not that common a reaction, but looks as if you won’t be swilling the ’shine with me anymore.”

“No, I don’t think he will either.” The precise princess tone in his mate’s voice snapped Shaun’s attention to her face.

The uber-polite smile she wore was…kinda scary. He swallowed hard. “Gem?” She batted her lashes a couple times before delicately laying a hand on his arm. “Darling. So. You have no memory of shifting to a wolf the night we met? But you remember everything else, don’t you?”
Oh boy.
Damn those gods of karma—
as soon as possible
didn’t mean right here, right now. Caroline suddenly got very busy doing something, but Evan happily stared, his gaze darting back and forth between Gem and Shaun as if he was watching a Wimbledon tennis match. Shaun wondered if having an audience was safer than dragging her from the room to complete his confession.

He motioned with his head for Evan to turn away. His Alpha shrugged as if confused, but his smile got wider.
Asshole
.

So be it. Time to man up—or wolf up. Whatever.

“No. I don’t remember anything between talking with Evan—”

“—and drinking my hootch,” Evan cut in.

Shaun squeezed the bridge of his nose. What a great thing, having a helpful friend in an already tough situation. “Yes, and I was drinking
his
hootch. The next bit I remember is waking up with you in the morning.”

Gem patted his arm gently. “That must have been simply terrible for you.” The softer her voice, the more frightened he got. “It was. Wait…I mean it wasn’t. I mean, I loved finding out we were mates, at least once we got past the fighting bit, and I have treasured every touch and every minute since… Oh shit.” The longer he spoke, the higher her right brow rose. So much for sweet-talk—this conversation had gone south faster than an out-of-control tailspin. He cupped her face in his hands. “I was going to tell you, but…”

Faint music drifted through the shut door. Everything else went absolutely still as Shaun scrambled to find the best way to beg for forgiveness.

Evan’s loud burst of laughter cut the silence. “Shaun, you mean you can’t recall your first kiss with Gem? That’s terrible. I remember kissing her in perfect detail.” This time both Gem and Shaun stiffened. Shock rolled through him as he watched her eyes widen.

“You…you kissed Evan?”

Evan shot to his feet. “Oh dear, cat’s out of the bag. Caroline, maybe we should—”

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Vivian Arend

Shaun flung out a hand. “Whoa, puppy. You aren’t going anywhere. You kissed my mate and you didn’t tell me?” He turned to Gem in consternation. “You kissed him and never said a word?” She gave him a dirty look. “You’re really going to give me heck for not sharing that tidbit of information when you can’t remember the first time we made love?” Good point. Backing down immediately seemed vital to his continued health and happiness. “Right, you’re right. I mean, it was only a kiss, and not anything else, but I’m still surprised…” He stopped, distracted by Gem’s reaction. She had flushed red, her mouth opening wide before she slammed her lips together.

Evan snorted.

Shaun spun to give his friend the evil eye. “What else did you do to her, you bastard?” Caroline snickered in the background, and when all three of them pivoted to face her, she raised her hands in protest. “Sorry, just reacting to the sheer wolfishness of the moment. Let me summarize. Evan kissed Gem, Gem mated with Shaun, Shaun can’t drink Evan’s hootch. Sounds about typical for a day with the Takhini pack. You guys want to return to celebrating becoming Betas?” Evan lifted his glass in the air in agreement before tossing the evil liquid back. Shaun discovered Gem nestling herself tight to his side. She smiled up at him as she tangled her fingers in his hair. Her lips twitched with amusement as she spoke quietly. “I think we can leave the rest of this discussion for later, don’t you agree?”

“You’re going to kick my butt, aren’t you?”

The innocent delight in her eyes said more about forgiveness than pain coming his direction.
“Most
definitely. But we can do it in private. Don’t
you
think you deserve to grovel for a while?”
Shaun breathed a sigh of relief. Groveling in private could be enjoyable. He’d have no problems letting her chastise him for his mistake in keeping secrets too long. Hmmm…punishment.
“I definitely
deserve whatever you want to hand out. You should make it real official and dress-up for the occasion. Any
chance you have thigh-high five-inch-heeled leather boots and a whip somewhere in your luggage?”
Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Shaun!”

He grinned. Oh yeah. Apologizing was going to be a ton of fun.

Shaun led her back to the couch and tugged her halfway into his lap. The light brush of her lips across his cheek reassured him as he turned to speak to Evan. “So…where’s the rule book for being Betas? My mate and I have to check to see what regulations we can break first.” Gem leaned against his chest and sighed, her fingers curled around his thigh. Something caught his eye, and he laughed as he lifted her hand into the air.

“You have pink nails.”

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Black Gold

The bright flash of her smile warmed him more than any hootch ever could. “And toes. I found this great little shop downtown that does fabulous manicures and pedicures. I have a standing appointment every week.”

Caroline and Gem high-fived each other, and Shaun stared across the room at Evan. A deep sense of family rolled over him with a satisfying thud. Maybe this wasn’t what he’d been looking for, but in the end? All of it was exactly what he needed. The pack, his mate.

In spite of looming bear wars, an overzealous father-in-law and more responsibility than ever before—his life was damn near perfect.

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About the Author

Vivian Arend has hiked, biked, skied and paddled her way around most of North America and parts of Europe. Throughout all the wandering in the wilderness, stories have been planted and they are bursting out in vivid colour. Paranormal, twisted fairytales, red-hot contemporaries—the genres are all over.

Between times of living with no running water, she home schools her teenaged children and tries to keep up with her husband—the instigator of most of the wilderness adventures.

She loves to hear from readers:
[email protected].
You can also drop by
www.vivianarend.com

for more information on what is coming next.

Look for these titles by Vivian Arend

Now Available:

Granite Lake Wolves

Wolf Signs

Wolf Flight

Wolf Games

Wolf Tracks

Forces of Nature

Tidal Wave

Whirlpool

Turner Twins

Turn It On

Turn It Up

Pacific Passion

Stormchild

Stormy Seduction

Silent Storm

Xtreme Adventures

Falling, Freestyle

Rising, Freestyle

Paradise Found

Coming Soon:

Rocky Mountain Heat

Rocky Mountain Haven

Rocky Mountain Hope

Score one for the underdog…er…wolf.

Wolf Tracks

© 2010 Vivian Arend

Granite Lake Wolves, Book 4

TJ Lynus is a legend in Granite Lake, both for his easygoing demeanor—and his clumsiness. His carefree acceptance of his lot vanishes, though, when his position as best man brings him face to face with someone he didn’t expect. His mate. His very
human
mate. Suddenly, one thing is crystal clear: if he intends to claim her, his usual laid-back attitude isn’t going to cut it.

After fulfilling her maid-of-honor duties, Pam Quinn has just enough time for a Yukon wilderness trip before returning south. The instant attraction between her and TJ tempts her to indulge in some Northern Delight, but when he drops the F-bomb—“forever”—she has second thoughts. In her world, true love is a fairytale that seldom, if ever, comes true.

Okay, so maybe staging a kidnapping wasn’t TJ’s
best
idea, but at least Pam has the good humor to agree to his deal. He’ll give her all the northern exposure she can stand—and she won’t break his kneecaps.

Now to convince her that fairytales can remake her world—and that forever is worth fighting for.

By popular demand: Clumsy sidekick wolf grows up, sarcasm reigns, and the wilderness gets wilder.

Includes hot nookie in places you expect—like a remote cabin—and places you don’t.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Wolf Tracks:

Someone stepped in behind her, the heat of his solid body hitting her back as he wrapped his hands around her waist and gently nestled them together.

TJ.

Cocky bastard, really. Pam debated slamming a heel on his instep, or flipping him over her shoulder, just to teach him a lesson, but watching Maggie and Erik float around the floor had mellowed her too much.

“You should be careful putting the moves on a girl like that. You might lose something important,” she warned.

He ignored the threat and rested his chin on her shoulder. The heat radiating between them tempted her. “They fit awesome together, don’t they?”

His breath brushed her cheek, warm and sweet smelling. Her mouth watered, but she didn’t want to talk romance with him.

“They look…unbalanced. What was Maggie thinking getting involved with someone so much taller than her?”

He
hmmed
. “They were probably thinking that when it’s right, there’s no denying you’ve found the one you want.”

Oh lordy, his thumbs stroked her waist, and he nuzzled under her ear. Did she want this? Heat flushed her. She had to decide, and quick. She could lead him out onto the dance floor and enjoy his touch in public, or they could find a dark corner and see what else came up.

So to speak.

He tugged her backward and her body overruled her mind. They slipped into the shadows at the side of the hall, ducking behind a room divider. He pressed her against it, his solid body very, very warm. Her heart rate increased, as did the tingling sensation between her thighs, and she squeezed her legs together to stop the ache.