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Authors: Terry Spear

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BOOK: Dreaming of the Wolf
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The look on Jake’s face was one of rabid curiosity. She was about to tell a secret, and he was dying to know the truth. She sighed. She’d already let the proverbial cat partway out of the bag. “My first husband taught me how to shoot at a firing range. He was in the army—military police.”

“Ah.”

“I went hunting, too,” she said defensively, then was annoyed with herself for explaining her qualifications to him as if she owed that to him.

Jake’s frown didn’t fade. “What did you kill?”

She looked down at her hands, now strangling the linen napkin in her lap. “Nothing. Irvin was lousy at hunting. We never could find anything.”

“So Irvin was your
first
husband?”

“Um, no.” She hadn’t planned to let on that she’d had two, but mentioning that the first was… she sighed,
first,
indicated she’d had more than one, even though she’d meant to say
ex
-husband.

Jake raised his brows. She had not planned on telling him her whole blasted life story. “My second husband,” she said, in way too small a voice.

Jake’s lips curved up just a hint. “Is that all of them?”

She gave him an annoyed look. “Yes.”

“You can’t be all that old.”

“Twenty-seven.”

“And what happened to the husbands?”

“Both of them were big mistakes. The last one was out of my life three years ago—after a year of marriage.”

Jake sat back in his chair. “Sure there aren’t any more of them?”

This time she smiled. “No. I had an aunt who’d had eight of them, though.”

He whistled softly.

She chuckled. “Luckily, no children and only her death stopped her from having more husbands. I swear I’m not going down the same path as my aunt. I’ve strictly sworn off men. What about you? Been married before? Currently married or engaged? Your age?”

“Thirty. Never been married, engaged, or otherwise.”

“You’re kidding.” She hadn’t meant to sound so skeptical, but he seemed a trifle amused by her reaction.

“No.”

She wondered how that could be, as good looking as he was. But then the sinking realization he might be gay hit her, and she didn’t say anything more.

Jake finished his coffee, set his cup down, and pointedly said, “You’re wondering why I’m thirty and have never been married.”

Hating to be put on the spot, she waffled. “Not everyone marries as many times as I did before the age of twenty-three.” As soon as she said that, it sounded lame to her. He was thirty, not twenty-three.

“I like women, Alicia.” He gave her a pleasantly amused smile. “I’ve just never found the right one to convince me to settle down.”

Alicia’s grim expression softened. “I never found the right guy either, but that didn’t stop me from marrying two times. I’m cured of my impulsiveness now, though.”

That’s why, Jake thought ruefully, she had become a bounty hunter. Nothing impulsive about that. At least he managed to curb the urge to shake his head. He had imagined that she was a trained weapons expert, knowledgeable in the martial arts, maybe ex-military or an ex-cop. Not a former cashier in a department store.

Before he could ask her why she was a bounty hunter—figuring maybe for the excitement, for some sense of adventure, or because it paid better—she posed a question. “What were you doing at the art gallery?”

The notion she was in the business of asking questions and getting answers made him think she was like a police officer on a mission.

This got tricky, though. Only his pack members knew about his hobby of photographing flowers in the wild. Even if anyone thought it wasn’t a macho thing to do, no one let on. At least not to his face. As no-nonsense as she seemed, he imagined she’d think his hobby was foolish. And as much as he told himself that shouldn’t matter, he
did
care what she thought.

He shrugged.

She didn’t miss a beat. “You have paintings you’re leaving off, right? Nude women? Old girlfriends? New girlfriends?”

He laughed. The woman was precocious. “I’m afraid that if I told you, I’d ruin your image of me.”


Ahhh
,” she said, drawing out the word. “I see.”

“What do you
see
?”

“Landscapes, then.”

He smiled and shook his head, but he was still thinking of where he wanted to go next with Alicia. In an instant, she had changed his mood from annoyed at having to hang around town until the gallery opened and then spending a fortune on a meal to being possessively chivalrous and wanting to just spend some time in town enjoying the day with a woman like her.

“So where do we go from here?” he asked, curbing the urge to pull her from the booth and escort her to the nearest bed and breakfast. But only if they served breakfast in bed.

Chapter 3

As much as Jake knew he had to get back to Silver Town, he was beginning to think he didn’t need to return all that quickly. He was owed a vacation, and he couldn’t remember a time when he’d taken one. Work and pleasure were all wrapped up in Silver Town and the pack. That’s all that had ever mattered.

But now
she
mattered. Alicia Greiston, bounty hunter and bundle of sensuous woman, who was bound to get herself into real trouble. But the way she “played” her role with him made him think she also was interested in furthering their relationship. He knew he should back off, knew that unless it would be a one-night stand with a human female, he shouldn’t be encouraging this. Yet he had no desire to stop what was taking place. And he didn’t believe a one-night stand would offer a fix for what he was feeling.

He could drop off the photographs and take in some sights with Alicia, if she could give up her surveillance for the time being and was interested in spending the day with him. Who knew what could happen with regard to the night?

She was about to say something when she glanced back at Mario as he walked past the table, not giving any indication he knew she existed. The other man remained seated, eating his breakfast.

As soon as Jake felt Alicia tense, as if she were a wolf ready to go after her quarry, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight against his body, even though he already had her blocked from leaving the booth.

He shook his head and leaned over, his mouth brushing her ear as he whispered, “Too many of them.”

Her expression shifted from hunting mode to resigned acquiescence. That was, until she spoke and he realized she wasn’t as resigned to admitting she couldn’t pursue the man as he had thought she was.

“You have to take your artwork to the gallery.” She glanced at her watch. “Must be open by now.” Her gaze met his in too businesslike a fashion. “We could meet at a little Italian place up the street for lunch later today. If you’re interested and you’re hungry by then.”

He was interested, but he was damned concerned that she intended to ditch him a second time, only in this instance, so she could keep Mario under further surveillance.

“Italian?” Jake asked. The insinuation was that the Italian guys might eat at the Italian restaurant, and she had inside information that they’d be stopping for lunch there. Which didn’t set well with Jake. If he was to have a meaningful lunch with the lady, he wanted
all
her attention.

She shrugged, but the renewed sparkle in her eyes and the slight upward tilt of her mouth meant she had caught his meaning. She lifted her chin just a little. “Or anything else you’re interested in.”

His smile was sure to appear purely predatory. She had to know he was interested in
her
.

“To eat,” she said, realizing he was thinking like a man would.

His smile broadened as his gaze remained on hers. A faint blush colored her cheeks and creamy throat.

She quickly added, “They have steak houses, sandwich shops, seafood places, you name it.”

“Will you go with me to the art gallery?”

“No. I’ve got some errands I need to run.” Her tone was clipped and businesslike again. She wasn’t going to be talked out of going it alone.

He didn’t like it. He thought she was serious about lunch, but after she’d ticked off these men, he believed she’d be headed into real danger. And he was certain she was going after them further.

“So what will it be?” she asked.

“Steak house, but—”

“Okay, steak house it is. Main Street at 1 p.m.” She rose to leave and straightened her skirt.

He wanted to change her mind, but she seemed determined. He stood to let her out of the booth and noticed that the suited man still seated at the table was watching them now. Jake took her hands, leaned over, and slanted his mouth over hers, meaning to show the man that Alicia was his, and if anyone thought of harming her, there’d be hell to pay. Before he could do much more than press the merest of kisses against her soft mouth, she pulled her hands free.

Prepared to accept her rejection, Jake was about to separate from her, figuring she objected to going any further with this—at least here in the restaurant. Until she placed her arms securely around his neck, her breasts pressed against his chest in a tormentingly seductive way, and with an upturned face, offered her mouth to him.

Eagerness propelled him to take advantage, but he reigned in his baser needs and licked her sugary cinnamon-sweetened lips with a sensuous sweep of his tongue. His hands roamed down her back until they rested at the bottom edge of her jacket on the sensuous curve of her buttocks.

He said quietly, “Open your mouth to me.”

The suggestion was like unlocking the bedroom door and letting him in. His tongue penetrated the small opening as she barely parted her lips to him, more in surprise than in agreement, he thought. But he breached any defenses she might have erected, one of his hands cupping the back of her head as he forged forward, the other keeping her body pressed against his hardness.

She responded like a woman caught up in lust, at first shyly kissing his tongue back, her body a little reserved. Then as if he’d overpowered her will to keep this at a standoff, he sensed her resolve falter. Felt her tongue play with his in a more aggressive manner, felt her body arch against him, pressing her sexy, soft body against his. He nearly groaned when she deepened the kiss.

Sweet cinnamon and spicy woman greeted him in a way he’d never experienced with any other. Her soft body fit against his hard one, which was getting harder by the second. He wrapped his arms around her back and held on tighter until he finally felt the gun at her waist.

She murmured against his lips, “I thought you said you
didn’t
have a gun.”

“I didn’t think you meant
that
one. Maybe we could have dinner later?” He was already hoping to spend the day and the night with her, keeping her safe while enjoying her companionship for a while longer.

She gave him a wistful smile back. For an instant, he thought he might be pushing her too fast. But this was the first time a woman had truly sparked his interest in eons, and he didn’t want to let her go just yet. Her wit and wolfish intuition fascinated him.

A long-term commitment with a human female was fraught with difficulties and something his kind would frown on, but a tryst with one was perfectly acceptable if both were willing and agreeable. She seemed as interested as he was. Although a nagging concern told him that she wasn’t someone he could get out of his system easily with an overnight venture.

“Your bill,” Tami the waitress said, her face screwed up in hate as she openly glared at Alicia. She turned to Jake and gave him a small smile as she handed him the bill.

Alicia slipped it out of her hand before Jake could take it. “My treat,” Alicia said to Jake, “for the rescue.”

He fished out two twenties and tossed them on the table. “You can get the dessert later.” He winked at Alicia and saw Tami’s scowl deepen more. With his hand guiding the small of Alicia’s back, he walked her outside. “What’s up with your former schoolmate?”

“She wanted Harold. My first husband. I didn’t know he’d been seeing her behind my back. He married me instead. If I’d known what they’d been up to, I would have given her my blessing and let her have him. But, unfortunately, I didn’t know about their affair until after we were married.”

“The guy must’ve been crazy.”

“No.
I
was, for not having my eyes wide open when I was dating him.”

Not believing a human guy could be such a jerk, Jake shook his head and walked her to her car. “He still must have been crazy. I take it he didn’t go back to her after you divorced.”

“Nope. He was seeing other women while we were married. He liked them new and different. Once he’d been with a woman for a few weeks, the spark was gone, and he was ready to discard her for someone else. Much like he was with his expensive toys. When his motorcycle was nearly a year old, he ditched it for a new one. When his computer was six months old, he needed something newer that was just on the market. Cell phones, you name it. He was always in debt up to his hairline.”

BOOK: Dreaming of the Wolf
5.71Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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