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caught my attention. I opened the drawer to find a large yellow envelope that looked resealed.

I sat on the bed and unsealed it, and the first thing I pulled out was a photocopy. It was a

newspaper ad for the cabin. The caption at the top stood out from the rest of the wording:
Ideal

for a small family
. The price was unbelievably cheap. No wonder my father jumped at the chance to purchase it. At the bottom of the ad was a contact name: Xavier Black, and a phone

number. I placed the photocopy on the bed and reached into the envelope again. I pulled out a

handful of colored photographs and shuffled through them. There had to be at least fifteen or

twenty, taken from all angles of the cabin, the exterior and interior. I found a smaller white

envelope that contained a folded piece of paper. I unfolded it, and my eyes widened with intrigue.

A hand-written letter dated June 8, 1998 was addressed to my father.

Dear David,

I'm overjoyed you agreed to purchase my cabin in Black River, Colorado nestled

in the wondrous Rocky Mountains. Upon your arrival, you will find the cabin fully

furnished with all the amenities you need for a comfortable stay. I hope your daughter

Paige enjoys the woodland fairy theme in her bedroom. You have to give the credit to my

wife Celia for her expertise in feminine interior design. I hope you and your family enjoys

the cabin, and has a long and memorable vacation. I'm looking forward to meeting with

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you to discuss the job opportunity I mentioned over the phone. I strongly believe Black

River could benefit from a man with your business savvy, extensive financial experience,

and tenacious work ethic. If all goes well, I hope you will consider relocating your family

to Colorado permanently. I'm sure we can come to an amicable agreement, and meet

your salary and benefits requirements. I'll be in touch.

Regards,

Xavier Black

Suddenly, my breathing quickened and I could feel my heart pounding. I remembered

Riley told me Xavier wanted humans in the pack for diversity. Was the cabin his way of luring

us here? The words in his letter proved his intentions. I swallowed hard. He wanted my father to

relocate us to Colorado permanently, so he wanted us to
stay
here. What job did he offer him?

My father never spoke to me about a job opportunity in Black River. I wished he were alive so I

could ask him.

I stuffed the letter and photos back into the envelope. Then I put it back in the drawer and

slammed it shut.

Just at that moment, Riley walked in with his duffle bag. He scratched his head and wore

a sheepish grin. "Um, where should I put my stuff?"

I couldn't believe this gorgeous man stood shirtless in my cabin. He looked delicious

enough to push down on the bed so I could have my way with him. Blinking rapidly, I shook my

head to rid the naughty thoughts. Then I cleared my throat and approached him.

"You can put your clothes in here," I said, moving toward the closet. I opened the double

doors that revealed an empty space with nothing but a clothes rack and a few hangers. "There

aren't many hangers, so you can put the rest of your clothes in the dresser."

When I turned around, I gasped because he stood next to me. Immediately, my hand flew

to my chest to steady my heartbeat. I never heard him move. Riley gave me a wicked grin and

licked his lips to torture me.
Why must he be so tempting
?

He chuckled quietly. "Sorry, love. I didn't mean to frighten you." He dropped his bag on

the floor, but his gaze never left mine. “I'll unpack tomorrow.”

He stepped closer and a predatory look swirled behind his green eyes. He closed more of

the distance between us as his gaze pierced through me. I swallowed against the lump in my

throat and my heart pounded in my chest. The urge to wrap my arms around him and attack his

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sensual mouth was almost too much to bear. He invaded my personal space and I wanted to

retreat, but he had trapped me as his prey. I had to think fast, so I squeezed past his tall form and

walked away.

"I made the bed for you."

He approached me from behind. His arms went around my waist, holding me against his

chest, and he dipped his head next to mine. "I'd rather sleep in
your
room," he whispered huskily into my ear.

My face flushed with heat and I tried hard to take control of my breathing. He placed a

tender kiss on my cheek and tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear. When he took my

earlobe into his mouth, a quiet moan escaped me. I started to succumb to his affection but

refused to submit.

"Well, okay, you can have my bed and I'll sleep in here."

"No, I want to sleep in the room
with
you."

I swallowed hard again. "Um, I don't think we should share a bed."

He released his hold and moved in front of me. The side of his mouth lifted into a smirk.

"You don't trust me?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't trust
myself
."

He laughed. "Then I'll sleep on the floor, no worries." Low-voiced, he added, "As long as I'm next to you."

We looked at each other, but I broke the connection first by walking away. "I'll be right

back."

I went to my bedroom and pulled the blanket off the bed. It was still dirty with his paw

prints, but I figured, '
Hey, he made them
.' Then I grabbed the sheet and pillow, and walked

swiftly back to the other bedroom. I laid the blanket on the floor next to the bed, dirty side down,

and handed him the pillow.

"I feel bad you're sleeping on the floor when there's another bed here." I laid the sheet on top of the blanket.

"I don't mind." He hugged the pillow. Head cocked, he asked, "What's the real reason you don't want to share a bed with me?"

I sighed and stepped closer to him. I looked into his eyes and hoped he would understand

my reasons. "Remember what we did on the rocks?"

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He grinned. "Yes."

"Well, I don't think that should happen again." The grin melted off his face. "If we share a bed, we may do more than that."

He dropped the pillow on the floor, but kept his gaze on me. "So?"

I paused before I released another sigh.
God, he was making this SO hard
. "I think we

should be friends."

He took a step toward me and I could hear desperation in his voice. "But I love you."

"Riley, I just got out of a relationship. Remember I told you my ex-boyfriend cheated on

me?"

He grasped my hands. "Remember I told
you
I would never do that?" Then he released

one hand so he could smooth the hair away from my forehead. I leaned toward him, yearning for

his touch. "Do you have feelings for me?"

"I'm starting to," I admitted breathlessly. His head moved closer to mine, and once again,

I pulled away.

With my gaze toward the floor, I heard him say, "You're making this more complicated

than it has to be."

I looked up at him with wide eyes. "It
is
complicated! I
can't
be with you! Long-distance relationships never work, and I can't stay here with you."

Frustration crossed his features and his voice had a sharp edge to it. "You
can
, you just
won't
. There's a difference."

Uncomfortable silence crept into the bedroom. I didn't want to argue with him, so I had to

leave the room.

"I'm going to take a shower and change into my bed clothes. I feel gross and smell

disgusting."

"You don't smell disgusting."

His comment caused me to halt my steps. I glanced at him before I continued toward the

bathroom. I'll admit his words made me feel warm inside. He was a wolf and his sense of smell

was keener than mine was.

After I took a much-needed shower to remove the day's dirt and sweat off my body, I

changed into a clean pair of panties and sleeveless nightgown. I blow-dried my hair until it was

partially wet and walked back to the bedroom.

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When I returned, Riley was sitting on the bed. I smiled to let him know I wasn't upset

with him, and felt relieved when he returned the gesture. Just as I climbed on the other side of

the bed, he stood and unsnapped his handmade shorts. I had to pull my eyes away from his bare

ass before I was caught staring at another intimate part of his body...
again
.

He moved away from my bed and knelt on his makeshift bed on the floor. I suddenly had

the urge to invite him into my bed. I opened my mouth to say the words, but the logical part of

my brain overrode my fluttery heart's desire and sealed my lips shut.

Riley turned around, still kneeling, and leaned over the side of the bed. He grinned, his

arms resting on the mattress. I smiled again and scooted closer to him. When he inched toward

me, a playful look in his eyes, I knew what he wanted. Our lips came together and I didn't want

the kiss to end.

With my eyes closed, I felt him pull away first and speak quietly. "Goodnight."

I opened my eyes and saw he had disappeared over the side of the bed. "Goodnight."

I moved to the edge and looked down to see him lying on his side, on top of the blanket

and sheet with his head resting on the pillow. My gaze roamed up and down his masculine naked

body. His thick golden hair lay against the pillow, some of the locks still wild and curled on the

ends. With one of his arms bent, the sinewy muscles bulged in his bicep. His cock lay against his

thigh, surrounded by the dark blond of his groin. He looked so tempting in that position. His

green eyes looked up at me and I knew he wanted an invitation to join me on the bed.

I've never had such a hard time resisting the opposite sex in my life. If I gave into him,

we would surely have sex and I could get pregnant because I wasn't on birth control. I had

always made Travis use condoms. I was almost positive I didn't see Riley put condoms in his

duffle bag.

I managed to give him a strangled smile as I leaned over and turned off the lamp on the

nightstand. The moonlight shone through the windows, so we weren't in complete darkness.

"You can't sleep on the floor every night because I don't know how long I'll be here. I

have to talk to your father again and get him to trust me."

"I guess I still have to make it worth your while, aye? I'm not giving up on you because I

have too much to lose if I do."

I moved away from the edge of the bed and stared at shadows on the ceiling. "Riley?"

"Yes?"

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"Why do you love me?"

"Because you have a good heart. You're sweet, strong, intelligent, and you make me

laugh." He chuckled. "You're fierce...like when you were punching me." This time I laughed.

Suddenly, he paused. Then I heard his quiet voice say, "And you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen since my mother." My eyes widened and my breath caught. He was quiet again, but

only for a moment. "Does that answer your question?"

Riley surprised me by how easily he expressed his feelings. I envied him because it was

so difficult for me.

"I'm sorry I hit you. I was just scared."

"I know. You don't have to apologize. I understand."

He
did
understand me, and it was another thing I liked about him. My heart fluttered

again and my brain tried to suppress the feeling it caused. They battled with each other to control

my feelings for Riley. My heart had to be winning because I wondered if I should take a different

path in life, one that took me on a trip with him.

"Does everyone in the pack think like your father? Do they share his belief that humans

shouldn't know about your kind?"

"The pack is split. Younger wolves like me want to have humans in the pack, but older

wolves want to keep things the way they are. If I'm ever Alpha Male, I'm going to let humans

join." He paused for a moment. "Quinn is still wary of humans, but she likes you."

"She was acting weird toward me earlier. I think she's upset with me, but I don't know

why."

"She's jealous," he said matter-of-factly. "At first she was cool with you being here. Then she saw how well we were getting on, and now she's jealous because she doesn’t have any

suitors."

That was an unexpected eye-opener. "Why isn't anyone interested in her? She's very