Rebecca's Wolves (Wolf Masters Book 6) (2 page)

For several heartbeats he stood frozen in his spot, unable to exhale that breath or blink. His eyes widened. He knew his mouth fell open. But the rest of his body was stuck in time.

“Hey, guys. This is Rebecca,” Sharon said as the two of them came to a stop a few feet from Griffen.

“Hi.” Rebecca gave a short wave in the general direction of all of them, her green eyes alight with friendliness. “It might take me a while to get your names straight. Sharon was quizzing me in the car, but she failed to mention that you all look alike.” She giggled.

Griffen still hadn’t breathed. He was afraid to. As long as he kept himself from inhaling ever again, perhaps he could avoid what he knew deep inside was true.

Rebecca Larson was his mate.

The sweet tinkle of her voice made his cock stiffen. Then she stuck out a hand. “Which one are you?”

Shit. Shit shit shit
.

Griffen stared at her outreached fingers as if he were mentally challenged. No way in hell could he touch her. He still hadn’t exhaled. In fact, he was getting lightheaded.

Rebecca’s smile fell slightly, spurring him into action.

He had no choice. Common courtesy shook him from his stupor. Besides, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to change fate. It was destined. This woman was his. He exhaled slowly and reached out to grasp her hand. An electric current ran between them as he found one word, “Griffen.” His voice didn’t sound at all like him. And as he took another breath, he confirmed what he already knew to be true.

Rebecca felt the spark also. He could tell by the way she sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes wide, and then she composed herself. “Nice to meet you.” Her smile reappeared, but her eyes narrowed slightly as though confused.

No wonder…his behavior was odd.

She tugged her hand, and that’s when he realized he still held her. Reluctantly, he released his grip and followed her gaze to his three brothers behind him.

Sharon gave Griffen a hard glare he knew well.
Don’t even fucking think about hitting on my friend. Off limits.
He could read all that in her expression. No translation was needed.

Trace stepped forward. “I’m Trace. And this is Zachary and Logan. There will be a quiz later.” He chuckled as he took her hand.

Griffen spun to face him, giving him the same stare he’d just gotten from Sharon.

Trace furrowed his brow and stepped back a pace, releasing Rebecca’s hand too quickly.

Sharon pointed toward the restrooms at the base of the trail. “I’m going to use the facilities one last time before I’m stuck with squatting in the woods.” She dropped her pack on the ground.

“I’ll go with you.” Rebecca granted the men another quick smile, set her backpack next to her friend’s, and followed her toward the small building.

“What the hell was that all about?” Trace asked as soon as the women were out of earshot.

Griffen shook his head. “Nothing.” He glanced away.

“Like fuck. I can feel the imprint of your hand on my cheek as though you slapped me.” Trace glanced back at the restroom. The girls had already stepped inside. He did a double take between Griffen and the restroom before slowly turning back to face Griffen with a sly grin. “Oh, this is rich.”

“What?” Zachary asked in confusion. “What the hell is going on with you two?”

Trace crossed his arms over his chest and stood taller. “I believe our older brother has just bit the dust.”

“Bit the dust?” asked Logan.

“She’s your mate, isn’t she?” Trace cut to the chase.

Griffen’s shoulders slumped, and he kicked the dirt around at his feet. He didn’t respond.

“Awesome,” Logan said.

Griffen shot him a glance. “Not fucking awesome.” He glanced at the bathroom and lowered his voice. “And don’t fucking say anything to Sharon, or I’ll kick your ass. She’s going to freak.”

Zachary looked back and forth between Griffen and the bathroom before he spoke. “Exactly how long do you think you can possibly keep this little secret? Are you crazy?”

Griffen shrugged. “At least two days.”

Trace laughed. Hard. He bent at the waist and let it loose. “Of course. Sure. That’s exactly how I’ve heard it works. And don’t forget about the two nights that come between the days.” He laughed harder.

“Stop it.” Griffen gritted his teeth. “They’ll be back any second.” He grabbed Trace’s arm and tugged him upright. “I’m serious. Do not say a word about this.” He met everyone’s gaze. “Any of you. She’s human, and we’re stuck together for the weekend. There’s no way she could possibly understand this.”
There’s no way
I
can possibly understand this
.

Besides, something niggled in the back of his mind. He couldn’t explain it and wouldn’t even try, but claiming the woman immediately wasn’t in the cards. He needed to wait, get to know her over the weekend. Fate may have put Rebecca in his path, but She didn’t intend for Griffen to stake his claim too quickly. Intuition? He wasn’t sure, but he would follow his instinct.

Trace tugged his arm free. His smile was still huge. “Good luck with that.”

If Rebecca thought the behavior of Sharon’s brothers was odd before she went to the restroom, it was weirder when she reemerged. The one she’d met first who she knew to be the oldest, Griffen, had his lips pursed and was scowling at the ground if she wasn’t mistaken. The other three, on the contrary, chuckled to themselves.

It was uncanny how much they looked alike—all four with thick, wavy, dark hair and eyes the color of milk chocolate. They were buff, tall, and tan. Their differences were so subtle it would take days for her to tell them apart.

“I don’t know what’s up with my brothers,” Sharon mumbled. “Ignore them while they act like idiots.”

Ah, so it’s not just me. Hmmm
.

Ignoring them was a fantastic idea. Except it was nearly impossible. They were all four smokin’ hot. And her hand still tingled from Griffen’s touch. It had been like an electric shock. No wonder Sharon didn’t like to share her friends with them. Rebecca could see why.

Yes. And you need to shake this off immediately before you become one of those errant horrible friends
.

When they got back to the men, Rebecca heaved her backpack off the ground and shrugged into it. As she bent down to retie her hiking boot, she watched Griffen gather his belongings out of the corner of her eye.

Yep. He was definitely odd. Was it something she said?

His brow was furrowed, and if she wasn’t mistaken, he was holding his breath. As she stood, Griffen righted himself. “Everybody ready?” He met all their gazes one at a time, finishing with Rebecca.

A chill raced down her spine as he stared at her. His deep brown eyes seemed to hold a secret, and she was pretty sure she didn’t want to know what it was.

Finally, as they started to walk, he spoke. “Did Sharon fill you in on our plans?”

Rebecca nodded. “More or less. I’m easy.”

He sucked in a sharp breath at those words. Didn’t he?

And why did she have to go and say something so stupid?

“We’ll cover about five miles this afternoon and then stop and camp. It’s rigorous.” He narrowed his gaze, glancing up and down her frame as though assessing whether or not she could make the trek.

“No problem.” She was determined to show no outward signs of fatigue, even if she felt them. Hell, she would likely keep going with a rock in her shoe and a bloody toe at this point. No way in hell did she want this man or any of his brothers to think she couldn’t hack it.

“Tomorrow we cover the next five miles to the summit, rest, and then head back down to the camping area. Sunday, we finish the last five back to the cars.”

“Got it.” She lifted her gaze to take in the gorgeous day. Anything to avoid eye contact with the brooding hunk of man standing too close to her. She was looking forward to enjoying the summer vegetation on the hike—tall firs, pines, and wildflowers. She inhaled slowly, taking in the rich scent of pine.

Sharon came up beside her brother and bumped her hip into his. “Jesus, Griffen. She’ll be fine. Stop trying to scare her and start hiking.” Sharon rounded to Rebecca’s side and rolled her eyes. “Sorry,” she mouthed.

Rebecca didn’t know what to make of these brothers, but even if they were assholes, it would almost be worth it to watch their asses as they hiked.

The first part of the trail was narrow, and Rebecca fell into step behind Griffen. Holy shit. He wore loose khaki hiking pants that fit him to perfection and made her drool over his firm butt and thick thighs. He should be illegal.

She could hear the other three up ahead chatting among themselves. They seemed to be enjoying a private joke between them since she couldn’t hear their words, but they kept chuckling. She prayed it wasn’t at her expense.

They had no reason, unless they all four predetermined she would be a hindrance to their weekend. The idea only gave her more motivation to ensure they understood her abilities, and fast.

Sharon brought up the rear for the first fifteen silent minutes until Griffen stopped and turned around abruptly. He stepped off the path. “Sorry. Don’t know what I was thinking.” He gave a sweep of his arm so Rebecca and Sharon could pass. “Please. I’ll take the end of the line.”

Ah, so chivalry was alive and well in the Masters family after all. Not that Rebecca needed or expected such chivalry, but it was nice to know Griffen had manners.

Sharon passed Rebecca with another eye roll. “I’ll lead. It seems my other brothers have decided to dash ahead. Posturing no doubt.”

Griffen grunted behind her. “Don’t bet on it,” he mumbled.

It had been easier to hike behind Griffen, staring at his ass, than this new arrangement where he was now at her rear. Not that she was worried. Hell, she was usually very self-confident. She was in the best shape of her life. She knew men ogled her body, and she usually ignored them. Her legs were shapely, slender and long, but muscular. Her mother had envied them since she was about ten years old.

She suddenly wished she’d worn the legs to her hiking pants. It was a warm afternoon, however, and she had on only the shorts for now.

“Gonna try to catch up,” Sharon said.

“Sounds good.” Rebecca could hear every tiny noise behind her. She knew Griffen was right on her heels. She knew when he breathed and when he wiped his brow, as if she had eyes in the back of her head.

And he made her more nervous by the minute, even though she fought to ignore him and pay attention to the ferns and wildflowers at her feet along the rough, uneven path. The Flathead Forest was one of the reasons she chose to live and work in the area. The snowcapped mountains and towering trees were spectacular. They took her breath away even after two years.

Finally, he broke the silence. “So, Sharon says you’re training for a Spartan Race.”

“Yes. A beast. I’ve done a sprint and a super so far this year. Going for the trifecta.”
See? I’m not a wuss
.

“Impressive. How far is that?”

“Twelve miles.”

“And that’s through mud and barbed wire and walls and shit, right?”

“Yep.” She twisted to give him a grin, thinking he was perhaps not so bad after all.

But her face fell when she met his gaze. Jesus, he didn’t look pleased. His brow was more furrowed than earlier, and to make matters worse, she stumbled while she wasn’t looking forward.

Like lightning, Griffen lurched forward and grabbed her arm to steady her.

Shit
.

She didn’t think she would have fallen. It was just a stumble, but she would never know after Griffen’s quick display of concern.

“You sure about this obstacle course race?” He smirked as his chest ran into her side.

Rebecca froze. Griffen still held her arm. His entire body seemed to wrap around her, enveloping her in his warmth. Time stood still while she fought to catch her breath. He sucked the oxygen out of the air.

Instead of releasing her, he tugged her closer, his arm wrapping around her middle, holding her wrist. “You okay?” he muttered against her ear.

“Yeah. Fine.” Her voice was breathy.

Sharon turned around from several paces ahead. She cocked her head to one side in confusion. “Rebecca?” Her gaze shifted to her brother. “Griffen.” Her mouth fell open, and she shook her head subtly. “Shit,” she whispered as she stepped toward them.

What was that all about? “I stumbled.” Rebecca tried to step forward and break contact with the enormous male presence at her back.

But he held her firmly, her arm against her chest, his hand beneath her breast.

“Griffen.” Sharon spoke the one word as though it were a command.

His head shot up, separating his lips from behind Rebecca’s ear. As though he had been in a trance, he released her and stepped back. “You good now?”

I was never in danger… Except perhaps of falling for you
.

Rebecca took two long strides forward. “I’m fine. Just tripped. It’s all good.” She shrugged and passed Sharon on the trail, picking up the pace. They needed to catch up with the others.

She didn’t glance back as she hitched her backpack higher and made her way up the rugged path, paying closer attention to her footing. Neither Griffen nor Sharon said a word behind her. The silence was deafening.

What the hell was going on? If Rebecca didn’t know better, she would say she’d fallen under some sort of spell. Was there such a thing as love at first sight?

She blew out a breath. Sharon would have a fit if Rebecca fell for her brother. Besides, he was older than her. Thirty-two, Sharon had said. Why was a man as sexy as Griffen still single? Why were any of Sharon’s brothers single?

Voices up ahead distracted her from the uncomfortable feeling that Griffen was staring at her ass. And God only knew what Sharon was thinking.

Fuck
.

•●•

Griffen needed to get a grip. He was quickly losing control of his emotions and his actions.

And Rebecca was not unaffected by him. Her pulse rate shot up when he held her wrist. The feeling of her breasts against his hand as her chest rose and fell had nearly undone him.