Reflections of the Wolf (17 page)

“I feel much better now. At least I know I won’t embarrass myself by smelling of sweat when I meet your family,” she said. She smiled and winked at him as she sauntered through the room toward him.

He cleared his throat, trying to see past the haze of desire he was experiencing. “Pick up your tongue, hotshot. I wouldn’t want to step on it,” she joked, and he couldn’t resist pulling her into his lap as she tried to pass him to sit back down.

“Damn, woman, you make me so hard.” He growled against her ear, and she melted against him. “I just wish we had more time. If you don’t want to meet them smelling like sweat, then you probably don’t want to meet them smelling like sex, huh?”

“Bingo. No hanky-panky for you until after dinner,” she said running her finger over his lips. He nipped at it, and she giggled.

Fighting for control of his body, he kissed her lightly and then just wrapped his arms around her middle, holding her close. “Hey, you had a visitor while you were in the shower.”

“Oh? Who?” she said with an honest look of confusion on her face.

“Said his name was Carter? He said you guys were close friends and worked together?” Liam said with just a hint of icy irritation in his tone.

She laughed out loud, “Why, Liam Gray, are you jealous? Of Carter? Really? Didn’t you see him? All you have to do is look in a mirror to see the difference between you two. And I wouldn’t say we are close friends, but he is a coworker. He actually asked me to dinner the other day.”

Liam growled, and she immediately patted his hand. “Easy there, wolf. I didn’t accept his invitation. I have no feelings for him whatsoever, so you don’t need to worry. What did he want?”

“He never said. He just said to tell you he stopped by,” Liam said, mollified for the moment.

“Hmm. That’s odd. I wonder how he knew where I live?” She looked puzzled.

“Isn’t he the Carter that gave Barton Diego your address?” Liam said quietly.

She sat up completely stunned and stood quickly. “Oh my God, you’re right! I had forgotten that! I need to talk to him and tell him not to share my personal information with strangers. How weird is that?”

“Dev said that there was a scrawny guy that tried to interfere with Caroline, too. Was it him?” he continued. His instincts were twitching that something wasn’t right.

“Yeah, he asked her out a few times, but the twins scared him off. I think once he realized he was off of her radar completely, he started refocusing his attention on me. There have been a few awkward moments where he almost asked me out, but I managed to slip away or get distracted before he could,” she admitted.

“Well, I will be happy to set him straight. I don’t want him thinking about my mate like that,” Liam said.

“Oh, stop it. I’m not your mate yet, and Devin probably overreacted just like you are.” She crossed her arms under her breasts, and his brain slowed again. How was he supposed to concentrate when she looked like that? Not to mention he heard her say the word “yet” in relation to being his mate. That was definitely a good sign for their future.

“All right, I’ll leave it alone, but you tell me if he shows up here again. Something about him just doesn’t feel right,” Liam conceded, and Tina’s chin tipped defiantly.

“I will take care of myself, hotshot. Carter Lawrence is absolutely harmless. Ask Caroline if you don’t believe me,” she said, shrugging him off.

Liam decided to change the subject instead of arguing. “Okay, you win. I’ll let it go for now. Let’s talk about something else. Why don’t you tell me how you met Caroline?”

Smiling, Tina explained how they met in nursing school and became fast friends. “We were able to help each other through the grieving process. My fian…ex had just died, and she lost her parents in 9/11. We kind of grounded each other in reality, and became really close. She’s a very driven individual, and I admire that in her. She says that I bring out her fun side, and she definitely tries to bring out my serious side.”

“Yeah, Dev and Damon said she was worried they would ask her to quit her job. Apparently she really loves it,” Liam said. Her fingers were tracing circles on his arm absently, and he could tell she had no idea she was even touching him. His wolf rumbled in his chest, loving the affectionate touch.

“Well, she has worked too hard to get where she is to want to give it all up and be barefoot and pregnant,” Tina said.

Liam quirked his eyebrow at her. “Why do you assume that is what they would want for her?”

“Most men can’t handle a woman who has a career, and they seem more male than most.” She smiled, but when he didn’t smile back she rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. You’re telling me that you wouldn’t want a wife who stayed home while you worked and took care of your children and home?”

“If that’s what she wanted, sure. Just because we are werewolves doesn’t mean that we’re chauvinists,” he said, irritation lacing his words.

“That’s not what I meant, but I thought…Oh, never mind. I’ll just stick my foot in my mouth again. I’m glad that they love her enough to let her be herself,” she said.

* * * *

Liam was silent for several moments, and Tina could almost see him processing her words before he spoke again. He must have decided not to push the issue because his next words surprised her. “So exactly what kind of nurse are you?”

“A really good one,” she smarted off, grinning.

“Let me know if you ever want to practice…I would be happy to let you be my nurse.” He gave her a toothy smile that shot a wave of heat through her belly, and she laughed.

“Pediatrics. I like working with kids. I went back to school to find a focus in my life after everything happened with Esteban and fell in love with nursing when I did a summer inquiry session. I got to volunteer at the hospital in St. Louis for the semester, and it was a life-changing experience.” She decided to just ignore his flirty suggestion rather than think about all of the possibilities it opened up.

“I felt like that when I finished in the Marines. When my four years was up I didn’t want to re-up, so I had to find something else to do. Firefighting gave me the best of both worlds. A career and an adrenaline rush. Not to mention all of the women that an ex-marine firefighter could want…” he said with a mischievous grin.

Tina’s stomach sunk. This was the catch. He was a player. A ladies’ man. Not what she wanted for her future. She stood abruptly and went into the kitchen to get another bottle of water. As she reached for the fridge his hand gripped her wrist. She jumped and let out a gasp, startled by how fast he had moved to her side again.

“Hey, Sweet Tina, did I say something wrong?” His brow was wrinkled with concern.

“No, but you did remind me that I shouldn’t be getting involved with you.”

“Why not?” he asked, looking completely befuddled.

“Liam, there are so many reasons….I just….you’re a werewolf, and I’m a human,” she said, tipping her head to look defiantly in his eyes.

“Tina, we have talked about this already. Those differences are just excuses you are using to keep your distance. When I claim you as my mate, my bite will turn you. You won’t be a human anymore. I thought Caroline explained that, too?” His hand still gripped her wrist, and he brought it up to his lips to kiss the back of her hand before he pressed it against his chest. The heat of his body shot through her skin, and she clenched her hand into a fist, unintentionally gripping a handful of his shirt.

“She did, but I never said I wanted to be a werewolf, or your mate, for that matter,” she grumbled.

“Why are you fighting this so hard, sweetheart?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know how to explain…” she whispered back. He could hear the trepidation in her tone, and see it in her rapid breathing, and he decided to let it go. She wasn’t ready to accept it yet. She needed more persuasion, and introducing her to the pack seemed like a logical next step.

He pulled her fingers up to his lips and kissed them gently. “Never mind, Sweet Tina. We’ll talk more later. Let’s go ahead and go so that we can see if Mom and Dad need any help setting up tables.”

A sigh of relief went through her body, and she smiled. “Okay, let me just grab my purse.”

Chapter 14

When they arrived at the Gray family home, Tina was relieved to see only a handful of people there setting up. She had been worried that she would be on display as the only human present if they showed up after everyone else. She nodded a hello to Devin and Damon, who were starting the barbecue grills next to one side of the house as Liam took her hand and led her inside.

“Mom? Dad?” he called as they went in the front door. A tiny dark-haired woman came bouncing into the room, drying her hands on a dish towel.

“Hi, honey! Dad’s out back setting up the horseshoe pit before everyone gets here.” This was Liam’s mother? She was stunning! Her petite frame couldn’t have been more than five feet tall, and she wouldn’t weigh one hundred pounds soaking wet! Her long, sable-colored hair hung to her hips in soft waves with only a few streaks of silver in it. She had honey-colored eyes with the same elegant cheekbones as her son. The smile she gave to Tina was warm and friendly. “Hello there, I’m Victoria Gray, Liam’s mother.”

“Hi, Mrs. Gray, I’m Tina, Caroline Trainor’s best friend.” Tina took Victoria’s small hand in welcome and smiled back.

“Oh no, none of that Mrs. Gray crap, I’m Victoria to you, dear. Is my son treating you right?” She laughed, and Tina caught the affection in the look Victoria gave Liam.

“Most of the time, but when he doesn’t, I can keep him in line,” Tina said teasingly, and almost blushed when Liam’s eyes flashed with desire.

“Good, he needs a woman with a backbone. Come along, kids, I need a hand. Tina, you can help me patty up the hamburgers. Liam, you can chop onions.” She turned and took off into the kitchen without a backward glance, and Tina hesitated. She should have corrected Victoria’s misunderstanding that she was Liam’s woman, but she hated to disappoint her. Liam reached out and took her hand, pulling her toward the kitchen.

“Come on, sweetheart, when Mom speaks we all listen.” He chuckled as they went into the sunny kitchen and were put to work.

By the time the food was all done, Tina was surrounded by other women of the pack and was happily nursing a margarita and munching on appetizers. The conversation around her was relaxed and comfortable. She found that she really enjoyed both Victoria and Whitney, Liam’s sister.

The two women were almost identical in looks, but Whitney was tall and curvy and her skin tone was closer to Liam’s. Victoria’s skin tone was a pale ivory that was stunning against her dark hair. Instead of Victoria’s honey-colored eyes, Whitney’s eyes were a clear grayish-blue color, and were framed in the longest thickest eyelashes Tina had ever seen in her life. She was able to see the resemblance between Liam and his dad, Henley, the strongest. His dad was just an older version of Liam, down to the flirty smile, blue eyes, and laughing charm.

They were a happy family, and she loved seeing the byplay between them. When Rafe and Ryley joined into the conversation there was no division or discomfort. If it weren’t for the distinction in looks, she might have thought that they all shared the same blood. She felt at home with all of them and really enjoyed herself with them.

She had just refilled her margarita glass when Liam came looking for her. His beautiful blue eyes locked onto hers, and he dipped down to kiss her. She joined into the kiss willingly, opening up for him and letting him take control. He tasted like beer and potato chips, but underneath it he tasted sinfully male. A wolf whistle broke their connection, and they separated, laughing as Ryley moaned to the surrounding group of people about his lack of female company.

“Whatever, Ry, I have no doubt your bed isn’t cold very often,” Tina teased him, and he winked back at her.

“Who said anything about a bed? I don’t need a bed for company. Hasn’t Liam shown you our poker table yet?” Ryley’s innuendo made her giggle and roll her eyes.

“Not yet, but I’m sure I will get to play a round or two with him,” she joked back, and that sent everyone into peals of laughter.

“Enough! No more flirting with my woman, man. Go find your own.” Liam’s arms around came around Tina’s waist, and he kissed the side of her neck.

Rafe reached a hand out and snagged Tina’s wrist, pulling her into his arms. She laughed but moved with him and found herself between him and Ryley, who smirked at Liam. Liam’s eyes held amusement, so she didn’t worry about jealousy.

Rafe put his arm around her shoulders and leaned close to give the impression of intimacy. “Darling, have you ever considered the joys of sharing? You could have two for the price of one, and I promise these two are worth ten of that one.”

Tina threw her head back and laughed at Liam’s growl. “Oh, baby, you couldn’t handle me. I would wear the two of you out, and still have to go looking for Liam,” she said in a soft, sultry voice before she bumped him out of the way with her hip and deliberately walked slowly back to Liam’s side.

His eyes lit up and sexy grin of pleasure made her heart skip a beat. He pulled her against his hard body and kissed the tip of her nose. Graciously she accepted the amused praises of the rest of the family members for putting Rafe in his place. To his credit, Rafe held his arms out and gave her a small bow of acquiescence before he gave her a truly sinful wink, and smile.