The Wolf's Surrender (11 page)

Chapter 10

“H
a! Take that, you lying bastard!”

Mia grinned, pressed a button, and watched as her character, a badass elven warrior chick who carried a sword as tall as she was, spun gracefully and made a traitorous enemy explode onscreen. The euphoria, however, was short-lived. For as delighted as she’d been to discover that Jenner had stashed a copy of
Reckoning of Kings
behind his sports and racing games, nothing could distract her from her present situation for long. She was in an unfamiliar house, facing an uncertain future...and playing a video game.

It was something to do, but it didn’t feel all that productive, exploding bad guys notwithstanding. Of course, she didn’t exactly know what she should be doing, since her self-proclaimed protector was AWOL.
Again
.

Mia shut off the game and the television, then wandered to the front windows to look out, wondering what Jenner did in his garage that was so incredibly interesting. It certainly kept him occupied. He’d been out there all morning.

He’d been as good as his word about keeping her safe. A quick phone call to Bane from the restaurant had spared her having to try and link to Jeff again last night. Considering what had happened in the truck, Jenner figured that was enough for one night, and he’d been right, even though she hadn’t wanted to admit it. It had sounded like the Silverback arriving were causing Bane enough headaches anyway.

So she’d had a pleasant evening instead of a terrifying one. But Jenner had been as good as his word on another important count too—he hadn’t tried to touch her again.

And the more he kept his hands to himself, the more she wished he wouldn’t. No amount of slaying virtual bad guys seemed to make that any better.

Mia paced the room and fiddled with her phone, which remained obstinately silent. The few friends she’d allowed into her life thought she was away on a romantic weekend, and she was in-between design jobs so there was no one to pester her on that count, either. Her sick call-in for work would wait for morning to make it (hopefully) more convincing. After a moment of consideration, Mia frowned at the little device and then turned off her cell completely. She’d pick up any messages later. Not that there would be any.

She tossed the phone on the counter, tipped her head back with a resigned groan, and gave in. Mia grabbed her jacket and headed outside shrugging into it as she went. Shortly thereafter she was blinking in the early afternoon sunshine. It felt so good to be out in it that she found herself silently grateful that she’d been bitten by a werewolf and
not
a vampire. She loved the moonlight, but there was nothing for a tired soul like sunshine.

The wind was crisp and smelled fantastic, and Mia was struck again by the beauty of Jenner’s land as she walked. She had no memory of driving up to it Friday night, and in any case, it had been dark. But she’d gotten a good look at it when they’d returned from dinner last night, and now Mia stepped out into the yard far enough to drink in the sight of the large two-story log home, chalet style with a peaked roof and a large front porch. The lawn that rolled up to it, though no longer vibrant at this time of year, was obviously well-kept, and there were a couple of large pots of copper-colored mums at the foot of the porch steps that had made her smile on the way out yesterday, and did again now. Jenner fussing over flowers was tough to picture, but there were enough plantings out front to suggest it was something he did.

He had made a home, Mia thought with a pang of longing that for once had nothing to do with sex. It was something she’d been searching for ever since heading out on her own. And not just any home. She’d daydreamed about places so very like this that the reality of it gave her chills.

With a sigh, Mia headed around the house toward the detached garage, a big, three stall structure that was painted a deep forest green. It was as immaculate as the rest of Jenner’s place on the outside, and she imagined it was the same inside. In fact, now that she thought about it, the whole house was surprisingly uncluttered for a bachelor pad.

Mia grinned at the thought that she was dealing with a werewolf who was not only a gardener, but also a neat freak. If the latter were actually true, he might throw her out before the full moon. She wasn’t a slob, but she tended to make herself comfortable.

She entered through a small door on the side and was immediately greeted by the sound of Guns N’ Roses echoing loudly throughout the space. Mia stepped inside, shut the door, and looked around her. It was, as she expected, immaculate. The floors were coated with a special paint to protect them. Tools were hung neatly from pegboard, work tables were ruthlessly organized. Even the messy things he had out and was working on managed to look like there was some sort of order to them. It amazed her that a big, tough-looking guy like Jenner could be so meticulous about his stuff. But then, he seemed to take care of the things that were important to him.

Mia took a few steps in, her eyes riveted on the scene in the center of the garage. There was a beautiful old muscle car, black with dual white stripes that went from hood to trunk. The hood was open, and Jenner was leaning over messing with something beneath it. The sight of his butt encased in jeans that were just snug enough to give her a good view had Mia’s mouth watering immediately.

Wanting him might be one of the world’s worst ideas. But even the most practical part of her couldn’t deny that Jenner was just so...
hot.

She had a sudden urge to sneak up behind him and wrap her arms around him. Fortunately, she had enough willpower not to. Barely.

Instead, she sauntered over to where he was obliviously tinkering away and leaned down to have a look at what he was up to. His eyes were totally focused on what he was doing, which seemed to involve screwing a piece of metal to another piece of metal. She wasn’t mechanically inclined...it all looked the same to her. The car, though, was a beauty.

“Hey,” she said. “What’cha doing?”

Jenner’s eyes flicked to her, he dropped his wrench somewhere inside the hood, and then cursed at it before returning his attention to her and straightening.

“Um. Hey,” he said. Mia smiled, both because he looked ridiculously cute covered in grease and because he seemed nervous that she’d showed up in a place he probably considered his man sanctuary. She’d discovered a few things about him since last night. Or more specifically, since she’d tried to grow fur and fangs in his truck. For all of Jenner’s gruffness, there was a sweetness about him that lurked just beneath the surface. With a little prodding, he’d even managed to hold up his end of a conversation all the way through dinner, telling her about the town, introducing her to some of the other diners as if they were friends of his.

She still knew very little about Jenner himself. But this seemed like a good time to start finding out.

“Your car?” Mia asked. “It’s a lot prettier than the truck.”

Jenner grinned. “The truck is a workhorse. This is a thing of beauty.”

Mia walked slowly around it, taking in the black leather interior, the gleaming chrome. “It really is. Chevelle?”

His eyes lit with pleasure. “Yeah. ’70 SS 396. You know cars?”

His boyish excitement made her wish, very much that she did. “No,” she admitted. “I read the bumper. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a hot car.”

“Obviously a woman of discerning tastes, then,” Jenner replied. His smile softened as he looked at her, and Mia could feel those invisible threads between them pulling at her, pulling her toward him. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, but there was a tension in it. Just like there was every time they were anywhere near each other. It was the first time on record that she’d smelled motor oil and actually gotten turned on.

“What’s up?” he asked. “Can I do something for you?”

Oh, you have no idea,
Mia thought.

“I just wondered what you were doing out here,” Mia said with a shrug. “Your house is great, but I’m getting a little stir crazy. Played
Reckoning of Kings
on your Playstation for about an hour, but I’ve won it like three times at home, so...the challenge isn’t really there anymore.”

Jenner raised his eyebrows. “I still have that? I thought I’d tossed it.”

Mia nodded and leaned her hip against the car. She didn’t miss the way Jenner’s eyes traveled the length of her. She loved the way he made her feel when he did that. How often had a man really made her feel beautiful?

“Huh. Well, I’m glad
someone
enjoyed playing it. Sure as hell wasn’t me.” Jenner reached into the engine compartment, fished around, and came out with the wrench he’d dropped. Then he carried it over to replace it on the pegboard, and wiped his hands on a grungy towel that looked like it would never come clean no matter how many times it was washed.

He returned, motioned for Mia to back up a little, and closed the hood.

“You call your family? In case you’ve got the kind of family that worries.”

Mia shrugged uncomfortably. “My grandmother raised me. But she’s gone now. I’ve got no one else.”

She didn’t mean for it to sound pathetic, just matter-of-fact. When Mia had left, so had Ada, packing up the little house and vanishing into what seemed like thin air. Her obligation, which was all the woman had ever thought of her granddaughter as, Mia knew, was done. Maybe Ada was still alive, maybe she wasn’t. But she was gone, and Mia had no interest in finding her again. That truth no longer hurt the way it once had, but the words sounded pitiable to her own ears. Still, there was no reason to hide this. She was surprised when Jenner simply shrugged.

“Sorry to hear that, but it might make this easier. I’ve got only my father, at least nominally, but I’ve never told him what I am. Works out better for both of us.”

“You lost your mother, then. I’m sorry,” Mia said, and immediately wished she hadn’t. Jenner’s eyes darkened, and he looked away.

“Don’t be. I don’t know if she’s dead or alive, and I don’t much care. She took off when I was pretty young. My father’s all right, but he found somebody else eventually, had a few more kids. I was always kind of the odd man out.” He smiled, but Mia saw the sadness in it.

“Turning into a werewolf just gave me a more interesting reason to be a loner. It’s not angry or anything. They just don’t quite know what to do with me. Never have.” He shrugged again, seemed to realize he had spoken several complete sentences about himself, and closed the subject with a wicked grin that made Mia feel like melting into a puddle at his feet.

“At least here no one’s going to mistake me for a potential house pet.”

Mia laughed, though the little Jenner had revealed about himself played over and over again in her mind. No mother and what sounded like an indifferent father...but Jenner seemed to have made the best of it. It said a lot about his strength.

Wonderful...another thing to be attracted to. Flustered, and irritated with herself for her inability to get past this stupid infatuation, Mia sought to switch topics. “So why did you think you had tossed
Reckoning of Kings?
It’s only, like, four months old.”

“Oh,” he said, and this time his smile was more self-effacing than wicked. “Well, you probably noticed it doesn’t really match the kind of stuff I usually go for. I wanted something new and that was the only thing that looked interesting. Turns out that if the game doesn’t involve car chases, guns, or zombies, I suck at it. Lesson learned. How the hell have you beaten that game three times?”

Mia grinned. “A lethal combination of mad skills and no life. If you’re bored later, I can show you how not to die at whatever part you’re stuck at, I guess.”

“Pass. I’ll stick to zombies.” He paused, considering her with those intense eyes of his. “You know, I wouldn’t have pegged you as a web-designing gamer girl,” Jenner said. “Maybe just because I’ve never met one of you before. Are you all this good-looking?”

The flattery, which Jenner immediately looked embarrassed for voicing, released what felt like a fusillade of butterflies in her stomach. That he seemed surprised he’d said it made it even nicer. She knew it was shallow to want him to find her attractive...but what was she supposed to do? Hope he was drawn in by her witty banter and superior gaming skills? Actually, she did hope that...she just wanted it supplemented with animal lust.

“We are,” she said seriously. “We’re just hard to catch outside of darkened rooms with glowing screens.”

He watched her, looking as though he’d found some sort of new and fascinating creature. Mia felt herself flush. She’d gone through plenty of years of being the quirky geek girl back in school, attractive enough to be a curiosity, with interests unusual enough to be considered unworthy of dating. Her odd upbringing and constant fear of being found out as truly different had only compounded the problem. Finding a few like-minded friends in college, plus a lot of just growing into herself, had made a huge difference in her life. But plenty of self-consciousness had lingered, especially when it came to men.

Rattled, Mia sought to steer the conversation back into more comfortable territory. Maybe he thought she was cool, she had no idea. But that might not hold if he ever saw the pictures of her at DragonCon dressed as an elf.

“So you’re a mechanic?” she asked. Tools like his, in this number and apparent quality, probably weren’t just for a hobby. And he had mentioned “the shop” a few times last night in passing, though he’d never really clarified what that was. It made a lot more sense now...though she had to admit, his profession was as much a surprise to her as hers had been to him. He hadn’t struck her at all as a motorhead, and she’d known a few. Though he certainly looked at ease leaning over that gorgeous car.

Her question seemed to snap Jenner out of it. “Yeah. Yes. I am.” He looked down at his grease-stained hands, then back up at her. The innocence in his expression was utterly disarming. “Is it that obvious?”

Mia laughed, and he joined her. Even after the laughter died, the warm feeling it had created lingered.