FMR (9 page)

business to attend to, but he'll make sure you get to Pete's place with

no problem."

"Pete's place?" Jac inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Bruce means The Starlight Motel. That is where you're staying,

right, ma'am?" The tall, dark man's voice was as sexy as he appeared.

Stunned, Jac slowly nodded. How did they know where she was

staying?

"It's the only hotel in town," Ray assured her unspoken question.

"We deduced you're just visiting, otherwise you'd have more

luggage."

Jac glanced down at her lone suitcase. "Yes, I travel light."

Before she could reach for it, Ray grasped the handle. "Please,

allow me." His grin sent a lusty, heated wave of desire through her

frigid body. Now that he was closer, Jac got a better look at the

policeman's buddy.

Ray had dark, wavy hair with a hint of gray brushing his temples.

His features were chiseled, all masculine and well-defined. His

mouth, however, looked both expressive and lush ... very kissable.

Jac drew a deep breath to clear her head. For the last few years she'd

been so buried in her writing, she'd been avoiding the opposite sex.

"How am I supposed to have a decent career when I get involved

with a man?" she recalled asking her roommate. "It just can't be done

... no way, no how." Her roommate had said she was crazy. And,

maybe, she was.

"Wow, it's refreshing to see a gal that doesn't try to pack several

suitcases full of stuff."

"Oh really?" Jac didn't know if he was serious or if he was just

kidding. "Why's that?"

"My sister packed three suitcases for her honeymoon last month.

Three. Can you imagine? I swear, that gal's got a screw loose." He

chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.

Jac smiled. His sense of humor just added a few more points to his

score.

Bruce was already in his patrol car as she and Ray headed for the

black truck. "I'll pop your bags in the bed here and we'll be off. You

look like a frozen popsicle."

She frowned at his analogy. "Well, the weather website didn't state

that Heather Grove was expecting such miserable weather for my

trip."

Ray grinned, placing the suitcase into the back of the truck, then

held out his hand. "Next?"

"Oh," Jac blinked. "This is my laptop. I'll just carry it with me."

"Okay. That's fine, Miss ... he paused, then shook his head. "Now,

where's my manners? I don't even know your name."

"I'm Jacqueline Hamilton, but you can call me 'Jac'."

"Jac, I like that. It's sassy sounding." In the dim moonlight, his

eyes roamed over her, checking her out from head to toe. If her face

weren't so darn cold, she would've blushed like a schoolgirl. Then,

Ray turned his attention back to the truck. "Well, let's not stand out

here in the cold. Let's get to town so you can warm up."

Ray swung open the passenger door. The metal hinges gave a loud

squeak. "Oh, geez! That sounds like an angry elephant, doesn't it? I'm

sorry about that. I just need to fix her up with a squirt of WD-40." He

grinned, then offered her his hand to help her up into the cab.

Even through the cold, Jac's fingers tingled at their touch.
Knowing

my luck, it's a case of frost bite setting in
, she wistfully thought and

climbed into the seat, fastening the seatbelt. As Ray slammed the

door closed and headed around the truck, Jac felt the weight of

everything upon her ... the trip, the accident and the frigid cold.

Tonight, she knew she would sleep well.

Before he pulled the truck door open, Ray took a deep breath. The

crisp night air cleared his head. From the moment he'd laid eyes on

Jac, he felt something spark inside him.
Damn!
Earlier he'd been

ribbing the boys at the bar for being wolf-hounds. Now, he could feel

the ebbing of the moon deep in his
sithech
-blood.
What a freakin'

irony!
he chided himself.

Even through layers of clothing, Ray could tell that Jac was petite,

yet curvaceous. She reminded him of his grandmother's bedtime

stories of the Picts – the ancient folk of Scotland. Her shimmering

eyes matched the rich darkness of her shoulder-length hair and were

accented by her winter-kissed cheeks.

Jac was lovely, despite her wild-eyed appearance. Ray could sense

her nervousness in the aura surrounding her. The distorted energy she

gave off made him want to pull her into his arms and comfort her.

Yet, she was a stranger. He knew nothing about her, but Ray knew

he'd like to get to know her better.
And, from the looks of her car,

she'll be in town a while until Derek gets her back on the road again
,

he concluded.

Climbing up into the cab, Ray started the truck and flicked the heat

on 'high'. "You must be cold." He grinned over at her. "Don't worry;

you'll be warm in no time."

"Thanks," she nodded. Even in the dim light of the truck cab, Ray

was mesmerized by the rich darkness of her eyes and her lush lips as

she smiled over at him.

"I'm really sorry if I'm putting you out of the way," she apologized.

He pulled the truck from beside the road and headed toward town.

"Oh, it's no problem," Ray assured her. "I'm just helping Bruce out."

"So, you and Bruce are really old friends, huh?"

"Yeah, our parents were best friends. We grew up together. He's

like a brother to me," Ray recalled. "But that's enough about me. So,

tell me Jac, what brings you to Heather Grove in the dead of winter?"

Ray glanced over at her. Jac folded her arms over her chest, gazing

out the window. "I'm on business, you might say. I'm a freelance

writer and I'm here to write a story," she replied casually.

"The best time to come to Heather Grove's during the spring when

we have our annual festival. It's really lovely here with all the flowers

in bloom. It's like an Easter basket come to life."

The sound of her laughter filled the cab. She turned to face him.

There was something in her smile that made his heart stir. "That

sounds really nice, but I'm afraid my boss won't wait till spring for

this story."

"Is your boss difficult?"

Jac pursed her lips together, as if in thought, then shook her head.

"No, not really. I'm just on a deadline. I'm trying to make the next

issue of
The Inside-View
. Have you ever read the magazine?"

"Nope. I don't read magazines." Ray added with a chuckle, "Unless

you count the one with centerfolds."

"I thought most guys read
that
magazine for the articles," Jac

quipped back with a cheeky smile.

"Touché!" he acknowledged.

Just ahead, The Starlight Motel loomed over the dashboard. The

ride had been too damn short. Ray was just starting to enjoy her

company. The dark-haired beauty was delightful and witty, despite

the tiredness he sensed in her aura.

Ray turned into the parking lot and shut off the truck. An

uncomfortable silence fell between them. He angled his head, smiling

over at her. "Hey, you know, I was only kidding about the

centerfolds."

"Sure you were." She rolled her eyes. Her smile lit up all the way

to her eyes as she reached for the door handle, then paused. "Thanks

again for the ride."

The huskiness of her tone sent a bolt of lust down his spine to his

groin. Ray straightened in his seat, clearing his throat. "No problem,"

he simply replied and swung open his door.

A sharp breeze bitterly surrounded him as he stepped down from

the truck. With a hard shiver, Ray was grateful the icy wind had

cooled his lusty, moon-induced thoughts. "I'll just grab the suitcase

out of the back while you check-in, then be on my way," he replied,

attempting to ward off the effects of the moon that seeped through his

veins.

However, a gut feeling told Ray he'd see Jac again soon. And, for

once, he liked what his gut was telling him.

"You feel so wonderful." His voice rumbled in her ear sending a

wave of desire coursing through her. The warmth of his naked body

over hers spiked the pleasurable sensations of their conjoined bodies.

"I never thought –

Jac silenced him with a kiss, pressing her lips against his with all

the fierce passion that simmered inside her. He tasted of cinnamon

and primal lust as she slipped her tongue between his lips. In the

back of her mind, she wondered where he'd been all her life. Her

heart panged at the thought of all the lonely nights she'd been

through, but now, with her body wrapped around his, she knew he

was worth waiting for.

He pulled his lips from hers, trailing kisses down the column of her

throat. Jac let out a low moan as the heat of his mouth stirred

emotions buried deep inside her. Her sex was slick with moisture and

ached with longing as he gently rocked his body against her. The

pleasure of his cock inside her increased the erotic sensations. It

racked her body with such passion, it was unbelievable. Then, she

was falling, falling into pitch darkness. She let out a shout, crashing

down onto the cold ground.

Jac sat up, naked and cold in a dark, wooded glade. Her heart

pounding wildly in her chest as she glanced around, terrified. Where

was he? Before she could call out, she saw a pair of glowing, wild

eyes peering through the dark foliage. A low snarl echoed around

her.
Run!
Scrambling to her feet, Jac began to run through the trees,

through the thick grove of bushes. The creature was hot on her trail.

She could hear its heavy panting and the snapping of twigs and the

swish of brush as it drew closer and closer.

Her legs went rubbery. She lost her footing and fell, face first, onto

the hard, cold ground. Jac rolled onto her back, just in time to see a

black, furry creature leap into the air. Air whooshed from her lungs

as the creature landed on top of her, its large, lupus-like face only

inches from hers.

Jac was scared out of her wits. A scream ripped from her throat.

She flailed her arms, attempting to fight. Get off me!

"Get off me!" Jac shouted, flinging the covers onto the floor. Her

heart was racing as she sat up, looking around. Where was she? It

took a moment to get her bearings. The room slowly came into focus.

She was in bed, in a hotel room ... alone.

There was no dark woods, no hideous wolf-creature attacking her.

It was all a dream.

"More like a nightmare," she muttered, retrieving the bedcover and

wrapping herself in the warm, comforting material. "Damn," Jac

cursed under her breath, curling up in the bed once again. Listening

to her heart return to a normal pace, the nightmare gradually

dissipated as she began to focus on the day ahead.

"Time to get busy," she sighed, tossing the cover aside and rising

from the bed. A manila folder lay beside her laptop bag. Jac flipped

it open, scanning its contents. Her editor's contact had provided

nothing more than a few transcriptions of town hall council meetings,

a genealogical family tree and a clipping from the local newspaper.

She scanned over the scrap of paper. It was a sighting of a half-

man, half-wolf spotted in town on Halloween. "A werewolf on

Halloween, huh?" Jac shook her head, slipping the news clipping back

into the assignment folder. "I still think it's all a big farce," she

grumbled, but decided to get down to business – but only after a

shower and a cup of coffee. These were the two things she needed

every morning to jumpstart her brain.

* * * *

connection. Disgruntled, Jac decided to head out. Closing the motel

door behind her, she noticed the sky was still cloudy and the air crisp

and chilled. Thankfully, there hadn't been any precipitation overnight.

Dressed casually in her Nikes, blue jeans and favorite heavy sweater,

Jac headed to the hotel lobby. She adjusted the laptop bag over her

shoulder and stepped into the small office to be pleasantly greeted by

The Starlight Motel's elderly owner.

"Good morning." She returned a grin to the gentleman behind the

counter. She'd briefly met Mr. Campbell last night during her late