Midnight Moon: A Paranormal Werewolf Romance (Roadside Angels Motorcycle Club Book 2) (5 page)

Laden with two large pizzas, pie from the diner, and a grocery bag with beer, wine, and soda, he knocked on her door.  When she opened it, the scent of her assaulted him like a physical blow.  He felt his knees go weak, and he had to stiffen his spine to make it across the threshold.

“I come bearing dinner,” he said, placing the pies on the table with the drink.  “Hope you’re hungry.”

Tamara’s eyes widened when she saw the pizza, and Lex laughed when she said,

“Who are you planning to feed?  The five thousand?  I didn’t know you were Jesus!” 

“I’m a big man, and I’ve noticed you have a pretty healthy appetite yourself.  I just erred on the side of caution.”

Before she could answer him, he pulled her close, needing to feel her close to him, needing his hands on her flesh.  The desire was more than sexual, and though he knew that if she wanted it he would take her again, sex wasn’t the only thing on his mind at the moment.  It simmered there, alongside a fierce need to hold her, to know she was safe in his arms, to inhale her.

“You smell good all the time,” he said, rubbing her back.  “Why is that?”

She snuggled into his arms, like a child with her parent.  “I don’t know.  I like perfumes, and perfumed lotions and such.”

He inhaled deeply again, and shook his head.  “No, it’s more than just perfumes.  It’s you.  Your scent is hot and sexy, a total aphrodisiac.”

She pulled away to look at him, and he could see the heat she was struggling to keep banked in her eyes.

“Are you trying to seduce me again, Lex?” she asked, the smile she fought to hide but couldn’t taking any sting out of the question. 

“Trying?” he asked, raising his brows as if insulted.  “Do I have to up my game?  Should I do it again, so you’ll recognize it when it’s done to you from now on?”

She laughed and hugged him, and Lex’s body roared.  He hugged her back, and then let her move away.  He didn’t have the strength to be disciplined around her, so he was glad she was letting him off the hook, even if she didn’t know she was doing it.  He watched her arrange slices of pie on one of the paper plates he had brought before she handed him the food. 

“You thought of everything, didn’t you?” she commented as she separated the cups he had also brought for the drink.

“Impromptu picnics are one of my specialties.”  He winked at her, and delighted in the chuckle that answered him. 

“You have more than one specialty, do you?”  She was clearly amused by him, which pleased him tremendously.

“You have no idea,” he retorted, waggling his brows at her, increasing her mirth.

“I’ll go get ice.”  She picked up the ice bucket, still chuckling, but he took it from her.

"I’ll get it.  You go ahead and eat.”  When he returned, she had served herself, but sat waiting on the end of the bed for him to return.

“I did a little digging and found out about the slaughtering of the native wolves the government has been reintroducing to this part of Arizona,” she began as he sat down. 

“And?”  Lex picked up his own plate and began to eat.

“Well, I wondered if the animals we saw earlier were being smuggled in, and if so, why?  I searched for the names of other conservationists in the area, but didn’t know enough to find any answers.  I realized that I need you, Lex, or the sheriff, to help me refine my searches.”

Lex looked at her, wondering what it had cost her to make that admission.  She kept on speaking, so he assumed she was okay with it.

“I sent a carefully worded message to my boss to say I think I might be on to something.”  She took another bite of her slice, chewed and swallowed, then continued.  “I asked for a little more time.”

She took another bite and went to see what was in the grocery bag.  “What would you like to drink?” she asked him, pulling out the bottles of wine and soda, and the beer. 

“Whatever you’re having,” he answered, and watched her pour two cups of soda over ice.

“You’re driving, so no alcohol, mister!”

He laughed and accepted his drink, wondering what she would think if she knew he never got drunk because he was a shifter.  He ate another slice of pizza while she continued to update him on her afternoon.

“After I sent the e-mail, I went back to trying to find out about who owns the land.  I stumbled across a story about wolf sanctuaries which bring in breeds not native to the area.  I found a reference to a man whose name I immediately recognized...he’s the guy whom you said had come to tell them about the body he found.”

Lex straightened in the chair, suddenly more alert than ever, though he did his best not to let her see that his mood had changed.  He picked up his fourth slice of pizza, though he was no longer hungry.

“I needed to find you, but I didn’t know where you were.”  She chuckled, and Lex looked over at her quizzically.  “I got a little bit mad at myself for not having asked for your cell phone number.”  She stopped, and he saw her cheeks heat up.

“What?  Just tell me.”  He knew somehow it had something to do with them having made love.

“You would think when you fuck somebody, you at least would have his cell phone number!”  Her cheeks were hot with embarrassment, and Lex hid his amusement.  She was such a bundle of contradictions, mostly because she was an innocent determined to make her way independently, and to be taken seriously in what was really still mostly a man’s world.  He admired her for it, and wished she could see herself as he saw her.  Instead, he chose to tease her, because the emotions welling up inside him threatened to choke him.

“Is that all you think we did?  Just fuck?”  He made his voice hard, and watched as she grew still as a stone.  He willed her to look at him, and when she saw the gleam in his eyes, she threw the pillow at him in retaliation for his teasing.  He laughed, and threw it back.

“Oh...you want war, eh?  I’ll have you know I am pillow fight champion in my sleepover club!”  She threw the pillow back, and followed it closely with the second one, dodging his return volley, and circling him.  He let her think she was winning, because to allow her to know he could track her anywhere in the room would only frighten her.  She was still very unsure of him, and he wanted to build her trust as slowly as he could.  So he let her jump him, and wrap her arms around his neck.  He stood with her then, and she squealed, much to his delight.  She was so young, and yet so tough and smart.  He loved that about her.

“You may be the pillow fight champion, but I’m faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive…”  He could feel her laughter as he pulled her around to face him, holding her off the floor, and finally taking the kiss he’d been denying himself since he’d arrived.  He found that she was hungry too, by the way she clung to his neck, the way she opened her mouth to his kisses.  He consumed her, and wished he could take it where he wanted it to go.  Reluctantly, he let her slide down his body, and he reveled in the groan of need that escaped her throat as she slid over his erection.

“Go finish your dinner,” he said, swatting her playfully on the bottom before going back to his chair.  He picked up the cold slice and wolfed it down, hoping to calm himself.  When she spoke next, it was about Lancaster.  Lex felt his body tense again, this time with worry for her and rage at what havoc the rogue was causing.

“If you let me come along with you, the story I’ll break will take the pressure off your club.”  She went for more soda, and said, as she poured, “By the way, you never told me what your club is called.”  She looked over at him expectantly.

“We’re the Roadside Angels,” he answered, a small smile curving his lips.

“I heard that the locals have been getting more and more concerned about the Angels, because they seem to be involved in more and more disputes with that other gang that has been connected to big time criminal activities.” 

Lex heard the tone she spoke in; she was playing him, thinking that if she were reasonable he’d agree with her plan.  He reluctantly considered it, his wolf complaining bitterly that he was letting their mate become more involved in something that could potentially be harmful to her.  He didn’t see that he had any choice.  He had to keep her close, so he could keep her safe, especially after she told him she was going to break the story about the leader of the rival gang, Tony Lancaster, and his illegal wolf sanctuary. 

Still, he tried to talk her out of it, but wasn’t surprised when she reminded him that the townspeople were getting more upset with his club because they kept having run-ins with Lancaster’s gang, and she suggested that perhaps the linking of his club’s name with the attack on the mayor’s son was meant to stir up the townspeople against them. 

“If I break this story, it will at least take some of the pressure off, and maybe make the townsfolk think twice about who is to blame, Lex,” she argued reasonably.

He couldn’t argue with her logic, and reluctantly agreed.  “Have you booked another night in the hotel?”  He could at least offer her his protection while she wrote the story. 

“Not yet.  Why?”  She eyed him in puzzlement.

“Maybe you can come stay on the ranch instead.  You won’t have to pay, of course, and you’ll have easier access to me and any news about the case.”  He didn’t add that this way he could keep her safe, and hoped she wouldn’t argue.  She didn’t, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay.  Thank you.  I appreciate the offer.”  She drained her cup and stood up.  “I guess I’d better pack.”

“Need help with that?” he offered, and chuckled when she rolled her eyes at him.

“Just sit down before you hurt yourself,” she invited him sardonically, and went about packing her things. 

Lex dealt with the checkout and the rental, and loaded her luggage into the truck.  On the way, his phone rang.

“Yeah, Dave,” he answered, recognizing the number.   He listened carefully, and then hung up after telling him he’d be there shortly. 

He turned to look at his passenger, but she was busy on her iPad, so he let her do her thing while he thought about what the chief had told him.  Dave wanted to see him again.  Trouble had started out by the wolf enclosure after his boys had called in, and Lancaster’s gang was spoiling for a fight.  He had to get out there and sort things with the help of the chief.  He called Bear, telling him the new plans, and before long, they were turning through the wide gates.  Bear was waiting for them when he pulled up in front of the house.  Getting out of the truck, he hurried round to Tamara’s side to help her alight, while Bear handled the luggage.

“I have to go back out,” he told her, once they were inside.  He led her to his office, and she perched on the edge of the desk.

“Why?  What’s happened?”

Lex hesitated.  He didn’t want her with him on this trip, but he didn’t want her to think he was shutting her out again.  He liked where they were now, and wanted the trust between them to grow.

“The chief asked to see me,” he said, which was true enough without giving anything away.  “I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise.”  He turned as Bear walked in, carrying her luggage.  “Bear will show you to your room.”

She looked over at Bear, her eyes widening in recognition and amusement, and Lex spared a moment to smile. 

“Bear, huh?” she said, a smile curving her lips.

“At your service, ma’am,” Bear answered, smiling in his turn.  “I’m Patrick, if that makes you feel any safer.” 

Both men chuckled when she grinned at him and said, “What makes you think I don’t feel safe?  After all, what’s in a name?”  And when they looked at each other and laughed, she asked, “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Lex answered, stifling his laughter.  It amazed him that she had the power to make him forget that there was a mad wolf on the loose, that she could make him laugh just by being herself.  “Don’t go anywhere till I get back, okay?  Please,” he added, in case she took umbrage at his words.