Right Wolf, Right Time (2 page)

Good Lord, he’d probably smelled her arousal. She felt like an idiot. She watched enough X-rated movies to know how the professionals handled this sort of thing. The telling music, the nudity, weird scenarios and all the female howling while partners pleasured one another all over the place—Sophie knew the score. But she didn’t have the experience, let alone double D-size breasts or thighs that could spread like a wishbone, to take on Monty. And as much as he looked like sex on a stick, this particular wolf spooked if she walked too near.

She sighed. “Thanks, Monty. I’ll get the steaks.” She stuck her head in the refrigerator and tried to pull herself together while she searched for the meat. She knew she only had herself to blame for Monty’s distance.

When she’d first arrived in Cougar Falls, she’d been in shock and terrified of herself and everyone around her. Living without knowing what she really was, and whom she’d been living with for so long, had devastated her. Theo Sheridan had saved her life and her sanity. She owed him, big time. But the stubborn man refused to accept her gratitude—a lot like the wolf in her kitchen, so close and yet so far away from her.

As she withdrew the meat and stuck it on a broiler pan, Monty dumped the salad fixings in the bowl and propped his back against the counter.

“Problem?” she asked.

“Nope. I just like to watch you work.”

Stupid heat once again rushed to her cheeks, and she shoved the broiler pan into the oven while he studied her. With comments like that, he had to like her, didn’t he? He’d even serenaded her at the pride a few weeks ago, where she often went for some girl time and a movie with her friends. For some odd reason, Monty seemed fascinated by Scooby Doo. Months ago, she’d found a stuffed dog on her front porch wearing a bandana of his, his scent layered over the stuffed toy. She’d thought maybe he’d finally ask her out.

And nothing.

Still, she’d loved it, and she slept with the thing nightly. That was as much action as she wanted from any male, stuffed or real, unless Monty was prepared to give her something else. She desired him, but she worried she wanted more than he did. When she’d first arrived to town, he’d asked her to coffee a time or two, but she’d been too scared of her own shadow to accept. Months had gone by, and he’d never asked again.

She’d tried to deepen their friendship with a few hints, but he’d never acted on any of her invitations to join her. Instead he offered friendship without strings, which she’d appreciated. At first. Now she wanted a closer relationship. But how to get Monty to see that? Because if he didn’t think of her in a romantic sense, she’d feel worse than stupid. She’d be devastated.

A glance at him made her jumpy. The dang man made her feel like prey. If he’d try to kiss her or be a bit clearer about his intentions, she’d find it easier to be open about what
she
wanted.

Gabby had flat-out told her she’d never reel in a male as strong as Monty if she couldn’t talk about her needs, a problem the feline had recently gone through when dealing with Grady, her new mate.

Sophie was good at learning from other people’s mistakes. She herself didn’t have an exciting social life, and she had next to zero sexual experience. One kiss in her entire twenty-six years. And that by a man she’d then—

Inwardly, she cringed. She wouldn’t think about that now. Like Theo had repeatedly told her, she had to stop blaming herself for the past and look to the future. One she very much wanted to share with Monty.

She took a deep breath and resolved to let him know how she felt. She could do it. Many of the men in town called her pretty. The gray wolves were constantly coming by the grocery store. She’d been asked out on more dates than she knew what to do with, but she’d been holding out for a particular wolf, one with an icy blue-gray stare that for some reason made her hot whenever he turned it on her.

“What’s that look?” Monty asked, his gaze narrowed.

To her excited surprise, he lingered on her mouth before pulling that mask back over his face.

She parted her lips to speak, to tell him what she wanted—for him to make her a woman. To show her what loving could be like. To finally take that step and end the naughty fantasies she’d never before experienced outside of her secret movie stash.

He took a step closer. “Sophie?” His voice sounded low, growly, as if his wolf had taken a step with him.

And then a familiar song sounded from outside her house, and the moment was lost. More references to a cartoon dog and his mystery-solving friends sung by cats sadly out of tune.

She should have been angrier about the interruption, but the cowardly woman inside her knew relief. She could once again hide from the predator waiting to pounce. That and she felt a nervous laugh coming out at the astonished, then resigned, look on his face.

“And before you ask, no, I didn’t do this. Wooing you with a cartoon character had never been my plan.” Monty pinched the bridge of his nose and headed for the front door. Over his shoulder, he muttered, “I’ll be right back,” and left, closing the door quietly in his wake.

Wooing her? Did he mean it, or was he referring to the pride’s many pranks at his expense? She heard snarls and hisses and much laughter from voices she recognized as belonging to Monty’s pridemates. A wolf among cats. It still sounded funny every time she considered his home. She shook her head and listened to the three of them growling at each other. Grady and Dean always treated her with respect and a wary distance she appreciated. Unlike Monty, she imagined they saw the killer in her eyes. They knew not to underestimate her.

But Monty only saw what he wanted to see. She hoped like hell she could keep that veil between her life now and the one she’d escaped. Because if anyone here knew what she’d once done, her safe haven in Cougar Falls would disappear. And then she’d be right back where she’d started—on the run and facing sure death at the hands of Hunters.

Monty returned shortly. His hair looked a little mussed and his shirt had come untucked. He never looked better to her than he did when rumpled.

Unable to help herself, Sophie stepped close and ran her fingers over his forehead. A bold move, but he didn’t push her away. She tucked his long black-and-gray bangs behind his ears. His shaggy, shoulder-length hair always looked in need of a cut, but she liked it that way.
Oh my God, I’m touching Monty GrayClaw.

He caught her hand in his and cupped it against his cheek. Then he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them, she saw his wolf staring at her for a split second before he disappeared. Her wolf inwardly whined to join him, but Sophie wouldn’t go where she hadn’t been invited. She simply wasn’t made that way.

When Monty released her hand, she dropped it to her side.

He blew out a breath. “How about that steak you promised me? I worked up an appetite.”

“Kicking cat butt can do that.”

He laughed. “Yeah, it can.”

They settled into dinner at her table, where she’d dithered for an hour before he’d arrived. Afraid he might get the
right
idea and know how much she desired to increase the intimacy between them, she’d stashed the candles. Instead, she used a vase as the centerpiece, where she’d put the flowers he’d brought her.

The raggedly things looked right between them. A gesture of Monty’s affection…and not just politeness, she hoped.

“This is the best meal I’ve had in months. Don’t tell Rachel this, but the woman isn’t the best cook. Maggie’s not bad.” Joel’s—the bear’s—wife. “But dessert’s her thing.”

“What about the other cats?”

“Dean and Grady act like they’re all thumbs anytime anyone mentions cooking, and their mates are just as bad. The foxes help if asked, but Rachel’s pretty territorial. She doesn’t want Burke screwing up her kitchen, so it’s pretty much just her and Maggie. The Miami cats are hopeless.” He meant the other female cats that had recently joined the pride. Their brother had apparently left, according to town gossip.

“What’s it like with so many cats there now? It used to just be the Chastells. Now you have four more women.” Females living close to Monty. She didn’t like that. Not one bit.

“Three, actually. Joy is still down in Miami.” He frowned. “But none of her sisters have heard from her in a while. I think there’s more trouble brewing than we know about.”

She paused. Trouble and Monty seemed to go hand in hand. “Will they need your help?” From what she knew about Monty, he could track anything anywhere. Even the gray wolf alpha turned to him when real trouble hit close to home.

“Maybe. I’m pride. Whatever’s needed, I’ll do. Even if the Miami cats are slow to settle in, they’re family.”

“Oh, right.” Being an outsider, she wasn’t used to belonging. The order allowed her latitude because she still had issues with other wolves. But she knew the time was coming when they’d insist she start looking for a mate. With the low number of she-wolves in town, Sophie brought more than just another Shifter to Cougar Falls. She brought the possibility of a new generation of wolves with her.

Her gaze caught Monty’s. What would it be like to belong to someone who had that sense of loyalty? Who would always have her back and make sure she never wanted for anything?

“Can I help you clear the table?” Monty was moving before she could answer.

She refused to let him do any dishes. Instead, she sliced him up a plate of his favorite dessert—New York-style cheesecake with cherries on top.

“Man, Sophie. You are the absolute best.”

Monty ate up half the pie, and she wrapped the rest for him to take home. They adjourned to the living room and shared the couch, though he took one end and she the other. They watched a few sitcoms as the evening turned into night.

She had hopes, though his gaze continued to stray toward the clock in her living room. The silence between them grew strained while her need to kiss him grew stronger. Her wolf badgered her to take what she wanted, telling her that she’d waited for him long enough.

But when she tried to breach the distance between them, Monty shot off the couch as if he’d been prodded with a branding iron.

“Damn. It’s getting late. I’d best be going.”

Of course he had to be going. Every time she gathered her courage to blurt out how she felt, he left. The mixed signals baffled her. Did he like her or not? Because right now, he definitely put out
stay away
vibes.

“Don’t forget your pie.”

He smiled. “Like I could forget that.”

While he moved to the kitchen to retrieve it, she acted like the perfect hostess and waited for him by the front door. “Thanks for coming over, Monty. It meant a lot to me.”

“Me too, Soph.” The gravity of his response surprised her.

“Monty?”

Then he kissed her on the forehead and left before she could blink. She said good night to his back and shut the door, left alone to dirty dishes, a rerun of
Jeopardy
and a lonely heart once more.

Chapter Two

Monty spent the next two days cursing his idiocy. Sophie had been so sweet sitting on that couch. He’d smelled her need. For the first time, he’d been close to claiming her, and she’d been receptive. No trace of fear. Maybe a little nervousness, but she’d been hot for him.

But had he made his move? No. Worried she might freak if he pounced the way he wanted to, he’d watched a fucking sitcom, made small talk—
small talk
—and left with a dessert he should have been eating off her navel.

He groaned to himself and rerouted the Gandersons around a fallen tree. “This way, folks. I’m going to show you to your campsite. I’ll be back to collect you in a week.”

The Gandersons, an extended family out for a fun gathering, nodded and thanked him. They would spend a week roughing it at one of Chastell Tours’ nicer camping spots.

He left the family and walked a mile or so before ditching his clothes by a familiar storage area, where he bagged his things and hid them under a rock that made a perfect hideaway. He keyed his radio. “Dean? You there?”

“No, it’s me.” Grady. “Go ahead, wolfie. Or should I say Scooby?”

Monty gritted his teeth while the moron snickered. “Dumbass. I’m letting you know I’m done with the Gandersons. I’m roaming for a few days. I’ll be back Wednesday. I’m not taking my radio, so you’ve got the group at the Vista site.”

“Roger that. Have a nice run. I’ll keep an eye out for those wolves circling Sophie.”

“Yeah, you do that.”

Grady continued to poke at him, not realizing how hard it was for Monty to give Sophie the distance she needed. But now that the order was taking a keen interest in her, Monty thought he might have to speed things up a bit. Dinner at her place had been great. Maybe he’d try a night out on the town, to show others she belonged to him. It was a big step, but he didn’t think a simple date would freak her out too much.

And hell, he’d make sure to move the rest of their get-togethers to public places. He’d been a heartbeat from throwing her down and fucking her in her doorway. That kiss to her forehead had been crazy sexy. A simple, harmless kiss, and he’d raced home and jerked off twice before he could relax enough to sleep.

Sophie’s well-being came first with him. Or it had, until this clusterfuck. A week ago, Hunters had kidnapped Dean and his mate and nearly killed them. On the order’s territory. The gray wolves hadn’t had any luck finding the Hunters yet. But Monty knew one of the Hunters—the one he sought—wouldn’t have gone far.