Wild (23 page)

It hadn't taken her long, though she'd been the only one all season to make that connection.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Elle kissed the top of his head, all she could reach with his face buried between her breasts.

He raised his head and blinked lazily, and he wasn't lying when he answered, “Just trying to figure out if you might be interested in round two. I'll check the pup later.”

“If you think he'll be okay,” she said. She tightened her grip on his ass.

*   *   *

It was quite a bit later when he finally slipped out of Elle's arms and out of her warm bed to check on the cub. Tuck shifted after he left her, after closing the door on his last view of her burgundy hair spread across the pillow, her lips swollen from kissing—and other things. His entire body felt sensitized and energized, and his wolf wanted to run off some of that extra juice.

The cub was sleeping soundly in the den down by the creek, and the mama wolf barely raised her head at the large male creeping into her home. She knew Tuck, knew he wouldn't harm her, and after sniffing noses, she tucked hers beneath her babies and went back to sleep.

Tuck thought about running to burn off more energy, but he knew morning would be coming long before he was ready. Turning away from the creek, he trotted through the woods toward his little cabin tucked into the woods near Growl, the local bar. Halfway there, he gave up on better sense, paused, turned, and ran back to Elle's cabin.

He scratched the door with one big paw.

It opened. He'd closed it tightly, which meant she had to have gotten up after he left. Must have left it unlatched. Hoping for a wolf in her bed?

Bumping the door shut with his nose after entering the cabin, he gazed across the room at his sleeping woman. Her eyes were closed, her voluptuous body covered with a warm down blanket. The nights here grew cooler this time of year.

He jumped up on the opposite side of the bed. She stirred but didn't wake. With a soft, contented sigh, Tuck curled up close beside her and closed his eyes.

*   *   *

It was late when Trak walked Meg back to her cabin. They'd laughed and talked about everything under the sun, and he'd warned her that she was going to get a workout in the morning. Not too early, though. They'd have breakfast before hiking up to Blackbird Lake, but she'd be working off all the calories and then some.

He paused at the bottom step. “Thank you, Meg. I've really enjoyed myself this evening.” He was surprised how much he meant that. She was a lovely woman, one he could see as a friend, though he'd quickly realized that whatever spark Brad had talked about wasn't there.

“Me, too.” She glanced away and sighed. “I actually relaxed and enjoyed myself.” Shaking her head, she laughed. “It's a whole new dynamic for me, to be around a thoroughly enjoyable, very attractive man and relax. I think this is going to be a wonderful week. I'll see you tomorrow.”

She turned away and walked up the steps. Trak waited until the door opened and she went inside. “Good night, Meg. Sleep well.”

She waved, and he headed back to the lodge to get a few things ready for the morning, but it appeared one of the other guys had already taken care of things. He thought of heading to his cabin, but something made him turn toward Meg's.

He certainly didn't want her to think he was stalking her, but he worried about her. There was something she wasn't saying about her fiancé that had him wondering what was wrong, because it was obvious things weren't right.

He trotted down the trail and out into the small meadow in front of her cabin. Meg was sitting on the front porch with a cup of herbal tea and a small candle burning. He caught the scent of cinnamon and other spices, the combination of the scented candle and her tea. And then, slowly so he wouldn't startle her, he walked across the meadow and paused in the light from the front porch. It only took her a moment to pick him out of the shadows.

*   *   *

She was glad Trak had taken off. She enjoyed his company, but she felt so guilty spending time with him. Not because Zach would mind—he'd never shown a sign of jealousy when she'd teased and laughed with other guys at SSI—but because she felt badly that Trak must think he had to babysit her and she wasn't much fun for him.

She had a feeling the others were going to have sexy little romances this week. The chemistry between Dar and Lawson was off the charts, and Meg had been really surprised at the way Elle and the big guy, Tuck, had hit it off. Jules was a little subtler with the man who could easily double for D'Artagnan of the Three Musketeers. Armando was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, but he was funny and so laid-back. He'd told them to call him Manny, so not a sexy name, but it fit his personality. He and Jules seemed to have clicked, and Jules appeared to appreciate just how hot Manny was.

A movement caught her eye, and she glanced up at the small meadow in front of her cabin. A large wolf sat spotlighted in the glow from the porch light, watching her. She was almost positive he was the same one she'd seen that afternoon. Gray with those striking black tips to his fur and the tips of his ears. “Hello, you beautiful boy. Did you come to visit?”

He stood when she talked to him and came toward the steps. Then he slowly climbed them. His ears were forward, his tail down, and if that wasn't a submissive look, she didn't know what was. She was reminded once again just how big wolves were—he was tall enough that his ears were level with her waist when she stood, which she did when he reached the porch. She held out her fingers, and he sniffed. Then he licked the back of her hand.

His tongue was warm and rough. She laughed. “I hope you're not tasting me. Trak told me specifically that it would be bad for business if the wolves ate the guests. I was just getting ready to go inside. Were you planning to stay the night?”

The wolf walked past her and waited at the door. “Trak wasn't kidding. He said you've gotten used to sleeping on the beds. Since I don't have a man in mine tonight, you're more than welcome.”

She couldn't wait to tell Zach. He loved the outdoors, had been jealous of her chance to be with the wolves. Neither of them had even dreamed she'd be sleeping with one on her bed.

Meg opened the cabin door and invited the wolf inside.

 

CHAPTER 6

Lawz finished up everything at the lodge so Tuck wouldn't have to deal with it. The vet was always great about taking over his part of the chores, but he had a clinic in town besides the wolves here on the preserve. His schedule was crazy, so the guys all covered for him whenever they could. Besides, Tuck had walked Elle back to her cabin after dinner, and the sparks between those two were hot enough to start a fire.

It made him want to go back to Darian. Sleep beside her and see if he still felt the same when he woke in the morning.

It was easier than it should have been to convince himself.

He stashed his clothes in the spare room off the kitchen, stepped outside, and shifted. Then he stood there in the darkness, reveling in the feel of his wolf, the sense of power his human side could never provide. Senses more acute, his muscles practically quivering with the need to go back to Darian.

At least the wolf knew how to behave around an attractive woman. Trotting through the woods, he reached her cabin in less than a minute. The porch light was on, the door slightly ajar. He hoped she hadn't waited up for him, but he'd promised her a wolf. Nosing the door open enough to step inside, he used his rear to shove it closed. Then he trotted across the room, well aware of the sound of his nails clicking on the hardwood.

Dar slept on the far side of the bed. That made it easy for him to jump lightly to the near side and curl up behind her. She stirred, restless but not awake, when he finally settled down on the comforter. After a few minutes, she rolled over and threw her arm over his shoulders.

He sighed, fully aware of a sense of contentment he'd never felt, the feeling that his future lay with this woman—if they could just get past one little problem. He'd gone into the office and Googled her on Cherry's computer. Darian Ahlers was a well-known television personality, a familiar face to residents of northern Oregon. How in the hell would he ever convince her she could be happy here in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of men who occasionally turned into wolves? Yeah. That would go over well. Especially since he couldn't tell her what they were—or what she could be. A wolf, just like the rest of them. It was exhausting, keeping so damned many secrets.

He had a week. No problem. If there was one thing he liked more than a beautiful woman, it was a challenge. He would make this work.

*   *   *

Armando really needed this run tonight. Jules left him feeling off balance, needy in a way he wasn't too certain he liked. He wanted her in his bed, but after she told him about the bastard who'd hit her? No way was he going to push her. So he'd left her standing there with a smile on her face, gone back to his cabin, dumped his clothes, and shifted.

But she was all he could think of. Jules had a reason to fear men, and he didn't want to risk doing anything that would frighten her or remind her of that bastard who'd hurt her. He wanted nothing more than to turn his wolf loose and hunt the guy down.

He rounded a large rock outcropping and spotted Drew on the other side. Trotting up beside him, Manny raised his nose and howled. Drew immediately joined in, and a few seconds later, they heard a chorus from the valley, the wild wolves singing with them.

It took a while to get it out of his system, but eventually the wild wolves wandered off, and he and Drew sat back on their haunches, enjoying the sense of pack that was always stronger in their lupine form. Sometimes he thought it would be so much easier to live as a wolf, except the wild ones knew they were different. They accepted werewolves in their forest, but weres could never be part of the wild pack.

After a few moments, Drew shifted. Manny joined him, the two of them sitting naked on the granite outcropping still warm from the daytime sun. Drew threw his arm over Manny's shoulders.

“So, Armando, you struck out tonight?”

“I didn't want to scare her away. She needs time to get used to the idea of me.” He glanced at Drew, a guy so good-looking that women practically swooned. Yet tonight, he and Evan had ended up without women, so here was Drew. Alone. “Where's Evan?”

“Evan headed down to Growl to make sure the place was closed up tight. A couple of loggers stopped by the other night, and he was afraid they might be scoping the place out. It's not the regular crew. There's a transient group working that part of the forest north of us, cleaning up burned trees after that lightning strike last spring. Evan said he'd take a last look since Lawz, Tuck, and Trak are all spending time with the ladies as wolves tonight.”

“That's what I'm thinking of doing.”

“With Jules?” Drew nodded. “She's very attractive. Definitely sexy. Pragmatic, good sense of humor. I liked her, at least from what I got to know of her at dinner.”

“Her last boyfriend beat her up.”

“No shit? How'd you—”

“She told me. Said she still has issues with men. She flinched when I reached over her head to flip on a light. It's got to be like PTSD. I'm thinking of going back, having the wolf spend the night. I don't want her to be alone.”

“No man has a right to hit a woman. It's dead wrong.”

“Want to join me?” Armando had always liked Drew. They'd partnered quite a bit over the years, though with so many willing women coming to the resort this summer, there hadn't been that pressing need for sex. At least not with each other.

“You wouldn't mind?” Drew grinned. “I have actually grown quite fond of sleeping next to a warm woman who wants to hug me and rub my belly.”

“Damn, you're pathetic.” Manny stood and pulled Drew to his feet. “C'mon. If she left the door ajar, it means we're welcome.”

They shifted and trotted down the mountain together. The door to Jules's cabin was ajar.

*   *   *

She dreamed that Manny came back, only this time he was a wolf, with long legs and sparkling brown eyes, but he wasn't alone. He'd brought that really handsome man who'd been at dinner earlier tonight, only Drew was a wolf, too. She knew it was Drew, not just because he had those smoky blue eyes. She just knew.

A soft whine woke her. Blinking, she stared at the partially open door, where two wolves waited in the dim glow from the porch light, but she wasn't awake because it was still her dream. The Manny wolf and the Drew wolf stood in the doorway. “C'mon in, boys,” she said. “The bed's big, and there's plenty of room.”

That was all it took. The two of them crossed the room, their toenails clattering across the hardwood, and easily jumped up on the bed. They were huge, but this was still a dream, wasn't it? She'd always had such lucid dreams, and so often they turned out to be more truth than fantasy. This one was definitely a fantasy, though. Smiling, she scooted to the middle of the bed and patted the space on her left. “Manny, you sleep over here. Drew? You stay on that side. And don't either of you crowd me. I'm used to sleeping alone.”

She leaned over and kissed Manny on the nose, did the same to Drew, and then curled up between two big, warm wolves and went back to her dream.

*   *   *

Manny stared at Drew, who stared right back at him. How the hell had she known? She wasn't even completely awake, and yet she'd recognized the two of them. But would she remember in the morning? He did the wolf equivalent of a shrug and lay down beside Jules. After a moment, Drew did the same, but Manny wondered if either of them would actually sleep tonight.

Monday morning

Meg was awake at her usual time, in the dark. Damn it. She glared at the clock by the bed. 5:00
A.M
. She was on vacation—why couldn't she just sleep in once? At least until the sun came up!