Alpha Wolf Need Not Apply (17 page)

Pepper smiled. “You want another slice?”

“If you don't mind.”

“No. I'll have another too.”

He brought out dishes and forks. “Sorry about using up more plates.”

“No problem. That's what dishwashers are for.” She poured them both cups of coffee, adding cream and sugar, but this time instead of going back to the dining room, she led him into the den. They took their seats on the faux suede sofas where it was a lot more relaxed and cozier. “I might as well tell you about my mate. All of it.”

Eric hadn't expected this, but he was glad she felt comfortable discussing her mate with him now. She'd changed from her business skirt, jacket, and heels into a pair of soft jeans and a sleeveless blouse and looked a little more relaxed now that the boys had gone.

“Have you ever known a couple who have been friends so long that everyone assumes they'll be mated?”

Eric set his empty coffee cup down on the table and ate his pie. “Kind of. Sam, who owns the tavern in Silver Town, and Silva, who now runs a tearoom, were destined to be mated, even if they couldn't see it for the longest time. But to see all that passion between them… The rest of us knew it had to happen sooner or later.”

“Oh, well, not exactly the same with us. Because of that, I waited years before I agreed. I think some part of me felt like I needed someone who was more than just a best friend. I think you need both. Some spark of passion and the friendship that shows you care about each other every day of your mated life. Not just during courtship or the first years of the mating. But forever.”

“I agree. So you were best friends, but you felt something was missing.”

“Yeah. Maybe that he should have been more alpha.” She finished her pie and set her plate on the table, then drank the rest of her coffee.

He noted she quickly dropped the issue of needing more passion in her life. “Because the alpha wolf killed him.”

“Yeah, I always wondered if it would have made a difference. Obie was coming on to me and trying to get my mate to react, but Harold was following my lead, although I know he was embarrassed about not doing anything about it. But he was a real beta wolf. I didn't want him to fight Obie, and I knew Harold didn't want to fight him either.”

“So you've always led the pack on your own.”

“Yes. I never thought we'd have trouble with an alpha male like that. Harold had gone off on a run after we'd had a big fight. He'd said he wanted an equal role in the leadership, which would have been fine if he'd been a leader. But he wasn't. He sat back and let me deal with everything. He was a hard worker, loved by all, good with the kids, but he was not a leader. While Harold was running as a wolf by the creek, Obie jumped him. He had been waiting for Harold to be off on his own. I heard the wolves fighting, stripped, and shifted. I was sick with worry. I knew in a confrontation between Harold and Obie, Harold would lose. Among the beta wolves in our pack, Harold managed fine. But matching him with an aggressive alpha wolf? No way.

“When I saw Harold lying on his side, gasping for breath, I tore into Obie. He was just standing there, gloating over his success. He didn't see me coming, which gave me the advantage because he was so much larger than me. I sank my teeth into his neck and held on with such tenacity that I killed the beast. When I released him, I finally saw three males of his pack watching me, but none moving closer. I growled and snarled at them, and then I howled for my pack, but we were too late. Harold died in my arms. If we hadn't had a fight that night—” She wiped away tears. “If I hadn't made him my mate…” She shook her head.

Eric wasn't sure Pepper would appreciate it if he moved closer to comfort her, but he slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a tender hug. “Who's to say the same thing wouldn't have happened if you had taken a different mate? Or that if you hadn't taken Harold as your mate, he might still have been provoked into an attack with the same result?”

She swallowed hard. “I keep reminding myself of that. For the past seven years, I've had trouble with alpha males thinking my pack would be an easy takeover. Just mate me and they'd be in charge. But none of the wolves would have been good for the pack or for me.”

“And then Waldron comes along.”

“Right. I should have known he was related to Obie. Now that I know, I can see he has some of the same mannerisms, both as a wolf and as a human.”

“He must have thought you wouldn't learn the truth before it was too late. Then here I come along, causing you more anxiety.” Eric wanted her to acknowledge that she was unsure of him in the same way. And he wanted to talk about it. To straighten out her misconception of him.

“I don't want you to get killed over me or over my pack.”

Eric raised his brows. “I don't intend for him to kill me for
any
reason.”

She let out her breath in annoyance. “He brutally attacked you already and—”

“And I didn't fight back. I ran off. It won't happen again. Believe me, over the years, I've been in enough wolf fights—and lived to tell about them. You don't have to worry about me. What bothers me is you thinking I'd be like the other alpha males you've had difficulty with.”

“I've never met a bachelor alpha male who wasn't thinking of taking over my pack. So you have been an enigma to me. I keep thinking you'll suddenly begin to behave like the others did.” She shook her head. “But you're nothing like them. Oh, sure, you have all the alpha wolf posturing. But whenever I've had to deal with anything pack-related around you, you stay back and watch how it plays out. You wait for an invitation to step in.

“Not like Waldron. A few weeks back, Waldron paid me a visit when I was speaking to Richard about some pack matter. Waldron told Richard what to do, as if he were already the leader of the pack. I asked Richard to leave and then tore into Waldron. He only seemed semi-amused. I knew then if I ever mated him or another wolf like him, I'd have a devil of a time protecting my pack—from him.”

Right then, Eric wanted to kiss her and make her feel better. He wanted her to see that some alpha males were all right. He wanted to court her, to learn if they had enough common ground that they thought it might work out.

Ultraserious, Eric rose from the couch. He knew this was one hell of a gamble, but she'd allowed him to have a guest room last night. And he felt like dinner tonight had been a test to see how he handled the boys. To see how he spoke to Susan and Richard, her loyal sub-leaders. He felt she wouldn't have said he could stay tonight if she wasn't reaching out to him, wanting to learn more about him, to see if he truly was different from the others she had known.

Pepper stood, but before she could start grabbing dishes, he took her hand and pulled her tentatively into his arms. She was still unsure of him and what this might lead to. Yet she didn't fight it, didn't pull away or say no. She allowed herself to be drawn into his arms, and he gave her a light hug—at first. He didn't want her seeing him as some alpha who couldn't control his libido around her, despite the way his pheromones were spiking and triggering hers to react. He could hear her heart beating pell-mell with intrigue.

He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. They were filled with curiosity and interest. He leaned down and kissed her mouth. She slid her arms around him, which gave him permission to slide his arms around her back. To gently rub her back with a soothing caress. To hold her closer and show her he was interested in her in a way that had nothing to do with pack leadership and everything to do with the way a man hungered for a woman.

Their kiss was gentle at first, and then she pressed him for more like she'd done before, but this time neither work nor pack members would intrude. His blood sizzled as he touched her lips with his tongue, but she hesitated to open up to him. He backed off just a little, unwilling to let it go. He felt the hesitation in her whole body—the desire there, but the concern too. Then, as if she was ready to throw caution to the wind, she parted her lips and touched her tongue to his. But there was nothing tentative about it.

She kissed him as if she'd die if she didn't taste him, feel his mouth and tongue against hers, and experience the passion ignite between them. For the moment, he forgot about everything else. He didn't remember that he was trying to go easy with her or that he wanted to prove he was one of the good alpha wolves. All he wanted to do was breathe in her she-wolf scent, the fragrance of pines and firs she'd worked with today, and absorb the taste of the sweet coffee and chocolate mocha flavoring her mouth. He luxuriated in the feel of her soft body pressed against his, the way she was kissing him, making him hard and wanting more.

She pulled away with obvious reluctance, and he sure as hell was reluctant to let her go. But he had to, if he was going to prove he really was different from the alpha males she'd encountered in her life. He wondered now if her mate had been that passionate with her. Maybe he had been, but it had been a long time ago.

“We'd better go to bed if you're going to wake in time for work,” she said.

“I'll manage.” He wished they could just keep this up. But he knew it was best if they ended it like this, on a positive note. And he hoped she wouldn't regret it in the morning and put distance between them again.

“Thank you…for everything,” she said. Then she took the plates and silverware into the kitchen while he carried in the coffee mugs.

“I'll just grab my bag.” He was going to have to pack more clothes if he kept staying overnight. Luckily, while he was at work, CJ had dropped by the park and brought him a change of clothes for the day and an extra set for emergencies like Eric always liked to carry. This time, he wasn't calling Darien to let him know he'd be here again tonight. But he did have to call Sarandon, since he was supposed to be sleeping there now that his place had to be rebuilt.

When he went out to get his bag out of the truck, he called his brother. “I should have gotten in touch with you earlier, but I was invited to dinner at Pepper's house after the incident at the clubhouse, if CJ mentioned it to you.”

“He did.”

“Well, I'm staying the night again.”

“Expecting trouble?”

“Maybe.” In the silence that ensued, Eric could just imagine the conclusion his brother was drawing. “I didn't get much sleep last night. She wanted me to stay over, and I'll go to work from here. It's the same distance as it is from your place.”

“Do you need me to bring another change of clothes to the park tomorrow? Maybe enough for a few nights?”

“No, it's just for tonight. I'll be at your house tomorrow night.”

“Okay.” Sarandon sounded like he didn't believe Eric.

But Eric had no intention of pushing anything further with Pepper. It had to be her call. “I'll talk to you later.”

“Okay. Let me know if you change your mind about the clothes. I'll be taking a group hiking and will be stopping by the ranger station anyway.”

“All right. Night, Sarandon.”

“Night.”

Eric headed into the house and found that Pepper had already gone into her bedroom and shut the door. He said, “I had to tell Sarandon I wasn't coming home tonight. I'll see you in the morning.”

“Night,” she called out.

“Night, Pepper.” He headed for bed and stripped out of his clothes. He never slept in anything so that if he was needed for a spur-of-the moment wolf mission, he'd be ready.

Pepper couldn't believe how hot Eric was. She didn't think all alpha males were like that. Somehow she was connecting with him on several different levels, which made this feel so right. She'd been fighting the attraction she had for him, trying to see him as just another alpha male who could be real trouble. But he wasn't like that. She would never have known about his treatment of the Fairhaven teens if they hadn't told her, so he hadn't done it to earn points with her.

But she was still worried he might be like the other wolves. It often happened in human relations. The guy would be nice to the woman, or vice versa, until the couple married, and then maybe a year or two down the road, the newlywed game was over. Since wolves signed up for a lifetime, that wouldn't work for them. Yet the way Eric kissed her, the way he became so aroused around her… She had to admit she'd never had that kind of passion with her first mating, and she loved the way Eric made her feel sexy, passionate, and adored. Harold had been too much of a long-term friend beforehand and hadn't been comfortable with even kissing her. Tongues? Forget it. He was more for a small peck on the lips. Sure, they'd consummated the mating, but he had never wanted to have sex with her for pleasure. It had been more a matter of duty, and she'd felt all along that he regarded her more as a sister than his mate and lover.

She'd had passionate, short-term relationships with humans, which were allowed until she had selected a mate. So she knew a lack of passion on her part wasn't the trouble. But of course, the other guys she had dated hadn't been wolves, and she hadn't been willing to take it any further than just a few nights of fun. Now she wanted to prove to herself that she was a passionate person with another wolf. That she wasn't lacking in that part of her life.

As much as she'd wanted more with Harold, trying to get it had been exhausting. She'd tried all methods of seduction—candlelight and wine, moonlit runs before slipping into the hot tub. Even wearing sexy clothes or no clothes, watching sexy movies, just anything to help get him in the mood. What did he do? Act embarrassed.

She didn't have to do anything to rev up Eric's engine. Even a smile seemed to encourage him to draw closer, to want to touch her, to smile back and look wickedly intrigued. Even her invite to dinner tonight had made him appear to want to take her up on the proposal and much more. Whenever she'd offered Harold dinner before they had mated, he'd said sure because he loved her cooking. But there hadn't been the hopeful looks that she'd want more than just dinner.

She had to confess she was feeling the same way toward Eric that he seemed to feel toward her. The sensation of being drawn to him. The physical need to take this further. Which was why, when she reluctantly pulled away from kissing him, she'd retired to her bedroom before he returned to the house with his bag.

Despite her lack of sleep last night, she tossed and turned most of this night too, her thoughts on tall, dark, and wolfish next door—remembering how passionate he was with her and wishing they could take it further.

When she woke early that morning, she intended to do what she always did first thing: take a run on the wolf side. Some of her pack members would be out too, and they'd greet one another. Often, she felt like a pied piper, with her pack hooking up with her and running with her through their woods. She loved her pack, her people, but she was beginning to believe she was missing out on something more. Something only a mate, a wolf more like Eric, could give her. As quiet as the house was, she presumed Eric was still sleeping after having been up most of the night before.

She slipped out of her slinky, short nightie and tossed it on the chest at the foot of her bed. Then she stalked to the bedroom door and opened it. And got a shock. Naked also, Eric was standing in the hall, apparently doing the same thing as she was—shifting and taking a run. He was stretching to the ceiling, his glorious body on display, taut, muscled, and gorgeous.

They had an awkward moment—both standing naked outside their bedrooms so they could shift and run to the wolf door built into her den door that led out to the patio.

Shifters were used to seeing their own pack members naked. It was no big deal, just a way of life for them, and they lived long lives so they really were used to one another. But seeing someone not of the pack and who looked like Eric did? And when both of them were interested in each other?

He was tanned all over. Did he lie out somewhere naked? He was hot and wolfishly toned, his muscles perfectly formed, not an ounce of extra flesh, dark curly hairs surrounding an impressive, half-aroused cock. Seeing his perusal of her made her own nipples tingle, her body awakening and responding to his interest in her.

“Morning run?” Eric asked, shaking her from her gawking, though he appeared to be trying not to drink her up with just as thirsty a gaze.

“Uh, yeah.”

“Mind if I run with you, or do you like to go alone?”

She loved just breathing in the woodland scents and enjoying the solitude. Insects, birds, squirrels, and other animals were stirring at this morning hour, so she wouldn't be completely alone. But it was different when she was running with a pack member, that wolf taking some of her concentration as she watched to see if he or she caught anything interesting in the wild that she missed.

She appreciated that Eric would ask and not just assume she'd want to run with him. “Since you're up and ready…”

“Mostly up and ready,” he said, and she couldn't miss the double entendre.

From some other wolf, she wouldn't have appreciated it. But from Eric, she did, and she smiled a little. That was something the other alphas who were bothering her hadn't done, teased her in a fun-loving way. They were all business in trying to get her interest. “Well, before it gets too hard for you to run…do you want to lead or follow?”

He chuckled. “I'll follow. You can show me the area where you like to run.”

They shifted, and in a flash, she was sprinting through the house and into the den, then bolting through the wolf door as if she were in a race with the male wolf behind her. Whenever she went on her wolf outings in the morning and the evening after work, she spent the time exploring and ensuring no other wolves had intruded on her property. She didn't race through the land as a wolf, but with Eric, she ran full out, just for fun. She felt him chasing after her, not just keeping up with her or following her, but chasing her.

Her heart rate sped up, and he made her sprint faster than she normally did. She was having a blast, though she'd be tired later since she hadn't slept well for two nights.

She thought he'd keep his distance and continue to follow her, but he suddenly was loping beside her. She felt good having him there, enjoying this time with her, his tongue already hanging out, his eyes sparkling with delight as he cast her a look that said he loved being with her like this.

Then, uncharacteristically for her, she headed for the small lake on the property, reached its shore and, without hesitation, dove in.

He stood on the bank watching her. She yipped at him to join her. Then she saw a couple of her pack members heading that way from the woods, probably because they'd heard her. When they saw her in the water and Eric on the bank, they quickly disappeared back into the woods.

She sighed. They'd tell the rest of the pack they had seen her encouraging Eric to swim with her. She often did so with her pack members on a hot summer day, but not before work in the morning. For her to do it with an alpha male who might be interested in courting her? Never.

Eric watched as her pack members disappeared into the pine trees, then he bounded into the water after her.

She wanted to laugh. He looked prepared to tackle her, but he just swam up to her and licked her face in greeting, and she licked his in return. Then he waited until she began to swim across the lake, paddling next to her as if he were her equal, like a mate would, not like one of her beta followers.

She liked having him by her side and she liked how he gave her a thrill of the chase, though she had every intention of chasing him home. They got out on the other side and shook off, then she began to explore the area like she should have been doing, instead of playing with the male wolf. Though she could envision them going out earlier for a morning run, playing, and then getting down to the business of protecting the pack.

When she found no recent sign of Waldron or his people on her land, she assumed he was lying low or knew that Eric was still on her property. Maybe—though she thought it was way too much to hope for—he was giving up on her. Or maybe he was just wearing hunter's spray to mask his scent.

She chased Eric back to the house, and though she knew he could run faster, he kept just out of her reach to tantalize her. And he
was
tantalizing with his wolfish scent and his keen interest in her. She was already falling for the wolf.

By the time they reached the patio, they had dried off. She pushed her way through the wolf door, then headed for her bedroom to shower and dress before fixing a quick breakfast. She didn't remember a time when she'd had so much fun checking out the property in the morning. It was just one of those things she did daily, unless she were sick. She took different paths to make it more interesting. The environment and wildlife were always changing, which helped. But she'd never played with another wolf before work, and she had never raced out the door, encouraging a male wolf to take chase. Not even with Harold.

As soon as she was ready for work, she called out to Eric's closed door. “Anything in particular you want for breakfast?”

“Yeah,” he said, heading for the door. “But I don't think it's on the menu.”

She smiled. Harold had never talked to her like that.

He opened the door and smiled at her. “Anything works for me. Then I have to run. I'll be working a double shift tonight. Forgot all about it. Do you want me to ask one of my brothers to drop by your place this evening?”

“No, we'll be fine.” She really believed they didn't need the Silver pack's help to the extent the pack's members were providing it. In truth, she wanted to see Eric in a courtship way and not in a manner that said he was her protector. Just admitting that much was a big change for her.

“Okay, sounds good.”

She liked that he didn't insist she have someone check on her.

She looked in the fridge at her meager offerings. No eggs. No ham or sausages. She was nearly out of milk. No bread. “I really need to go grocery shopping today. Would more waffles be all right?”

“I
love
your waffles.”

She hoped he was being honest with her. By the way he was helping, he really seemed eager to have more waffles for breakfast. Usually when she worked in the kitchen, she liked some space, and she had to really concentrate on not burning the waffles as she added extra chocolate chips. Eric brushed against her to reach into the cabinets to get the plates and breathed in her scent. When she looked up at him to see what he was really up to, he gave her a little smile that said he was eager for more than just waffles. She realized that with him around, work was no longer work, but fun and sexy. Harold would have been checking emails on his phone while she cooked, not even conversing with her. But Eric? He never looked at his phone except when he had a call that couldn't wait.

And helping in the kitchen? Eric definitely added a sexy spin to it.

“I have tomorrow off,” he said as he helped her prepare breakfast. “If you had any free time, we could go out for a meal.”

“I'll be busy all day, and I have a birthday party to go to that night.” She was already regretting that she couldn't take the day off too to see where things might go between them.

“Some other time then.” Eric sounded upbeat about it, but she thought he believed she was just making excuses. It probably was best to put some distance between them anyway.

She needed to run her pack, take care of her day job, and deal with Waldron. Fitting in a romance seemed too complicated right now. Besides, Eric had his own work schedule, the problems with the pot-growing wolves, and the mess concerning his house.

“Okay. Works for me,” she said.

After they had eaten and locked up the place, and Eric was hauling his bag to his truck, she thought this was good-bye. That he wasn't sure about her needs or wants and wanted to give her space. But she didn't know his history. Maybe
he
was the one who was reluctant and needed space.

Yet she wanted a good-bye kiss. Needed it to hint there might be more. She realized how much she wanted something more in her life. Someone like him. No, not someone like him, but him, if he turned out to always be like this—sexy, fun, protective—and gave her the lead on making her own decisions for the pack. At least for now.

Would he be shocked if she seized his hand, pulled him into a hug, and kissed him? Probably almost as much as she would shock herself if she gave in to such a notion.

He hesitated to leave, as if unsure how to say good-bye, and she finally did just want she wanted to do. She took his hand and pulled him close, looked into his dark eyes filled with intrigue, and that's all it took. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her in tight, and kissed her on the lips with such passion, she felt the earth tilting on edge. She knew then that Harold had definitely been the reason for the lack of ardor in their relationship—the difference between him and Eric was night and day. Pepper kissed Eric back, her heart beating triple time, her pheromones kicking in to boost the interest.

Eric's tongue stroked her lips and he said, “Hmm,” in such a sexy way, she thought he was ready to sweep her up in his arms and carry her back into the house for more private time. And she wanted him to—not to mate, but she wanted to see just how sexy he was in bed.