Into The Sunset: An Erotic Romance Anthology (10 page)

She climbed the steps, cowboy boots flaunting
her bare, pale legs. Two of the human men followed her, carrying a
single tattered suitcase of her belongings.

“
Aurelia,” Lucas said, staring her
down. He liked the roll of her name on his tongue.

She stopped, legs apart and shoulders squared.
Taking off her glasses, she appraised him ruthlessly.

“
So you’re the reason I’m here?”
she asked, her tone level. Her accent wasn’t the sweet Southern
twang he’d expected from a Texas girl. It was heavily New
Zealand-influenced, a complete surprise.

“
Yes,” Lucas said.

“
These men grabbed me from the
street. They wouldn’t tell me where they were taking me, or why.
I’ve been traveling for thirty six hours, and none of them would
even talk to me. They just kept saying that Lucas Kiern sent for
me.”

“
They treated you well, I expect?”
Lucas asked, his gaze sliding to the group’s leader.

“
We did pull her from the street,
right before four men with guns closed in on her. We watched them
hunt her into a corner, and only made our move when it was clear
she was out of options,” the man said, shrugging.

“
They were forceful,” she said,
anger radiating from her features.

“
They were doing what I asked,”
Lucas replied. Looking to the men, he signaled their
dismissal.

Aurelia turned around and goggled as the men
retreated into their car and drove away.

“
That’s it?” she asked. “They just
dump me here, not knowing what you all have planned?”

“
You trust a bunch of human men
more than three of your own kind?” Walker asked,
bristling.

“
Oh, it speaks!” Aurelia said,
flapping her hands. “Who are you two, then? The betas?”

“
We’re not a pack,” Ben chimed
in.

“
Oh, lone wolves who just hand
together. Of course, what a great idea. This just gets better and
better,” she snapped.

“
Aurelia, this is Ben, and Walker.
We have a long history together,” Lucas explained.

Aurelia crossed her arms, cocking her hip to
the side. That gesture was pure Texas, and it made Lucas smile. The
down-home girl still existed in there, somewhere.

“
So what? Why am I here?” she
asked, her face stony.

“
Come inside first. Walker and Ben
are going to their respective parts of the house, and you and I
will talk,” Lucas said. He didn’t wait for her to comply, turning
and ushering his friends inside. True to their word, they headed
off to their suites. Lucas led the way to the den.

“
Are you hungry? Thirsty?” he
asked, wanting to make her comfortable.

“
No,” she snapped.

“
Have a seat,” he offered, waving
to the black leather couches. She glared at him but chose the
corner of a couch and perched. Lucas gave her a little space,
sitting at the other end. Now that they were inside, he couldn’t
help but catch her scent. Beneath the smell of humans and jet fuel
from her travels, he could pick out notes of hibiscus and verbena
floating from her skin. His wolf yipped, begging him to take deeper
breaths, pull that scent closer.

She shifted uncomfortably and looked around at
the house, reminding him that he needed to start explaining before
she fled outright.

“
I want to offer you a deal,” he
said, coming straight to the point.

“
A deal?” she asked, turning her
azure gaze on him. Up close, he could see that her eyes held a
touch of coppery brown that reflected the tresses that spilled down
her shoulders.

“
Relative freedom. A return to the
States,” he explained.

Surprise flared across her features. She
caught it and tamped it down. He was impressed by her
control.

“
I’m in the States right now,
aren’t I?” she replied. “Somewhere on the East coast.”

“
North Carolina,” he conceded.
“But that isn’t what I meant. I meant a permanent solution to your
problem.”

“
My problem? And what exactly do
you think you know about me and my problems?”

Lucas paused, trying to come up with the right
words.

“
I know you’re being pursued.
Government agencies, big corporations… you’ve made a lot of
enemies, and now that you’re weak they’re all coming after you. One
of them is going to catch you, probably hurt you very badly and
then pass you on to the highest bidder.”

“
I’m not weak!” she snapped,
shooting to her feet. “I’ve been doing fine on my own.”

She crossed her arms and walked the length of
the den, returned. Pacing seemed to soothe her ire.

“
The human wasn’t lying. You were
probably about to be caught when they grabbed you. You’ve done well
so far, yes. Buried yourself in a huge city in a third-world
country, and a hackers’ paradise to boot. You’ve been smart. But
there are a lot of big bounties with your name and face on them,
and no amount of smart and quick can save you now. There’s too much
money, too much blood in the water,” Lucas explained.

“
That’s it, then? You’re a bounty
hunter, hunting your own kind?” she asked, not looking at him as
she paced. “You’re going to turn me in, get me a plea bargain or
something?”

“
No. That wouldn’t come close to
solving your problems. If you went to the US District Attorney and
asked for a plea bargain, it would only address one of the many
groups that are pursuing you, and they’d probably want jail time. I
think that would be a waste of your talents, and your
beauty.”

She halted at the last, her eyes snapping up
to his.

“
My beauty? Is this some kind of
courting gesture?” she asked, aghast.

“
Of a sort. I’ll admit, I sought
you out. Watched you, dug into your past. I’m interested in you,
Aurelia. For several reasons, but let’s say that the fact that
you’re one of my kind, and stunning to boot… it definitely helped
you make it to the top of my list.”

“
And who are you to be making
lists and offering deals?” she asked.

“
I’m the CEO of Luna Corp,” he
answered. As he’d expected, she recognized the name immediately.
Despite herself, a smile rose to her lips.

“
I knew Luna Corp was run by
wolves,” she said, allowing herself a small victory. Soon the smile
dropped away, though.

“
So you’re a CEO. What does that
do for me?” she asked.

“
As you know, Luna Corp has grown
exponentially in the last few years. We’ve reached a stage where
we’ve made more money than we could ever spend, than our children’s
children could ever spend, and we’ve grown bored. Lonely.
Surrounded by humans, separated from other wolves. We seek to
change that.”

“
We? Who’s we?”

“
I’m the main agitator, you could
say. But Ben and Walker are on the same path as I am, and they’re
just as isolated. The three of us, we only have each
other.”

“
There are thousands of wolves in
the US. You could fly to New York, put out word. Probably get a few
hundred females that would throw themselves at your feet, wanting
your lifestyle. But me… I’m all the way in India. I’m a wanted
woman, as you’ve pointed out. Why come after me?”

“
As I said before, your talents.
And your beauty.”

“
Come out with it, then,” she
said. “Lay out your bargain.”

Lucas nodded, licking his lips.

“
I want you. In my house, here. In
my bed. I want to offer you a set of contracts. One for your skills
with a computer. Work with Ben, help us create new programs. One to
be my mistress, or one of them. I plan to offer several women deals
like this, deals that save them and involve me or one of the males
in my group. We wouldn’t be exclusive, unless it came
naturally.”

“
You’d share me with them? They’d
have the right to have whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted?”
she said, seeming both curious and offended.

“
You could share your affections
with them, or not. Your choice. The only thing stipulated in your
contract is that you remain with me, and that I have the right to
seduce you.”

“
And what would I get out of
this?”

“
I will make sure that every
bounty revoked, every group looking for you is satisfied in some
other way. You would be free to roam in the US after our contract
ended. You’d never see the inside of a jail cell. And while you’re
with me, you’d have nearly anything you wanted. Clothes, jewels,
spas, whatever it is you want. High-end tech at your fingertips
again, I know you’ve missed that.”

Aurelia studied him, returning to the couch
and sitting down.

“
And what if I refuse? What if I
grab one of my bags and run for it?” she asked, tilting her
head.

Lucas reached in his pocket, pulled out his
smart phone. Pulling up his photos, he offered the phone to her.
Dozens of photos of her brother, her sister-in-law, and their two
kids.

Aurelia sucked in a breath, anger rising to
the surface so quickly that his wolf could feel her
emotions.

“
You dare to threaten my family?”
she hissed, flashing the phone screen at him. The photo was one of
her brother Edgar, holding his young daughter.

“
No, you misunderstand. I lifted
these photos from the laptop of an agent of the Dubai
Police.”

Aurelia’s anger retreated slightly, and she
bit her lip.

“
I thought I buried our
connection. I spent months erasing every piece of digital evidence
that we’ve ever met,” she whispered, brushing her fingertips across
the screen to scroll the photos.

“
Unfortunately, he’s a software
engineer at a top ten tech company, and shares your name. Between
that and the fact that he won’t stop talking about you, using your
full name… there’s no hiding him,” Lucas explained, keeping his
tone gentle.

“
So if I say no, you’ll turn my
brother in?” she asked, her voice sad.

“
No, not at all,” Lucas said,
moving closer. He reached out, using two fingers to lift her chin
so their gazes met.

“
Let’s say that you agree, and
that your debts are resolved. I am offering to do that, and also to
keep a permanent protection team on your brother and his family.
For as long as you stay with me, he’ll be safe from anyone who
wants to hurt you through indirect means.”

Aurelia’s lip quivered, her hands shook a
little as she placed the phone on the couch.

“
Will I be able to speak to my
brother?” she asked.

“
We can bring him here to visit.
When your contract is up, you can buy a house near him, if that’s
what you want.”

Aurelia pulled back from his touch, pressing
the back of her hand to her eye. She ran her hands over her
travel-mussed hair, took a deep breath, straightened her spine.
Lucas nearly smiled, watching her physically align herself with the
decision she was making.

She met his gaze once again, then put out her
hand.

“
I accept,” she said, her voice
like steel.

Lucas took her hand, appreciating her firm
grip. Aurelia’s touch brought his wolf to the surface, fiercely
interested in the stunning female sitting next to him.

“
In that case,” he said. Releasing
her hand, he leaned close and took a deep breath of her scent. He
could sense her wolf, her growing excitement and anxiety, the
fluttering of her heartbeat at his proximity.

Releasing the breath, he sighed.

“
I have to admit, my wolf loves
you,” he said with a grin.

Aurelia gave him a shaky smile, and Lucas
realized she was overwhelmed and tired.

“
Alright. Here’s what we’re going
to do,” he said, taking control. “I’m going to show you to your
rooms, and get your baggage to you. I’ll bring you some food, and
the contracts. You can sleep, or take a long bath if you like.
Whatever you need. You can look over the contracts, ask me
questions if you need…” he trailed off, waving a hand.

“
Okay,” Aurelia said, fatigue
apparent on her face.

“
Let me show you to our suites,”
he said, standing and offering her a hand. She took it, and he
pulled her to her feet. Instead of releasing her hand, he laced his
fingers with hers and tugged her toward the back of the
house.

Leading her upstairs, he brought her to a fork
that offered two hallways.

“
You and I are everything on this
side,” he explained. “My room is all the way at the end. There are
master baths and sitting rooms for each of us between our bedrooms,
all adjoined. So this first door is you.”

He stopped, bringing her hand to his lips for
a brief kiss.

“
I’ll leave you here. Your bags
will be in your sitting room briefly,” he said.

“
I- I don’t quite know how to
thank you,” Aurelia said, her scent and that soft accent acting
like a punch in the gut.