Pack Challenge (6 page)

“That asshole called Sara scarred!”

-45-

Shelly Laurenston

Sara shook her head and sighed. The way they all acted, you’d think she was still ten and prone to crying.

“You guys, it’s really not that big a—”

“We’ll take care of it. Y’all go on now.” No. No. This wasn’t good. “Wait…”

Marrec’s nephews stared right at her and that look on their faces said they didn’t want an argument. She recognized that expression cause she got it from Marrec so often.

“Okay.”

Sara pulled away and she watched in her rear view the two men approach the much smaller man. Yeah, this would get real ugly real fast, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

Zach watched Sara’s truck stop short again and he started to head over to find out what the hell was wrong with her driving, when that asshole’s cruel words rang out over the quiet town. In fact, every shifter on the street locked on the man like Zach had locked on a deer the night before. But before Zach could do anything, two of Marrec’s Pack headed over there first and dealt with it.

Christ, what was wrong with him? When did he get all pathetic and protective over some really annoying woman? Never. That’s when. And he wouldn’t start now.

Conall walked out of the diner and stood behind him. “I’m still hungry.”

Shaking his head, Zach watched Sara’s truck continue down the street while Marrec’s Pack taught a man how to cry. “You just had five plates of waffles. How are you still hungry?”

“I don’t see your point.”

“Forget it. My life’s too short for this discussion.”

-46-

Pack Challenge

“How about coffee?”

Zach shrugged. “Whatever. I saw a place up the street.”

“I don’t know, guys.” Miki poured cream in her coffee and stared at her friends.

Sara sipped her hot chocolate and stared back. She’d already seen Miki’s morning reading material—a book on the world of motorcycle clubs rested on the counter.

Miki’s second job was in a local bookstore slash Internet cafe. This meant her little psycho friend had constant access to just enough information to make her dangerous.

“I don’t think we should hit that party tonight.”

“What?” Angelina snapped, coming out of her coffee-induced haze.

When Angelina drank her coffee, she had the ability to completely tune everyone out. Especially Miki.

“We don’t know these people, Angie. And I think there’s something weird about them.”

“You think there’s something weird about everyone.”

“Yes. And there always is.”

Miki sat on a stool by the register, her gaze focusing on Sara. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know. I don’t feel overly concerned.” Miki shook her head. “It’s bugging me.” Sara didn’t have time for this. When Miki had one of her “moments”, she could analyze something until you begged her to stop. Begged. “Look, Miki, you can come or you can stay home. Your call. But I’m going.” Miki looked at Angelina, causing the woman to raise one delicate eyebrow. “Like you even have to ask.”

-47-

Shelly Laurenston

Miki chuckled. “Fine. I’m going then. I can’t let you two out on your own. But no drinking, Sara. I need you to be rational.”

“Good luck with that.” The mug of hot chocolate was halfway to Sara’s lips when his deep but lightly sarcastic voice stopped her. “The rational part that is.”

Sara looked up and there he was. Leaning against the door jam, quietly watching her. The morning sun at his broad back, lightening his dark brown hair and setting off his hazel eyes. He once again wore jeans and a black T-shirt emblazoned with a logo for a band she’d never heard of. His big arms crossed in front of his even bigger chest and when he smiled at her he showed gleaming white teeth.

The man simply looked gorgeous without even trying. She hated him.

“What are you doing here?” Sara bit out before she could stop herself.

“That’s not very friendly. I thought Texans were friendly.”

“Texans are. But I’m not.”

Angelina quickly jumped in, “So that party tomorrow, lots of people going to be there?”

Sara stared straight at Zach. He wouldn’t turn away, so she didn’t either. That went on for about a minute until his large blond friend bringing up the rear, slammed into Zach’s back. “Where’s the coffee? I’m dyin’.”

There was no way those two huge specimens were getting through the door at the same time, so the blond simply forced his way past Zach into the shop, making a direct line for Miki at the counter.

It was Sara’s turn to smile as the blond bear forced Zach to move out of the way. But when Zach’s eyes once again focused on hers, Sara’s breath caught in her throat and her clit started to throb, her nipples became rock hard. She couldn’t help it. Those damn eyes tore right through her. Sara turned away before he could see how much he was getting to her and took a sip of her now tepid chocolate. She couldn’t even taste it.

-48-

Pack Challenge

The big blond bear stood at the counter staring at Miki.

Miki stared back at him. She reminded Sara of a skittish colt that might bolt at any moment. “Do you actually want something?” Miki asked carefully.

The big guy blinked in confusion, and Sara had the sneaking suspicion he’d been standing there imagining her best friend naked.

“What?” he finally asked.

Miki looked at Sara, panic wafting off her. “Okay, Sara?” Sara heard the desperation in her friend’s voice.
Poor thing.
Sara sighed to herself. Miki simply didn’t know how to handle someone who actually liked her.

Of course, Miki would probably say the same about her.

“Want something?” he asked, snapping out of it. “Oh, yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Two large coffees to go. Please.” Miki turned away so fast to fill his order she banged into the counter.

Sara saw Angelina’s body shaking with silent laughter, while Sara dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand to keep from embarrassing poor Miki any more than she’d embarrassed herself.

“So you guys coming to the party tomorrow night?” the blond stalker asked Miki’s back as Zach slowly closed the space between him and Sara.

Sara was still turned away from him, but she felt him. Felt him getting closer to her. Felt her body respond. She was terrified he’d touch her, and terrified he wouldn’t. And all that “terror” was making her unbelievably wet.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Angelina answered, probably because she knew Miki wouldn’t. Typical Angelina, she didn’t even notice the two gorgeous men right in front of her. Instead, she flipped through one of those fashion magazines Sara found blindingly boring. Some people called Angelina cold. Sara just called her finicky.

-49-

Shelly Laurenston

Funny thing was, for the first time Sara could remember, neither of these men seemed to notice Angelina. “Thor” couldn’t stop staring at Miki. Zach, for some bizarre reason, wouldn’t stop staring at her. Even though Sara’s back was to him, she felt his eyes on her. Felt them traveling down her body, her chest, her arms, her legs. She kept asking herself why? What could he possibly see in her? Was he a scar freak or a

“gimp” fanatic? Maybe he thought he was doing a good deed. Of course, Zach didn’t look like the good deed type. Instead he seemed much more like the “I’ll make you come so hard your legs will shake but only if I get something out of it” type.

Whatever his type, it was making her crazy and distrustful which, thankfully, was helping her control her desire to take his cock in her mouth.

What is wrong with you?

Angelina tossed the magazine aside and stood. “I’ve got to get to work.” She grabbed her bag and headed toward the door.

“Wait! Don’t leave me!” Sara barked loudly before she had a chance to stop herself. They all turned to stare at her. She cleared her throat. “I’m going to be late for work. So I better leave with you.” Angelina cocked her head in confusion. “Since when do you care about being on time—ow!” Sara grabbed Angelina’s arm and forced her out of the store.

“
You’re both leaving
?” Miki yelled after them, but Sara kept going.

She’d have to apologize to Miki later.

Once Sara dragged her friend to the corner, Angelina snatched her arm away. “
What is it with you?
” she demanded, rubbing the red spot Sara caused while desperately clutching her friend.

“Nothing,” Sara snapped back.

Angelina gave a dazzling smile. “He’s getting to you.”

“Who?”

Her friend nodded back to the bookstore. “You know. Mr. Not Nice.”

-50-

Pack Challenge

Sara growled in annoyance and turned to make her way up to Marrec’s shop.

“Don’t worry,” Angelina yelled after her. “I won’t tell!” Without turning around, Sara raised her middle finger high in the air and did her best to ignore the laughter that followed.

“She makes great coffee, huh?” Conall asked as he slowly sipped the French-roasted brew. The pair sat on a bench across the street from the bookstore, Zach’s body still throbbing from having Sara’s hot little ass in his sights. No one had a right to be that cute so early in the morning.

“Yeah. She sure does.” Zach took a healthy sip. “But she’s still Satan.”

Conall smiled. “Then I guess I’ll just have to burn.” Zach shook his head. His friend sure did have it bad for a woman who went screaming beyond the realm of blunt.
Well, whatever floats
your boat
.

Like Sara. Sara floated Zach’s boat. She was such a ripe piece of ass.

Okay, she was more than that, and hearing her and her friends talk about him last night like a side of beef wasn’t helping. Because Angelina was right. He wasn’t nice, in bed or out. And he had the feeling Sara could handle that. Would be in to that. Would be in to him. So he could be inside of her.

But he wasn’t about to get caught in that trap. End up like Yates, with some petty, power-hungry bitch as his mate. Why? So he could breed? The Pack hadn’t been the same since Casey came along. Not that anyone considered Zach the fun one of the Pack, but he enjoyed everyone else having fun. Now, no one really laughed anymore. Or simply enjoyed themselves, as wolves often liked to do. The situation even forced his sister to move to their European operations so she could get away from what she called “that fun funeral feeling” the den now had. Casey

-51-

Shelly Laurenston

brought a pall over the Magnus Pack Zach would never really be able to forgive the woman for.

He just didn’t get it. They were all human enough to fuck and go. He never understood why Yates hadn’t. As much as some of them wanted to believe it, they weren’t full wolves. They were human, too. They had the power of choice. He decided he wanted to be Alpha Male. He decided he was going to buy this T-shirt. And he didn’t go around attacking every bitch in heat. In fact, he went out of his way to stay away from them. He didn’t want kids. He’d be more than happy to let the other Pack mates breed and then raise their little whelps to take over when he was too old or tired to hold the leash. But every wolf female he’d met wanted to breed their mate’s kid. So, Zach had decided, any mate he chose would be fixed.

But really, in the end, what exactly was the purpose of marking someone as your mate forever? At least full-humans had divorce.

Of course, Zach never thought about mates or mating as much until he came to this fucking little town in the middle of nowhere. All because of her. A crazy woman who apparently couldn’t drive very well and insisted on hanging around other crazy women. Plus, it really didn’t help she wanted him. Boy, did she want him. He could practically hear her clit twitching from where he stood. But what pissed him off was that his dick kept getting hard every time he saw her. Every time he thought about her. What the hell was that anyway? Even thinking about seeing her this morning, before he caught sight of her truck, his dick was rock solid. That was unacceptable. He didn’t want any woman to have that much control over him. Especially Sara Morrighan.

He knew he couldn’t get attached to her. He wouldn’t. Just turn her and go. He had plans to make and a Pack to protect. No time to get involved with some nutty girl whose grandmother probably damaged her more than the Pride that scarred her face and body.

-52-

Pack Challenge

The problem was it sometimes took years to turn someone. To get them to face their true selves. It took years before they felt that surge of power, years before they could shift at will and hunt with the Pack. But, of course, that’s what Casey wanted. For a girl who wouldn’t be comfortable with who she was for quite awhile to distract his dumb ass.

Twenty-eight years was a very long time to be completely oblivious to who and what you really are.

Zach’s cell phone went off. He looked at the caller ID and sighed.

Casey.

“Yeah?”

“Hey, Zach. It’s Casey.” Dumb bitch. She knew they all had caller ID.

“Yeah?”

“I need you to pick up Julie’s bike from the shop today.”
Yeah, of course she did.
“Okay.”

“Great!” She hung up.

Zach shut his phone off. “Gotta pick up Julie’s bike. Wanna come?” Before Conall could answer his cell phone went off. Conall looked at the caller ID, smiled, and answered. “This is Conall. Yeah. Okay.” He hung up. “Can’t.”

“That was Casey, wasn’t it?”

Conall shrugged. “Sorry, Zach. She wants me to help out at the site.” Zach sighed again. “Sure she does.”

Great. Now he had to go deal with Sara and that old wolf Marrec.

Well, maybe Sara was on her own.

Alone with Sara…yup. His dick just went hard again. He would have to do something about that. It was really starting to piss him off.

-53-

Shelly Laurenston

“You are going to that party tomorrow, aren’t you?” Sara looked up from her chopper magazine and glared at her boss.

He sat on the other side of the counter polishing off his chicken fried rice and beef with mushrooms like he hadn’t eaten in three days. The coolest thing about working for Marrec, though…every day she worked at the shop, she never had to pay for food. “Maybe.”