The Wolf Who Loved Her (2 page)

“That isn’t necessary, you know.” She snatched the money from the counter. “This isn’t a bar.”

She deposited the cash in the register and waved the change in his face. Ignoring the money, he leaned in close and bit back a smile when her eyes widened. Unnerving her did wonders to his ego. No matter how hard she played, she wasn’t as immune to his presence as she pretended to be. Her arousal told him as much. Sniffing the air, he grunted and leaned in closer, thrilled by her scent. His cock lengthened, straining against the rough fabric of his jeans.

He knew his eyes were shining a deep green, revealing the wolf inside, but he couldn’t seem to control himself. The woman called to him—on a primal level.

The decision was made.

He’d have to have her. Not tonight, but soon, after she warmed up to him. He’d have to go slow with this little chatterbox. Humans could be a squeamish species. Glancing at the name displayed on her tag, he took the book.

“Thank you, Joni. I’ll see you soon.”

“Whatever,” she mumbled just before he reached the door.

At the reply, he turned and faced her once more, an amused look curving his lips. “
Whatever
isn’t the right word for what I imagine, sweetheart.” When her jaw dropped in shock, he opened the door and disappeared into the night.

Chapter Two

Joni awoke with a crick in her neck, thinking about the enigmatic stranger from last night. Flipping her bed covers aside, she growled loudly. That’s it. She had to get laid.
Soon
. Maybe Trichelle could fix her up on a blind date. Her long time friend loved playing matchmaker.

She yanked her braids up into a ponytail and shuffled towards the kitchen. After chugging down two cups of milk, she dressed and dragged herself downstairs to open up the shop, silently praying for new customers. At the foot of the stairs, she unlocked the double bolt doors and stepped directly into the store.

Her breathing stuttered as she gazed, horrified. The place was trashed; fallen bookshelves, cracked display cases, serenity posters ripped in two. It was a scene straight out of a disaster movie. Staggering back against the wall, Joni took a calming breath, trying to make sense of the incident.

Who’d do such a thing? Who’d be so hateful?
She didn’t have any enemies. She was a nice sweet girl. These things didn’t happen to nice sweet girls!

Blinking back tears, she stared at the crowbar wedged between the front door and panel, and at the muddy footprints on the floor mat. Her mind worked. Hadn’t she heard a hammering noise last night? Thinking it’d been the generator, she’d gone back to sleep. Joni cursed her stupidity then scanned the room, expecting a stranger to charge at any moment, but no one was there.

Rubbing her red eyes, a hysterical laugh escaped her. What was she supposed to do now? Her whole livelihood was invested in the store. It wasn’t like she could run home to mommy and daddy at the first sign of trouble. A car accident had killed her parents years ago. She was alone in the world.

She clutched her heart at the thought, and then moved through the sea of scattered books, dragging her scarf behind her. A minute in, her sadness quickly transformed into anger.
The fucking bastard!
She’d always been proud of her nonviolent beliefs, but at the sight of her poor store, she wanted to kick butt.

Soothed by her anger, she reached for the cashbox behind the register, the place where she kept her major funds, and breathed a great sigh of relief. Her resources were still intact...for now at least.

Hours later, after she filed a report with the police, she found herself in the alley taking out the trash. The cops had gone through their familiar shtick of questions and advice. After ten minutes of their routine, she longed to get rid of them, but held back. What would be the use? It wouldn’t be fair to take her frustration out on the men in blue.

She hauled the garbage to the dumpster, feeling lonely and depressed. Though it was a beautiful day, the strong afternoon light did little to lift her spirits. It only made her feel more forlorn and lost. She shielded her eyes against the blinding light, and let out a miserable sigh.

“Joni, what now?” she mumbled under her breath.

“I know.”

She whirled around at the response to find a man sitting on a rail a few feet away. He stared at her, his pupils disturbingly white next to the red of his eyes. At the spooky sight, her instincts hitched. A drug addict.
Oh Lord
. Maybe he was going through withdrawal.

“Hello, are you okay?”

The man didn’t say anything, just looked his fill.

“You’re a hot little bitch.”

So, he was one of those crazy drug addicts.
Nice.
First the store—now this man? Was the entire world going up in flames?

“A little fat, but hot,” said the man. “I like ’em with a little extra on the bones.”

She weighed her options. The back door was out of her reach. It would only take her three minutes to make it to the main street. Maybe a few cops were still around. But she didn’t have three minutes. She didn’t even have one.

Dammit, she should’ve taken those self defense classes with Trichelle last summer. What was the plan again? A kick to the chin, you will win; a kick to the dick will kill the hick.

Breathing in deeply, she decided to be brave. “Look, back off, mister.”

Suddenly the man was moving towards her, his arms outstretched, his mouth twisted in a cruel line. “Don’t be tricky, bitch. You’ve seen what I do when I’m angry.”

Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She flung an accusing finger in his direction.
“You
destroyed my store!”

The man smiled, advancing. A sick feeling uncoiled from the pit of her stomach. If the psychopath was capable of doing that amount of damage to her store, then he was capable of ripping her to shreds. If it hadn’t been for her apartment’s bolted double doors, he might’ve attacked her last night while she slept. Terrified, she scanned the area for help, but only saw empty carts and abandoned stairways. The large dumpster blocked her escape to the street. She was alone with this deranged man.

“Look, it’s okay,” she started. “I never really liked the store anyways. I mean, books are so eighteenth century. Now it’s all about television and video games and online DVDs—”

With a sneer, the man charged at her, making her trip over her feet. She tumbled to the ground. Her head hit the pavement with a loud thud. Stars exploded behind her eyes as her breathing skipped. A salty, warm liquid throbbed in her mouth. Blood. She’d bitten her tongue.

One minute, the man was leering over her and the next, he was ripping her turtleneck to pieces, exposing her breast to the chilly Wisconsin air.

“I’m going to enjoy this.”

Her screams ricocheted through the alley. She could not die like this. She had so much to live for!

“Shut up, fucking human whore.”

Suddenly, a roar erupted in the alley. Joni turned her head and saw the biggest wolf she’d ever seen run down the narrow lane. It was the size of a small pony, with a midnight black coat and startling sea green eyes. Her heart hammered against her chest. A wolf? It belonged in a zoo—hell, in the Rocky Mountains—not out in the public. It was beyond intimidating, with its sharp fangs, huge paws, and ferocious growl. It could kill her with one perfectly placed bite. She cursed her predicament. If the man didn’t kill her, the beast surely would. She prayed like she’d never prayed before.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God.”

At the sound of her chant, the wolf met her gaze and stopped growling. It flashed a lopsided grin while its tongue wagged free. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say it was a friendly dog.

But the thought was ripped from her mind as soon as it lunged forward, towards her attacker, aimed to kill. The wolf sunk its fangs into his ankles, causing the man to scramble off of her, howling in pain. But the beast was relentless. It wouldn’t stop. It chewed the man’s bone like it was feasting on a doggy treat.

Joni rolled over to the side to give them room just as the wolf pounced upon the man’s other leg, sending him toppling to the ground. It stood on top of him, its paws on his chest, its snarl as deadly as a rattlesnake. Joni gagged at the sight of the man’s bloody face. When the beast sunk its canines into her attacker’s neck, ripping his veins out with a bloody chunk, she knew it was all over. The man went still.

Dead.

He was dead.

Her attacker was dead.

She bit down on her lower lip in an effort to stop her growing panic. It was all too much. It was all too
damn
much! This had to be some sort of bad dream. Gigantic wolves did not kill men in broad daylight. Maybe in bad sci-fi movies, but not in real life. Not in Wisconsin!

She raised herself up on her elbows. Even though her chest was still exposed, she had other things to worry about. Like protecting herself from the three hundred pound wolf, whose gaze shifted from the dead man to her breasts.

Under its intense appraisal, a pool of liquid gathered between her legs. Her nipples quivered with awareness. Bewildered by her response, Joni clawed the filthy sidewalk in hopes of discovering a handy weapon, something to wound the animal while she made an escape.

“Nice doggie. Be a good doggie, doggie.”

The wolf inched closer, with its head down, as though it was trying not to frighten her. Then it leaned over her and licked her breasts. She swiped at its head, but it bounced away gracefully then returned for another lick.

“Ick! Cut it out,” she yelped. “I thought you were a nice doggie.”

Suddenly, the earth shifted. One minute a wolf was licking her, the next minute, a man. An aroused man. Her green eyed stranger!

“I’m not a dog, sweetheart” he whispered. “I’m a wolf.”

Joni fainted straightaway.

Chapter Three

While Joni lay on her bed, passed out, Ian studied her small apartment, curious about the woman he’d just rescued. Piles of shoes huddled around a makeshift closet. A stove, countertop, and fridge were the only things that made up the kitchen, and a television and bookrack sat below a large arched window in her living room. It was a tiny space, unfit for a child, let alone a grown woman. He scowled and returned to the bed.

Did she have no funds to purchase a larger place? Was she all alone up here? What if he hadn’t been walking by in the nick-of-time? What if she’d been raped and maimed?

Fury flared in his chest. He tensed, staring at her sleeping form.

She was going to wake up eventually. And he was going to have to explain his actions. He snarled aloud in frustration. Perhaps he’d handled the situation badly. Perhaps he shouldn’t have killed the little twerp in front of her, but how could he control himself at the sight of the man’s hands on her lovely flesh? It had been beyond his control.

Not taking his eyes off her face, he reached down, and tucked a braid behind her ear. The plaits licked her dark skin, giving her a fresh, youthful look. His eyes traveled to the swell of her breasts beneath the comforter, where shreds of torn sweater peeked from the sheets. He had tried to cover her up to restrain his lecherous thoughts. Now, eying the sheets, he wished for the view.

He wondered what would happen if he kissed her. Just a kiss, he reasoned. Something to keep his beast at bay. Didn’t he deserve it? Hadn’t he been craving this human all night? Visions of her dark skin and eyes taunting his control to no end? Encouraged by his lustful rationalizations, he lowered his head, and placed his mouth on hers. The feel of her plump lips made him groan in satisfaction. My God, what type of woman possessed lips like these? They were full and soft and skilled at sending him over the edge.

You brought this on yourself
, his wolf sneered.

Without pause, he parted her mouth wider, eager to get a firmer grip. He longed to fling the sheets aside to feast on her breast. To thrust inside her to the hilt. To taste and feel the sweet tightness of her sex. He flattened his hands on the bed post, and panted slightly, more turned on then he’d ever been in his life. At the sound, her eyes slowly opened and their gazes locked. He braced himself for her reaction, which was sure to be a loud shriek or a firm kick in the balls, but she only whispered “More,” in a honeyed voice that made his cock feel like a hot slab of stone.

He yelped in appreciation.

Touching both sides of her head, he arched her neck, and plunged deeper, exploring every ridge of her mouth. She was sweet; the soft velvet of her mouth a pleasure bolt to his senses. He could just hear his pack brothers now:
Ianlick? Controlled by a woman? A human woman? Impossible.

Fuck the pricks.

With sweat-soaked skin, he lost himself in the kiss, listening to the shallow sounds of erratic breathing. When he felt the change start, felt his beast clawing at his human skin, he pried his lips away from hers and stood on shaky feet.

Desire shone in her eyes.

“This is a lovely dream,” she said, smiling up at him, sucking her swollen lips.

Ian scowled, on the brink of shifting. The heady scent of her was pulling him over the edge, was transforming his rational mind into a wild, lust-craved animal. He clenched his fists, breathed, swallowed—until the beast submitted. Tamed. For now.

“I love dreams,” she repeated. “Anything can happen in a dream.”

Never one for lies, Ian broke the news to her hard.

“This isn’t a dream, sweetheart. Everything you remember is true. The man. The wolf. Me.”

Her eyes narrowed, still not convinced. “Come here, dream boy!”

Ian would’ve laughed if he wasn’t so concerned that she had a possible concussion. Irritated that he didn’t think of it earlier, he kneeled beside her, placing his fingers in her braids, searching for bruises, carefully. When he touched a small bump just above her neck, she flinched and cursed, jolting back to reality.

“Okay,” she said, breathing in a gulp of air. “This isn’t a dream. So, what, what is it then? Who are you?”