To Tame His Mate (2 page)

“Not a problem. I’m glad for the help.” Then he was out the door.

Erik was certainly different from what she was used to in a man. He didn’t crowd her, seemed to respect her privacy and understood why she was running. Most importantly, he wasn’t judging her. He was
helping
her. Giving her a job and a place to stay. The only problem with this was the fact that her wolf was literally panting after the man. Her inner canine had wasted no time taking in his scent when he’d been next to her either. There was no sign of a mate or any other female that she was able to detect and that made the beast very happy. Well, hell, she couldn’t say anything since her human side found him extremely attractive, as well. And why wouldn’t she? He was a solitary soul, like her, so it was only logical she’d be drawn to him.

Right?

Right.

Sarah eyed the small bathroom longingly and decided to at least rinse some of the mud off of her legs and maybe give the clothes in her bag a quick wash, not willing to actually shower until her host came back. Old habits died hard, but she wasn’t quite ready to put all her trust in someone she’d just met. So, after gathering what she needed, she plugged the tub and turned the faucet only to have it groan in reply.

That ominous sound didn’t bode well, and she immediately reached to turn off the valve, but the ancient pipe burst and water erupted from the busted line, drenching everything in the room.

Reeling back from the blast of frigid water, Sarah scrambled to her feet determined to find some sort of shut-off valve before her host’s bathroom was completely flooded. However, she’d no sooner gotten to her feet than she fell right back down as she encountered a slick spot on the wet floor.

Twisting in an effort to catch herself, Sarah cried out when her knee suddenly buckled with a sickening crunch leaving her sprawled on the floor as water continued raining down from the busted pipe.

Well, shit
.

* * * *

Erik sprinted through the rain, determined to gather everything he felt necessary to make Sarah comfortable. He couldn’t explain what it was exactly, but there was a not-so-subtle urge being given by his wolf to pamper this female and take care of her.

She was a beautiful girl. A little thin, but she had long, wavy honey-blonde hair and a peaches and cream complexion that made her more than passably pretty. It was her eyes, however, that left him staring at her like a fool. They were amber. Clear as crystals with a fathomless depth that seemed to pull him in.

His attraction was met and matched by that of his wolf. The poor beast was desperate to rub against her, marking her as its own. Erik knew better. She’d run for the hills if he tried to get too close.

No, she was too wild for him. He liked his quiet country life. His brothers and parents visited every so often, but that was it.

Besides, she obviously didn’t want a man right now. So why was his wolf growling at that thought?

He quickly grabbed an assortment on linens, food, drinks and one of his robes then, pleased with his offering, he loaded his truck. He drove through the, now pouring rain to the cabin. When he stepped from the truck, he caught the faint scent of panic.

Scenting her anxiety caused his own to spike. Had the wolves after her found her so soon?

“Sarah?” No answer. “Sarah!” he yelled as he burst through the door, sending it crashing into the wall. “Sarah? Where are you?” Hers was the only scent in the cabin, so what had her so panicked?

Then he heard the water running and the sound of her cursing.

“I’m trying to figure out how to turn the water off!” she yelled back. “The pipe burst.”

“I’ll get it.” He ran out the door and around to the back, relieved that this problem she faced was easily fixed. Quickly, he turned off the main valve. Silence descended on the tiny structure, and he jogged back inside, hearing a thud and, this time, a louder curse followed by a low whimper. As he entered the bedroom, he saw that water had run out of the bathroom and across most of the floor.

She limped into the doorway, and he went to her side.

“Are you all right?” Erik asked as he tried to visually assess her for injuries.

“I’m fine. Just slipped and busted my ass on the floor.” She rubbed her rear as an adorable blush spread across her cheeks. “I’m sorry about your pipe.”

“Don’t even try it. I should have thought to check things better.” He ran his fingers through his hair and tried to figure out the best way to present his next offer without spooking her too much. “Listen, I know that you aren’t big on alpha-males, but I have a large house with plenty of guestrooms…and functional plumbing.”

Concern and wariness were clear on her face. She was such a mistrusting creature, much like a dog that had been kicked often. “And I can leave any time I want?”

“You’re a guest, not a prisoner. I live alone, so you won’t have to worry about anyone popping up.” He paused. “Except my mother. She pops in whenever it suits her, but my brothers usually call first.”

She smiled sadly. “That’s nice though. My parents disowned me when I left my pack.”

“I’m sorry. That must have been hard.” He couldn’t imagine.

“Yeah but I’m stronger for it. Nobody to depend on but myself.” She shrugged. She did that a lot, and he got the feeling she missed her family a lot more than she let on.

“So what do you say? Do you want to come to the house with me or rough it here?” Erik wasn’t sure why it was so important to him, but he wanted her to trust him enough to do this. “I drove the truck out here because it’s raining pretty hard now. There’re supplies in there, but I can bring them back into the house just as easily as I can bring them in here.”

He waited, somewhat patiently, as she glanced around the room at the water standing on the floor, her wet bag and the soggy clothes on the bathroom floor.

“I really could use a warm shower, if you don’t mind, and somewhere to hang my clothes.” She turned and, still limping, headed for the wet clothes.

“Hold up a sec. You’ve already slipped once. Just let me grab it for you.” He scooted past and picked up her things, wringing out as much water as he could. “We’ll give everything a wash at the house.”

He stopped when he entered the bedroom again. Sarah had the leg of her khaki pants pulled up to reveal a swollen and slightly bruised knee. She quickly righted her clothing and moved to stand again.

Obviously, she didn’t want to appear weak in any way, but Erik wasn’t about to let her hurt herself worse than she already had. “Sit,” he barked.

She glared back at him, obviously not wanting to obey.

“You’ve already done a number on your leg. Do you really want to make it worse?” After stuffing her wet things into her duffle, he moved to stand before her. When she took a step back to regain her space, she faltered on her injured leg, and he caught her. “I’ve got you.” He could sense her wariness, but was unwilling to let her hit the floor.

“I can take care of myself.” She growled.

Man,
was she touchy.

“I never said that you couldn’t, but you need to learn to accept help when you need it.” He was scolding her as if she were a child, and he knew it, but damn it, she was running the risk of making the injury worse.

She settled down in his arms, and he heard her weary sigh. “It’s never been available. I’m sorry if I’m being difficult, but I’m used to being alone with only myself to rely on.”

“You’ve got me now, Sarah.” Her reluctance was obvious, but she allowed him to gently lift her into his arms. The whimper that escaped her spoke of the pain her knee caused her. “Take it easy. I won’t drop you. We’ll head to the house, get some ice on that knee and get you dry. Not necessarily in that order, but it’s a plan.”

“Sounds good to me.” Sarah placed her arms around his neck, and he relished how her warmth seemed to seep into his body.

Chapter Two

Erik’s house was a lot like him. No frills and what you saw was what you got. There were large open rooms with huge windows, the drapes opened wide to allow in all of the natural light.

She’d only seen two rooms since entering his plantation-like home twenty minutes ago, but the place was just
huge
. Two stories, white with navy blue shutters and four towering columns made up the front of the building. Lush green vines wove around the columns, giving the place an air of southern charm.

The bathroom he’d carried her into was a sight to behold. Oak-finished floors and cabinets, white-marble countertops and tub, a shower stall big enough for two and soft, shaggy, white bath rugs.

Heaven!

He’d left her in here while he brought her things inside and put everything together in a guest room for her. So here she was still soaking in his large garden tub. The water had begun to chill while she’d listened to him move around in the house. She could only imagine what he was doing.

Deciding it was time to get out of the bath, Sarah struggled for a few minutes to get herself to a standing position then began drying. She eyed the wet, dirty clothes on the floor before spotting a fluffy white robe on the back of the door. Hoping he wouldn’t mind her borrowing his things, she slipped her arms into the sleeves, closed her eyes and sighed her pleasure. It was the finest thing she’d worn in years. Lightweight and soft as a dream.

Sarah sincerely hoped that he didn’t take offense to her helping herself, but putting on dirty clothes just seemed to defeat the purpose of the bath. So far, Erik seemed to be a genuinely sweet man…if a bit pushy at times. She had to admit, he had a point about her not accepting help very graciously, but if he’d spent the last six years running as she had then he’d understand help wasn’t offered by many. Hell, when it was, there tended to be some catch. The whole “nothing in life is every free” bit.

Sarah could only hope that this handsome alpha wolf didn’t decide to issue a few “catches” of his own. It would totally ruin the pedestal her inner canine was building for him.

When she opened the door, she found a basket filled with the sodden contents from her bag along with a note to place her other clothes in it. By the time she’d done that, her knee was throbbing in time with her pulse.

Damn, you’ve done it this time,
she thought irritably.
But at least he seems to be on my side.

After all, look at how well he’d treated her so far. The other alphas had only been interested in getting her marked and mated before she could get away. Yes, Sarah was very grateful this man was the one to find her. She knew things could have ended up much worse.

When she hobbled out the bathroom door, she had to clutch the wall for support. Sarah hated showing weakness, but she wasn’t stupid. Her knee was seriously injured. With her werewolf healing, it should have stopped swelling by now, but no dice.

“Hold up.”

His deep voice startled her, and Sarah instinctively turned to face him, only to cry out in agony as her knee buckled.

“Shit!” he swore as she fell, and he dove for her. He caught her and lifted her effortlessly then carried her to the plush, suede sofa in the living room.

“I’ll be fine. I just need to rest it for a while,” she insisted.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He parted the robe where it covered her legs and winced. “You’re tough. I’ll give you that.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You need to get this x-rayed.” He lifted her leg and gently positioned a pillow beneath her knee.

Sarah’s eyes widened at that, and she felt the blood drain from her face.

“I can’t! They’ll find me. What if they’re in town? I can’t fight like this!” Her panic set in, the acrid scent coming off of her in waves, but she couldn’t help it. Her heart rate kicked into double-time as her body dumped a load of adrenaline into her system. “I can’t work for you with a bum leg, either. Just let me grab my clothes, and I’ll go. I’ll be fine…”

“You’re right. You will be fine because you’ll be staying here.” He pulled an afghan off the back of a matching recliner and covered her legs. “This is a small town. There’s a new physician’s assistant at the clinic, and I can take care of the bill. After all, you were hurt because of
my
faulty plumbing.”

“But…” Sarah shook her head, her long blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.” His voice was gentle and, for some reason, somewhat soothing. “Sarah, you don’t have to do everything by yourself. Let me help you.”

Erik’s silver-blue eyes looked into hers, and something inside her softened and warmed. He offered her aid without knowing anything about her other than her name and that she was on the run. Could he really be this nice? Was anyone? There was only one way to find out. She’d just have to lay everything out in the open and see if he still wanted her to stay.

“Listen, let me explain exactly how deep the shit is that I’m in then you can re-think that last statement. Deal?”

“If it would make you feel better.” He settled into the recliner facing her and waited.

“I’ve never fit in anywhere,” she began. “I was too rough and tumble for the other she-wolves in my pack, and even for most of the boys. They recognized me as an alpha by the time I was thirteen.

“My parents were proud until I informed them that I didn’t want to live in a pack.” She sighed, remembering the complete meltdown her mother had suffered at that news. “Then when I was eighteen I left, and every pack alpha I met after that has tried to force a mating on me. I had to, literally, fight my way out.”

A frown creased his brow, the disapproval evident in his gorgeous eyes.

“Those males tried their damnedest to sink their teeth into me, and one of them lost a few for his effort. I’ve always managed to get away.”

“How long have you been running?”

“I’m twenty-four.” She felt better stating her age rather than the number of years spent moving and hiding.

“Six
years
?” he squawked. He flopped back in his chair, shaking his head in disbelief. “You are a truly amazing woman.”