Wicked Days with a Lone Wolf (14 page)

“Is this some kind of over-emotional full moon thing that you’re going to regret in the morning? You can’t fucking
do
this,” Kyle protested even as he let Jett lean closer, let him push up the back of Kyle’s T-shirt to get hands on skin. “He’s jealous. He’ll smell you on me. He’ll kill us both.”

“Not if you leave now. Tonight. He won’t know,” Jett whispered against Kyle’s lips. “I’ll help you. Like I did ten years ago.”

Kyle’s adrenaline surged. It wasn’t only the thought of finally getting away. It was Jett’s promise. It was that stupid teenager inside of him who hadn’t quite gotten beaten down beneath his father’s fists. The one who didn’t want to go, but if Jett was coming?

He’d go anywhere.

“Okay,” he panted, sucking one breath after another. Painfully hard and fuzzy-headed, he tried to think of the implications. He’d run through it in his head so many times, but now, at this moment, what the fuck had he just agreed to?

Leaving home. Leaving everything he knew.

“I have a bag. There. In the cabinet above the stove.” Kyle pointed. “Some clothes and some cash.” Jesus, he couldn’t breathe.

Jett nodded. “Your bike’s outside?”

“Yeah.”

“Trash it. My car’s up the road. I’ll drive you to catch a bus or something, and I can get you more cash. You don’t want to use any bank or credit cards. No cell phone.”

“You don’t need to give me—”

“I said I’d help.” Jett gave him a sharp look. He backed off to wait at the doorway, the moonlight showing every line and muscle.

Tonight Kyle finally had Jett the way he’d always wanted him, and they had to go.

Kyle wished they didn’t have to leave so fast. He didn’t know how soon Pete would realize he’d gone, though. Now was better, but as he grabbed his go bag, the tumble of rocks in his belly made him stop. “You said you couldn’t make promises. So what is this?”

Jett braced one arm in the doorway. “It’s like you said. I told that kid ten years ago that he’d be safe. You’re right that I’ve been strung up with my own shit. I didn’t notice you needed help. This mating agreement, it’s wrong. It’s all wrong.” He held out a hand to take Kyle’s bag.

As much as Kyle wanted to accept Jett’s help, pride held him back. “I’m not some damsel in distress.”

Jett’s grin looked off-kilter. “Fuck no, you’re not.” Stepping forward, he took hold of Kyle’s chin, leaning in and sweeping his tongue over Kyle’s lower lip. Tell you what, though. I wake up every day wishing I was someone else. I’m thinking we have that in common. Maybe if you get a lift out of town, the pack will have more trouble finding you, yeah?”

Kyle nodded. “Yeah.”

Jett held his hand out again. “I haven’t done much in my life I honestly feel good about, Kyle. Let me do this for you.”

This time, Kyle took Jett’s hand.

***

A
sh stood inside the curtained exam area where Ryan was being held while he waited for Jett to finish up talking with the Feds. Sherri had said her goodbyes to her ex and now stood down the hall having a misty-eyed pow-wow with her former partner from DC.

After they left tonight, there wouldn’t be much reason to return. Much as he hated to owe the man who used to sleep with Sherri anything, if Ash was gonna thank the guy for saving his life, now would be the time.

Ryan spoke first. “Hey.” Probably groggy from painkillers, he slowly motioned in Ash’s general direction with one shackled hand. “You take care of her.”

Ash eased closer to the hospital bed. “Of course I will.”
If she lets me.

A thoughtful crease formed in Ryan’s forehead. “You ever get sent up, Mr. Werewolf?”

“Couple of short county stays.” Asher wondered about Ryan’s assessing stare, but the question didn’t surprise him. There was a lot of stigma associated with his kind, some it from their tendency toward aggressive behavior. Many weres had broken the law, himself included. Ash had been lucky enough to straighten up before he got caught with his paws in a felony was all.

“Huh. Well...” Ryan’s gaze went distant. Glassy. “It shows you who you are, prison. I’ve done things... You realize pretty fast what you’re willing to do to keep your head above water, and then when you face yourself in a mirror, you don’t know who you’ve become.” He refocused on Ash. “I shouldn’t have called you a monster. I can tell you’ve been good to Sherri. The truth is, I’m the monster. I hate who I’ve turned into. I tried to convince her she still cared about me because the only time my life was good was when I was with her. I was wrong.”

Ash nodded slowly. “You saved my life, so I guess you’re forgiven.”

Ryan closed his eyes. “Good to hear. I’m a fucking dead man if Boris ever gets his freedom.”

“Jett said they’ll put you in protective custody. You’ll be okay.”

Ryan shook his head. “He’ll find me. There’s money he can’t get to. That’s why he wanted me out. I don’t think it was really about love for him.”

Ah. Sometimes Ash hated being right. “So why put Sherri through all of that only to put your head on the chopping block again?”

“He would’ve killed you. I owed her. Anyway, next time I’ll be ready.”

Ash tipped his head. “Good luck. My advice? Send him the damn information so he can get his cash, and wash your hands of the whole thing.”

He turned to go then, not caring to hear more. Whatever he’d said before, Ash didn’t care about Ryan’s money. Sherri was safe and so was he. These were the things that mattered.

He passed Detective Parker when he left the room and gave the guy a friendly slap on the shoulder. He’d been a big help with the family these past couple of days.

Ash took long strides to get down the hall to Sherri. She’d just handed a nondescript folder off to her partner, and a stapled sheaf of papers remained in her grasp. Earlier they’d been discussing Sherri’s condo—whether she’d sell or continue to rent it out—Ash ached to know what she’d decided.

He wanted to ask. But he didn’t know if he wanted to hear the answer.

One decision meant she’d agreed to Ash’s request to move in with him. One meant she was keeping a foot out the door. That maybe she still didn’t trust him. The very thought hurt his heart.

“Well, I’d better go,” Lisa said. She tapped Sherri on the shoulder. “I’ll call you with the details when I get home.”

Sherri clasped her old friend’s hand. “Thank you again, sweetie. For everything.”

“You bet.” Lisa waved to Ash. “Good to meet you.”

He wanted to grab his woman. Kiss her breathless. The wolf inside him strained to put his scent and his bite on her again and again, to feel her skin on his.

He needed to show patience though. If she’d given him what he asked for, she wouldn’t want to be mauled as her thanks. And if she didn’t? Well, if she didn’t, bullying her into submission wouldn’t be the way to change her mind.

She held out the paper in her hand. A rental agreement, unsigned. “Lisa’s giving her realtor the papers to put my condo up for sale.”

Ash’s chest nearly exploded. He pulled Sherri close, kissing her hard and deep, finding her tongue with his. “Thank you,” he murmured close to her ear. “I hoped you would stay. Thank you so much.”

She tightened her arms around him, but then pulled away a few inches. “I have a request.”

Ash lifted an eyebrow. “Is this the part where you gut my house and put kitten pictures all over the walls?”

Sherri smiled. “Not quite.” Her expression turned quizzical. “And suddenly you have me wondering how your kind feels about cats.”

“Not a fan.”

“I should have known.” Her smile grew. “I’m hoping you’ll consider, maybe once the sale of my condo goes through, looking into buying a new place together?”

Ash settled back on his heels. He hadn’t considered that possibility. “You don’t like my place?”

“I like it fine. It’s all dark and man-cave-y. Ash, this is a big step. I’m uprooting my life. I quit my job. I’m selling my condo. I’m going to move in with you. My entire life is absorbing into yours. I made those decisions and I will carve out my own existence here. All I ask is that we maybe look into getting a place that is equally ours, not a place that’s been yours for a decade and where I happen to have some space in your mahogany drawers.”

Ash took a breath. “I see your point.” He pressed his lips together. “I do happen to love those drawers.”

“If it means so much, we can keep the drawers.”

Ash looked into Sherri’s eyes and ran his hands over her arms. “You know,” he said as he grasped one of her hands in each of his. “It killed me when you were a plane ride away with your ex. God knew what was happening, and I couldn’t reach you. I love you, I trust you, but fuck knew if you were hurt or worse and I wanted to burn my house and everything in it to the goddamned ground. So I may be territorial, but it doesn’t matter where I am if you aren’t safe and happy.”

Her arms tightened around him. “You love me?” She’d heard him.

“Yes. So of course we can get a new house. We can build one on my running land, or sell everything I have and buy a new place with new land. Whatever it takes to know you’re near me and you’re safe, Sherri.”

Sherri blinked, a delicious blush spreading over her cheeks. “I think that’s the first time you’ve said you love me.”

Was it? His heart had said it so many times. “I’m slow. Forgive me.”

She smiled. “Forgiven.” She leaned in to sweep her lips across his. “I love you, too. How about tonight we can go to my hotel room? We’ll clean out all my stuff and take it to your place in the morning. We’ll decide where to go from there. Is that good?”

“It’s excellent.” He tugged her close to him. “Now come here to me. It feels like forever since I’ve held you properly.”

“I like it when you say please,” she said.

“Come here to me,” Ash growled. “Please.”

And she did.

THE END

––––––––

T
hank you for taking the time to read Wicked Days with a Lone Wolf (Lone Wolf #2)! Reviews help readers and authors alike! I appreciate all honest reviews.

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Next in the Lone Wolf series: Blood Moon Over a Lone Wolf

King of Darkness (Chronicles of Yavn, Book One)

Prince of Power (Chronicles of Yavn, Book Two)

Hunter by Night (Chronicles of Yavn, Book Three)

One Week (HaleStorm, Book One)

Scribbling Women Anthology

Wild Nights with a Lone Wolf (Lone Wolf, Book One)

Blood Moon Over a Lone Wolf (Lone Wolf, Book Three)

E
lisabeth Staab loves passionate stories and happy endings. Her books have been called “sexually charged,” “action-packed,” and “gloriously snarky.” When not writing romance about vampires and werewolves and CEOs (oh, my!), she enjoys date night with her husband, reading Harry Potter with her kids, and marathoning her favorite books or TV series. Find out more at
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T
hank you so much to my readers for your unending enthusiasm. Much appreciation especially to “The Staab Mob” for always spreading the word and all of the pimpage!

Thank you to Tere Michaels for editing Wicked Days, and for being funny, straightforward, and fabulous. Thank you to Jena at Practical Proofing for copy edits and proofing, and as always thank you to Elizabeth Babski at Babski Creative Studios the Amazeballs cover art and for being such a pleasure to work with. Special thanks to Selene Ramirez for double-checking my Spanish and to Jillian Stein for always coming through when I need a hand with the little things.

Thank you to Mary Calmes for being my alpha (reader) and picking up the phone when I’m losing my mind, and to Amy Lane for acting like it was totally normal the time I pretended Christian Slater and I were only temporarily not speaking because we had a disagreement about gay porn. ;) Thank you to Tom most of all for always supporting me, and holding down the fort when the tiny dictators got restless. I love you all.

T
his title is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and situations are all fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2015 by Elisabeth Staab

Cover design by Babski Creative Studios

Editing by Tere Michaels

ISBN: 978-0-9913903-3-5

Did you love
Wicked Days with a Lone Wolf
? Then you should read
Blood Moon Over a Lone Wolf
by Elisabeth Staab!

(Lone Wolf, Book 3)
Humans vs. shifters. Good vs. evil. 
In Elisabeth Staab’s third book in the Lone Wolf series, lines blur and loyalties are put to the test:
Will Ash put blood before his human’s love? Will Kyle shun Jett’s newly found affection and return to the pack that nearly destroyed them both? Protecting Zoe could cost Lane everything, but he may be the only person who has the power to keep her safe. 
Meanwhile, the blood moon looms over them all, transforming lovers into strangers and weakening those who gain their power when the moon is bright.

Read more at
Elisabeth Staab’s site
.