Wild Craving (4 page)

“Neha,”
Constance said in a very serious tone, “I want you to take some pictures of the
cabin and woods around it with your cell, then send them to me. I think where
you are would be perfect and exactly what the client will want for a location.
Talk to the owner and see if he’ll be agreeable to the idea. He’ll be paid for
allowing the photographer to use it.”

“You’re
serious?” Neha asked.

“Very. Now hurry
up and do what I asked, then I’ll call you back.”

Neha hung up,
then did as Constance wanted. She took a couple pictures of the inside of the
cabin before she moved outside and took some of the building and treed area
around it. It didn’t take her long to send them all to Constance.

It was all of a
minute later that the other woman called. Once Neha answered, Constance said,
“I forwarded them to the client.” She paused. “Hold on a second. He’s already
replied.” Another minute went by before Constance spoke again. “Neha, you just
saved our bacon. He thinks it’s perfect. Now I need you to talk to the owner
and see if he’ll agree.”

“Well, Kiel
isn’t here right now. He’s letting me settle in, then plans to come back around
dinner time.”

“I need an
answer sooner than that. We have to start shooting by tomorrow since it will
take another few days to finish. You know how long it took the first time
around. Can you go find Kiel?”

“I guess so,”
Neha said reluctantly. “I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

“Thanks. I
really appreciate this.”

Constance ended
the call. Neha blew out a breath. Now she’d have to go in search of Kiel, and
she had no freaking idea where he was. All she knew was that his family’s
cabins were somewhere around there. And in heels, there was no way in hell
she’d go traipsing through the bush to see if he was out there doing whatever
it was someone who lived in this wilderness did. That left only one
option—she’d have to walk along the sorry excuse for a road and see where the
one that had forked to the left led.

With her cell
phone in hand, Neha left the cabin. There was no lock on the door so she made
sure it was shut tight. She guessed they didn’t have to worry about break-ins
around there. It wasn’t as if the bears and wolves would want to steal anything
Kiel owned.

Neha had almost
turned both her ankles twice by the time she reached the fork in the dirt
“road.” So far she hadn’t seen any cars nor heard any. Actually, the whole area
was quiet, except for the sound of birds in the trees. It was so unlike where
she lived. She had an apartment near one of the busiest intersections in New
York City. She was used to the sound of constant traffic.

As she trudged
up the opposite track from the one that led to Kiel’s cabin, Neha hoped like
hell there was another one at the end and that it wouldn’t be too far of a
walk. She stumbled once more, catching herself before she was thrown too far
off balance. Constance had better appreciate what she was doing for her since
it looked as if Neha would get a hike in the woods, after all.

Chapter Four

Kiel had shifted
to his wolf form as soon as he’d been out of range of the cabin. He hadn’t
wanted to leave Neha, but he thought it best to let her settle in without him
hovering around. Besides, he had to let his family know she was there, and that
she was his mate. He wasn’t sure how his parents would react to the news of her
being human.

Taking a route
through the forested part of their land was quicker than the dirt trails used
for their vehicles. Kiel reached his parents’ cabin to find them sitting on the
porch. It also happened that Memphis and Talon were with them. He had a feeling
they’d been talking about him, because as soon as he came closer and they saw
him all conversation ceased.

“You’re back
already,” his mom said as Kiel took on his human form.

He nodded and
walked over to the porch. “Yeah.”

“You must have
found your mate then. Where is she?” his dad, Brant, asked.

Kiel shook his
head and smiled. “It didn’t exactly go as I’d planned.”

Talon spoke
next. “It couldn’t have been bad if you can smile like that.”

“No, it isn’t
anything bad, really. It’s…very unexpected.”

“How so?”
Memphis asked.

Kiel took a deep
breath. “I found my mate, but she isn’t from around here.”

“Let me guess,”
his mom said. “She’s from the Helena pack.”

“No, she’s not.
What I meant about her not being from around here is that she was only passing
through Helena.”

“Where is her
pack located? Fate must have had a hand in the two of you meeting. If you
hadn’t been in the city today you might not have met her.”

He nodded. “I
have to agree with that since she’s from New York City.”

His dad’s brows
drew together. “I never heard there was a wolf shifter pack there.”

“Well, that’s
where Neha lives. And she doesn’t live with a pack.”

“She’s a lone
wolf?” Talon asked with surprise in his voice.

“Not exactly.
You see, Neha is—”

The sound of a
vehicle pulling up the dirt track to his parents’ cabin cut Kiel off and he
turned to find Gage bringing his SUV to a stop. His brother got out as the
passenger door opened and Neha did the same. Once she spotted Kiel, she smiled.
Seeing her again had his body reacting. Arousal shot through him. Even though
the members of his family were able to smell it, there wasn’t much he could do
about it.

As Neha and Gage
came closer, Kiel asked, “Neha, what are you doing here?”

“She’s
definitely not a wolf shifter,” Memphis said in a whisper so Neha wouldn’t
hear, but Kiel, his parents, Talon and Gage could with their keen wolf hearing.

Neha came to
stand in front of Kiel. “I need to talk to you about something and it couldn’t
wait until you came to the cabin to cook us dinner.”

Talon chortled
at the last part Neha had said, but Kiel ignored him. He glanced down at his
mate’s feet instead. She still wore her high heels. “So you came looking for
me? How did you manage the trail in your shoes?”

Neha blew out a
breath. “Not very well. I’m glad your brother was at his cabin.”

Gage smiled.
“She wasn’t too steady so I offered to drive her over here after she introduced
herself and explained that you’d offered her the use of your cabin. I had a
feeling you would be here.”

“Which I really
appreciated,” Neha said. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I need to ask you
something.”

Kiel nodded.
“All right. What?”

“Remember how I
told you I’d been on a photo shoot at Yellowstone?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I called
my modeling agency and it turns out the client didn’t like how the pictures
turned out. He wasn’t happy with the location. To make a long story short, I
ended up sending some photos of your cabin and the land around it to my agent.
She sent them along to the client, who thinks your place would be perfect for
what he wants. So Constance, my agent, would like your permission for the
photographer to use it. He and the other models are still in Yellowstone and
would drive here tomorrow. It’ll take about two or three days to complete the
shoot. You’ll be paid for however long it ends up being.”

“Will you be
modeling at the shoot?” he asked.

“Yes, since the
client apparently had no problem with us as the models, just the location.”

Kiel didn’t even
have to think about it. “Yes, they have my permission.” The shoot was the
excuse he needed to keep Neha from leaving tomorrow evening. It was perfect.

“Great,” she
said with a smile. “Constance will be so relieved. She’d been working with the
photographer to find a new location that matched what the client wanted and
hadn’t had much luck. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll call her. She wanted to know
what your answer was as soon as possible.”

“Okay. No
problem.”

Neha walked a
short distance away, then made the call with her cell phone that she held in
her hand. As she turned her back to them, Kiel faced his family. They all met
his gaze.

“Well, aren’t
any of you going to say anything?” he asked in a whispered tone.

“She’s human,”
Memphis said in an equally quiet voice, stating what they all knew.

“Obviously. Her
scent gives her away.”

“Are you sure
she’s your mate?” Talon asked.

Kiel looked at him
as if to ask if he were stupid. “Of course I am. I went to the two packs close
to us and nothing happened. I stopped at a coffee shop for lunch before going
to the Helena one and in walks Neha and,” he looked at his mother, “ah, you
know what happened. Something started working again.”

“That’s a polite
way of putting it,” his mom said with a laugh. “This is definitely a change in
the usual mate dynamics. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.”

“So you aren’t
upset that Neha is human?” Kiel asked.

“Of course not,”
his father replied. “Plus, it isn’t as if you have any control over it. If she
wasn’t the one for you, she wouldn’t have gotten that part of you working, as
you put it.”

At the sound of
footsteps coming up behind Kiel, he turned and found Neha had finished her
phone call and was headed toward the porch. She appeared to take careful steps.
He was surprised she’d made it all the way to Gage’s cabin without breaking an
ankle.

“You finished
your call?” Kiel asked once Neha reached them.

“Yes. Constance
was more than thrilled, and told me to tell you how grateful she is. You also
don’t have to worry about putting up the photographer and the other models. I
told her it was only a thirty-minute drive from Helena to here, so they’ll
spend each night at a hotel. I hope you don’t mind, but I told her we’d meet
them tomorrow morning so they can follow us to your place. It’s so remote I
doubt any of them would be able to find it. They’re going leave Yellowstone
shortly.”

“That’s fine
with me.”

Kiel put his
hand on the small of Neha’s back and directed her closer to where most of his
family sat. He had to bite back a moan of need. Just this simple touch set him
off. Talon coughed loudly as he stared at Kiel with laughter in his eyes. His
youngest brother wouldn’t be laughing when it came to be his turn to be branded.

“Neha,” Kiel
continued, “I might as well introduce you to my family. This is my mom, Selina,
my dad, Brant, and my two brothers, Memphis and Talon. You, of course, already
met Gage. The two who aren’t here are Cyrus and Rhett, but I’m sure you’ll meet
them very soon.” He’d pointed to each person as he’d introduced them.

“Hi,” Neha said
as she smiled. “I look forward to getting to know you all better.”

His mom and
stood and came to stand in front of Neha. “And we you. I’ve never watched a
photo shoot taking place before. Would it be all right if I came to watch once
you get started?”

“I’m sure David,
the photographer, won’t mind. He’s a great guy and is easygoing.”

“Good. I guess
I’ll be seeing you in action soon.”

Kiel broke into
the conversation. “I think I should take Neha back to my cabin. I doubt she had
any time to relax.”

“All right,” his
mom said. “And don’t worry about making dinner for the both of you, Kiel. I’ll
bring around a couple plates of food for you so you can concentrate on getting
Neha settled in.”

“Okay.”

“And I’ll give
you and Neha a ride to your place,” Gage said. “There’s no way she can walk
there.”

“Thanks,” Neha
replied with relief in her voice. “I guess I’m going to have to break down and
get some sneakers when we go to Helena tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a
good idea,” Kiel said. “Let’s go.”

Kiel kept his
hand on the small of Neha’s back as they walked toward Gage’s SUV. Once they
reached it, he helped her into the passenger side, then climbed into the
backseat. Inside the closed space, her scent became more concentrated. He
dragged in a couple deep breaths to fill his lungs with it. His cock jerked as
his blood heated.

After pulling
away from their parent’s cabin, Gage cleared his throat. He met Kiel’s gaze in
the rearview mirror and gave him a look that told Kiel he wasn’t impressed with
the smell Kiel made.

As if she’d read
their minds, Neha leaned toward Gage and sniffed him. She then pulled away and
shook her head. “It definitely isn’t you. It must be the scent of Kiel’s
cologne again.”

“You mean his
stink,” Gage said with a laugh.

“He doesn’t
smell bad,” Neha admonished. “I love it.” She turned her head to look at Kiel.
“Did you put more on after you left me at the cabin? It’s stronger now.”

“No,” he replied
quickly.

From the
laughter in Gage’s eyes, Kiel was pretty damn sure the rest of his brothers
would hear about this conversation. He wouldn’t be able to live it down. If
Neha had been a wolf shifter, it wouldn’t’ have happened. She would have known
why he smelled so good to her. And by now, he more than likely would have
already had her in his bed under him as he claimed her as his. That thought of
plunging his cock deep inside her, of course, caused another spike in his arousal.

The way Neha
stared at him, her eyes heavy-lidded, it didn’t take a genius to figure out his
scent affected her. Along with that, her arousal was a huge giveaway, which he
could easily detect. As could his brother, no doubt.

“Thank god,
we’re here,” Gage said as he brought the SUV to a stop in front of Kiel’s
cabin. “I don’t think I could take any more.”

Kiel ignored his
brother’s comment and hurriedly got out before opening the door for Neha. A
questioning look had come over her face after Gage had spoken. There was no way
Kiel was going to try to explain it. He led Neha a short distance away, then
turned to wave at Gage. His brother returned the gesture before he drove away.

He kept a
steadying hand on Neha’s back as he’d done at his parents’ and walked her up to
his cabin’s entrance. Once inside, he reluctantly pulled away. She didn’t seem
to notice as she headed over to where he’d left her luggage.

“I guess I
should move my things into the bedroom,” Neha said after she picked up her
carry-on and grabbed the handle on her wheeled suitcase.

“Since I’m here,
I might as well show you where it is, not that I don’t think you’d be able to
find it yourself.”

Kiel took her
carry-on from Neha and led the way before she could say anything. She followed
with the sound of her high heels clicking on the hardwood floor and the wheels
of her luggage being pulled across it.

He placed her
carry-on atop the upholstered bench at the end of his king-sized bed, then
tuned in her direction. “I should change the sheets for you.”

“I can do it,”
Neha said as she came to stand in front of him. “Just leave me the fresh ones.”

Kiel nodded. He
crossed the room to his closet and took out his second set of sheets from the
top shelf. He returned to Neha and put them on the bed. “You can throw the
dirty ones outside the door. I’ll gather them up and put them with the rest of
my laundry that needs doing.”

Neha nodded. She
seemed to think something over before she spoke again. “Ah, don’t take this the
wrong way, but how do you actually do your laundry? You don’t have electricity.
You’d never be able to run a washer and dryer.”

“The town of
Canyon Creek has a Laundromat so I go there to do it.”

“Oh. Since you
live so…rough…out here, I was worried you hand washed it with a washboard.”

Kiel bit back a
smile. What Neha didn’t know was his mother to this day still did hers and his
father’s laundry like that and hung it outside to dry. In the winter she
stretched lines inside the cabin close to the fire and hung the clothes there.
It took her hours. Using a washer and dryer at the Laundromat was one convenience
he’d had no problem adapting to. There was no way in hell he’d do his washing
as his mother did. His brothers had adopted his way as well.

“No, I don’t do
the wash like that,” he said with a chuckle.

The silence
stretched between them before Neha broke it. “Besides getting sneakers tomorrow,
I’d better buy a pair of jeans. I only have shorts, dresses and skirts with
me.”

“Yeah, skirts
and dresses aren’t exactly the best things to wear around here. And heels.”

“Speaking of
which, after my little hike to Gage’s cabin my feet are killing me. Plus, I
just about twisted my ankle about fifty times. The shoes have to come off.”

Kiel stared at
Neha’s feet and ran his gaze up her shapely legs. An image of them wrapped
around his waist as he thrust in and out of her filled his mind. He followed
her movements as she bent slightly to take off one of her high heels. It gave
him a deeper view of the tops of her breasts as the material in the front of
her dress gaped. That view of such tantalizing flesh caused the inevitable
reaction in him.