Wolf at Law by Heather Long (6 page)

“So we’re prisoners?” She’d asked him, dreading his response. Had she traded one terrible cage for another? Granted a very nice cage, but it was the principal of the matter.

Ryan’s frown darkened his whole expression. Her question had irritated him. However, unlike Giles, he didn’t strike her or yell or any of the behaviors she’d come to equate with questioning a man’s authority. “Not at all,” Ryan had said, his tone even. “I’m sorry I should have been more clear. You’re worried what your husband will do when he realizes you’ve gone. Collin and Zane are here so you don’t have to worry. They aren’t guards to keep you in, they are guards to keep trouble out. You can go anywhere you like. I would prefer, for your peace of mind and mine, that if I am not with you, you take one of them.”

That was it, the sum total explained in succinct form. Guilt stabbed at her for having leveled such an accusation at him. Ryan had done nothing to deserve her mistrust.

“Alexis,” she called, leaving the bedroom. They’d risen early, watched cartoons in bed while they had breakfast, then dressed for the day. Spending time with her daughter felt like hedonism, and she treasured every carefree moment. Alexis would be staying with the Zane and Collin today while she and Ryan discussed the divorce filing. “Wait until…”

“Until Ryan is there,” Alexis stood at the closed door and rolled her eyes. “I know, Momma.”

A second knock sounded. “It’s Ryan.”

Alexis didn’t need any further encouragement. She punched in the code and pulled the door open. “Ryan!” Then she stopped Tiffany’s heart by flinging herself at the man. He caught her and swung her up into his arms. She hugged him tight, then whispered in his ear.

Ryan’s gaze caught hers from across the room, and Tiffany couldn’t quite catch her breath. Or look away. Time suspended between the beats of her heart. When he glanced at Alexis, Tiffany could catch her breath. Everything about him seemed to weave spell binding her closer and closer to a man she hadn’t even known existed four days prior.

“Is that okay with you?” Alexis asked, her sweet face alight with nervous curiosity.

“It is, but did you ask your mother?” The even-handed response earned a scowl from Alexis.

“But if you ask her to do it, she’ll say yes.” The counter-argument had no effect on Ryan. Nor did her daughter’s rather imperious stare. Alexis had personality to spare and, though she’d seen her mother’s tears and the after effects of Giles’ beatings, her own spirit remained strong and steady.

Folding her arms, Tiffany waited. How would Ryan handle her headstrong, determined daughter? Alexis had a habit of getting what she wanted, either through sheer force of personality or by simply wearing away her opposition.

“Perhaps,” Ryan said, never releasing Alexis’ gaze. The stare-off lasted several seconds. “However, I am not the one who wishes to go to the zoo. If you want something, little one, you have to be willing to ask for it and to accept the answer if it’s a no.”

Her nose scrunched and she dipped her head, lower lip wobbling. The classic move had felled lesser mortals. Instead of being remotely swayed, however, Ryan smiled and winked at Tiffany.

After another few seconds of waffling, Alexis sighed. “Momma, can I go to the zoo with Collin and Zane? They have giraffes you can feed and stuff. Please?”

Adoring the look on her face, Tiffany wanted to say yes, however… “I don’t know. Someone left her shoes out and didn’t make her side of the bed.”

Eyes widening with horror, she wiggled in Ryan’s arms. “I’ll go do it right now, Momma. I promise.” Setting her down obediently, Ryan gave her an indulgent look as Alexis raced back to the bedroom.

“Zane and Collin will make sure she’s safe, and they won’t overindulge her if you want to let her go to the zoo.”

The man was too perfect for words. “You’re going to spoil us.”

With a snap of his fingers, he grinned. “You’ve discovered my plan.”

“Uh huh.” She highly doubted she’d peeled away even a part of the complicated man’s plan. “She’s a handful, and they may not be as easily dissuaded from her declarations.”

“They’ll be fine,” Ryan assured her. “But it is your decision. You tell me how much she is allowed to have or earn, and I will make sure they understand it as well.”

From behind Ryan in the hallway, Collin poked his head in. “We’ll be good, Miss Anderson, we promise.” Not Taglioni. In fact, Ryan hadn’t introduced her by her married name. She didn’t mind. “We like the little button. It might be fun for her to get out and run some today.”

“Leave the lady alone.” Zane’s voice drifted from further up the hallway. “Or you’ll let it slip that Alexis is a beard because you want to go to the zoo.”

Collin whirled and scowled at the other man, his expression so like Alexis’ that Tiffany laughed. Ryan’s smiling eyes went smoldering. She blew out a shaky breath and glanced toward her daughter as she dashed back into the room. One of her pigtails had come nearly undone and left her with a lopsided set.

“All picked up, and I even brushed my teeth, see?” She widened her lips so she could show off her pearly white teeth.

Crouching, Tiffany fixed her hair then gave her a hug. “You can go to the zoo, but…” she continued, ignoring Alexis’ yell of triumph. “
But
you have to listen to Collin and Zane. If they say it’s time to go, it’s time to go. No wheedling for more and absolutely no asking for presents.”

“I’ll be good, Momma,” her daughter promised solemnly. “Is it okay for them to buy me presents if I don’t ask for them?”

Losing the battle against laughter, Tiffany bit the inside of her lip. Her daughter’s sunny disposition seemed to be growing brighter each day they’d been away from Giles.

“Tell you what, sprout,” Ryan said from just behind her. Tiffany hadn’t even heard him move, but his presence wrapped around her like a warm blanket. “If, at the end of your trip, you can tell the boys one fact about ten of the animals you see, they can buy you one toy.”

“Really?” Alexis glanced at her mom for confirmation and Tiffany nodded, still not quite trusting herself to speak. “Thank you, Mr. Ryan! I love you, Momma!” Then her tiny arms wrapped around Tiffany’s neck. She hugged her close, craving her daughter’s nearness like she did her next breath.

“Be a good girl.”

“I will, Momma.” Then Alexis lowered her voice. “You don’t have to cry, Momma. Daddy can’t hurt you here. Mr. Ryan won’t let him.”

The tears burning in her eyes scalded down her cheeks. Her daughter should never have to offer her that kind of comfort. Ever. Kissing her cheek once, Tiffany gave her a squeeze and then released her. Alexis dashed from the room, then raced back and hugged Ryan. “You will take care of my momma, Mr. Ryan?”

“I promise,” Ryan told her, then she was off again. The door closed behind her and Tiffany choked on the sob trying to escape. One minute she was crouched on the ground, the next she was in Ryan’s arms. He cradled her to his chest, tucked her face to his shirt and laid a hand against her head.

“You can cry now,” he told her. “She can’t hear you.”

Her defenses crumbled, and so did she. Hours, or maybe it was only minutes went by, and Ryan continued to hold her while she let out all the terror and sadness she’d held onto for so many years. He said nothing, only rumbling soothing sounds and keeping her close. When the tears finally ceased, she didn’t move away. The steady thump of his heart coupled with the strength of the arms around her tempted her too much.

“Thank you,” she managed in a ragged whisper.

“You never have to thank me,” he said, rubbing her back in slow circles—almost as though he were petting her. The gesture soothed as much as it eased her worry.

“But you’ve done so much more than I asked and you’re taking care of us—her. You’re taking care of Alexis and she’s smiling and happy and she told me not to cry…” Her resolve began to crumple all over again. “I didn’t know she knew. I’ve tried so hard to never let her see what he did or how it affected me. How did she know?”

“She’s a very sharp little girl and protective of her mother. Do—dominant women take care of those around them. She also loves you, very much.”

Lifting her head, she glanced at him and found him staring at her with a kind of raw gentleness. He stroked away one of her tears with his thumb. “I’m doing all of this for her.”

“I know,” he said with no trace of judgment or censure in his voice. “You’re protecting her. You have been all along. Now you’re not alone in protecting her. I’ll help you.”

“You barely know us Ryan and yet you’ve done so much.”

“Shh,” he said, tracing his thumb over her lower lip. For the barest instant his eyes seemed to reflect the light, gold instead of blue, but then he focused on her again. “I haven’t done enough yet. I want laughter to be something you know all the time, not something you wonder at because you’ve forgotten how. I want you to sleep at night without pacing the whole room to make sure everything is secure. I want you to dream good dreams and not cry out in fear from a nightmare.”

How the hell had he known she did all of those things? He hadn’t been in the room with her.

“I heard you,” he told her, not pretending to misunderstand her look. “I stay right there, by your door, until I’m sure you’ve gone to sleep.”

Uncertain of whether that was creepy or wonderful, she decided to go with wonderful. “Why?”

“Because you need to know you’re safe, Tiffany. You’re afraid of him right now.”

Afraid of who?
That it took several seconds for her to remember Giles made Tiffany blink. No, she wasn’t afraid of him in that moment. She feared falling head over heels for the wonderful man who’d opened his wallet and heart to her and her daughter with no expectations or request for anything else. The thought terrified her.

Flattening her palm against his chest, she intended to push away and stand. Maybe a little distance would help tame her rebellious heart. Only instead, she curled her fingers against his shirt and leaned in. Ryan didn’t move, not even when she brushed her lips across his. Then his hand tightened against her hair. One moment she kissed him, the next he took control.

The world zinged and she held on tight as his tongue swept against hers. Need burned through her system, need and something more.

A sense of belonging so fierce, it seemed to shred her thoughts. She was helpless against the desire raging in her blood. When Ryan released her mouth and pressed his lips to her forehead, she wanted to argue. Her heart pounded so loudly, he had to hear it.

After another long moment, she managed to say, “Should I apologize for that?”

“No,” he told her, the word a growl that raised the hair on her arms. “I should thank you. I didn’t think you’d want to kiss me yet.”

“I shouldn’t,” she admitted, guilt slicing her. “I’m still married.” Married, but to a monster, not a husband. Tiffany licked her lips, still tasting Ryan—warm and heady, like the most potent whiskey she’d ever had the chance to drink.

“We’re going to fix that,” he told her.

“No. I mean, yes, I know.” Straightening, very aware that she was sitting in his lap, she summoned up the courage to meet his eyes. “I’m not sorry I kissed you though.”

“Good.” He nodded, cupping her cheek. “I’m going to kiss you again.”

“All right,” she agreed. “One more.”
They could stop at just one more, right?
 

Ryan studied the paperwork in front of him. He’d documented every instance of Tiffany’s abuse. Collin, as it turned out, was a whiz with computers and research. The natural tracking instinct was exactly what Zane fostered in the younger wolf. A pack Hunter, Chicago fell within Zane’s regular route. He’d diverted into the city at Ryan’s request to watch over Tiffany and her daughter.

The Taglionis had made a bid on the Wisconsin land tract. The news arrived that morning. Not an official announcement, no, the attorney had simply let Ryan know another interested party had made a competitive bid. Collin tracked down the Taglioni name. Steepling his fingers, he considered the filing he’d drafted. Once he set the wheels in motion, the hunt would be on.

Down the hall, he could hear the soft murmur of Tiffany’s voice. The low contralto soothed his wolf. Neither he nor his animal had ever been on edge. Discipline was something they both possessed, but the hunger he experienced when Tiffany was near threatened his control. Only the certainty that she was a deeply loyal woman who wouldn’t forgive herself for ‘betraying’ the man she married, even if he’d never been a real husband, stayed his passion.

Despite all her protests—and she’d piled on many self-recriminations during the revealing discussions about her marriage—she was a deeply loyal woman. Giles Taglioni didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as her, much less benefit from the strength of her character. All Tiffany wanted was her freedom and her daughter.

“Ryan, I don’t care if he comes up on charges or if he ever pays for what he did. All I care about is Alexis. He has money and power, and he’ll take her if he thinks he can.” Her voice hitched. “So if I have to go on record with all of it, I will. I just don’t want her to know any more than she does already.”

Maybe Giles Taglioni could simply have an accident. Tiffany would be a widow, problem solved. His wolf liked it. If Ryan were perfectly honest, the man did too.

Not that way.
Murder was murder unless it was a justified execution to protect the safety of the pack.

Or a mate.

The more time he spent with her, the more certain he grew. The attraction he’d experienced from the first moment he’d spotted her continued to flourish. Tiffany could be his mate. The need to claim her slammed him every time she walked into the room. Her desire equaled his. He’d tasted that in her first hesitant kiss. She’d turned him into an addict.

Laughter echoed down the hall, and he smiled. A week in the hotel, and his girls sounded better every day. Tiffany was a wounded woman and Alexis had been hurt as well, but he’d seen the signs of dominance in her little girl. The kind of dominance would create a fierce wolf, strong and protective. She might have been human, but she knew the power of meeting a gaze. That she could hold Ryan’s for as long as she did each time made him proud.