Wolf’s Honor: Caedmon Wolves Book Six (8 page)

A
ntonia followed
Connor as he led her inside the small ranch-style home. It was nearing two A.M., and her eyes were still heavy with fatigue despite the short nap she’d taken during the drive to the lake. Her body may have been tired, but she still sought many answers, both about what had happened back at the bar, and about the man who’d saved her. Or the wolf he changed into.

“How long have you been living out here?”

“I don’t. This isn’t my permanent address.” He flipped on a few light switches in the home. “I have an apartment in the city. I normally only come out here when I need a vacation away from work.”

“It’s small and cozy.” She followed him from room to room, observing as he checked out each one.

There were four small separate rooms. The main living area, some sort of closet or office, the kitchen, and a master suite.

“Cozy? I guess you could call it that? But is that good or bad?”

“Good for me. I’m used to it. I share a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment with my brother…”

She pressed her lips together to stop herself from letting any more incriminating words leave her mouth. For some odd reason, it was easy to talk to Connor as her mind raced with things she wanted to tell him. Yet, she didn’t know where to start.

Why though? Why did she feel like it was okay to let this stranger know so much?

Was it because he’d possibly saved her life and was now promising to help clear her name and get her brother back?

Even so, there was still some information that he didn’t need to know. Knowledge of whom she lived with would not necessarily help him or help her get her brother back.

“Do you live in the city?”

“We live—” She swallowed. “Almost.”

He turned his full attention on her, throwing her an inquisitive look. “Well, this isn’t the city. We’re very far from it, actually. Make yourself comfortable. We’re going to work through this together, but we can’t fix everything overnight.”

Antonia paused in the main living area as he moved about in the little compact kitchen. “How long do you think it will take to find him?”

“That depends on if he escaped.”

“I can call him to check, if you’ve got a phone,” she offered.

He came back over to meet her near the foyer, closing the distance between them. Only about an inch separated them as he slid his hands up the outside of her arms. “Not now. Come morning, I’ll have more details on the situation. If the local cops haven’t already, it’ll only be a matter of time before they gain a positive ID on both you and me. Truth be told, I would like to clear both of our names before that happens.”

“But the reports said we were just wanted for questioning.”

“That’s what they told the public. Besides, do you want to turn yourself in? People do hard time in prison for aiding organized crime rings.”

She swallowed. “Maybe that’s what I deserve.”

“No…” His opposition was spoken so quietly, she’d barely heard it.

“You barely know me, Connor Maxim. If you did, I’m willing to bet anything that you’d never even want to be standing in the same room with me.”

“What are you willing to bet?” He leaned in closer, his warm breath fanning her neck.

“Maybe…” Her back stiffened as heat and attraction flowed through her veins. “I don’t have anything you want.”

“You gave your word. You wanna bet? What have you got?”

“I don’t own expensive material things. Just myself.”

“I’ll take it. If I prove you wrong, you’ll give yourself to me.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean? Just a moment ago you said you were willing to bet anything. Now you hesitate to put your money where your mouth is.” He caught her gaze and grinned.

“You’re a little ballsy, aren’t you?” she countered.

He chuckled under his breath. “There ain’t nothing little about my balls.”

“The proof is always in the pudding.”

His warm mouth stroked the delicate left side of her neck and under her jaw. Something cold, like his canines, brushed against the underside of her chin. She swallowed, involuntarily pushing her throbbing vein against his mouth.

“When you lose your bet, and you will, I will show you my proof in the flesh.”

Her lips parted on a gasp.

And just like that he tore away from her, the chilly air taking up the empty space between them.

Connor moved toward the door. “We have electricity for now, but I need to get the backup generator ready just in case.”

“Are you leaving me alone?”

“You’re safe on this land. Don’t worry,” he assured her. “I’ll only be gone a few minutes.”

He walked out the door, leaving her in the ranch alone.

She shivered against the chilly air and wrapped her arms around her. As she plopped down on the sofa, she realized that she’d just unconsciously made a deal with Connor.

A deal that would open up her past to his scrutiny.

A
ntonia’s
sweet lilac scent drawing nearer alerted him to her presence before he’d even seen her. Daybreak had emerged a few hours before, and he’d heard her moving about in the little bedroom so he figured she was awake. Thinking she would be too uneasy to come out, he’d prepared a little tray with the breakfast he’d managed to pull together. She’d proven him wrong by coming out of the room.

The lilac scent was so strong now that he knew she had to be standing in the kitchen or damn near close to it. She also smelled of soap and mouthwash, which told him she’d accepted the bag of supplies he’d left for her in the bathroom.

Connor's wolf jerked excitedly under his skin, eager for him to be in the presence of Antonia once again.

He tried his best to rein in his composure and turned around.

She was so exquisitely gorgeous that her beauty knocked the breath right out of him. The daylight shone into the ranch, offering him a fair view of her in all of her glory. The first thing he noticed was her delicate facial structure and high cheekbones. Her skin was the color of nutmeg, and her lips were the shade of red licorice. She must have washed her hair, too. Some water droplets clung to the tightly curled texture, and she had it styled in the sexist, unruly way he had ever seen.

She was exceptionally imperfect but imperfectly perfect—and he wanted her badly. The sight of her set his heart to racing and made his blood boil rapidly in his veins.

He’d already known that she was tall, but now he could really see her. She had luscious thighs and slender legs for days. She stood there in one of his casual pairs of shorts and a sleeveless shirt tied in a knot at her waist.

His gaze raked up and down the length of her as he recorded every detail to memory.

He wanted to run his fingers through her curls.

He wanted to get high off of her intoxicating aura until he was drenched in it.

He wanted to take her pussy and ass in the unruliest of ways.

He wanted to please her repeatedly, make her beg for more, and listen to the sweet sounds of her moans as they left her lips.

His balls tightened painfully and his cock twitched against his zipper. He cursed under his breath for not being able to control himself. He was always able to control himself. Why couldn’t he do that now in the presence of a woman he’d only known for less than a day?

“I hope you don’t mind,” she said, quietly. “We did a lot of running around last night and I wanted to take a shower.”

Her gorgeous amber eyes had him mesmerized and speechless.

He swallowed, forcing the lump down his throat. “No, I don’t mind.”

“I smell some food,” she said, looking behind him at the stove.

“Oh, yeah…” He tore his eyes away from her and turned his attention back to the sausages and biscuits on the serving tray. He stumbled over a chair and almost lost his balance.

“Do you need some help?”

“No, I’m good,” he said, even though he was still shaken by the sheer sight of her. His hands shook as he pulled the chair out for her. “Just take a seat.”

His attention dropped to her breasts when she’d sat down. He could see a red bra through the white top, and delicate plumpness and cleavage were exposed to him.

“Gods,” he mumbled then turned swiftly, pretending to adjust the food on the tray as he attempted to cool his rising wolf.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“I was just saying that I’m glad you’re here.” His mind was completely gone.

“
Ooookay
,” she replied.

He leaned over the counter, bit his lip, and pressed his eyes closed.

She’s under your protection now. Control yourself.

He sincerely hoped that the message was received. His wolf would probably ignore him, but the truth was there. In order to protect her, he couldn’t become vulnerable now. But fuck…he was vulnerable only for
her
. How was he supposed to overcome that? How had she gained this much control virtually overnight to begin with?

He exhaled, turned around with the tray and then put it in the center of the table. “Did you have a good sleep?”

“It was alright.” She shrugged. “You didn’t have to sleep out on the couch. I would have traded with you.”

“It was no problem.”

He handed her a plate and utensils and poured some orange juice into a glass. “My options in terms of food are limited right now. There’s a small convenience store nearby, and I can catch some fresh fish later for lunch if you’d like?”

“This is fine.” She smiled. “I haven’t come across many men who can cook.”

Her teasing demeanor was contagious, and the corners of his lips tilted up into a grin, as well. “Well, my skills are limited in that area.”

“It’s not hard to learn,” she said, spreading some apple jam onto her biscuit.

He sat down in the chair right next to her. “Is it hard to teach?”

“Nope.”

“Are you a good teacher?” he asked. “I could use one of those…in the kitchen.”

“Maybe.” She diverted her gaze to her plate; her long pretty lashes sweeping against her cheekbones, and bit into the biscuit.

She was so innocent and beautiful just then. He wanted to capture the moment forever.

“
D
on’t
you have a television around here somewhere?” Antonia asked, curling up on the one-seater sofa and picking up a sketchbook from the table next to it.

“I did, but it’s not working,” Connor replied. “I only visit here a few times a month just to refresh, go fishing, and maybe swim in the lake when I’m not napping.”

“A radio? Maybe there’s something new about the shootout from last night.”

“They tell lies. There’s no need to listen to all that. But I can get it if you’d like.”

“If you say so, but never mind.” She curled her feet under her and opened the sketchbook to the first page. The drawing was of a tall building sketched in black pencil. It reminded her of the skyscrapers back in the city. “Where do you live anyway?”

“Fifteen miles north of the city. In one of the condos. I conduct all of my business from an office in the city, too,” he said, plopping down on one of the sofas in front of her.

“What kind of business?”

“I run a security firm. We provide safety and bodyguard services to our clients and their properties.”

“Interesting. That means you were trained to protect people. Like you did for me last night.”

“Exactly. It’s what I was trained for all my life and it’s in my blood,” he said.

“Since all of your business is done in the city, I suspect that you come out here for privacy…? So you can change into a wolf?”

He laughed briefly. “Something like that. I let him roam free every once in a while.”

“Do you swim in the lake as man or wolf?”

“Both.”

She closed the sketchbook and held it on her lap. “Were you bitten by a wolf or something?”

“No, I was born one. My father is human, and my mother is a wolf shifter.”

“You know, I’ve never talked about the night I saw the man shift, not even with my brother. And especially not my counselor. They’d quickly label me crazy. They seem to have these stereotypes about the principles or morals of orphans, both current and past.”

“Counselor?”

“Oh,” she exclaimed, realizing that she was revealing too much once again. “Yes, I had a counselor back then.”

His eyebrows came together and the bridge of his nose wrinkled. “Why?”

“It was required up until I aged out of the system, and then after that they provide the counseling services for free. I stopped going a few years back.”

“Aged out of what system?”

“I grew up an orphan of the State. When my brother and I were babies, we were abandoned. Someone had left us at a women’s clinic in Houston, Texas.” Pain tore through her heart as she spoke and she paused.

“That must have been hard.”

“We’re twins. No good family would take us both, so we were raised mostly in orphanages and group homes until we aged out.”

“What happens when you age out?”

She shrugged. “You’re kicked out. We were sixteen, and we both had minimum wage paying jobs at the time. We shared an apartment for two years. We graduated from high school and we were doing well. And then my brother got in trouble and we had to use all the money we had saved to bail him out. That included the rent money. We left Houston after that, doing side jobs and whatnot to make travel and food money. We never stayed in one state for long, but when we did, we spent the night in shelters when there was room for us. And when there wasn’t…”

“Antonia, I’m sorry.”

Connor literally looked like he could cry, but if that were the case, he held his own well. Antonia was past that stage. This was her life, and she had long ago accepted it.

“There’s no need to be sorry. This is the life I was given and we only have one life.” She forced a smile. “I bet you have a more interesting life than mine.”

“No, not really. I’m just a boring bodyguard who owns a little old security firm. Now that I'm retired from actively assisting outside clients, my life is even more boring.”

“Retired? Really?”

“Yep, as of a few years ago.”

She shook her head. “But you look so young?”

He chuckled. “I’m thirty-six, but you’re right. I’m young and tired.”

“How’d you become a bodyguard anyway?”

“My dad’s in the military. He works at The Pentagon in Arlington. Whenever he wasn’t stationed overseas, he trained me about what he knew. Shifters can’t join the service, but even though I wasn’t the least bit interested in doing so, I still wanted to have something in common with him. All of the training turned into something good for me and my kind. My agency was set up to act as a liaison between the Packs and the government. I work directly for and under two different Alphas now.”

“That’s something you should be proud of.”

“I am.”

“You said Maxim Securities was the name of your firm?”

“Yes. And aside from the main operations, I sometimes contract out my services to the police as a sketch artist. But mostly, I just run the business and provide services in the event we’re low on personnel. That hardly ever happens. I have plenty of experienced men on the payroll and many of my clients pay very well.”

“Have you ever been shot at before last night?”

He nodded. “Of course, it’s part of the job. I’ve taken dozens of hits.”

“And then you heal quickly because of your…condition?”

“Something like that.”

“Does it hurt when your body goes through the wolf change thing?” she asked him.

“The first dozen or so changes are hard. Then you have a period of time where it’s just irritating as hell when the wolf takes control. And then it becomes second nature to change. You begin to realize that you and the wolf are one and that you share the same soul. It’s best when both sides are happy.”

“Have you ever told someone what you are? Outside of your friends.”

“Sometimes we do by accident, but two concrete motivators for intentionally revealing my wolf to someone are either that I’m about to kill them or I’m about to befriend them. There’s hardly a time where I ever have to reveal myself. In any case, there are only three humans alive that I’ve revealed my true nature to. You’re one of them, of course,” he replied. “My father was the first, but he hardly counts since being born with one shifter gene gives you the ability to shift. The second person was Rodney’s mate and wife. Rodney’s my best friend. He’s also Caedmon by blood.”

“So few. That’s interesting.”

“It’s forbidden to reveal our true selves to humans. We’re not out to the public, and we don’t wish to be. We’ve been surviving like this for centuries. The new leaders uphold the old saying: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We take care of our own affairs. I’m not on friendly terms with the local cops.”

“Well, me neither.” She grinned. "How many others are there like you?"

"Tens of thousands. A small percentage have blended with the general population and no longer identify with their wolf side."

“So, how will they punish you for revealing yourself to me?”

“Punishment is decided by an Alpha. I shifted for a couple reasons that night and it wasn’t just by accident. One, I was going to save you, no matter what it took. It was my animal against theirs. Two, my wolf insists that somehow you’re my mate.”

“Mate?”

“Yes. My intended. My other half. My soulmate,” he replied.

“I know what mate means. I watch sci-fi movies, you know. I’m just not sure you would want me. When you shifted, the moon was out. I don’t remember it being full. Do you need a full moon to shift?”

“No, I don’t, and forget what you’ve seen in the movies. Most of the misrepresentations about us are offensive,” he told her.

She narrowed her gaze on him. “How do you know I'm your mate? I’m a complete stranger.”

“At first glance maybe, but a second and third look and I pretty much knew there was a connection,” Connor said. “And yes, I do want you.”

“Is that why you saved me at the bar?”

“I would have saved you anyway. You were in distress and clearly being manhandled by that idiot. I don’t condone violence against women, no matter who she is.”

“Then you’re a good man.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, and you shouldn’t be fooling around with a woman like me. I’m not a good woman, Connor Maxim.”

Antonia broke the gaze she held with him, re-opened the sketchbook on her lap, and began to flip through the pages again.

“Hmmm.” He picked up a large leather book and a pen and began to write. “We’ll see about that.”