Alpha Wolf (Full Moon Protectors Book 1) Page 5

  The damned cats can’t keep their own under control. What was Elia thinking coming back here?

  But Elia had slunk off into the night now and I had another matter to deal with—the trembling but incredibly beautiful woman who pretended not to look at me from where she sat in her car.

  Vijay stood on the other side of the vehicle and I wondered how much he’d seen. The cameras were another reason I hadn’t shifted. I knew Vijay had been watching.

  “Everything okay, Vijay?” I asked, joining them.

  “Oh yes, Mr. Mathis.” He looked purposefully at me and then over my shoulder. “How about you?”

  I nodded but my attention was fully on the dark blonde woman, her fingers curled tightly around the steering wheel like she might flee the scene without a second’s notice.

  “Are you all right, miss?” I asked softly, willing her to look at me. She didn’t although I could feel her straining to keep her eyes averted.

  I scared her when she saw me with Elia, I thought, the idea bothering me a lot more than it should have.

  “I’m sorry you saw the fight,” I offered, crouching down at the side door. My own heart was still pumping but I was beginning to feel calmer already, mostly because there was a tranquility about this woman that put me at ease.

  Just stop it. She’s a human female. Stop looking at her like that.

  But how could I? Her scent was overwhelming me, even through the slight crack in the driver’s side window. It wasn’t merely that she was so easy on the eyes, it made my chest tighten. Even as she crouched there, her back so tense and ready to snap, I couldn’t help but take in the creaminess of her neck, the fine lines of her cheekbones. I desperately wanted to see the color of her eyes.

  “It really wasn’t that big a deal,” I continued, sensing that she was listening to me, even if she was pretending she wasn’t. “That guy is just… bad news.”

  Slowly, her head turned toward me and I caught the hints of gold and green in her hazel eyes. They reminded me of a low-burning fire, eager for more to consume.

  I could give her more to consume.

  Again, I told my taunting inner voice to shut up. I was vaguely aware of the fact that Vijay hadn’t gone back inside and I wished he would, if only to give me a moment with this work of beauty.

  “Are you all right?” I asked, our eyes locking. She visibly shivered and I knew that whatever I was feeling, she was feeling too.

  Not that it mattered. Nothing could ever come of this.

  “I’m fine,” she mumbled. Her voice was husky but feminine and I liked the way it sounded in my ears.

  “Maybe we should go inside and get you a drink?”

  I looked at Vijay who nodded eagerly.

  “Yes, come in,” he agreed. “I’ll put on some fresh coffee.”

  Vijay turned away, hurrying back into the store, but to my chagrin, she shook her head.

  “No,” she sighed, moving her head back to look out the windshield. “I-I can’t. I have to get home.”

  I gave her a lopsided smile.

  “It’s already almost four in the morning,” I reminded her gently. “A few more minutes isn’t going to make much of a difference.”

  She shot me another wary look but underneath it, I could read the appreciation clearly in her eyes.

  “I have milk,” she said and immediately blushed as though she heard how flat the argument sounded.

  Don’t push her, a low voice growled at me. Let her go.

  But it was a lot easier thought than said. She reached up to fasten her seatbelt and when she was secured, she turned back to face me, her amber-green eyes wide. I cocked my head to the side when she didn’t say anything, wondering what was on her mind.

  “What is it?” I asked. She visibly swallowed and shook her hair, causing stray pieces to fall over her face.

  “I-I’m glad you’re okay,” she mumbled, putting the car in reverse. I backed away, understanding my cue, but before she let her foot off the gas, she extended a delicate hand out the window. In her hand was a piece of paper which she thrust into my palm.

  “What—” I started to ask but I didn’t get a chance to finish. She was backing up and out of the parking lot, headed south on River Road. For a long while, I could only stand there, shaking my head as I tried to overcome the feeling of headiness inside me. The combination of confronting Elia and encountering that woman had done something to my body that I didn’t readily understand.

  “The coffee is ready, Mr. Mathis,” Vijay called from the door. He frowned. “Where did the young lady go?”

  Reluctantly, I looked at him, shaking my head ruefully as I moved to amble inside after him.

  “I guess she was worried that the milk would spoil,” I laughed.

  “She did buy milk,” Vijay confirmed but I knew that wasn’t the reason she’d hightailed it out of there.

  “Do you know her?” I asked the owner hopefully. Vijay shook his head.

  “I don’t think so, Mr. Mathis.” He paused. “What happened with the man outside.”

  I had almost forgotten about Elia.

  “He won’t be back,” I assured Vijay. “And if, for some reason, you happen to see him again, I want you to call me. I don’t care what time of day or night it is.”

  “I heard you say there was a fight…” Vijay trailed off, seeming embarrassed that he had been listening.

  “It was nothing,” I said quickly and it was true. The entire affair could have and should have been much messier.

  Next time it will be too, I thought grimly, but of course I didn’t speak my mind aloud.

  “You are a good man, Mr. Mathis.”

  I blinked and looked at him, a wry grin forming on my face.

  “You say that to all the customers,” I teased him, leaning over the counter as Vijay poured a cup of coffee. It was only then that I remembered I was still holding the paper that the woman had given me.

  Curiously, I opened it up and peered down at a business card. A warm flush flowed through my body as I read her name.

  Addisyn Clark. Financial Consultant, Fallon Prime Bank, Eugene

  She hadn’t run off after all.

  “You’re smiling.”

  The words caused the grin to fade off my lips instantly.

  “Was I?” I mumbled, reaching for the steaming paper cup and taking a big sip to singe the grin off my lips.

  I had no reason to smile, certainly not about Addisyn Clark. Human/shifter relationships were forbidden and while they still happened, I could easily be kicked off the Protector unit for even entertaining it. We as Protectors had enough problems with the Council. I wasn’t about to go adding more fuel to the fire.

  Fire. Like Addisyn’s eyes.

  A low groan threatened to escape my mouth as I realized that I was already strangely smitten with this woman.

  Well, get un-smitten, I barked at myself, grabbing her card and shoving it into my pocket. I’ll throw that in the garbage when I get home.

  I took another sip of coffee, pretending not to notice that there was a trash bin directly to the left of me. I couldn’t deny that Addisyn’s scent radiated off that business card and even if I could have nothing to do with her, I didn’t mind enjoying the fleeting pleasure that her pheromones gave me.

  But that was all it could be—fleeting.

  I tried to ignore the snickering in my head but I had a feeling that wouldn’t be the last of my inner voice for days to come.

  6

  Addisyn

  Dawn was trying to rear its head over the horizon by the time I arrived home. My heart was still racing somewhat after what I’d witnessed but as I thought about it, I wondered what the big deal was. Nothing had happened, not really. I’d seen two men in an argument. There had been no blood or fists.

  In my mind’s eye, I envisioned the way Inigo had suspended Elia off the ground and the mental picture sent another rush of heat through me. It had been so hot to watch, a man of his strength exerting his power. When, in
my perfect, sheltered life, had I ever seen anything like it?

  Sure, I’d had a couple run-ins with my mother’s shady friends but none of them were intimidating in a powerful way. They were all a bunch of desperate, sad people who were fixated on one thing—drugs.

  No, Inigo was something different, something more complex, more interesting.

  More dangerous.

  With a sigh, I put the milk and paper towels away, looking helplessly around the gray light of the kitchen like I was expecting inspiration somewhere. It was far too late to consider even an hour of sleep. I was worried that if I dared to do it, I wouldn’t wake up. My body was suddenly exhausted, like I’d run a marathon.

  I’m emotionally drained after that, I realized and I almost laughed at myself for being such a princess. I really did have first world problems if I was disturbed by what had happened.

  I turned instead to make coffee, rolling my shoulders against my neck as I stared blankly at the percolator, waiting for the scent of the beans to fill my nostrils. But it wasn’t the coffee I was smelling. I could still smell Inigo, his scent somehow lingering in the depth of my olfactory sense.

  I heard a door open down the hall and instantly tensed, knowing that Odessa was up already. I stayed perfectly still, hoping she wouldn’t notice me, but it was a futile thought. The coffee maker choked, giving away my location almost instantly.

  “You’re up early,” my mother chirped. She seemed particularly bright-eyed this morning but I barely noticed, my thoughts elsewhere.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” I replied honestly. “And I have early meetings this morning.”

  “Let me make you breakfast.”

  I instantly shook my head, remembering the busted blender from only a few hours earlier.

  “No… thanks,” I mumbled, reaching for a thermos cup. “I need to have a shower and get going.”

  Odessa looked disappointed but I pretended not to notice. Every once in a while, she got the urge to play mother of the year but I wasn’t in the mood to entertain her guilty conscience that morning.

  “Maybe we can have dinner tonight,” Odessa called after me as I turned toward the hallway. “It’s supposed to get really warm this week, like summer weather.”

  “Ain’t global warming great?” I muttered, more for my own benefit than hers.

  “It’s an Indian summer,” Odessa countered and I sighed.

  “I’m not sure about tonight,” I told her slowly. I’d planned to take a long run after work. The past few days, I’d been slacking on my four-mile routine and I wanted to keep up with it. Being stuck behind a desk all day, it was the only exercise I got and while I managed to keep my curvy figure fairly toned, it wouldn’t take much to mess it up.

  Plus, it was my great escape from my mundane life—and my mother.

  “I can cook,” Odessa insisted and I stifled a grunt.

  “I’ll try to be home,” I said without promising anything. I didn’t turn around to see if that was good enough for her. It would have to do.

  Right now, my only concern was making it through the day on a couple hours sleep… and the image of a dark, handsome stranger burned into my psyche.

  * * *

  I had hoped that my busy day schedule would have alleviated some of the heaviness of what was weighing on my mind, namely Inigo, but I was wrong. My focus was completely off, my thoughts on his intense green eyes and full mouth. I had left my cell at work and I found myself checking it frequently, looking for a number I didn’t recognize or a lighthearted text from Inigo. I questioned my own sanity at having slipped him my card in the first place. What if he was crazy and started calling me at work? What if he threw out the card? What if he didn’t call at all? I couldn’t determine which of the myriad questions was the worst-case scenario.

  It will be the worst if you never hear from him again, I assured myself and I knew that was true. I couldn’t begin to understand the hold this guy had on me but it was nothing I’d ever felt before. I wanted to see where it would go. I considered what would happen if he didn’t call me. Maybe I could go back to the Late-Mart and see if the clerk knew where to find him.

  Right. You can become the stalker. That’s a great idea.

  Half a dozen times, someone asked me if I was okay that day and humiliation followed me from client meetings back to the office. I wasn’t sure if I was okay or if I ever would be again.

  To say I was grateful when the day was done was likely the biggest understatement of my life. I wanted nothing more than to go for a long run by the river and clear my head of the jumble of thoughts that had been plaguing me. I reasoned that running would fully exhaust me too, thereby leading to a good night’s rest for once.

  Or at least that’s what I fooled myself into believing.

  I changed into my jogging clothes at the office, well after everyone else had left for the night, and made my way to the underground parking at Fallon Prime Bank. I used to relish the peace of the after-work quiet but that evening, it made me strangely uneasy, as if the memory of the previous night dictated that I might encounter another altercation.

  Of course, I didn’t, and in minutes, I was guiding the Infiniti toward my favorite look-out by the Willamette River.

  I didn’t bother to warm up, my body already itching to burn off all the excess energy I’d been stowing, and I bolted down the exclusive private road that housed all the expensive homes along the waterfront, barely noticing the sun slipping away for the day.

  In minutes, the adrenaline kicked in and I was running at a good pace, feeling my blood pumping through my veins to cleanse myself of all the day’s events.

  With my iTunes in my ears, I muted the incoming calls and texts, not wanting to be disturbed, and when I was finally spent, I realized I’d been running for almost two hours. According to my Fitbit, I’d run twenty-five miles.

  Where the hell was I?

  I paused to rest by a tree, looking around the unfamiliar terrain, but I wasn’t alarmed. I was still in a decent area of the city, even if darkness had completely fallen. It was just time to head back.

  With a sigh, I started back the way I came, the jog back taking much longer, and it was after ten o’clock when I arrived back at my car. To my chagrin, I saw I had a parking ticket on the windshield.

  That’s what I get for parking in the posh area, I grumbled to myself, snatching the yellow paper off the glass and dropping my body into the driver’s seat. I’d deal with it online when I got home.

  I plugged my phone into the car charger and instantly, I was bombarded with texts and voice mail indications. Any sense of relaxation that the run had given me dissipated.

  So much for clearing my mind.

  Without addressing any of my mother’s needy messages, I backed out of my spot and headed for home, remembering then that Odessa had wanted to have dinner.

  Shame flooded me and I again considered that maybe I was the reason she had turned to drugs.

  Don’t be an idiot! I yelled at myself, knowing that the thought was inane. Odessa’s problems came well before I could be blamed for anything. I had one of her dozens of therapists to thank for that absolution.

  I knew what would be waiting for me when I arrived home but to my surprise, Odessa was in bed when I crept in the door. There would be no guilt trip that night and I was tremendously relieved by that fact. My body had finally decided it had had enough and I stumbled into my bedroom, falling facedown into the duvet without even kicking off my shoes. In seconds, I was fast asleep.

  * * *

  His eyes bored into me as he leaned across the table. The feel of his hands against mine sent shivers of pleasure through my body.

  “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” he purred.

  “I know the feeling,” I sighed back, tracing a finger along the palm of his hand.

  “I’m glad you agreed to this date,” he went on. All around us, soft harp music flowed into my ears, the candlelight flickering to illuminate Inigo’s h
andsome face.

  “Why wouldn’t I?” I demurred coyly, leaning forward to stare at him with big eyes. He didn’t smile.

  “Because I’m dangerous.”

  The words didn’t scare me and suddenly, I was on my feet, ambling toward him, my hips swinging provocatively as I stood above him. His hands reached out to grab at me, drawing my waist closer, bringing my legs to straddle his knees. My back fell against the table as his hands encircled my buttocks. I felt heady, drunk, and I knew it had nothing to do with the wine sitting on the table.

  “Kiss me,” he growled and I leaned down, my hair falling to cascade around us like a waterfall, hiding our faces as our lips met. My hair was longer than I’d ever worn it and it tickled my face, but not as much as the bristle of Inigo’s five o’clock shadow.

  My lower lip caught between his teeth and I gasped, my half-closed eyes popping fully open to stare at him. His tongue ran over the bruise he’d caused as he forced me lower onto his lap but there was no resistance.

  His hand snaked up the curve of my spine, finding the end of my too-long tresses where his fingers tugged. Another shot of heat surged through me, my hips rocking against his lap as I edged my way against him, trying to find the perfect fit. Our kiss intensified, the urgency inside him taking on an energy of its own. I moved my head back slightly, wanting to slow things down, if only for a moment, but when I did, my heart caught in my throat.

  The other patrons in the restaurant had left their tables to form a circle around us and gawk.

  “Inigo,” I whispered nervously, my head turning to stare at the figures. Suddenly, they no longer looked like the couples enjoying a romantic meal but snarling, angry beasts.