Emerging from the bathroom, Gavin expected to encounter a few things. An intruder with nefarious intentions. Maybe some screaming from Megan, because a normal woman would be frightened by not only someone kicking their door down and shooting but also the appearance of a living and, yes, viciously snarling Lycan.
What he didn’t expect was to find his mate expertly taking down a hired thug.Naked.Straddling a stranger’s chest, her forearm across the man’s throat, her boobs hanging practically in the guy’s face, Megan had things under control—but the guy under her had a much too intimate view.That more than anything set Gavin off.His woman was touching another man while not wearing a stitch of clothing. The fact that she did so to protect herself—with a skill Gavin would question later—didn’t matter.Red, roaring jealousy infused him, followed by icy rage as the gunman, during her shocked moment of inattention, flung her away, causing her harm.He hurt my woman!Unacceptable. A civilized man wouldn’t stand for it, and for a wolf it was grounds for a serious assault. Gavin went after the bastard, ignoring, for the moment, the rules governing his kind—specifically, “thou shalt not let humans know about us.” He quite enjoyed smacking the thug around while carefully ensuring he didn’t accidentally kill him. After all, dead bodies required explanation, whereas thugs claiming a wolfman beat them up got tossed in the loony bin or put in rehab.The satisfaction of hitting something somewhat mollified his jealousy and rage. He might even say he was having a grand ol’ time, too, hitting the bastard. That was until Gavin caught the sound of steps running away. While he showed Megan she could count on him to protect her, she escaped.Dropping his blubbering victim, Gavin loped after her. He hit the hall and stopped. Which way did she go, down the stairs or toward the elevator? He sniffed and turned just in time to spot her in the elevator as the door shut. As for his demand she return? Yeah. She didn’t quite give him the middle finger salute. However, the are-you-kidding expression on her face said it all.For a moment, he debated taking to the stairs and beating her to the ground floor. Then he looked down, noted his hairy, naked, wolfy frame, which, for the curious, was very anatomically correct—and large. Oh, and let’s not forget noticeable.Only seconds before a curious hotel patron peeked in to the hall, Gavin ducked into his room and closed the door—but couldn’t quite latch it, given the splintered doorjamb.The thug still inside lunged at Gavin. Stupid human. Gavin knocked him out and then leaned against the portal so he could furiously think. He needed to get to Megan, not only so he could explain but also to keep her safe. However, at the same time … I can’t go out like this. He’d draw a little too much attention. Not to mention he couldn’t leave the unconscious man here because eventually the intruder would awake. Gavin didn’t fear the idiot blabbing to the police. A thug like this wouldn’t go to the cops, and if he talked he’d soon see Gavin wasn’t the only Lycan he needed to fear. No, Gavin’s reasons for keeping the intruder weren’t to protect him but because he had questions.Big questions. Such as, why was the guy sent to kill Megan? Did Fabian orchestrate the attempts? And more important … Who. Was. Megan?!It didn’t take a genius like Gavin—he had the Mensa score to prove it—to realize she wasn’t the delicate secretary and little rabbit he’d taken her for. More like a vixen, wily and beautiful.A vixen who ran, which called for a chase.What fun.Before he could sniff out her trail, he first needed to flip back into his human skin and locate some pants—and a tie, because anything less just wasn’t civilized.Closing his eyes, he concentrated, willing his humanity to take charge again. For some reason, shedding his wolf exterior hurt a lot less than putting it on. He could almost hear the teasing thoughts of his wolf say, Because I’m tougher.“Let’s see how tough you are if we get something waxed while we’re furry.”On second thought, he’d probably never resort to that because even just the threat made him wince. Yet he faced down a thug wielding a gun without flinching. So sue him for being inconsistent. He’d defend himself and win.Apparently, though, he’d lost the first round to his mate. “What happened to her accepting my wolf side?” he muttered as he washed the wound in his shoulder, which, luckily for him, had already stopped bleeding. While he didn’t heal instantly, he did enjoy quicker-than-human regeneration power. In a few days, the bullet hole would be nothing but a scar.As he dressed, he pondered the recent events. More specifically what happened with Megan.He’d claimed her last night. Marked her as his, even if he’d yet to tell her. Yet she still panicked when she encountered his beast. What happened to her accepting his wolf side? Were the rumors about mating wrong?Only one way to find out, but that involved confronting her. A task that would prove easier if she’d not taken his keys“Bloody fucking hell!” Before he could call for a ride, the busted hotel room door opened. Gavin didn’t bother to turn around.A Lycan should never deign to acknowledge a feline as a threat. The one lesson of Fabian’s that Gavin remembered and adhered to—mostly to drive the arrogant cats he knew yeowly.“Damn, Gavin. Another body?” Broderick sauntered in, only slightly flushed. He must have jumped in his car and raced all eight blocks from his place when Gavin abruptly ended their call, then, knowing his penchant for small places, jogged up the stairs. “One body you might explain to the cops, but two?”“This one isn’t dead.”“I thought the rule was don’t play with your food.”“Ha. Ha. Aren’t you just a comedian?” was Gavin’s mocking reply. “The guy attacked us.”“Because he obviously didn’t know what a stupid idea that was. Boy, did he choose the wrong room.”“You don’t say, especially given it wasn’t my wolf who actually took him down but a certain little secretary.”“Megan?” Broderick snorted. “She couldn’t hurt a fly.”“And yet she pinned an almost-three-hundred-pound thug to the floor. Is there something about her that you’re not telling me?”“No. Not quite. That is…”The more Gavin fixed Broderick with a hard stare, the more the feline pretended disinterest in him. Instead, his friend crouched by the snoring thug and hoisted him onto a shoulder.“Let’s get this fellow somewhere a little less likely to get a visit from the cops. I don’t think your antics went entirely unnoticed.”Not so fast. “Spill what you know, or I am going to turn you into a bobtailed cat.”“Not the tail! Don’t ever threaten the tail!” Broderick exclaimed. “Talk about sacrilege.”“Talk and you won’t have to worry about it.”“Swear you won’t freak.”Not exactly promising words. Gavin arched a brow. “How about I promise not to kill you?”Broderick pretended to think on it. “Fair enough. If you insist. Fabian asked me to ask you to defend Megan.”“He what?”“He’s also the one who put up the bail money, or so I hear.”“How the hell is she connected to him?”“I don’t know.”Gavin growled, and Broderick, in the process of peeking in the hall for observers, took a second to peer back and say, “Seriously, dude. I don’t know. I’d never met her before I not-so-accidentally bumped into her.”“And yet Fabian knew about her.” He lied to my face. Sly fucking wolf.As Broderick jogged for the stairs, Gavin close behind, he said, “I really do think she’s innocent, though. I mean, look at everything that’s happened and the shit that is still happening. Somebody wants her out of the picture.”Indeed. Someone did. And there was only one name Gavin could think of. Someone who probably wanted to cover his tracks.Fabian.Such a nice bedroom, decorated in light blues and grays. Very tastefully appointed. What a shame it was about to get messy.From the comfortable club chair she sat in, Megan aimed the gun she’d taken off the guard she’d assaulted in the garden at Fabian’s forehead.It was highly doubtful she’d taken him by surprise. The man was a renowned mob lord for a reason, but his cocky self-assuredness meant he took his time acknowledging her presence.She couldn’t help a grudging admiration. It took a set of megaballs to act as if he didn’t fear her and to ignore the gun she held pointed at him with unwavering hands. He knew for a fact that she never missed.“Megan. Darling. To what do I owe this lovely crack-of-dawn visit?”“I was in the area and thought I’d pop in.”“Did you make my guards look incompetent again?”“Just the one guy. He’s out cold in the garden. The others don’t even know I’m here.”Fabian blew out a breath of disgust. “Bloody hell. I’d really like to know your tricks.”“And g
While Gavin hated leaving Megan after having declared her his mate, given her somewhat temperamental reaction he thought a cooling-off period might work in his favor. And possibly keep him alive longer.Sure, he’d not exactly sprung the news of their wolfish nuptials on her in a romantic way.However, the whole situation since he’d met her had proven less than normal or ideal.He still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that the woman he’d tied himself to for life was a proclaimed assassin and spy for his nemesis.What would this mean for their future? Would she insist on pursing her career? If she does, at least she’ll have a damned good lawyer to keep her sweet ass out of jail.Speaking of law, how did he feel about the fact that his mate was a woman on the wrong side of it?The answer took less than a second to arrive. It didn’t really bother him. Gavin was used to defending criminals. Innocent or not, he’d not previously cared. It was up to him to give them their chance in cou
A week later and Megan still pouted. She just couldn’t have articulated exactly why, though.Yes, her daddy had shown up and decided things for her, his well-aimed throw of a statuette knocking Gavin out. Her hollered, “What did you do that for?” was met with an implacable, “I didn’t like him.”Funny enough, Megan couldn’t say the same. Despite Gavin’s pompous assertions, she rather liked him. Not that it mattered. Her daddy literally abducted her and took her home.Megan didn’t fight much.Really, leaving was for the best. She couldn’t just allow Gavin—no matter how sexy or yummy or anything—dictate the course of her life.So what if he thought fate had designated her as the one woman he’d spend his life with?No one asked her.No one asked her if she wanted to more or less marry an almost stranger—who made her body sing and brought her to life.No one asked her if she could handle living with a lawyer whose ethics depended on whom he defended—and who accepted the fact that she somet
Thursday“Aw, c’mon, Anne. It’ll be so much fun. Please?”“Cissy, I…” Anne turned away. She hated to disappoint Christa, but there was just no way. No way at all.Her sister’s BFF, Stephanie, chimed in. “If you don’t come with us, that fully paid reservation is just going to go to waste. We bought the package for three because Gina said she wanted to go, and then she bailed on us.”Anne ran her fingertip through the salt on the rim of her margarita glass and stuck her salty finger in her mouth. Damn. Did she or didn’t she? She stared at Stephanie. “There has to be someone else who can fill a third spot. Especially since it’s paid for.”Christa chimed in. “Gina bailed an hour ago. We leave Sunday morning, so we don’t have time to hunt for anyone. I know you have time off coming. Talk to your boss tomorrow and let her know you’ll be gone all next week. Please?”“C’mon, Anne.”Anne glanced from her sister to Steph and pulled back feelings that were more about envy than irritation. She’d
SundayIt was almost five when Anne parked the car in front of a sprawling log building nestled in a large clearing with forest all around. Towering pines and dark green fir trees shadowed part of the area, and the tangy scent of cedar filled the air. The lodge was surrounded by a beautiful deck, and it was all absolutely breathtaking—even better than the pictures online.“Okay, ladies. Rise and shine.” She turned and poked Stephanie, who slept soundly in the backseat.Grunting, Steph slowly pivoted and sat upright. Sort of.Christa stretched her arms overhead and arched her back. She’d ridden shotgun the last seventy miles or so. The sound of popping vertebrae made Anne wince. She hated to think what her own back was going to sound like. “I’m surprised neither of you ladies thought to mention that the last eleven miles were nothing but a dirt road.” It was well marked, so she hadn’t been afraid of getting lost, but the forest was so thick and impenetrable looking, it was scary when y
Anne clipped her hair into a knot on top of her head and took a quick shower. Long trips always made her feel grimy, but that wasn’t the only reason. The old cliché about horny guys taking a cold shower to cool down actually made sense. Her body was on fire after Brad’s kiss. The man kissed like he’d meant it. She’d only known him for what? Fifteen minutes?How would he kiss her after a few days? After they got to know each other.Why wasn’t she freaking out? She never kissed men she didn’t know. Actually, they never kissed her. But Brad did. And damn it all, he kissed her like he meant it.The shower helped, though the minute she got out and thought of him she flushed hot all over again. “Oh. My.” Fanning herself, Anne stared at the woman in the mirror. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes sparkled, and she could swear her lips were swollen from kissing. She’d never, ever reacted to a guy the way she did to Brad, but then she’d never had a totally hot guy kiss her just minutes after meetin
Brad heard the women telling one another good night. He’d really enjoyed all of them, but Anne called to him. He wasn’t quite sure what it was about her, but both he and Cain had felt drawn to her from the moment she crawled out of the car looking tired but delicious. Thinking about her swollen lips and the soft sounds she made when he kissed her, he finished wiping down the bar and checking the kitchen to make sure the stove was off and everything was ready for morning.He’d just hung up the damp towel to dry when he sensed someone near, looked out the front window, and saw Anne standing on the deck, staring at the twinkling fairy lights in the forest. She looked lost in thought, leaning against the railing, her hands clasping the top rail.He realized he wasn’t nearly as tired as he’d thought and spending some quiet time with Anne was just what he needed. She had absolutely no idea how she affected him. Why was that so refreshing? It was definitely attractive. She wasn’t a doormat a
Anne’d only taken a few steps before she saw the back side of the lodge through the trees. She decided to go that way first—just in case Brad or Cain was there. Brad was behind the bar making margaritas for Fred and Suni, but there was no sign of Cain.“Hey, Anne. You’re back!”“Hi, Brad. Those margaritas look so good.” She slowly parked her butt on one of the stools at the bar. Her legs were really sore from all the hiking.“Trust me, they are,” Suni said. “Did you have fun on the hike?”“It was terrific, though my muscles might disagree. You’ll have to ask Darnell about the day’s activities. Ronan and Wils are better than any cruise directors for making things fun.”Brad set the drinks on the counter for Suni and Fred. After they each took theirs and left, Brad smiled at Anne. “Would you like one?”Regretfully, Anne shook her head. “I’d love one, but I need to go and get a shower. I stopped by on the way to my cabin because I wondered if Cain had checked on the pups today, if they w