Rescued By The Wolf

“How’s that working for you?”

“I’m in a slump.” More of a Sahara dry spell, actually. She’d left her sex buddy in Seattle and hadn’t had much opportunity to meet anyone in Knoxville.

“Any sparks with Rafe last night?”

“If we were beakers in a chemistry lab we would’ve blown up the building.”

“He’s a great guy. Good-looking. Dependable.” An impish grin broke on Cassie’s face and she rubbed her palms.

“Sometimes the packaging doesn’t match what’s inside.”

“Rafe’s does.” Cassie’s face pinked. “Not that I’ve actually seen his package.”

“He has a mighty fine ass.” Grace laughed.

“You should explore that.” Cassie’s flush deepened. “I mean, your attraction to him. He really is one of the good ones.”

“So was Derek, or so I thought.”

“Rafe isn’t Derek.” Cassie set her cup aside. “Trust me. You’ve never dated someone like Rafe.”

“Uh, no.” Grace shook her head and a heavy weight settled in the pit of her stomach. “I prefer sex with men who actually like me.”

“Why do you think he doesn’t like you?”

“‘I don’t want to be your friend, Grace.’” She mimicked Rafe’s deadpan delivery.

“I told Brice the same thing.” Cassie giggled, pointing her index fingers at her belly.

“Not funny.”

“Don’t analyze Rafe. He says exactly what he means and only what he means. Simple, concise, no hidden context. So, he doesn’t want to be friends. He left the door wide open to be something else.”

“Not interested.” A smidgen of a fib she’d stand by.

“I wish you would put Derek behind you and move forward with your life.”

“I have, and I’m a pro at moving.”

“You sound like my mother.” The corners of Cassie’s mouth sagged. “Imogene died never finding her happiness. She ran from life instead of making it her own.”

“My life is my own. I have a comfortable, portable web design business and I’ve traveled the world. What more could I want?”

“Someone meaningful to join you on those travels.” Cassie rubbed slow circles across her abdomen. “Someone you love to the moon, someone who loves you beyond it.”

“I’m happy you’ve found that with Brice.” Grace swallowed to soothe the burn in her throat. “Be happy that I’m happy with the life I live.”

Most days. Sometimes the loneliness ate at her.

“Still have your old dream book?”

“Yes.” A school project from their days in Mrs. Haverty’s art class. “I’m surprised you remember it.”

Grace had carted the old scrapbook with her on every move. The opening pages displayed pictures of the perfect house, a two-story stone and log-plank house with floor to ceiling windows. Clippings of an antique apothecary, a Queen Anne couch, Tiffany lamps, and everything else she thought would make a perfect home filled the rest.

“It’s filled with the dreams of a seven-year old,” Cassie said.

It was much more. Grace had added to it over the years, up until she’d lost the baby and Derek asked for a divorce.

“Burn it.” Cassie’s pointed look meant business.

“I’m not burning it.”

The tattered scrapbook served as a reminder. Broken hearts, broken dreams and broken trust were all she got from the men in her past. No way would she trust one with her future.

Chapter 7

“I expected you in my office yesterday.” Gavin Walker’s voice scraped down Rafe’s spine.

The screwdriver slipped and stabbed Rafe’s right hand. He dropped the rail glide he was trying to fasten to the end panel of the changing table. Cursing, he shoved the bloody knuckle into his mouth. A strong, iron taste pricked his tongue.

At sixty, the Alpha wolf still had a keen nose, agile steps and a paw in everything happening within his territory.

Apparently Rafe’s senses were skewed since he hadn’t heard or scented Gavin’s approach. He blamed Grace for mucking up his nose and filling his head with distracting thoughts.

He’d hoped the nursery project would keep him too busy to think about how yesterday, he’d almost drowned in the rich green depth of her eyes, or dwell on the rush of excitement he felt whenever she gifted him with a smile.

“Are you all right?” Gavin’s gaze narrowed on him.

“Peachy.” Rafe shook out his injured hand and picked up the wood screw that had fallen out of the precut hole.

“You were supposed to see me after safely delivering Grace to the resort. Maybe it slipped your mind.”

It hadn’t. Rafe simply didn’t want to hear another lecture on being reckless and putting the past behind him. The pack needed to mind their own damn business and leave him the hell alone.

“I heard Grace went home with you after her accident. How did that go?”

Rafe fumbled the screw again.

Gavin was baiting him and Rafe wasn’t interested in playing the Alpha’s games, particularly if it involved Grace. “Your experience must’ve been pleasant, considering your butterfingers at my mention of her.”

Gavin entered the room and sat in the rocker. He rested his hands across his waist and laced his fingers over his belt buckle. “Grace. A lovely woman, don’t you think?”

Awareness flared in Rafe’s body. He recalled the sweet musk of her true scent, the dimples produced by a real smile and the golden sheen of her shoulder-length hair.

Suddenly, he sensed the inexplicable gentleness of her presence and knew at that exact moment she was happy and safe.

Gavin’s laughter disrupted the fragile connection that Rafe discounted as a figment of imagination. After all, how could he possibly know what Grace was feeling?

“With all due respect—”

“I doubt that.” After all these years, the old wolf still had a burr in his paw about the time Rafe and Brice had painted Gavin’s entire office in silly string. As boys, they’d faced a grueling inquisition. Neither of them had confessed culpability. Likely, they never would.

Rafe smiled, remembering the abject horror on Gavin’s face when he saw their handiwork. A few remnants still remained on the exposed wood beams in the ceiling above his desk.

“Ask your question or make your point,” Rafe said. “You wouldn’t want your granddaughter’s crib to fall apart because you distracted me while putting it together.”

Gavin’s thumb tapped his buckle in an aggravated cadence. “The sheriff’s office is involved with Grace’s accident.”

“Tristan said he would file a clean report.” Most notably, he promised to omit the detail of Rafe’s nudity at the scene.

“The new sheriff isn’t Co-op friendly. Tristan mediates Co-op issues when he can, but it’s putting him in an uncomfortable position with his employer. He thinks the sheriff is looking for a reason to investigate us.”

“The pack has been good to the people of Maico.”

“Humans are fickle. They can be swayed by bad press, especially when it preys on primal fears.” Gavin’s dark brows, a contrast to his snowy-white hair and short-cropped beard, slashed over his eyes. “I imposed the curfew to reduce friction between us and the sheriff’s department. I will not allow rule breakers to jeopardize the safety of my pack.”

“Alex wasn’t the only wolfling to break curfew.”

“I’m not only talking about the wolflings, Rafe. You shouldn’t have been out as a wolf. The curfew also applies to you.”

“Running the woods keeps me from drinking.”

“Find another distraction.” Gavin rocked forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Better yet, find a mate.”

“We’re not having this discussion again.”

“You need a mate, Rafe. A woman you can hold in your arms and make love to. A real woman. Not a memory. Let go of the past. Grab onto your future. If you don’t—”

“Stop.” Rafe held up his hand. The shattering of the mate-bond that he’d shared with Lexi had unleashed a maelstrom within him. She had been a balm to his restless nature. Now, he had to learn to manage without her. “I have let go, Gavin. I’ll decide if or when I take another mate, not you.”

Gavin gave a slight nod. “In the meantime, here’s what I do expect from you. Stop working around the clock. You don’t need the money.”

True. After the demise of his birth pack, Rafe inherited everything belonging to his former pack mates. It wasn’t a lot in the beginning, but Doc had wisely invested the funds for him. Now Rafe had enough money that he could retire, three or four times over.

“Establish reasonable business hours,” Gavin continued, “and stick to them.”

“I have a lot of work.” Rafe liked to stay busy. Idle hands reached for bottles.

“Hire help, or refer customers to some of your trusted competitors.”

Rafe wasn’t inclined to do either. He’d turned a lot of business away during his drinking days. When he got sober most of his customers returned. He didn’t want to reward their loyalty by handing them over to someone else.

“I’ll let the pack know I’ve ordered you to cut back. If you don’t, I’ll shut you down. Understood?”

Rafe reluctantly nodded. Technically, the Co-op owned his business and every pack member’s business.

Members tithed thirty percent of their income to the Co-op. In return, they received free housing, paid college expenses, free health care, and if they wanted to open their own business the Co-op paid to have it built and provided the start-up income.

“Good. With your workload reduced you’ll have more time to devote to Alex. Start by picking him up before and after school. He’s been truant. I want it stopped. He’s also struggling with his schoolwork. Find him a tutor. Ronni’s working toward her GED and I don’t want Alex’s shenanigans to derail her efforts.”

Stunned, Rafe ran his hand across his chin, feeling the stubble he’d forgotten to shave. Other than Alex breaking curfew, Rafe had thought the boy was doing well. And, Ronni had never mentioned not having a high school diploma or working toward her GED.

As Alpha, Gavin knew everyone’s business, but Rafe didn’t like being caught unaware of his family’s situation.

“I’ll take care of Alex and help Ronni with whatever she needs.”

“Now that’s settled, let’s talk about Grace.”

“I’d rather not.”

“She presents us with a delicate dilemma,” Gavin began, as if Rafe had no objection to the topic. “She and Cassie have become close over the last year. Close enough that it’s inevitable for Grace to discover what we are.”

“Tell her before it becomes a problem. She seems trustworthy.” A woman who would give up her life to move cross-country to care for her disabled brother knew a thing or two about loyalty.

“I would prefer Grace to bond with one of our pack’s eligible males. A mateship is the easiest and most expedient way to introduce her into our world, but she’s proven quite difficult—”

Good for you, sweetheart.

“—in the matchmaking arena.”

Rafe chuckled.

“Did you say something?”

Rafe stayed silent, his ears tuning into the soft, limping footsteps coming down the hallway.

“Regardless of whether or not she accepts a mate,” Gavin continued, “I will ask Grace to join the pack after my granddaughter is born.”

Rafe wasn’t surprised. This wasn’t the first time Gavin had played hard, fast and loose with the pack’s initiation rule. Doc was neither Wahya nor married to one. He’d been inducted into the pack simply because he was Gavin’s best friend since their college days.

“After all, Grace will be my granddaughter’s godmother. It’s imperative to keep her close. To keep her safe.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Although Rafe was close to the Alpha’s son, he wasn’t usually taken into the Alpha’s confidence.

“Because you’re the baby’s godfather.” Brice leaned in the doorway, all smiles and smugness.

“Like hell I am.” Rafe was still putting his life back together. How could Brice think he’d make a suitable godparent?

“You’re my best friend and Grace is Cassie’s best friend.” Brice flashed a very unwolfan-like smile.

“Find a new best friend,” Rafe half-heartedly told Brice. Though, he was deeply touched by his friend’s faith in him.

“How about Shane?” A gleam lit Gavin’s eyes.

Rafe had to be careful not to over-tighten the screw and strip the threads. Shane MacQuarrie followed Tristan’s wham-bam-thanks-for-the-good-time-ma’am creed. Grace deserved better and like it or not, Rafe felt a degree of protectiveness toward her.

“Personally, I think Shane has a better temperament than Rafe,” Gavin continued smugly. “Since Shane and Grace already have a friendly rapport, a nudge or two in the right direction could turn their relationship into something more.”

“Hell, no!” An unpleasant heat erupted from Rafe’s core.

“Need some water to cool that temper?” Smiling, Brice shook his water bottle at him.

Rafe swallowed and held a breath deep in his chest until the echo of Brice’s laughter subsided.

“Shane’s too young and cocky,” Rafe said more evenly. “He’s all wrong for her.”

“Perhaps.” Gavin’s gaze seemed to bore into Rafe’s skin, making him more irritable. “I want Grace to get to know the pack. I’ll arrange for her to enjoy a few select pack events. I’d prefer for her to attend with someone other than Cassie to avoid the appearance of nepotism.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Rafe returned to assembling the crib.

Gavin issued a warning growl.

Rafe bit back a smile and Brice covered his grin by taking a drink of water. It was a nice feeling to ruffle the Alpha’s fur.

“Considering you’re indebted to Grace because she didn’t kill you with her car,” Gavin snapped, “no one will think twice about her showing up with you.”

Rafe fumbled the screwdriver. “You want me to be her date?”

“Date, escort, guardian. The terms are fairly interchangeable.” Gavin kept a steady gaze on Rafe.

“Not in my dictionary.”

“Perhaps you prefer friend.”

Brice mouthed, “With benefits.” He held up his thumb.

Rafe had an urge to knock the goddamn twinkle out of his best friend’s eyes.

“I want Grace to trust us, not fear us. Making friends among us will ease her anxiety when she finally learns what we are.”

“Want her trust to us? Tell her the truth. The sooner the better,” Rafe said. “Or else this entire scheme will blow up in your face.”

Chapter 8

“Tighten ’em up, Pops.” Rafe handed Brice a Phillips screwdriver so the father-to-be could fasten the last four screws into the crib.

Though miffed at his friend for involving him, Rafe understood the reason. The Alpha family was protecting their own. Cassie.

Cassie wanted Grace close. So, the Alpha family would move heaven and earth, and probably a little bit of hell, to see Grace safely settled in their midst. In a twisted, deranged way, the Alpha family had paid him a huge compliment.

He’d rather have free-range runs.

“Thanks, man.” Brice beamed and tackled his token assignment.

After they inserted the mattress, Brice pulled a package out of the closet. “How about this?”

“What is it?” Rafe packed up his tools.

“Stuff the sales clerk said we had to have.” Brice read the package description. “Crib sheet, coverlet, bumpers.”

“Sorry, Walker. Bows and frills aren’t my department.” Rafe shook his head.

Brice frowned, placing the package on the crib Rafe had put together.

They broke down the boxes and stuffed the trash into a garbage bag. “Mom and Dad are out with friends tonight. I’m firing the grill to toss on some burgers for supper. We’ll have plenty if you’re hungry.”

A wolfan was always ready to eat.

“Grace is joining us.”

Dread and excitement competed in racing Rafe’s heart. Part of him, the stupid part, wanted to see her again. The smart half wanted to get the hell out before she showed up.

“I’ve got work to catch up on. Maybe next time.”

“There might not be a next time with Grace. You know what my dad is planning.”

“It won’t work.”

“Cassie said there’s a spark between you and Grace.”

Rafe gave him an eat-shit look.

“My mistake.” Brice’s lopsided grin said he didn’t think he was wrong at all. He grabbed an armful of trash.

Rafe snatched up the remaining garbage and followed him to the side entrance of Gavin and Abby Walker’s home, their family quarters adjacent to the resort.

Brice stayed outside to light the grill. Rafe ducked inside to retrieve his toolbox.

“Rafe? What are you doing here?” Cassie met him in the corridor connecting the Alpha family’s residence to the resort.

“Helping Brice with a project.” Rafe’s gaze skimmed the top of Cassie’s head to his real target. Grace.

“Does he still have all his fingers and toes?” Cassie’s eyes widened against her pale skin.

“He did, but he’s outside lighting the grill.” Rafe’s gaze jumped back to Grace.

Her hair looked professionally sleek. He liked it better in a mussed ponytail. She wore denim shorts with a tiny bit of lace at the hem and a pale pink top with little bows on the capped sleeves. Her nails, painted a dark pink with a black swirly pattern at the tips, matched the toes peeking through the openings of her low-heeled sandals.

“Hey, Sunshine.” Brice strode toward them.

Cassie beamed as he wrapped her in his arms for a big, juicy kiss.

Brice urgently hiked his thumb behind Cassie’s back and gave Rafe the bug eye.

“Come with me.” Rafe clasped Grace’s hand and led her inside the small nursery the Walkers wanted set up for their daughter.

Grace’s lightly glossed lips parted in a soft sigh. She trailed her hand over the newly assembled furniture. “This was your project?”

Rafe nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat at the longing he saw in Grace’s eyes.

Grace gripped the crib’s cherrywood rails, and for a second, Rafe thought tears shimmered in her eyes. “She’ll love it.”

“Do you know what to do with this?” He handed her the packaged bedding set.

Grace’s rich, full-bodied laugh did something funny to Rafe’s stomach. “Two grown men couldn’t figure out how to put sheets on a baby mattress?”

“I sleep on a couch.”

Grace’s cheeks pinked and her tongue peeked between her soft lips. “How could I forget?”

Her heated gaze licked his body, inch by tortuous inch, just as it had when he stood in front of her, naked. His body reacted the same as it had yesterday. His muscles clenched, his breath quickened, and his blood felt too hot for his veins. Trapped behind the zipper, his cock strained against its confines.

He spun her toward the crib. “Hurry.”

Grace quickly tucked the corners, smoothed the fabric and tied perfect little bows.

Grace’s eyes watered and Cassie burst into tears when she entered the room. Rafe thought it peculiar human females cried when happy, particularly when Cassie did it. She had never been overly emotional. Pregnancy had changed her.

“It’s beautiful.” She moved from Brice’s arms to squeeze Rafe’s hands. “Thank you.”

Sorrow simmered behind the joy in her eyes. “You will come more often to see us? To see the baby?”

Rafe tipped his head. The loss of his child didn’t mean he couldn’t be happy for theirs.

“Well, then.” Brice clapped his hands together. “You can start by joining us for supper.”

“Oh goody,” Grace whispered in Rafe’s ear. “I won’t be a third wheel tonight, after all.”

She playfully bumped against him and the jolt of her touch unleashed a flood of wolfan hormones into his bloodstream. The sudden rush deafened his ears and he had the sense of tumbling down a waterfall. His lungs tightened, his heart pounded, his skin dampened.

He locked gazes with Brice. Instead of offering a lifeline, the damn wolf smiled.

* * *

Riotous laughter and curses rose above the roar of racing street cars. Hand drying a plate, Grace peeked out of the kitchen at the two formidable men perched on the edge of the couch, hunkered over the game controllers gripped in their tight-fisted hands.

The big-screen TV anchored to the wall in the Walkers’ den flashed images of a high-speed street race. One car tapped the other, knocking it into a tailspin.

“What the fuck?” Brice’s arm swung out, punching Rafe’s shoulder with enough force to knock an ordinary man clean off the couch. Rafe’s body absorbed the shock with barely a ripple. However, his virtual car careened off course, crashed into a building and exploded.

“Keep your paws in the game, Walker, and off me,” Rafe snapped, although Grace saw no true menace in the narrowed gaze he speared at his friend.

“All’s fair in love and war and my toys,” Brice chuckled.

Grace returned to the sink. “Do men ever grow up?”

“Depends on the man. A good one knows how and when to step up, and will.” Cassie absently rubbed her belly. “It’s good to see Rafe having fun.”

“At least, he is now.” Grace placed the freshly dried plate in the cabinet and laid the damp towel across the empty dish drainer. “He was so tense during supper.”

Sitting beside him at the table, Grace had felt his tension in palpable waves. His muscles had been primed and pumped, as if he’d been waiting for the chance to dart out the door.

“He’s never accepted a dinner invitation from us until tonight. Maybe he wasn’t sure what to expect.” Cassie waddled to the kitchen archway. Her head tilted as she watched the men play their game.

When she turned to Grace, a smile twitched her lips. “Maybe Rafe is here because he wants to get to know you.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Grace grabbed her glass of iced tea from the counter and chugged a big gulp.

“You batted your eyes to get him to stay for supper.” Cassie made a sympathy face, dramatically exaggerating the opening and closing of her eyes.

Grace tossed the dish towel at her. “I did not.”

They both laughed.

Cassie carried the nearly forgotten condiments to the refrigerator. “I think he liked your travel stories.”

Grace had more than a few about the Swiss Alps, Mt. Fuji, Pompeii, Madrid, the rain forest, the Luxor—the real one, not the one in Vegas. Other places such as Beaufort, San Diego, Arlington, Jacksonville, Okinawa, Guam and Germany had been “home” during her father’s military career.

Brice and Cassie had peppered her with curious questions during dinner. Rafe had remained silent.

“He seemed bored to me.”

Cassie wiggled in her seat to get comfortable. “If Rafe was bored, he would’ve left once he finished eating.”

“He kept his head down and his eyes on his plate.” Grace eased into the chair across the table from Cassie. “Not a great endorsement for interest.”

“Eating is serious business for men like Rafe, but it doesn’t mean he wasn’t paying attention,” Cassie said. “Remember when your napkin fell off the table? Rafe caught it midair, folded it, and placed it next to your plate.”

“He has quick reflexes.”

“The point is that he noticed.” Cassie’s face lit up with a wide grin. “He’s probably observed more about you than you realize.”

Come to think of it, Rafe had handed Grace the mustard before Grace asked for it. It didn’t seem out of the ordinary at the time because they were eating burgers. But, he’d only passed her the mustard. Not the ketchup. Not the mayo. Neither of which she liked.

“And if he’s tuned into you it’s possible you’ve piqued his interest.” Cassie held up her hands to show Grace her crossed fingers.

“I hope it’s just a casual interest. You know I’m not looking for anything more.”

“Not all men are jerks. Some can be trusted not to break your heart, Grace.”

In her experience, they always did.

Her dad had been the first. Strict, unemotional and mostly absent, he’d broken promise after promise. Birthdays, holidays, award presentations, he’d sworn to attend them all. She only needed one hand to count the number of times he had attended anything.

Derek, her college sweetheart turned ex-husband, swore he loved her, but after the miscarriage he couldn’t get out of their marriage fast enough.