He laughed. “Guess I don’t have a choice.”
“Nope.” Susan took him off to the grassy area where the others were dancing.
He smiled back at Pepper and said, “Talk to you later.”
“Sure thing.” Pepper didn’t want to feel anything but happy that Susan was having fun, so why did it bug her that she wasn’t dancing with him instead?
* * *
Eric had really wanted to dance with Pepper, but she had given Susan such lethal looks—like she wasn’t supposed to broach the subject—that Susan had taken Eric for a dance instead. The way Susan had been eyeing Pepper’s reaction, he suspected she had thought of trying to push Pepper into dancing with him.
“How is your leg? It appears it’s not giving you any more trouble,” he asked.
Susan smiled brightly at him, and he thought that when she smiled, she looked a lot like Pepper. “It was a hairline fracture and seems to be perfectly healed now. But that’s the trouble with seeing a human doctor. We can’t do follow-up appointments because he’d realize something was wrong with us healing so quickly.”
“Maybe you could see Dr. Weber, get another X-ray, and make sure it’s perfectly healed.”
“I think I will. He isn’t at the party, is he?”
“No. He had a couple of babies to deliver, so he and his nurses are still at the clinic.”
“I wondered about that. He must stay busy.”
“Especially in the winter when the ski resort is open.”
“Don’t tell me you run your own ski resort.”
“We sure do.”
“Well, it sounds like I might need to take up skiing. I wanted to thank you for carrying me back to the cabin and offering to take me to your pack doctor. You were so gallant.”
He could tell Susan liked him, but she also knew Pepper and he liked each other. He appreciated that Susan didn’t try to come on to him. After the kiss he had shared with Pepper, he knew that was just the tip of the iceberg he meant to melt, and he didn’t want to ruin things by showing anything but friendship toward Susan. “Just doing my job.”
She shook her head. “You went way beyond the call of duty.” Then she lowered her voice. “Pepper appreciated your help too, though she was trying hard not to show it that night. I heard what she said about you not staying to offer some protection to the pack. She has her reasons for worrying about…well, a man trying to take over. It’s happened to her four times since she inherited the pack. And in every case, it got ugly. So she tries to avoid any entanglements in the first place.”
“What about her first mate?”
“She knew him from childhood, and just so you know, he was a beta wolf.”
Eric hadn’t expected to hear that. He had thought she would want to be mated to a wolf who could share the responsibilities equally with her. Was she a control freak and didn’t want an alpha mate making some of the decisions?
“So you see the problem? Even though I don’t see you in any way but good and helpful, she sees you as a threat to her leadership.” Susan sighed. “Even so, I want you to stay with me for the night. After what happened in Silver Town, I don’t trust that Waldron wouldn’t come here and make threats against Pepper. We don’t have any real alpha males in the pack. They’d stand up to him, but he knows they don’t have the bite to back their words.”
Eric looked down at Susan, wondering if that was all she had in mind. He wasn’t interested in courting her. Maybe she had only been sweet toward him while Pepper was watching.
Was his disinterest in Susan because she was only a sub-leader, and he was in denial that some of the reason he was so attracted to Pepper was her pack leader status? He didn’t believe so, but even if he didn’t have an underlying motive, Pepper was sure to think it was the basis of his interest in her.
“Won’t she be upset with you when she said no to me staying?” Eric didn’t want to cause friction between Pepper and Susan, or for Pepper to be angry with him. But he did want to stay to ensure Waldron didn’t cause any trouble for Pepper’s pack during the night.
“Not when I have the pack’s best interests in mind. You’d stay at my house, and she has no say in it.”
“I’d want her to know that I’m doing it.” No way was he going to be sneaky about it. That was certainly not the way to build on a relationship with Pepper.
Susan smiled as she danced with him. “You’re a nice guy, you know? You tell her, but it’s still my house and anyone of my choosing can stay there. If she gives you guff, you just tell her I said so.”
“You don’t think she’ll really mind?”
“Oh, she’ll mind. But she also knows I would never do anything to intentionally hurt our friendship or our pack.”
“What is Pepper so afraid of, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Falling in love again and losing the man she loves. That’s the plain truth of it, but she’ll never admit it. She cloaks her concern, saying she’s afraid an alpha male will leave her out of the decision making, and she’ll lose control of her pack. But if she was being honest with herself, she’d realize she’s just afraid of falling in love again.”
“What if she thinks me staying with you means a plot to take over her pack?”
Susan laughed. “I seriously doubt it.”
“Well, just to be on the safe side, I don’t want her to feel we’re going behind her back on this. I want to make sure she’s all right with it.”
“I totally agree with you, but I know my cousin and she knows me, so she wouldn’t think that of me. Are you going to tell Pepper about what happened tonight in Silver Town?”
“You heard?”
“I overheard Sarandon talking to one of your other pack members.”
“I hadn’t planned to.” He shrugged. “We’ll take care of it.” He didn’t want Pepper’s sympathy, if she thought to give it.
Eric finished the dance with Susan and had every intention of dancing with Pepper while asking her if she minded if he stayed at Susan’s place. He handed Susan off to one of his pack members, then headed to where Pepper was talking to a couple in her pack. He figured it was past time to do something about his interest in her, under the guise that they needed to talk about Susan’s offer.
“I just want you to spread the word to be extra vigilant,” Pepper said to the couple.
“We’ll be that,” the man said. They bowed their heads a little to Eric in greeting and then left Pepper alone to speak with him.
“I suppose you have to leave now,” she said, and he swore she sounded a tad disappointed.
“You don’t want to dance?” He hadn’t meant it as a question, afraid she’d turn him down. He really wanted to dance with her, to get close and personal again. To show her in front of others that he was safe to be with. Though she had sure seemed all right with him when they were kissing earlier.
She hesitated.
He didn’t. He took her hand with a warm grip and led her to where the others were dancing. He assumed her silence meant she was trying to quickly come up with an excuse. But he was going to try to talk her into dancing with him no matter what.
“Everyone’s watching us,” Pepper said, feeling so demure against him, so sweet and shy, that he thought Susan’s words had merit.
He hadn’t been sure that was the problem. He had suspected it had more to do with her worry about losing control of her pack. But now he wasn’t so sure. And he was glad he’d brought her over to dance.
“Everyone’s watching because you’re their pack leader. It’s probably been a while since you danced with anyone.”
“Never.”
He pulled her closer and they moved to the music—not as intimately as he would have liked, but it was a start. Though many of the wolves didn’t wear much cologne or perfume, Pepper was wearing a subtle flower fragrance that made him lean down and nuz
zle his nose behind her ear.
She chuckled a little, and he figured he’d tickled her. He breathed in deeply of her scent, of the wild wolf and woman. Before he realized what he was doing, he pulled her snug against his body and was moving with her to the strumming of the guitar, basking in the feel of her soft curves and the heat of her body setting his blood on fire. He would have to take a cold shower after this.
“You dance very well for never having done so,” he said, trying to get his rampant need for her under control and his thoughts back to the issue at hand. “I wanted to ask you a question. I know you don’t want me to stay with you and offer your pack protection, but Susan asked me to stay at her place. I wanted to ask if this is all right with you.”
“No, it’s not all right. She’s an unmated wolf who lives alone.” Even though Pepper sounded annoyed with him, she didn’t pull away, continuing to slow dance with him nice and close, her breasts pressed against his chest, her thighs moving sensuously against his.
“We’re not going to do anything. It’s strictly a place to sleep in case you have any trouble. I’d be a stone’s throw away instead of four hours away.” Not that Eric wanted to stay with Susan. He knew some would speculate about their relationship. That he had rescued her. That he might be taking this further with her. When he was interested in Pepper. “If I’m going to watch out for you and your pack, it would be better if I were staying in the same area—close by.” He slid his hands down her back, wanting to slide them underneath her shirt and feel her silky skin beneath his fingertips, but not with all the onlookers here today.
Her voice was breathy when she said, “I suppose if I say no—”
“Which you already did.” He smiled, hoping she’d concede that having him stay with her was the best option available, his hands still stroking her into submission.
“Susan will insist you stay there.”
“I don’t want to cause any problems for you, Susan, or your pack. I just want to be here in case something happens. I wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink if I returned home. So I might as well be where I may be needed. If you’re afraid I’ll ruin Susan’s reputation, I can stay with a couple, if any will put me up, or I can even run as a wolf. Which I’ll probably be doing for some of the night anyway. And then I can sleep out here.”
Hell, if he could, he’d guard her body all day and all night.
“Don’t you have park duties?”
“I’ll take leave for a couple of days after this latest incident, per Darien’s order. He doesn’t want me in the park for the time being while Waldron is looking to cause trouble for me. Of course, if I stay with you, it won’t cause any speculation about us because everyone will know how alpha you are and that I’d be on my best behavior.” Not that he wanted to be on his best behavior. He was already fully aroused. She had to feel what she was doing to him too, but he didn’t want to let her go for anything.
She cracked a smile. “You can run as a wolf. I have a nice enclosed patio you can stay on and a wolf door. That way you can be the perfect guard wolf.”
He grinned at her. Hot damn! “Ms. Grayling, you have a deal.”
She smiled back but in a devious way, and then to his delight, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. Dancing with her was like dancing with the goddess of his dreams. He thoroughly enjoyed this soft side of her. He swore that Mervin, Silver Town’s barber who played music at every Silver Town event, was extending the song a bit. He’d have to thank Mervin later. Thankfully, Pepper didn’t seem to notice, or she didn’t mind.
“So who really wanted you to ask me first about staying with Susan? You or her?” Pepper asked, tilting her head up to look at him, her brown eyes soft and warm and aroused, her dark brows raised slightly.
“I did. But don’t be mad at Susan. She was just worried about the pack.”
“That’s all right. I won’t give her too big of a lecture.”
“Wish me luck? In case I run into any trolls in the night?”
“Hmm,” she said, sounding as though she wasn’t sure what he had in mind, but she wasn’t pulling away from him.
He leaned down and kissed her softly as a thank-you for the best dance he’d ever had. And he was thanking his lucky stars when she kissed him harder, but before he could match her enthusiasm, she pulled away. “I’ve got to tell everyone you’re prowling the area as a wolf, so they won’t worry if they see a stray wolf roaming around our homes in the middle of night.”
He wanted to groan when she pulled away, yet he knew this wasn’t the time or place. But he wasn’t giving up on her for anything. “I’ll let Darien know I’m staying the night too.”
“On my back patio.”
Eric chuckled. “I wasn’t going to give him details, but I will.”
“For Lelandi’s sake.”
Eric frowned. He didn’t want Pepper believing he was eager to make a mating, even if he was certainly considering it. But that was the whole point in going slow with Pepper—so he wouldn’t appear too willing and upset the proverbial apple cart. “What did Lelandi say to you?”
“Just that you’re not looking for a mate, but I know something about psychology, and I know a matchmaker’s ploy when I hear one.”
He laughed. “As long as she’s not saying I’m looking to settle down.”
“Why not?”
“Let’s just leave it at I’ve been unlucky in love.” Which had nothing to do with his interest in Pepper and everything to do with not wanting to bare his soul to her about his past, not when he’d never told anyone but Sarandon. Though his father had known everything about it too.
But he figured it sounded good as a reason for not settling down, if she was worried about his intentions.
Chapter 10
After Eric and Pepper concluded the dance, some of the kids in Eric’s pack asked him to play a game of tag with them, and as soon as he left Pepper, Susan joined her. “So, did he ask about staying with me?” Susan raised her brows and smiled, to Pepper’s annoyance.
“I can’t believe you’d offer when I said no,” Pepper chastised her. “He’s staying at my place, and he’s going to check out the woods as a wolf some of the night. You’re a single she-wolf. What would people think if he’d stayed with you?”
Susan was still smiling like a kid who had gotten the best toy ever. “Hey, there wasn’t going to be any hanky-panky. The way he danced with you? Close? I can just imagine how turned on he was when you danced with him like that. Not like with me. He left lots of space between us. He’s the perfect gentleman with anyone he’s not interested in that way. And you might have noticed, if you were watching us dance—”
“I wasn’t.”
“Well, he didn’t kiss me. I would have slapped his face had he done so, mind you.”
Pepper shook her head. “No, you wouldn’t have.”
“I would have! If you’d been watching.”
Pepper laughed. “You’re still my favorite cousin.”
“Your only cousin. You’re not really going to send him out on his own to look for Waldron or his men, are you?”
“If I thought I needed Eric, I would have asked him to stay. I hadn’t intended to have him or anyone else patrolling the woods for trouble. He just said he’d do it.”
“Did he tell you which places they set fire to?”
“No. Which?”
“The jailhouse, the Silver Town Tow Truck Service, and Eric’s house.”
Pepper stared at Susan in disbelief. “Ohmigod. I can’t believe it. Doesn’t he want to see how bad it is? And take care of things there?”
“Apparently, he thinks our safety is more important.”
Pepper was shocked that Eric had been so calm and seemed so unaffected about what had happened to his house. “But what if his staying here escalates the situation with Waldron?” Before Susan could answer, Pepper continu
ed, “I can’t believe it. He shouldn’t be here. He needs to take care of matters at home. He must feel awful about it. Angry too.”
Susan sighed. “If I were him, I’d feel that way. Which says a lot about his character, don’t you think?”
“I wonder how bad it is.” Pepper envisioned how his den had looked, with its butternut leather couches and plaid chairs. The dining room with its heavy wooden table and chairs. The view of the woods from the den window. It was a lovely house, and it suited him. She couldn’t imagine anyone setting fire to it. She hoped they had stopped the fire in time and his place hadn’t sustained too much damage.
She watched Eric playing tag with a bunch of the kids now, as if nothing bad had happened. He got a call on his phone, and rather than step out of the game, he continued to chase after kids while several tried to grab the tag at his belt.
“I wonder if his pack is telling him how bad the house is damaged,” Pepper said. “Maybe one of the other members of his pack can stay here instead, if it makes him feel better about us being protected, so he can go home to check on his place.”
Eric lost his tag to an older teen, then grabbed a smaller child on his team and carried him on his shoulders.
“Hey, no fair,” some of the older kids shouted, laughing, and took chase after him again.
“He’s smaller than you,” Eric said. “He needs a boost.”
“He’s really good with kids,” Susan said.
Pepper had to agree. From seeing him with the Boy Scouts and playing games with the children here, she could tell he had a natural ability to play well with them—any age too. Not just the more grown-up teens. Just the fact that they had asked him to play, when they’d only asked one other adult to do so, showed how much they liked involving him.
Some of the adults were starting to pack up their stuff, and Pepper realized she had felt safe with all the Silver pack members being here. But once families began to leave, she did feel better that Eric was staying, though she didn’t want to admit it to him or anyone else.
“I’m going to help clean up,” Susan said before walking off.