She’d had passionate, short-term relationships with humans, which were allowed until she had selected a mate. So she knew a lack of passion on her part wasn’t the trouble. But of course, the other guys she had dated hadn’t been wolves, and she hadn’t been willing to take it any further than just a few nights of fun. Now she wanted to prove to herself that she was a passionate person with another wolf. That she wasn’t lacking in that part of her life.
As much as she’d wanted more with Harold, trying to get it had been exhausting. She’d tried all methods of seduction—candlelight and wine, moonlit runs before slipping into the hot tub. Even wearing sexy clothes or no clothes, watching sexy movies, just anything to help get him in the mood. What did he do? Act embarrassed.
She didn’t have to do anything to rev up Eric’s engine. Even a smile seemed to encourage him to draw closer, to want to touch her, to smile back and look wickedly intrigued. Even her invite to dinner tonight had made him appear to want to take her up on the proposal and much more. Whenever she’d offered Harold dinner before they had mated, he’d said sure because he loved her cooking. But there hadn’t been the hopeful looks that she’d want more than just dinner.
She had to confess she was feeling the same way toward Eric that he seemed to feel toward her. The sensation of being drawn to him. The physical need to take this further. Which was why, when she reluctantly pulled away from kissing him, she’d retired to her bedroom before he returned to the house with his bag.
Despite her lack of sleep last night, she tossed and turned most of this night too, her thoughts on tall, dark, and wolfish next door—remembering how passionate he was with her and wishing they could take it further.
When she woke early that morning, she intended to do what she always did first thing: take a run on the wolf side. Some of her pack members would be out too, and they’d greet one another. Often, she felt like a pied piper, with her pack hooking up with her and running with her through their woods. She loved her pack, her people, but she was beginning to believe she was missing out on something more. Something only a mate, a wolf more like Eric, could give her. As quiet as the house was, she presumed Eric was still sleeping after having been up most of the night before.
She slipped out of her slinky, short nightie and tossed it on the chest at the foot of her bed. Then she stalked to the bedroom door and opened it. And got a shock. Naked also, Eric was standing in the hall, apparently doing the same thing as she was—shifting and taking a run. He was stretching to the ceiling, his glorious body on display, taut, muscled, and gorgeous.
They had an awkward moment—both standing naked outside their bedrooms so they could shift and run to the wolf door built into her den door that led out to the patio.
Shifters were used to seeing their own pack members naked. It was no big deal, just a way of life for them, and they lived long lives so they really were used to one another. But seeing someone not of the pack and who looked like Eric did? And when both of them were interested in each other?
He was tanned all over. Did he lie out somewhere naked? He was hot and wolfishly toned, his muscles perfectly formed, not an ounce of extra flesh, dark curly hairs surrounding an impressive, half-aroused cock. Seeing his perusal of her made her own nipples tingle, her body awakening and responding to his interest in her.
“Morning run?” Eric asked, shaking her from her gawking, though he appeared to be trying not to drink her up with just as thirsty a gaze.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Mind if I run with you, or do you like to go alone?”
She loved just breathing in the woodland scents and enjoying the solitude. Insects, birds, squirrels, and other animals were stirring at this morning hour, so she wouldn’t be completely alone. But it was different when she was running with a pack member, that wolf taking some of her concentration as she watched to see if he or she caught anything interesting in the wild that she missed.
She appreciated that Eric would ask and not just assume she’d want to run with him. “Since you’re up and ready…”
“Mostly up and ready,” he said, and she couldn’t miss the double entendre.
From some other wolf, she wouldn’t have appreciated it. But from Eric, she did, and she smiled a little. That was something the other alphas who were bothering her hadn’t done, teased her in a fun-loving way. They were all business in trying to get her interest. “Well, before it gets too hard for you to run…do you want to lead or follow?”
He chuckled. “I’ll follow. You can show me the area where you like to run.”
They shifted, and in a flash, she was sprinting through the house and into the den, then bolting through the wolf door as if she were in a race with the male wolf behind her. Whenever she went on her wolf outings in the morning and the evening after work, she spent the time exploring and ensuring no other wolves had intruded on her property. She didn’t race through the land as a wolf, but with Eric, she ran full out, just for fun. She felt him chasing after her, not just keeping up with her or following her, but chasing her.
Her heart rate sped up, and he made her sprint faster than she normally did. She was having a blast, though she’d be tired later since she hadn’t slept well for two nights.
She thought he’d keep his distance and continue to follow her, but he suddenly was loping beside her. She felt good having him there, enjoying this time with her, his tongue already hanging out, his eyes sparkling with delight as he cast her a look that said he loved being with her like this.
Then, uncharacteristically for her, she headed for the small lake on the property, reached its shore and, without hesitation, dove in.
He stood on the bank watching her. She yipped at him to join her. Then she saw a couple of her pack members heading that way from the woods, probably because they’d heard her. When they saw her in the water and Eric on the bank, they quickly disappeared back into the woods.
She sighed. They’d tell the rest of the pack they had seen her encouraging Eric to swim with her. She often did so with her pack members on a hot summer day, but not before work in the morning. For her to do it with an alpha male who might be interested in courting her? Never.
Eric watched as her pack members disappeared into the pine trees, then he bounded into the water after her.
She wanted to laugh. He looked prepared to tackle her, but he just swam up to her and licked her face in greeting, and she licked his in return. Then he waited until she began to swim across the lake, paddling next to her as if he were her equal, like a mate would, not like one of her beta followers.
She liked having him by her side and she liked how he gave her a thrill of the chase, though she had every intention of chasing him home. They got out on the other side and shook off, then she began to explore the area like she should have been doing, instead of playing with the male wolf. Though she could envision them going out earlier for a morning run, playing, and then getting down to the business of protecting the pack.
When she found no recent sign of Waldron or his people on her land, she assumed he was lying low or knew that Eric was still on her property. Maybe—though she thought it was way too much to hope for—he was giving up on her. Or maybe he was just wearing hunter’s spray to mask his scent.
She chased Eric back to the house, and though she knew he could run faster, he kept just out of her reach to tantalize her. And he was tantalizing with his wolfish scent and his keen interest in her. She was already falling for the wolf.
By the time they reached the patio, they had dried off. She pushed her way through the wolf door, then headed for her bedroom to shower and dress before fixing a quick breakfast. She didn’t remember a time when she’d had so much fun checking out the property in the morning. It was just one of those things she did daily, unless she were sick. She took different paths to make it more interesting. The environment and wildlife were always changing, which helped. But she’d nev
er played with another wolf before work, and she had never raced out the door, encouraging a male wolf to take chase. Not even with Harold.
As soon as she was ready for work, she called out to Eric’s closed door. “Anything in particular you want for breakfast?”
“Yeah,” he said, heading for the door. “But I don’t think it’s on the menu.”
She smiled. Harold had never talked to her like that.
He opened the door and smiled at her. “Anything works for me. Then I have to run. I’ll be working a double shift tonight. Forgot all about it. Do you want me to ask one of my brothers to drop by your place this evening?”
“No, we’ll be fine.” She really believed they didn’t need the Silver pack’s help to the extent the pack’s members were providing it. In truth, she wanted to see Eric in a courtship way and not in a manner that said he was her protector. Just admitting that much was a big change for her.
“Okay, sounds good.”
She liked that he didn’t insist she have someone check on her.
She looked in the fridge at her meager offerings. No eggs. No ham or sausages. She was nearly out of milk. No bread. “I really need to go grocery shopping today. Would more waffles be all right?”
“I love your waffles.”
She hoped he was being honest with her. By the way he was helping, he really seemed eager to have more waffles for breakfast. Usually when she worked in the kitchen, she liked some space, and she had to really concentrate on not burning the waffles as she added extra chocolate chips. Eric brushed against her to reach into the cabinets to get the plates and breathed in her scent. When she looked up at him to see what he was really up to, he gave her a little smile that said he was eager for more than just waffles. She realized that with him around, work was no longer work, but fun and sexy. Harold would have been checking emails on his phone while she cooked, not even conversing with her. But Eric? He never looked at his phone except when he had a call that couldn’t wait.
And helping in the kitchen? Eric definitely added a sexy spin to it.
“I have tomorrow off,” he said as he helped her prepare breakfast. “If you had any free time, we could go out for a meal.”
“I’ll be busy all day, and I have a birthday party to go to that night.” She was already regretting that she couldn’t take the day off too to see where things might go between them.
“Some other time then.” Eric sounded upbeat about it, but she thought he believed she was just making excuses. It probably was best to put some distance between them anyway.
She needed to run her pack, take care of her day job, and deal with Waldron. Fitting in a romance seemed too complicated right now. Besides, Eric had his own work schedule, the problems with the pot-growing wolves, and the mess concerning his house.
“Okay. Works for me,” she said.
After they had eaten and locked up the place, and Eric was hauling his bag to his truck, she thought this was good-bye. That he wasn’t sure about her needs or wants and wanted to give her space. But she didn’t know his history. Maybe he was the one who was reluctant and needed space.
Yet she wanted a good-bye kiss. Needed it to hint there might be more. She realized how much she wanted something more in her life. Someone like him. No, not someone like him, but him, if he turned out to always be like this—sexy, fun, protective—and gave her the lead on making her own decisions for the pack. At least for now.
Would he be shocked if she seized his hand, pulled him into a hug, and kissed him? Probably almost as much as she would shock herself if she gave in to such a notion.
He hesitated to leave, as if unsure how to say good-bye, and she finally did just want she wanted to do. She took his hand and pulled him close, looked into his dark eyes filled with intrigue, and that’s all it took. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her in tight, and kissed her on the lips with such passion, she felt the earth tilting on edge. She knew then that Harold had definitely been the reason for the lack of ardor in their relationship—the difference between him and Eric was night and day. Pepper kissed Eric back, her heart beating triple time, her pheromones kicking in to boost the interest.
Eric’s tongue stroked her lips and he said, “Hmm,” in such a sexy way, she thought he was ready to sweep her up in his arms and carry her back into the house for more private time. And she wanted him to—not to mate, but she wanted to see just how sexy he was in bed.
She parted her lips for him, inviting him in, then stroked his tongue with hers. She felt his growing arousal pressed against her, and she cherished that she could do that to him. With her mate, she’d had to work extra hard to get him to this point. She’d begun to wonder if all male wolves were like that, because the humans she had dated never had an issue. Or maybe being a beta wolf, Harold had felt intimidated by her. And she felt bad about that.
“About the…birthday party,” Eric said, his words drenched with longing. “Do you think you could get me an invitation?”
She smiled up at him. “It’s for five-year-old twins.”
“I like kids,” he said.
Her smile broadened. She knew he did. He’d shown it over and over in the way he treated them. “All right.”
“And we could have dinner after the party.”
“We’re having hot dogs at the party.”
“Drinks then.”
Yeah, he wanted more with her. “I’ll let Pauline, their mother, know to prepare for another adult to attend.”
“I’ll be there. Or come here first, and then we can go over together. Whichever you prefer.”
“You can come here and we’ll go over together.”
He kissed her one last time, his thumbs rubbing her face gently, his kiss just as hot, his body pressed just as close, and then he parted from her, his eyes darkened with desire. She imagined hers looked the same.
Certainly, their pheromones were stirring each other’s up, and their hearts were beating as if they were in a wolf race all over again.
“Tomorrow night,” he promised, and then he got in his truck and took off.
She felt like she’d won the gold. What a way to start her day. What if she could always start it in such a way? If he was like this now, what would he be like if she tried the wine, candlelight, and hot tub on him? The sexy movies? The sexy nightwear? No nightwear? She saw the rise that had gotten out of him this morning.
She was definitely adding wine and candles to her grocery list.
Chapter 15
Eric wished he hadn’t agreed to take a double shift. He had done it in part to make up for another park ranger having taken his shift when he was injured, but now he really wished he could have stayed with Pepper tonight. She’d opened up to him, and, hell, he hadn’t even really talked about himself yet. Would that change the way she felt about him?
He’d sure had a good time with her this morning: the run, the swim, and the way she had kissed him.
He sighed. When they got together after the birthday party, they’d talk.
After he arrived at the park, he was hiking to the first of the campsites he needed to check when he got a call.
“Sarandon?” Eric answered.
“One last chance, Brother. Did you need me to bring you another change of clothes?”
“Yeah, go ahead. I’ll be staying at the park on a double shift.”
“Okay, you got it. What about tomorrow?”
Eric smiled. “I have a birthday party to attend, but I have the day off, so I’ll be dropping by your place for a while, getting some sleep, then taking care of some other business.”
“Any trouble with Waldron?”
“No. He’s playing it cool…or he’s making plans for more trouble.”
“Watch yourself at the park.”
“Will do.”
“I’ll be up on the mountain all day with the climbers, s
o if you need anything, just let me know, but I probably won’t be able to get to it until this evening.”
“Thanks, Sarandon. I appreciate it.”
They ended the call, and when Eric arrived at the campsite, he was immediately called out on a rescue mission. A couple of fishermen had found a canoe resting in the rocks with no sign of the occupant. After hours of searching through the woods along the riverbank, Eric finally located the canoeist by using his wolf scenting ability. The man had a nasty gash on his forehead from where he’d hit his head on the rocks when his canoe flipped. He’d become disoriented and wandered off into the woods. Eric quickly called the other searchers to let them know he had located the canoeist. Eric told them about the man’s condition while cleaning and bandaging the wound. Once medical personnel arrived and took care of the man, Eric returned to the campsite he needed to inspect.
Afterward, he made a trip back to one of the marijuana patches. He didn’t believe anyone would be growing a new crop there now—it was too late in the season to start one—but he wanted to see if he’d find any evidence he’d missed before.
He was surprised to see that some of the seeds had sprouted late and a few stragglers were growing there. But because of it, Eric also found a new wolf scent. Just a hint, which made him wonder if the wolf was wearing hunter’s spray and hadn’t applied enough to cover his own scent. It was one of the same wolves he’d smelled before. The rogue wolves must have realized some late-blooming seeds might have sprouted.
As much as Eric wanted to confiscate the plants, he couldn’t while he was working the job. Irritated to the max that wolves would be involved in the illegal venture, he called CJ. “Hey, I found ten more plants in Patch 5.”