Captivated By The She-Wolf
“A study pillow.” Willow took her phone from her book bag. “Like this, but cuter.”
The photo was a basic blue rectangle throw pillow with a small red pocket in the top left corner to hold pens and pencils and a gray pocket on the right side large enough to tuck a small book and homework papers inside it.
“Pick out the fabrics you like.” Ronni pointed to the upright bolts of material loaded on standing shelves and stacked on wall racks. “I suggest a neutral main color, such as something in a gray or taupe pattern. Brighter colors will fade with use.”
“Gray and taupe aren’t cute,” Willow said.
“No, but they are a good balance if you’re using fun, colorful fabric for the pockets.”
“Okay.” Willow strolled through the aisles, running her fingers over the bolts of material.
“Please, have a seat, Mary.” Ronni motioned to the table and chairs in the corner. “Would you like some coffee or tea?”
“Black coffee.”
Ronni went into the small kitchenette in the back, filled a medium-size disposal cup with hot coffee and gave it to Mary.
“You shouldn’t have given Willow so many choices.” Mary waved her hand. “She’ll take forever.”
“I don’t mind,” Ronni replied mildly, joining her at the table. “If Willow takes her time, she’ll be happier with her selections.”
“It’s just a school project. As long as she gets a good grade, what difference does the material choices make?”
“Kids should be happy as much as possible. When they become adults, those moments may become few and far between.”
“You sound like my son,” Mary said. “Willow is his whole world.”
“My son, Alex, is mine.”
“Oh, yes. Alex.” The flat corners of Mary’s mouth dipped. “Willow talks a lot about him and a boy named Lucas. She wanted to go to the football game with them Friday night but Bodie decided to take her himself.”
Ronni’s heart flip-flopped. “Bodie is going to the game?”
“Apparently.” Mary’s frown deepened.
With the situation with Jeb looming, this was not the time for Ronni to feel all giddy and such. Still, her hormones switched on and she had a difficult time containing her smile.
As long as Friday morning’s video conference with the Woelfesenat went well, then Ronni would be more than ready to explore the spark between her and Bodie.
* * *
“This space is a temporary location.” Tristan chowed down on the burger delivered by room service to his office, a small conference room on the second floor of the resort. “We have plans to build an actual emergency services building to house the Co-op’s LEO, EMTs and fire rescuers.”
“Your Co-op really is becoming its own city.” Bodie swiped a paper napkin across his mouth, greasy from his burger.
So far, he’d learned the Co-op was an entirely member-supported entity. They prided themselves not only on their thriving wolf population but also on taking care of their own. From education to healthcare to homes and business start-ups, the Co-op made sure no member was left struggling.
To Bodie, whose own people were few and scattered, the Walker’s Run Cooperative’s close-knit, family-style operation sounded like paradise.
“Yes and no,” Tristan said. “We still rely on water and power from Maico’s public utility services. And all Co-op businesses are in and around Maico.”
“Is The Stitchery one of those businesses?”
Nodding, Tristan swallowed another bite of his food, confirming what Bodie had suspected. “Why do you ask?”
“I met Ronni at Mabel’s the other day. I figured if she was a Co-op member, you would know her.”
“I know pretty much everyone in these parts. Co-op or not.”
Bodie wasn’t surprised. When he’d worked with Tristan during the fires, the man never seemed to meet a stranger.
“Word of advice,” Tristan said. “Since she’s been here, Ronni has shot down all suitors. Don’t take it personally if she gives you the cold shoulder.”
“Does she usually give out her number?”
Tristan looked up from his food. His chewing ground to a stop. “Not her personal one.”
“Oh.” Bodie hid his smile behind his burger, taking a giant bite.
“Ronni has been through a lot.” Tristan’s expression turned serious.
“Is that a warning to tread lightly?”
“What do you think?”
“I think Ronni is someone I’d like to get to know better.” Pretty in a natural way, she was comfortable in her own skin. Kind, gentle, but definitely not a pushover, considering that she had confronted him over unintentionally stealing her food. What impressed him was that once they’d figured out the mistake, Ronni didn’t stay mad at him. Even perturbed, she was still rather pleasant. Plus, she was beautiful naked. “In the time I’ve spent with her, I’ve felt a connection that I’d like to explore.”
Tristan merely looked at him. His dark brown eyes bored through Bodie but not in a menacing way.
Bodie resumed eating. “If you want me to back off, I will. I won’t like it, but I don’t think you would ask without a damn good reason.” One being that wolves didn’t get involved with non-wolves. If that was the situation, better to know now than after he’d invested time and energy into pursuing a she-wolf.
“If Ronni wants you to back off, she’ll tell you herself. If she does, respect her decision.”
“I will.” But Bodie intended to do everything possible to ensure that she didn’t want him to back off.
Chapter 6
Cold throbbed deep inside the marrow of Ronni’s bones but it wasn’t from the chill in the night air. The video conference with the two Woelfesenat councilmen presiding over the Southeastern Wahya packs had not gone entirely in her favor.
Because Jeb had no children of his own, and Alex was his only blood relative, the council had decided not to deny visitation rights.
After the meeting, Rafe assured her that he would be present for all visitations, if she wanted him to be. And Brice explained that Jeb could only meet with Alex within the Walker’s Run territory and visits had to be arranged through Gavin.
Ronni let out her breath, a puff of steamy fog forming as it left her lips.
Twenty years ago, Jeb had been a cruel, frightening man. He didn’t care for anyone or anything, except Zeke.
Jeb could have changed in the years he’d been gone, the years she’d thought him dead and buried, fattening the insects feasting on his rotten carcass.
Maybe now all Jeb wanted was assurance that his baby brother’s family was taken care of and safe.
Jeb was now the legitimate Alpha of the Pine Ridge pack. If he violated any law, including the Woelfesenat’s current ruling, not only would he face hostilities from all the Alphas who had a treaty with his pack, he’d also face the Woelfesenat’s wrath.
Jeb was a lot of things. Stupid wasn’t one of them.
“Willow!” Seated two rows below where Ronni sat, Lucas Grayson, Alex’s best friend, jumped up and waved.
A girl at the bottom of the bleachers looked up, her uncertain eyes widening a moment before a relieved smile lightened her anxious expression. She waved and carefully climbed the steps, her father trailing behind her.
There was no uncertainty in the look he gave Ronni. Sexy, confident, predatory.
Her skin prickled and she gritted her teeth, willing him to sit anywhere except next to her. She had enough to deal with without adding her hormones into the mix.
Alex and Ella, his girlfriend of the month, scooted over to allow Willow room to sit next to Lucas. Usually the quiet, awkward one among Alex’s expanding group of friends, Lucas beamed and chattered excitedly with Willow.
Young love. The wolflings in Walker’s Run had no idea how fortunate they were.
Bodie inched past the people sitting on the same row as Ronni. Her heart raced, even though she willed it to beat at its normal pace.
“Hi.” Though a smile hung on his face, the crinkles around his eyes seemed to be more from fatigue than excitement. “I was hoping to find a friendly face in the crowd.”
“Considering the number of women’s heads turning in your direction as you climbed the bleachers, I’d say there are at least a dozen to choose from.” In her current mood, Ronni was fairly sure even a blind man would sense that she wasn’t in a friendly state.
“Didn’t notice them,” Bodie said easily. “I was focused on you.”
“You might want to adjust your sights. I’ve had a bad day and won’t be good company tonight.” Ronni watched the players rushing onto the field.
“My sights are fine. Your company will be, too.” Bodie sat closer to her than necessary since there was plenty of space on their row. “By the way, you look lovely.”
“Thanks.” She wasn’t wearing anything fancy, just a pair of dark blue jeans and a buttercream sweater that complemented her peachy complexion and the red tones in her hair. “You should’ve brought a jacket.”
With sleeves rolled to his elbows, the blue button-down shirt he wore wouldn’t keep the chill out for long. Fall would likely come early, with temperatures beginning to dip into the low sixties at night.
Bodie’s gaze fell on the blanket covering her lap. “Maybe we can make a deal. You share, I share.” He dangled a large thermos and winked.
She was sure he meant it only as a tease, still her nerves tingled and her body warmed. “What’s in it?”
“Coffee, strong and black.” He set the thermos between their feet.
“Lucky for you it isn’t hot chocolate.” Ronni returned her gaze to the activity on the football field.
“Yeah?” Inching closer, he bumped her shoulder.
“I’m allergic to chocolate.” She refused to look at him or encourage his flirtatious behavior. “You would’ve lost your only bargaining chip.” She saw his arrogant male grin without even looking at him.
“Oh, I doubt that.”
Ronni did, too. Especially since his shirt molded around his shoulders, back and torso, teasing her with glimpses of his solid, sculpted, muscular chest.
Bodie gazed up at the clear, dark sky. “Beautiful night to be outside.”
Ronni agreed. Ordinarily on nights like this, she would run the woods behind her house, only entering the sanctuary on full moon nights to avoid prowling, unmated males. Since learning of Jeb’s reemergence, Ronni had stayed on her back porch swing. Every shadow that flickered beyond the porch light elicited an involuntary shiver and she hated that the mere thought of Jeb Lyles induced such unease.
Something brushed her thigh and Ronni jumped.
“Everything okay?” Bodie’s deep, soothing voice drew her attention. Warmth spread beneath his palm, flattened against her leg.
“Yes,” she said, swallowing the tightness in her throat.
Doubt lingered in his gaze, but he offered a reassuring smile. He opened the thermos and poured a steaming cup of coffee, then handed it to her. “This should help you shake that chill.”
If only it could.
“Mmm.” She inhaled the fresh, robust aroma before taking a drink. Her body warmed, but it had more to do with the heat Bodie radiated as he scooted close enough for their hips and legs to touch. She shouldn’t allow him the liberty, but strangely she found his closeness comforting.
“Is the home team any good?” he asked.
“I suppose. I don’t really follow football.”
“What do you follow?”
“My instincts.”
“Yeah?” Humor sparkled in his eyes. “What do your instincts say about me?”
She swallowed another mouthful of coffee. “That you’re trouble.”
“Me?” Bodie’s deep, rich laugh rolled through her body like the rumble of distant thunder. “I’m a boy scout.”
“I have serious doubts about that.”
“I like your smile.” His gaze turned molten like liquid gold. “You should wear it more often.”
She looked away. “I’ll take that under advisement.”
“Oh, no.” He playfully bumped her. “Don’t try to hide it from me now. I’ll consider it a challenge to find it again.”
Ronni doubted it would be much of one. She found his playfulness more charming than she should, considering the trouble she could soon be facing.
The crowd roared around them.
“First touchdown of the night for the home team.” Bodie playfully bumped her shoulder. “We’re off to a great start.”
“Don’t get cocky,” Ronni said. “The night is young.”
“And chilly.” Bodie unrolled his sleeves.
Ronni gulped the last of her coffee and handed him the empty cup so he could have a hot drink.
“Your blanket looks toasty. Do you mind?”
“Tit for tat, huh?”
“Something like that.” Smiling, he took the blanket from her lap and wrapped it around their shoulders.
The simple comfort of a warm male body caused her heart to ache. This was so not the time to explore the possibilities.
Dammit, Jeb.
He hadn’t shown up yet and already he was screwing up her life.
* * *
Laughter rose above the comfortable buzz of patrons inside Dino’s Pizzeria. Willow’s soft, lilting tone was among them. Bodie couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her so happy, carefree. Maybe never.
“They are good kids, right?” he said.
Ronni’s gaze landed on him, only the third time since they’d arrived. “Of course they are.” She gave him a questioning look.
“Willow has had a rough time with mean ones. I don’t want her getting hurt.”
“Alex and Lucas will look after her.”
“She seems to be having a good time.”
“Hmm.” The opening door pulled Ronni’s attention again.
“Are you having a good time?” During the football game, he’d sensed Ronni’s tension and assumed she was nervous because of his attention. Now he was sure it was something else.
“Yes.” She smiled, a perfectly pleasant plastic smile.
“What’s wrong?” Bodie decided to tackle the problem head-on.
“I told you earlier, I wouldn’t be good company.”
“Your company is fine, Ronni. But you jump every time the door opens. Who are you afraid of?”
The warmth drained from her eyes and her smile turned into a brittle frown. “It’s nothing.”
Bodie didn’t push. He wanted Ronni to confide in him but not at the risk of alienating her. He placed his hand over her fingers worrying the paper napkin beside her plate. “If you need someone to talk to...” He shrugged.
“Thanks, but—”
“Ah, don’t shoot me down. I’m hoping to strike a bargain.” He offered her a smile.
Her reddish-blonde brows arched.
“My wife died in childbirth, so it’s always been me and Willow, and my mom.” A dull ache rose in his chest. Though he hadn’t loved Layla, he had planned a future with her and sometimes he missed what could’ve been.
“My mother has helped me raise Willow, but some of her ideas are a bit old-fashioned. It would be nice to have someone to talk to.” Bodie looked over at Willow, her head bent toward Lucas as he showed her something on his phone. When his gaze returned to Ronni, her eyes had warmed and her expression softened.
Just the response he was aiming for.
“It’s hard being a single parent.” She blinked away the water in her eyes, then squeezed his fingers. “I lost my husband over a year ago.”
“Is this your first date since his death?”
Surprise registered in her expression. “This isn’t a date.”
“What is it?” Bodie leaned forward, arms resting on the table. He couldn’t stop the smile wavering on his lips as a myriad of emotions flickered across Ronni’s face.
“We’re chaperoning them,” she said, more confidently than the doubt that flashed in her eyes suggested.
“Maybe. Willow isn’t sixteen yet. And considering the rough time she’s had with fake friends, I intend to keep a close eye on her. But Alex—” Bodie glanced at the tall, blond young man with an easy smile and manner. There was a subtle prowess that suggested when he entered adulthood, he would be a force to be reckoned with—if he wasn’t already.
“Has been through a lot,” Ronni said defensively.
The fierce look in her eyes said she was in protective mama mode and would likely use those pretty white teeth to shred someone to pieces if she felt her son was threatened.
Unbidden affection rushed through Bodie. He could really use an ally as strong as Ronni. All he needed to do was earn her trust and the best way to do that was help her deal with whatever had her so worried. But she was too defensive tonight. He’d have to broach it another time.
“I was nineteen when I lost my father.” A bitter lump grew in Bodie’s throat. He sucked down his entire glass of water, trying to dilute it.
“Losing a parent at any age is difficult,” Ronni said quietly. “Did your mother remarry?”
“No.” Bodie knew to tread carefully, but he figured if he spoke to be flattering, the she-wolf would sense the insincerity. “I became her life and now that’s a huge complication for us.”
He averted his gaze to Willow. His mother wanted to shelter Willow, keep her safe, protected. Caged. More and more, Bodie simply wanted to see his daughter soar.
“She’s a lovely girl.”
“Thanks.” Willow would grow into quite a beauty, like her mother, but she needed a strong feminine role model who would help her discover her own inner strength and develop a stronger spirit than Layla had.
Rather than encourage Willow, his well-meaning mother was more likely to squelch her emerging independence.
“Do you want to get some fresh air in the park?” Bodie could use some.
Ronni’s furtive gaze shot to Alex and then to the door. “It’s getting late.”
“Tomorrow isn’t a school day.” Bodie stood. “We’ll be in full view of the restaurant. The kids will be fine.”
He could read the word no forming on her tightly pressed lips.
“Unless you’re afraid of being alone with me.” He held out his hand.
The she-wolf’s nostrils flared. Fire sparked in her eyes and pride straightened her shoulders.
Bingo!
He’d pushed the right buttons. His smile grew uncontrollably broader, until she clutched his hand. Electricity shot through his palm as if he’d grabbed an exposed wire juiced with a live current. The powerful charge scrambled his brain and his vision might’ve gone a little wonky because an overly satisfied gleam lit Ronni’s eyes.
She walked over to the kids’ table and spoke to them, then sashayed to the door without looking back. He gave Willow a nod. Her smile lit the dining room. Lucas inched closer to her, dropping his arm protectively across the back of her chair. Alex’s gaze was fixed on his mother. When she disappeared out the door, his laser-intense eyes swung to Bodie.
The warning was clear. This one would be hell to deal with if crossed.
Bodie turned to follow Ronni outside, willing steel in his legs. He wished the wobble was from something other than the she-wolf’s touch, but he’d only drank one beer and Alex’s attempt at intimidation had no real effect.
A light breeze nipped Bodie’s face as he stepped into the night. Ronni leaned inside her car and pulled out the blanket they’d used at the game. She wrapped it around her shoulders, closed the car door and walked to a nearby park bench. He sat close beside her. Closer than he normally would on a first date but he’d already seen her naked and his instinct pushed him to leave no space between them.
The moment their thighs touched, Bodie’s mind flooded with the awareness of her femininity and her vulnerability. All the while, her heat warmed him far deeper than the surface of his skin. If she hadn’t been the first to break eye contact, he could’ve easily drown in the sea of blue her gaze held.
Tilting her head back exposed the creamy expanse of her slender throat. “It is a beautiful night,” she said, echoing his earlier sentiment.
“Not compared to you.”
Something more than physical attraction awakened in him. Whatever it was, he needed to keep it in check. He couldn’t afford to lose his heart or his head when his family’s future hung in the balance.
Chapter 7
Tha-dump. Tha-dump. Tha-dump. Tha-dump.
Biting back his annoyance, Bodie pulled to the side of the narrow, two-lane road. The sun had dipped lower than the mountaintops. All he wanted to do was get home, take a hot shower and crash for the next eight to ten hours.
Last night, he’d barely slept. Every time his eyes closed, visions of Ronni’s soft-looking lips beckoned him for a kiss while her eyes pooled with depths of emotion he wanted to explore.
I should’ve kissed her. Long and deep and possessively. Instead, he’d gone with a brush of lips against her cheek to leave her wanting more rather than being presumptuous.
As he walked to the back passenger side of the truck his boots thudded against the gravel. No other sound carried. Right smack-dab in the middle of nowhere was the last place he wanted to be with a flat and no spare.
Correction. He had a spare, but it happened to be in use, as the front left tire.
Severe cutbacks in government spending had every department tightening their budgets. Approval of his request for a set of new wheels was buried somewhere in the pipeline.
Bodie knelt to examine the flat. Nothing protruded from the outer side. His hopes that a simple patch would suffice died when he leaned underneath the vehicle and saw the metal sticking out of the interior sidewall.
Sitting on the ground, he leaned against the vehicle. A few minutes ago, he’d passed the turn to the Brasstown Bald Visitors Center, but it was nearly five o’clock. By the time he hiked back to the turnoff and up the road toward the summit, anyone who might give him a ride into Maico would likely be gone.
Although he was in excellent physical shape, at the moment, he didn’t have the energy to walk several miles of deserted road to get home.
He could shift and fly, but then he’d have to abandon the vehicle, his uniform and his gun. Gathering his strength, he stood, then walked to driver’s side of the truck.
Bodie reached inside the vehicle and grabbed his phone. Due to the escalating tensions, a call to his mother wasn’t ideal, but it was the only viable option.
“Dammit!” No signal.
He walked nearly fifty feet before the call went through.
“Hi, Daddy.” Willow answered the phone and her sweet voice melted his heart. “Are you on your way home?”
“I have a flat. I need Enisi to come get me.”
Bodie heard footsteps, then a door opened and closed.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Willow said. “She’s crankier than usual.”
Bodie knew why. His mother didn’t exactly approve of him allowing Willow to meet up with Lucas and Alex at last night’s football game. Layla’s parents had felt the same when she was a teenager. As a result, she’d never learned how to relate to boys, or men, which caused significant difficulties in their brief marriage.
Bodie was determined to raise his daughter differently.
“Alex works at Wyatt’s Automotive Service,” Willow said. “Want the number?”
“Yeah, give it to me.” Bodie had seen the place between Mabel’s Diner and The Stitchery. “Maybe I can catch someone before the place closes.” Bodie scribbled the number she gave him on the dashboard pad. After they said goodbye, he called the automotive shop.
Silence greeted him after the ringing stopped.
“Hello? Is this Wyatt’s Automotive?”
“Who else would it be?” No sarcasm tainted the deep, quiet voice.
“This is Bodie Gryffon. I’m out on 180 with a flat and no spare.”
“Whereabouts on 180?”
“A couple of miles northeast of the turnoff to Brasstown Bald Visitors Center.”
“On my way.”
The call disconnected.
Bodie returned to the driver’s seat, cracked the passenger window and locked the doors. Since he was given no ETA, Bodie settled back for a nap.
Tap, tap, tap.
“Gryffon?”
Bodie opened his eyes and looked at a copper-headed man wearing work coveralls standing beside the truck. His name, Rafe, was embroidered on the patch sewn on the upper left chest. His vivid blue eyes were just like Ronni’s and Alex’s. Neither physically favored the man otherwise, except Alex carried himself in a similar manner. Bodie figured they must be related.