The Wolf Within

Chapter 3

Walking into Books and Crannies, Brendan hoped the second time would prove more fruitful. After he’d had time to calm down, embarrassment filled him over how badly he’d acted.

It’d been hard hearing Julie talk about him with another woman. She was the woman for him. But he had to remember, Julie was human. She wouldn’t fight for her territory like a wolf mate would. Besides, there was no need. He was already hers. He had to remember that and keep a cool head. Overreacting like he had would only hurt his cause.

Wooing Julie into a mating would take time and patience. If he’d found his mate with a wolf, his partner would feel the same desperate pull he did. But Julie didn’t feel it. At least, not the way he did. Not yet. And she’d already proven a need for independence by going away to college. If he wanted to make her fall in love with him, he needed to be more careful, but he always seemed to lose his head around her.

An image of Julie, her sad eyes and defeated posture from yesterday, flashed in his mind. This might be more difficult than he’d originally thought. It would take plenty of patience and perseverance to win her. But win her heart he would. His wolf howled every time he saw the sadness in his mate’s eyes. The determination to stand between her and her problems almost overpowered all reason. He needed to remain in control.

Searching for Julie, he found her behind a bookshelf, restocking. He stood back, tracing her form with his gaze as she reached for a high shelf. She looked adorable in her bare feet, jeans and gypsy blouse. Her heels lay in a pile at her feet. His hands twitched, longing to run over her curves.

After waiting almost a full minute for her to notice him, Brendan coughed into his hand to get her attention. She jumped at the noise, dropping a book on her bare foot.

“Oh jeez. Are you okay?” Cursing himself for startling her, Brendan rushed over. He placed his hands on her waist as he bent down to look at her foot.

His heart skipped a beat when she wrinkled her nose and smiled. “Relax, Brendan. It’s just a paperback. It couldn’t have weighed more than half a pound.” The laughter in her eyes mesmerized. This was the teasing, happy Julie he remembered.

“Well, at least let me kiss it and make it better.” Brendan rose and brushed his lips against hers. A spark of recognition shot through him. As if his soul recognized the other half of himself. He could only hope she experienced it too. If she felt even half the desperate need he did, there would be no way she could deny him. Her hands flew to his chest, wrapping his t-shirt inside her fists. It was all the urging he needed.

Brendan pulled her body against his as his mouth ravished her. He stroked his hand down her spine, his other arm supporting as he leaned over her.

Her taste exploded inside his head, sending shockwaves through his system. It had been a long wait for this kiss, too long. He ran his tongue around her lips, savoring the moan that escaped her. Taking the bottom lip between his teeth, he felt her hands pull him closer as he gently bit down. Definitely worth the wait.

Kissing Julie was everything he’d envisioned and more. It was so easy to lose himself in her, forgetting everything but the woman in his arms. Julie. Desperate to feel her curves pressing against him, he pulled her closer.

Her moan swept against his mouth, kindling the fire inside him as her tongue tangled with his. Her naked desire triggered the primal beast inside, and the dull sting in his gums indicated his canines had extended. When he opened his eyes, he saw the distorted colors in the world around him, a sure sign they had changed to his wolf’s.

It was almost painful for him to retreat, but this wasn’t the way he wanted things. He would not let his wolf rule this situation. Even more than that, he didn’t want to frighten her. The memory of Julie backing away from him in fear would haunt him for a long time. He never wanted to frighten her again.

Closing his eyes, Brendan placed a quick kiss against the corner of her mouth and raised his head.

Julie remained mute but didn’t pull away. The silence lengthened until Brendan opened his eyes and gazed into her quizzical hazel ones.

“You missed,” she whispered. He stared at her, puzzling through her words. What was she talking about? And then it hit him. He’d told her he was going to kiss her injured foot and make it better. The end of his lips curved up in a smile.

“I did? My bad. I could always try again…” he trailed off, pulling her tighter against him. But Julie had other plans. With a stream of laughter, she pulled out of his embrace.

“Oh no. That’s quite all right.” She turned away from him, but didn’t get far before turning back, her eyes pleading with him. In that moment, he would have ripped off his arm and given it to her had she asked it of him.

“Everything’s okay between us, right? I’m sorry if I upset you earlier. I didn’t realize–” She shook her head. “I just didn’t realize.”

“Laurie talked to you, right?”

“Yes. She told me you two weren’t mates. I guess I jumped to the wrong conclusions.” She laughed again, the melody making his stomach clench. God, he adored her.

“Good. Then there’s nothing stopping you from having dinner with me tonight.” Brendan smiled in satisfaction, sure he had her. But her eyes told a different story. The sadness crept back into her gaze.

“I’m not sure dinner is a good idea, Brendan.”

“It’s just a friendly dinner, Julie. Harmless.” Brendan forced a carefree shrug. The frank disbelief in her gaze told him she was on to his game.

“Harmless? Nothing about that kiss was harmless.”

Brendan struggled to keep his smile innocent. “Just dinner,” he lied. She was right. That kiss wasn’t harmless, and he planned on kissing Julie more. A lot more. There was no way he could stop with just one taste. Kissing Julie was a craving he’d never be able to satisfy.

“I still have another hour before I can leave. We don’t close until nine-thirty tonight.”

“Don’t worry about it. Samantha and I can handle it. You go have fun,” Laurie called from behind the bookcase, startling them both. If he wanted proof that being around Julie addled his brains, here it was. Brendan hadn’t sensed Laurie. His wolf should have heard and smelled her approach.

Julie pulled three books out of the shelf at eye level and peered at the other side of the bookcase.

“Are you two spying on me?”

“Not at all, Laurie was, uh, helping me find a book.” Samantha’s nervous laugh drifted to him from behind the case. Julie glared through the hole she had created before shoving the books back in place with a muttered curse.

She sighed and looked at him with faked grimness. “You’re not going to give up until you have your way, are you?”

Brendan couldn’t help but laugh. Was it any wonder he loved this woman? “Nope.”

“All right, since it appears I’m outnumbered. Let me go grab my purse from upstairs.”

Brendan watched her backside as she turned and walked away, tilting his head to get a better view of her retreating ass. More laughter rang out from behind the bookshelf, drawing his attention. Two sets of eyes watched him where stacks of books had been removed. The one he recognized as Laurie’s raised one eyebrow at him. Smiling, Brendan shook his head before crossing to one of the armchairs to wait for Julie. At least the women in her family appeared to be on his side.

Julie paused with her key poised to lock her apartment door. The sun was just starting to set and long shadows littered the ground. An eerie chill crept up her spine, causing her to shiver in unease. The hair at the back of her neck tingled, and she got the distinct impression she was being watched.

Looking around, Julie detected nothing out of place. A nervous laugh escaped and she shook off her discomfort. Clearly, reading all those mystery novels was getting to her. She needed to pull it together. She’d need all her wits about her to get through dinner with Brendan without embarrassing herself.

Kissing him had been more dangerous than she’d imagined. When he’d touched his lips to hers, Julie’s first thought had been to pull away. It was the rational thing to do. But the moment had been short lived as his kiss had robbed her of all thought. She’d only been vaguely aware of clenching his shirt in her fists as his arms circled her waist.

Then nothing had existed beyond him. The feel of his lips, his embrace surrounding her, supporting her as he’d arched her backward–it had gone to her head quicker than one of Laurie’s famous margaritas. Just thinking about it made her quiver with excitement.

As she turned from her doorway, something moved off to her left. She froze, her gaze scanning the forest surrounding the parking lot. Leaves rustled as a breeze blew through them, but nothing else moved. A shiver of a different kind ran down her spine. The feeling of being watched returned, bringing with it a premonition of pure evil.

She needed to get a grip. Nothing lurked in the woods. The town was too well guarded by the pack. Her upcoming dinner with Brendan must be making her more ill at ease than she thought. Projecting her fears on her surrounding environment wasn’t going to do anything but make her paranoid. Julie laughed at herself as she walked into the bookstore.

Brendan stood and crossed to her as soon as she entered.

“Gorgeous, as always.” He tried to pull her into an embrace, but Julie laughed and pushed him away.

“Enough. I’m hungry and you promised to feed me.” Grabbing Brendan’s hand, Julie dragged him behind her.

“Have fun,” Laurie’s sing-song voice sounded behind them as they exited the store. Julie didn’t even glance back.

As they rounded the corner of the store into the parking lot, Julie scanned the forest, trying to detect the presence from earlier. Nothing. No feeling of being watched, or sense of foreboding. Just her stupid imagination running away again.

“Everything okay?” Julie jumped as Brendan spoke directly behind her, his arm circling her waist. She looked over her shoulder and saw his gaze raking the woods, his sharp-eyed gaze moving from tree to tree.

“Fine. Just me being silly.” Julie shrugged off his concern, grabbed his hand and tried to pull him toward his truck, but she couldn’t budge him. She looked back and found him staring at her. His shrewd gaze bore into her.

“What?” she asked, biting her lip. He shook his head before stepping forward.

She was the most confusing woman he’d ever met. One minute she would lean into his embrace, and the next instant turn away from a kiss. And that moment in the parking lot worried him. She’d stared at the dark and empty forest as if expecting something to jump out and attack. There had been something in the air. Some strange scent Brendan wasn’t familiar with, but nothing worrisome.

Still, it couldn’t hurt to take a few passes by her apartment tonight. He’d feel better knowing she was safe. Actually, he’d feel better once he had her with him every night. When he could hold her in his arms, safe and protected from everything that caused her pain. Then his wolf would settle.

Dinner had reaffirmed his belief that Julie was perfect for him. It hadn’t taken long to draw her out of her shell, and soon after, she’d laughed and traded snarky comments with him. When he was around her, it seemed everything was right in the world. But now, as he drove Julie back to her apartment, she was silent, staring out her window.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked, more to break the silence than anything else.

“They’re worth way more than a penny.” She laughed and turned toward him. Her chest rose as she took a deep breath, drawing his gaze to her breasts. His hands tightened on the wheel as it shot back to the road. “Why did you kiss me today?”

“I thought that was pretty obvious.” Taking one hand off the wheel, he threaded his fingers through hers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her staring at their linked hands.

“Brendan, you’re a great guy…”

“Oh please. Don’t tell me you’re giving me the ‘you’re a great guy’ break-up speech.” Throwing her one of his most charming smiles, he told her without words he wasn’t going anywhere. Nothing she said would change his mind. Brendan found her huff of frustration utterly adorable. Then again, he found everything about her adorable.

“What break-up? We aren’t together, so there is nothing to break up. And it would never work between us.” Ignoring her words, Brendan picked up their linked hands and brought them to his lips. Julie was running scared. But he held enough patience and stamina to outrun her. He was a wolf, after all.

Pulling up behind the bookstore, Brendan got out and rounded the car to hold Julie’s door open. He placed his hands on either side of her as she stood, and leaned in, looking deep into her eyes.

“Why don’t you come by my place tomorrow for dinner? I’ll cook.”

“Brendan, have you listened to a word I’ve said? A relationship between us isn’t practical.”

“I make a mean salmon dish. You like salmon, right?” He couldn’t help but smile as she blew out yet another exasperated breath and rolled her eyes.

“You are unbelievably stubborn!”

“I’ve learned stubborn people tend to get what they want. And Julie–” Brendan leaned in until they were mere inches apart. “I want you.” Flames of desire leapt into her eyes, pulling him forward as he leaned in for a kiss.

Right before his lips touched hers, she whispered his name. A plea. She couldn’t fight the attraction between them any more than he could.

“Just one taste,” he whispered before closing the remaining distance. She leaned into him, and his tongue swept inside, claiming her mouth. His hands clutched her waist, pulling her closer as her fingers wrapped around his neck and threaded into his hair. Sinking into her softness, he marveled at the feel of her in his arms. She was everything feminine and delicate, yet he knew from experience she could be strong and determined when it counted. And she was all his, just as soon as he could convince her.

Breaking off the kiss, Brendan rested his forehead against hers, struggling to even his breathing. He reached up and swept a lock of hair behind her ear, lingering to trace the rim with a finger.

“Do you know how beautiful you look, all flushed and warm? How turned-on I am, knowing I’m the one who put that look on your face?” he asked, staring at her closed eyelids and kiss-swollen mouth.

Her eyelids fluttered open. The naked desire her eyes revealed took the words from his mouth. The overwhelming urge to kiss her again, to drag her into her apartment for all sorts of wicked things, rushed through him.

“So tomorrow night, huh? Should I bring anything? Wine?” Her words penetrated the haze filling his brain. He shook his head, trying to clear it.

“Sure,” he muttered. He needed to get out of here before he did something he’d regret. Julie was human. Taking her against the hood of his car like an animal was out of the question, no matter how much he might want to.

Steeling himself, he placed a chaste kiss against her nose and led her to her door.

“Sleep tight,” he murmured as she pulled out her key and unlocked the door. As she turned to say goodnight, her gaze drifted to the forest behind him, reminding him of her earlier fear.

Something had spooked her, and it was his responsibility to figure out what and protect her from it. Once he got back to his place, he’d let his wolf patrol the forest around the store. He’d do whatever he needed to keep her safe.