Pack of Her Own, page 3
“Not being adventurous today, Rias?” I asked the deputy as I placed her plate of pasta and garlic toast in front of her.
Rias smiled up at me, her cheeks dimpling as her violet eyes shone with humor. “What can I say? I know what I like.”
We talked for a few more minutes. She was definitely one of my favorite humans, and I had the pleasure of interacting with her on a regular basis. Before long, though, I bid her a good meal and stepped away. The door opened as I returned to my place behind the counter. I looked up to see Natalie Donovan, wearing tight jeans and a pink short-sleeved blouse, step through the door. She was taller than average, had long copper hair, and pale white skin, like someone who hadn’t lived a life in the sun. She was an absolute vision. I could feel the beast inside of me perking up and licking her chops at the beautiful lady in front of me. Thick thighs, wide hips, a booty you could eat off, and a look in her eyes that promised…
I shook my head and quelled the wolf. I tried to manage a placid smile as she sat at the counter, her eyes taking in the entire diner and everyone in it.
“Hi, Natalie. Finally got bored of the empty cabin?”
She looked surprised at the use of her name but covered it up quickly. She smiled like it hadn’t happened. “Yeah, was going stir crazy a little. I remembered you mentioned the diner and got hungry, so here I am.”
I grinned. “I take it you liked the dinner I brought?”
Her eyes rolled back in her head as if remembering the meal. “Oh, Goddess, yes. Honestly, I hadn’t had a meal like that in a long time. Mi—” She cut herself off with a shake of her head and picked up a menu from beside a napkin dispenser.
I didn’t pry, despite how much I wanted to. Or more accurately, how much my wolf wanted to. She wanted to know everything about her. She wanted to rub herself against her and mark her with our scent. She wanted to claim her. I took a deep breath and tried to push down the beast once more, and noted a peculiar scent. A delicious scent, enticing, and complex. And it was coming from Natalie.
It was something I should’ve noticed last night, but I’d been upwind, and she’d closed the door too quickly. Her scent was different from what I was used to. It was like there was something special about it, about her.
Realization hit me a second before she glanced up, her warm brown eyes locking onto mine.
“So, what’s good around here?” she asked with a slight smile.
“I can recommend most things on the menu,” I replied. “I used to make most of it myself when I first opened the place. The recipes haven’t changed, even if the cooks have.”
She chuckled. “Had to learn to delegate, didn’t you?”
“Not a simple thing.”
“How long have you lived here?”
“Little over five years now.”
“Is that when you met Rory?”
I nodded. “Yeah, she was one of the first people to come in here. She even worked the register for me a few times.” I smiled. “I take care of the cabin for her and her family now that she’s moved to the city. We still hang out every now and then.”
“And before you came here? What did you do?”
I bit my lip as my wolf howled her loneliness inside my head. “You’re going to have to take me out on a date to get that information.” I stubbornly ignored the memories that tried to push to the surface with my flirting.
She pulled the menu in front of her face, but not fast enough to hide the blush that showed. A bell rang behind us and another plate appeared under the heat lamps. I took a moment to deliver it, then offered coffee refills around the tables before returning to Natalie. A moment later, Meg popped out of the back and took her place, but when she saw me and Natalie she stayed on the other side, giving us the side-eye as I waited for Natalie to place her order.
I watched her eyes flick from the burger section to the salads as if she were at war with herself. I leaned over, pulling the menu down so it was flat on the counter. “Did you want me to pick something for you?”
She hesitated. “I have a hard time deciding sometimes.”
“I get it. There’s a lot of options, and sometimes you need to decide between something new and something you know you like.”
“Yeah. It’s…kind of like that.” She let out a long breath. “My girlfriend—ex, actually, used to order for me all the time.” She hesitated again. “She had this strict idea of—” She shook her head. “No. I think I just need a moment. Maybe a soda to drink?”
I got her a drink and slid it over to her before I turned away to give her space. I needed to get the supply ordering done soon, but I didn’t want to leave her. I motioned Meg over. “You take good care of her, you hear?” I whispered. “Anything she wants, on the house.”
“Really? Is there something—”
I shook my head. “Just take care of her, okay?”
“Yeah, boss. You got it.”
Reluctantly, I returned to the office and pulled out the stack of supply forms. I plunked my ass down in the chair so I could get back out to the dining room before Natalie finished her lunch and left. Or, from the way my wolf roiled under my skin, before the beast dragged her out into the woods and made her our mate.
You know, whatever came first.
Chapter Five
Natalie
I watched Wren disappear into the back with equal parts relief and discomfort. I let out a little sigh from behind my menu. It was bad enough thinking about her and the meal she’d brought last night. Or about how damned good she looked today, her ass in tight jeans and the flannel shirt open enough to reveal the dark tank top hiding her lean body. Now that I’d gotten to talk to her…
Oh man, I was in so much trouble.
And what the hell was I doing, baring my soul to her? I’d almost slipped about Misty, about all of it. Wren was being so nice to me right now and I didn’t need to destroy this friendship before it even began.
The server, Meg, she said her name was, came by with a refill for my pop and took my order. I’d finally settled on a cheeseburger and fries, something simple enough, but also something I wouldn’t even consider ordering around Misty. As she walked away, I let out a little sigh, hoping my meal wouldn’t be ready too quickly. The longer before I went back to the cabin, the better. I was about to tear down the walls or something for a change of scenery.
And if I got to spend more time around Wren, well, that was just a bonus.
I pulled out my phone. The middle of nowhere had little chance of a signal, but in town that changed. My finger hovered over my social media feeds, the temptation to check them stronger than I would’ve liked. So why the hesitation? It was like the mere idea of it made me feel ill. To see how far the friends I’d lost because of Misty had come since I last saw them. My friend Gwen, from the gym, or a handful of other people. I didn’t want to tempt myself in trying to reconnect. Not yet anyway. I wasn’t ready for that kind of rejection.
I set the phone aside. Despite going stir crazy, it was nice to disappear. To get away from everything. And yet there was still so damned much that reminded me of Misty. And if not her, something else. Someone else.
Okay. We weren’t going there. I was on vacation. That all didn’t need to come up.
I took my time eating my meal and refused to even pick up the phone again until I finished eating. Wren popped back out of the double doors as I was munching down on the last of the fries, and her smile sent a shiver down my spine all the way to my feet.
“Still here?”
“Had to savor this meal. Too good to eat without tasting it.”
The way she licked her lips when I said tasting made me wonder exactly what was going on in that head of hers.
“I’m glad you liked it.”
“I did. I really did. And that sandwich you dropped off last night. It was absolutely phenomenal. I was looking for it on the menu but didn’t see it.”
Maybe I was focusing on her too hard, but I could swear her face turned a little red. “It’s not on the menu,” she said as one hand played with the spikes of her silvery hair. “The fries were the same we have here, obviously, but my brisket grilled cheese is something I make for myself. I thought it might be a pleasant surprise.”
“It really was. And even better when I realized I wouldn’t have to try and cook something from all that food in the fridge.”
She raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
The interest in her voice told me I’d said too much. I didn’t want to admit to her I couldn’t cook. I didn’t want to come clean to her about anything. I’d said too much earlier when I almost spilled the beans about Misty and our relationship and how dependent on her I was. Because that was attractive, someone who had so little experience taking care of themselves.
But I couldn’t just not answer Wren.
“Um…I can’t cook.”
“What?”
“I can’t cook,” I repeated. “Like at all.”
“You can’t cook? Like what, you can’t put things together or—”
I shook my head. “No, like can’t cook at all.” I shrank into myself a little under her scrutiny. “It’s not like I haven’t tried, you know. If it’s not something that comes in a box that I can heat in the oven, it just doesn’t work out.”
Her skepticism was just like everyone else’s. No one ever believed me, especially if they knew how to cook or bake or whatever. They never believed that if I tried to do much of anything, it never worked out. Burnt or undercooked meat. Shredded or liquified vegetables. Even trying to do something as simple as cooking eggs had resulted in a grease fire that Misty never let me live down.
“My ex tried to teach me. We ended up calling the fire department too many times and had to stop.”
Wren’s eyes bored into mine and I found myself unable to look away. Any moment now she was going to tell me what she really thought. I mean, this—flirting?—had been fun and all, but now she knew how inept I was, how stupid. Between last night and today she had somehow managed to get past the walls I’d hoped were strong and impenetrable after Misty. Now I knew I had to build them stronger. If she slipped in that easily…well, I was not ready for something new, not if I couldn’t protect my heart.
Then she laughed. Not a small chuckle but a full-throated guffaw that had the rest of the patrons glancing at her like she’d gone mad.
“What?” I demanded, feeling the embarrassment warming my cheeks.
She took her time to stop laughing. “You looked so serious when you said that!”
“I was serious!”
“I know! That makes it even funnier!”
I opened my mouth but faltered. She was laughing at me. Of course she was. Why wouldn’t she? Just like everyone else. I got up from the stool and slammed a twenty on the table before heading out the door and leaving Wren laughing behind me.
I was halfway to the car when a something touched my shoulder. I turned so fast that Wren reached out to stop me before I overspun. I stared into her eyes once more.
“Look, I’m sorry I laughed at you,” Wren blurted, with her warm hands still on my arms. “I meant nothing by it. You just looked like it upset you so much I didn’t stop to think. I’m so sorry.”
I shook my head, trying to put some steel in my voice. “I don’t care. You don’t know a thing about me.”
“So, let’s change that.”
“What?”
“Let’s change it. I can come over tonight and cook you something, maybe even show you a few tricks if you’d like. You get a good meal, and we get to know each other a little better.” She gave me a big smile. “And we can decide how to take down Rory one of these days.”
I couldn’t help the little laugh that popped out of my mouth as my brain kept telling my mouth to decline, no matter what else she might say. But when my mouth opened, the only thing that came out was, “Okay.”
Her smile made me feel things I hadn’t felt in months. “Perfect. I’ll see you around seven tonight?”
“Okay.”
She turned to head into the diner again before stopping. “You have anything to do around the cabin?”
I shook my head.
“You should check out the trail in the forest. It’s not too far, easy to follow, and mostly safe during the day. It’s…it’s really nice out there. Peaceful.” She eyed me up and down. “I think you could use the peace.”
She went back inside before I could reply, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was so much more to her words than I could hear. Or maybe she’d been in the same place I was before and gotten out of it unscathed. I could only hope.
Chapter Six
Wren
I watched Natalie’s truck pull out, while leaning on the counter with my arms crossed over my chest. The girl was precious. I was already going over in my head what I had stocked the cabin with and wondering what I should make her. Simple would be good, but not too simple or she might question my cooking chops. I smiled with the thought. Ms. I-Can’t-Cook would have nothing to complain about.
A small elbow got me in the side, and I flinched, turning to glare at Meg, who had sidled up beside me.
“Well, look who’s all smiles today,” she said. “What’d you do, ask her out on a date?”
I froze. “N-no.” I wanted it to be true. It wasn’t a date, only a nice evening between grown adults. “It’s not a date. I’m going to the cabin tonight to make her dinner. You know, so she doesn’t starve or something.”
She gave me a sly wink and I resisted the urge to throttle her.
“It’s not like that.”
She grinned. “Sure it isn’t,” she said and winked again.
“It’s not!”
This time she turned to look me straight in the eyes. “If you’re being honest and it’s really not like that, then what the hell are you doing?”
“What?”
“That girl”—she flung her hand out in the direction of the parking lot—“is totally into you, even if you don’t see it. So don’t you dare go breaking her apart because you refuse to admit that this is a date.”
Getting admonished by one of my employees was not the most comfortable thing in the world. I didn’t want to hurt Natalie, and I knew what my reputation was like. I didn’t want to treat her like my past trysts. I couldn’t exactly get attached to someone like her, after all. She had no idea who I was. What I was. It wouldn’t be fair to her to start something that I couldn’t finish.
Every so often, when someone who caught my fancy came through town for a day or two, I would lay on the charm. I’m a woman, I have needs. And so far, every single time, I had never seen the person again after a night or two of amazing connection. It was how I had to live my life, and I’d made peace with that years ago when I became confident enough to do even that much. Now, thanks to Rory, that approach to companionship was crashing down around me.
It made sense in some ways. Rory never liked my unattached enjoyment of life. She thought I needed to settle down. But hey, even she didn’t know what I really was. She had never met my wolf. Only a few around here had. And that’s the way I had to keep it.
I hung my head, feeling chagrined. “I won’t, I promise.”
“Good!” Meg said, slapping my arm lightly. “Now I’m going on my break. You okay to cover the front?”
I jerked a thumb over my shoulder. “Yeah, go sit and get something to eat. I’ll cover you.”
“Thanks, boss.” She disappeared into the back, and I made a round with the coffee pot, filling mugs for the regulars that came around in the early afternoons. The diner’s clientele was steady, mostly either townsfolk tired of cooking at home or passers-through who needed a rest and a meal. Today was a slow day, which I would not complain about with my mind clearly not on the job.
My back was to the door when it opened, and a scent hit my nostrils. I turned slowly and watched the three newcomers as they came in the door. The leader was a tall man, his salt-and-pepper hair gelled up into a small fauxhawk. His T-shirt was loud, covered by a brown leather vest with a fringe over the chest. The young man flanking him was dressed similarly, with a leather jacket over torn jeans and a dark tank top. The woman seemed reluctant, and as they walked in, I could see her hesitate, like she wasn’t confident, or didn’t want to be here. She was wearing torn jeans, too, but hers looked like they were torn from being lived in, not for esthetics. Her gray eyes caught my gaze and she looked almost shocked for a second before the man beside her nudged her.
My wolf growled inside as the scent of the leader triggered memories for both of us. Jason Reid, brother to the enforcer from my old pack, Craig Reid. The man I’d been promised to when I was just a teenager, before I became an Alpha.
The younger man made a scene moving to a booth against the front window as the woman followed meekly. I shot a glance at my regulars. One older couple kept their heads down and ate as quickly as they could without looking like they were. The others were openly glaring at the newcomers, and I worried for them. If something went down, would I reveal myself to help them? This town was my home. I couldn’t do nothing.
Then Jason leaned over the bar and his eyes focused on me.
I crossed my arms, letting my wolf speak through me a little as a low growl uttered from my throat.
“You’re on my land,” I hissed, low enough that only he would hear me. “Show more respect.”
He cracked a crooked smile. “Oh, this is your territory? That’s news to me. A pathetic excuse for a wolf like you can’t hold land like this. One who pretends to be an Alpha.”
I slammed my hands on the bar on either side of him and leaned in close with a sharp growl. The other two newcomers turned to stare at me. Jason only raised an eyebrow.
