Mating the Red Wolf: (Book 10, Grey Wolf Pack Romance Novellas) (4 page)

His eyes lit up, and his chest heaved as his eyes feasted over her body.  She felt a crackle of erotic electricity snap throughout the office. 
The attraction she felt definitely wasn’t one-sided.

Boldly, she kneeled, one leg on either side of him so she was straddling him.  Carefully, she leaned over and gently smoothed her hands over his bruised skin.  Her wolf whimpered a little, but Kim shushed her.  He was a shifter. He’d heal. 
Hmmm, maybe she should kiss him better…

She smiled as she saw Ed fixating on her ample breasts.  She almost gasped as she felt his hands move to her waist.  They stayed there a few moments before snaking their way down to her ass.  Kim sat up and looked into his amber infused eyes.

“Fuck, you are so beautiful, Kim,” he breathed with feeling.

Her wolf howled in delight, and Kim pressed her lips to his.  He nibbled on her bottom lip, demanding entrance, which was eagerly given.  He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him, crushing her supple body to his as he took her in a searching kiss.

Panting, she pulled back and leaned her forehead against his.  Heavens, that was the most unbelievable kiss she’d ever had.

“How soon can I see you again, Kim?” he purred.

“As soon as you can make it back to Rose, Ed.”

*

Present day

Kim related a somewhat edited version of how they met; for example, she completely neglected to mention the part where Kim practically molested him and played down the part where Ed was almost murdered by her Beta.  She rubbed her neck.  “It was hardly a fairytale meeting.”

Christine raised an eyebrow.  “I had an arranged marriage; my father didn’t give me much of a choice.  Harold and I met on our wedding day, five minutes before the ceremony.  That was hardly a fairytale start either, but we are happy - very happy.  Do you think Ed wants to marry you?” she asked bluntly.

Kim flushed bright red.  She hoped so, but she certainly wasn’t about to jinx it.  She opened her mouth to say something non-committal but was cut off by a harrumphing Helena.

Tiring of trying to talk to Jennifer, Helena flounced off the couch.  “Good luck with that; Ed is not the marrying type.  When we were engaged, I couldn’t even get him to sit down and set a date.”

Kim froze as Helena gave her a pitying yet smug smile and disappeared out of the room.  Her wolf snarled at the retreating female while Kim tried to stop herself from howling in anger.

Christine could sense Kim’s unease.  “I take it you didn’t know,” said the older woman quietly.

“No,” replied Kim tersely.  “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going out for a walk.” 

With that, Kim ran out of the room like she’d been shot, and Christine quickly left to find Ed.

Chapter Five

“Kim!  Wait, please.”

Kim ignored him and strode to the beach.  Ed finally caught her and grasped her arm; Kim rounded on him and with blazing amber eyes, she snarled.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

He faltered at the hurt look in her eyes and his wolf howled at him to fix this.  He couldn’t stand to see his mate hurt.  “Kim, gorgeous, I didn’t want you to think that she meant anything to me.”

Kim threw up her arms.  “Ed, you were going to marry her!  Did you not think that maybe I should have known something like that?”  Yeesh, he hadn’t even bothered to tell her that Helena even existed before they reached the island, and then he had lied about how important she was to him.  Why was he keeping secrets from her?  She’d told him every rotten last detail about her romantic past, and yet he couldn’t even mention he had been engaged before?! 
Even her wolf, who was usually on Ed’s side, was having her doubts.

Kim felt tears welling.  “Do you still love her?”

Ed looked like he’d been slapped, and his wolf whined at the thought.  “No, Kim.  I love you, and only you.”  He took hold of her rigid arms and was thankful she didn’t move away from him.  “I never loved Helena.”

“But you were going to marry her!” blurted Kim in frustration.  Helena was with him for three months, and she managed to get a proposal out of him.  Kim had been with him for about five, and she could barely even get him to spend a whole weekend with her!

“I never wanted to marry her.  I only went out with her because Olivia set it up, and Helena’s mom was friendly with my mom.  Plus I felt sorry for her; Helena had a rough time after her father died.  I was just being nice.  Then, when we started dating, I realized we had nothing in common.  But every time I tried to break things off she just cried and went on and on about her father, and I didn’t have the heart to go through with it.”

Kim’s claws lengthened as her beast grew more and more impatient.  “But you proposed!” 
Lord, they were going round in freaking circles!

“I don’t even remember proposing!” he yelled in frustration.  His wolf snapped his jaws at him, and Ed immediately calmed.  There was no point in getting angry with Kim; this was his fault and he wasn’t explaining it very well.

He rubbed his thumbs over the smooth flesh of her arms and almost died when he saw the pain in her emerald eyes.  “Gorgeous, the truth is, I barely remember proposing.  We met up one night, and I was going to break things off, and the next thing I knew, I woke up the next day with vague memories of proposing marriage.”

Kim’s face was stony, and her wolf was unrepentant.  “So you were drunk?  Should I be worried about any other ex-fiancées climbing out of the woodwork?  Because you are no stranger to alcohol.”

Ed’s jaw ticked.  “I had a glass or two of wine, but I wasn’t drunk.  The truth is…”  Ed closed his eyes; the only other person he’d told this to was his brother Jonathan, as he was the only member of his family who would believe him. 
No one else would believe that Helena would be so devious, but Jonathan would believe anything of anyone
.  “I don’t think I was in the right frame of mind when I asked her to marry me.”

“What?” asked Kim crisply.

“I think Helena may have slipped something into my drink to make me a bit more… malleable.”

Kim blinked.  “You’re kidding?” 

“Helena works as a pharmaceutical sales rep; if she wanted to get something, she could.  It’s the only explanation I can think of.  I lost just about all my memory of that night, and I felt groggy for days afterwards.  I would never have asked her to marry me if I were in my right mind.”

Kim looked at him doubtfully, but her wolf was stirring at this idea, and Kim did have to admit that he looked very earnest.  She didn’t know much about Helena, but due to her own jealousy, it would suit her down to the ground if Helena were as manipulative as Ed claimed. 
It all sounded kind of reasonable, in an outlandish soap opera kind of way…

“Why was she so desperate to marry you if she knew you weren’t into her?”

“Other than my good looks and charm?” he looked at her hopefully, trying to inject a smidge of humor, but she merely glared at him in return, and his shoulders slumped a little.  “It was just for money.”

“I can’t believe you have enough money to warrant drugging you.”

Ed gave her a half-smile and his wolf sighed.  Of course, she couldn’t, money wasn’t important to Kim.  She might look like an Amazon warrior, but inside she was the sweetest person he ever met.  That wasn’t to say she couldn’t be downright fierce when roused, though.

“My family owns their own private island.  People have killed for a lot less.  Helena’s dad was almost as rich as my grandmother, but a year ago it turned out all of his wealth was built on a ponzi scheme, and he’d been stealing other people’s money.  He got a tip-off that he was about to be arrested, and he killed himself.”

Kim chewed on a plump lip.  “Jeez, that’s awful.”

“Helena and her dad weren’t exactly close but she does want to be rich again.  She went through dozens of other rich men until she got to me.  I’m just lucky I managed to escape her clutches.”

“So you’re glad she slept with Jonathan?” 

She had no idea how glad he was; it gave him the perfect reason to get rid of the single, red wolf female.  “Let’s just say I wasn’t sad." 
And in the interest of full disclosure…
“I told Jonathan about my suspicions and asked him to help me get rid of her.  I had no idea he would seduce her like that, but, it got the job done.”

She frowned.  “So if you ever want to break up with me, can I expect a visit from Jonathan too?”

Ed let out an almost feral growl.  “I would never let him near you.  You’re mine!”  His wolf roared possessively.

Kim looked out at the water.  She wanted to believe him so much, but if Helena didn’t matter, why hadn’t he told her?  

“I never wanted to tell you about Helena, because I never wanted you to meet her.  I think she’s dangerous, and I’ve been trying to tell that to Olivia too.”

“Are you keeping any other secrets from me?”

Ed let his hands drop.  “Just one.”

Kim flashed him a fearsome look that quickly turned to surprise as he sank to the ground in front of her.  She let him take her hands and gasped.

“Kimberly Anne Hawkins, I never wanted to marry anyone until I met you.  I love you, and I never loved anyone before I met you.  And the real reason I asked you to come here, was so that I could do this.  I know that this is a really crappy time to propose, and I don’t even have my ring with me, but please, please will you marry me?  Will you bond with me?  I can’t live without you, Kim.”  His wolf prowled in nervous anticipation.

Kim licked her lips as stray tears flowed down her cheeks.  “I can’t live without you, either.”

Ed beamed and jumped to his feet, pulling her into a hungry, wet kiss.  Their wolves danced around like happy puppies.

He pulled back and gave her a worried look.  “Wait, that was a yes, right?”

She chuckled at his expression.  “Yes, idiot, it’s a big, fat yes.”

“Thank god.”

They met for another toe-curling kiss.  She felt her doubts and worries floating away like bubbles.  There, at that moment, they seemed so insignificant. 
Ed wanted to marry her and he wanted to bond with her; he was going to be hers forever, and that was all that mattered.

*

Ed breathed a sigh of relief, and his wolf finally relaxed.  He’d been waiting for this moment ever since he first laid eyes on his delectable she-wolf.  He’d known she was his the moment he caught sight of her and scented her beautiful lavender fragrance.  Now it was a just a short step to bonding…

If he’d had his way it wouldn’t have been so long,
but he hadn’t wanted to rush her and scare her away…

*

14
th
September

Ed strolled into Bar Luna; he held his breath in anticipation, but was disappointed to see that curvy Kim wasn’t behind the bar.  His wolf prowled impatiently.  He’d been thinking of her ever since he left her the night before.

The feel of her soft lips, her hands clutching his shoulders and her warm, soft body in his arms - it had been exhilarating.  His manhood had been at full attention since the moment she crushed her body to his, and it didn’t seem likely that it was going down anytime soon.

He rubbed his neck and thought of how badly the night had started, and wonderfully it had ended.  They’d kissed and talked, and hours had just floated by. He’d never had such a strong, natural reaction to a woman.  Not that he’d been surprised; he defied any man not to be enamored by the six-foot goddess. 

Instinctively, he believed her to be his mate, and lord, he prayed that she felt the same way too.  If his wolf had his way, they would have already mated and bonded. 
The beast was certainly pushing for it…

Ed said hello to Andy, the huge bear bartender, and ordered a beer.

Adam the Alpha came in the bar and gave Ed a sound slap on the back.  “Hey, couldn’t stay away, huh?  It’s good to see you.”

After Ed stopped cringing he returned the sentiment.  Adam ordered a beer and sat next to him.

“No Kim tonight?” asked Ed, seemingly indifferently.  He could smell her lingering scent, and was hoping she was nearby.

Adam arched an eyebrow.  “She’s probably in her office.”

Ed smirked; ah, yes, her office,
he knew it well
.

“The two of you seemed pretty cozy last night,” said Adam cautiously.

Ed tensed and his wolf huffed.  The wolf shifter sat next to him was an Alpha; he deserved respect and Ed instinctively knew he should defer to him, but his wolf was immediately on alert regarding his mate.  “What of it?” he asked quietly.

Adam frowned.  “I know that red wolf shifters look down on us hillbilly greys…”

Ed winced; it was true of many red wolves.  Red wolves were more like yuppies, while greys were blue collar;
hence the different dynamics of the different packs.

“But, I’d hate to think that you were planning on leading Kim on and hurting her.  I don’t think my wolf would like you toying with one of my pack mates because you have a school boy crush on her, and you thought it might be fun to fool around with a hillbilly.”

Ed let out a growl as his eyes turned amber and his fangs and claws came out to play.  Andy was a little taken aback but Adam shook his head at him, and Andy moved on.

“I have no intention of hurting her,” spat out Ed, barely holding onto himself.

His wolf was snarling.  She was his mate; finding her meant everything to him.  He didn’t like this other male insinuating otherwise.  His wolf wanted to shift and challenge this other male.  For one thing that would be suicide, and for another, challenging his mate’s Alpha certainly wasn’t going to end well…

Adam gauged his reaction.  “You think it’s something more than just a crush?”

Ed’s jaw ticked as he considered his options.  He doubted the Alpha wouldn’t be discreet.  “I do,” he admitted stiffly, “but I haven’t said anything to her, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t either.”

Adam inclined his head in agreement.

Ed’s wolf settled a little.  “I take it you don’t have a problem with one of your pack mating a red wolf?”

“Not at all; my pack members are free to mate with any species they choose.  I do, however, ask that you take it easy with Kim.  Don’t rush her, for both your sakes.”

Ed looked at the large Alpha suspiciously, and Adam laughed.  “Look, you’ve got nothing to fear from me where Kim’s concerned.  She made it very clear when she was 9-years-old and her kicked me in the shin and ran off with my football that I was far too bossy for her.  But, she had a rough time with her worthless ex; and since then, every time a guy tries to get close she tosses him out on his ass.  Good guys, too.”

Not good enough, thought Ed irritably.  “Are you telling me this out of the goodness of your heart?”

Adam grinned.  “Sure; I’m all heart.  Just take it easy; take your time, get to know her and Jamie.”  Adam got up and gave Ed another punishing slap on the back.  “And don’t hurt her.”

Ed’s wolf snapped his fangs together.  “Or else…”

“Nothing; just don’t hurt her.” 

Adam hailed some pack mates and moved away.  Ed frowned but soon smiled when he spotted Kim heading his way.  A devastating smile broke out over her lovely face and his wolf whimpered in satisfaction.

Alright, yeah, he could go slowly; he could woo her.  It went against his beast’s wishes, but if it meant that Kim would be his, then it was definitely worth the wait.  He’d do whatever it took. 
Mine
.

*

Present day

He clutched at her hand as he led her back through the house.  “I was thinking that I would move to Rose, I figured I could stay with you guys until we found our own house.  If we can’t find a suitable one, we could have one built…” 
He’d had a really long time to think about this
.