Samhain Publishing

“What are you reading?” He didn’t really care. He just wanted to hear her say something else.

“A book on wolves.”

That did peak his interest. “Really?”

“Yeah. Will it be necessary for Zach and Sara to have sex in front of you?”

Conall’s head snapped up at her sudden—and scary—change of topic. She stared straight at him and he realized she was serious. “What? No!”

“Are you sure? Because according to this, the Alphas are the only ones who can mate and they have to do it in front of the Pack.”

“But we’re human…sort of.”

“But you run around in a Pack. So don’t you do other Pack-like things?”

“Well…uh…I…that is, we…” Conall shook his head. “They will not be having sex in front of us. And trust me, we can all have sex.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I see.” She went back to her book.

Conall finished lacing up one boot and moved to the other. “So, Miki what do you…?”

“I’m reading.”

“…do?” He blinked. He’d never gotten dismissed so easily. And this girl was dismissing him all over the place. His annoyance peeked out, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “You’re reading at a rave? You really know how to party, don’tcha?”

Without even looking up from her book, she gave him the finger.

Man, she is so mean. He was glad he had his jeans on. He was hard as a rock.

With his laces finished, he sat back and watched her. He marveled at how beautiful she was. Soft brown skin, the cutest dimples known to man, curly black hair framing that gorgeous face, and the tightest ass he’d ever seen.

She seemed to sense him watching her again. She looked at him and glared. “What now?”

“Just looking at you.”

“Don’t.”

“Are you shy?” He didn’t mind shy. He could learn to like shy. Hell, for one night of hot meaningless sex he could learn to like almost anything.

“In what sense?”

What the hell kind of question was that? “What?”

“In what sense are you asking am I shy? There are different types of shy. There are those who are shy of people. Those who are shy of animals—which you do qualify. And those who are only shy in certain situations. So which shy are you asking me about?”

“I have no idea now.”

“Typical.”

Okay, cute wasn’t working with this one. He’d have to try something else. He was desperate. They were leaving the next day, and he wanted his last night in this dinky town spent between those thighs.

“You know, if you left the rave because you’re nervous, I can take you home.” Get her home. Get her settled. Get her wet. Then get her in bed. Yeah, that worked as a plan.

She turned to stare at him, her eyes shrewdly looking him over. “Is that a fact?”

Conall gave one of his patented innocent shrugs. He’d worked long and hard on being the big, nonthreatening guy. The guy women turned to for safety. No one ever knew that just below his flesh, he had chained one of the most dangerous wolves known to the Norse gods. A wolf descended from Loki himself. A wolf always fighting to let itself out. But Conall fought just as hard not to be like the rest of his family. So he’d chained the wolf. Almost like some people chain dogs to a spike in their backyard. He chained it and left it there. It only came out during the hunt or during a battle. But when he was human, it stayed chained and locked safely away where it could do no harm. A few bad experiences had already shown him no female, human or wolf, could handle the deadly wolf he had buried inside. No female brave enough to face that part of him.

He slowly stood up, watching her gaze travel his body as he moved. He put his hands in his pockets and lowered his eyes to give her what one woman termed the “sweetest, most innocent look” she’d ever seen seconds before she’d given him a killer blowjob. A look that had worked on many, many women before Miki. It would work now. “Sure, Mik. It’s no problem.”

She stared at him for a full minute before she burst out laughing. “You are so full of shit!”

Conall frowned and his body tensed. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You think I buy into this innocent act of yours? ‘Oh, sweet Conall. He’s just a big ‘ol teddy bear.’” She shook her head. “Teddy bear, my ass.”

Conall was shocked. For the first time in a long time, a woman had shocked him. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious.” She marked the page in her book with a leaf, stood, and walked to him. She tilted her head back so that she could see him clearly. “I’ve known you less than a week and I already see you, Conall. And you’re nobody’s teddy bear. I don’t care what line of crap you try and sell everybody else.” She studied him closely and he couldn’t stop looking into those brown eyes of hers. She still had a bruise from where one of the Pride males slugged her when she tried to protect Sara. He’d snapped that fucker’s neck himself.

“I see it in your eyes,” she continued. “You’re all wolf. But there’s something more. Something…” She stared up at him and it felt like she was walking around his backyard, examining his chained wolf, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Actually, he thought he’d locked that gate.

She nodded. “You’re more like your name. A Viking. But you know what, Viking? I’m not some British Isle for you to conquer. So go find yourself some nice, wafer-thin girl who’ll happily buy your bullshit. Whose heart you can break without a second thought. I’m off limits.”

She stepped away from him but he couldn’t stop staring at her. He’d never wanted anyone more in his life. Suddenly one night between those thighs didn’t seem nearly enough.

“Miki?”

She looked at him, a small smile sliding across her beautiful lips. She was enjoying herself. “Conall?”

He stepped up to her and was impressed she didn’t back away. “I just wanted to tell you something.”

“Oh, yeah? What exactly?”

“That you’re absolutely right.”

“Am I now?”

“Yeah.” Conall slid his hand behind the back of her neck and leaned down so their faces were close. “I ain’t no teddy bear.”