9781616503369 (3 page)

“Laurie. We need to talk. Outside.”

“Brendan, is everything okay?” she asked, staring up at him.

“Now.” He turned around, then back before he’d taken a step away. “Please,” he ground out before prowling outside, not waiting for a response. It took all of his strength not to yell. Laurie had been his best friend for as long as he could remember, but he needed to know what she’d said to Julie. Above all, he needed to calm down. It wouldn’t do any good to let anger rule him.

“Brendan, what in the world is the matter with you? What happened?” Laurie put her hand on his arm. Concern for him bled through every word.

“What did you say to Julie?” he demanded, looking Laurie straight in the eye. Her eyebrows lifted, and she cocked her hip. The change in her from concerned friend to defensive alpha was a clear warning.

“I’ve said a lot of things to my sister. When I was nine, I told her there was a zombie in her closet and a vampire living under her bed that fed off her when she slept. Is there anything in particular you’re wondering about?” She crossed her arms as her eyes narrowed. “And I’m not sure I like your tone.”

Taking a deep breath, he forced a calm facade while his emotions wreaked havoc inside.

“I want to know why she thinks you and I are mates.”

Her arms fell to her sides, and she looked at him with frank disbelief. “What?”

He assessed the change in her demeanor. Either the shock was genuine, or Laurie was worthy of an Academy Award.

“So you weren’t the one who told her?”

“Of course not. I might joke around, Brendan, but not about important things. I know how you feel about her.”

Relief washed over him. At least he didn’t have to worry about Laurie misinterpreting their friendship. Now he had to convince Julie she was the one he wanted. The
only
one he wanted. He knew he hadn’t helped matters by running out on her mid-sentence.

“Let me talk to her,” Laurie murmured, placing a comforting hand on Brendan’s arm. He looked toward the bookstore Julie and Laurie owned. The “Books and Crannies” sign in front of the store waved in the wind. He ran his hands over his face.

“Yeah, all right. That’s probably best. I’ll stop by later to talk to her. But I need some time to calm down first.” The image of her stumbling away from him played over and over in his mind. Once he regained his equilibrium, they’d talk. Brendan cast one last look at the bookstore before walking off in the opposite direction. He trusted Laurie to set Julie straight and ease the way for him. Julie was too important to lose over a stupid misunderstanding.

* * * *

Julie’s heart jumped into her throat as the bell jingled again. Everything inside her hoped Brendan had come back. The anger on his face had been obvious before he rushed out, but she had no idea what had caused it. Every instinct urged her to chase after him, but she couldn’t leave the store unattended. She’d seen the pain and fear in his eyes when she’d stepped away from him. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him. She needed him to know that, even though she wasn’t sure why it was so vital. But while growing up, she’d learned not to get in front of a wolf shifter when his emotions were that intense, and instinct had taken over.

As her sister walked through the door, Julie sighed, unsure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

“What’s going on?” Julie asked.

“I was kind of wondering the same thing. Come on, let’s talk for a sec. I’m sure Samantha’s wondering where I ran off to.” Laurie pulled Julie around the counter and toward a cluster of chairs.

“Why did you think Brendan and I were mates?” Laurie asked as they sat. Now Julie started to get nervous. First, Brendan had freaked out, and now Laurie was acting very un-Laurie-like.

“Aren’t you?” Julie swallowed.

“Of course not. Why would we be mates and not mated?”

“I didn’t know. I figured you must have had your reasons. But you’re always hanging out together. I just thought it was a given.” If they weren’t mates, why was Brendan always around?

“Well, we’re not, so you can get that thought out of your head.” The pat on her arm as she stood was neither patronizing nor comforting. “Besides, he has the hots for you,” Laurie threw over her shoulder, waving cheerily as she walked out the door.

Stunned, Julie sat staring at the front door, her mind stuck on the last thing Laurie had said.
Brendan
had the
hots
for her? No. Laurie had to be mistaken. He’d never even made a move on her. Well, unless one counted this morning. She
had
gotten the vibe he’d asked her out before…before all the mess had happened. Could Laurie be right?

Her thoughts drifted to Brendan, remembering his touch at the back of her neck as he’d helped her with the necklace yesterday. The one he’d bought her. Reaching up, her fingers clutched the charm around her throat. It had borne a remarkable resemblance to Brendan’s wolf form, including a small dent on the nose where he had a white streak. Last night, she’d convinced herself she was being silly when she noticed it, but now she wondered if maybe she had been right all along.

Okay, so he has the hots for me
, she thought with a smile. A nervous giggle escaped. Granted having the hots was a long way from married with kids. As an alpha wolf, Brendan wouldn’t settle for anything less than a true mating. Still, it was a way to live out some of her fantasies, right?

Julie blew out a frustrated breath. Who was she kidding? The more she thought about it, the more implausible the whole thing became. A relationship, especially one that would never be more than fun, wasn’t what she needed right now. Not with Brendan. It was probably the worst thing. Never again would she settle for less than love. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.

Settling for less was what she’d done with George. From the start she had known he wasn’t perfect for her, but she’d figured her feelings would grow with time. She’d never loved him. But George had been human and comfortable. Right up until she’d discovered him in bed with some bimbo. But the worst part of it all was the truth she’d had to acknowledge afterward.

Julie didn’t belong among full humans.

As a full human among wolf shifters, she’d learned early in life she’d never be accepted among them. She’d always be that “freak Callahan.” She’d been convinced things would be better if she got away from this town. There had to be a place for her in the real world. But things hadn’t turned out as she’d anticipated. The feeling of detachment hadn’t gotten better but had continued to grow the farther away from Alpine Woods she had gone.

George had been her first real relationship, but there had always been something that never felt right about the whole thing. Julie had tried to ignore her feelings. Had even convinced herself they weren’t important. All girlfriends thought their boyfriends were immature and self-centered most of the time, right? At least, she’d tried to ignore them until she’d walked into his room and seen how ill-suited they really had been. Cheating didn’t happen among the wolves. So she’d never anticipated it. And then to have her friends try to convince her it happened to everyone–that wasn’t the world for her.

The feeling of failure, not heartbreak, was what had devastated her. Finding out in such an abrupt and harsh way how inadequate he’d found her was what hurt. It was also one reason she envied her siblings their mates. Mates didn’t have to wonder what their partner thought of them, or worry what they were doing, or who they were doing, when separated. They knew they were loved exactly as they were. But Julie didn’t have that luxury.

She’d walked away from the relationship with her illusions shattered. Living among full humans had been lonelier than among wolves. At least here she had her family. But in reality, she didn’t belong in either world.

It was lonesome being stuck between different and normal. Her whole life she’d been too ordinary to be special like her siblings. The past three years had taught her she was too different to be normal. So where did that leave her?

All by herself.

Dating Brendan, the man she’d always hoped would notice her, would only illuminate her loneliness. Hots aside, it was safer for her sanity to stay in the little sister category. Getting her hopes up for anything more than friendship was a recipe for disaster.

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.