Wolf on Board (Wolves of Willow Bend Book 14) (2 page)

Closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths. Inhaling calm, and exhaling the stress. Her mother was in Willow Bend. Mimi was in California. No ridiculous blind dates or not-so-casual meetings with eligible bachelors. Thank God Dylan mated before her mother got it into her head to throw Mimi at every male who came along, she’d actually had a crush on Dylan and he definitely fell into the category of eligible before Chrystal.

Growling, she opened her eyes and glared at the water. She was hardly alone on the beach. Laughter drifted towards her from where the surfers made their way toward deeper water, or where some sat astride their boards waiting for the water to come in. She was supposed to be letting go of her anxiety and not stressing about her mother, mating, or any of a dozen other issues being so far away from the pack could rouse in her.

She’d been in California for three weeks. Three gloriously wonderful, and peaceful weeks. This morning marked a full forty-eight hours since her mother’s last phone call. As loathe, as she was to hurt her feelings, Mimi couldn’t help but be relieved that distance had finally done what she hadn’t been able to manage.

Her mother was quiet.

So hush…
Telling herself repeatedly didn’t silence the nagging internal monologue. Mindful of her surroundings, she quieted her growl and concentrated on her breathing. Mountain pose let her stretch her hands toward the sky and raise her face to the breeze. It elongated her spine and let her stretch the muscles from her hamstrings to her deltoids. The wind caressed her face and tousled her hair and batted away the riot of thoughts invading her mind.

From mountain she went to tree pose and rested her right foot against the side of her left knee. Her muscles quivered at first, but gradually she relaxed into the sturdiness. Like the tree she emulated, she let the woes of her mother’s romantic aspirations blow past her. The steadiness bolstered her confidence.

Warrior pose drew away the last curtain and let her mind relax. Her wolf stretched within her, their hearing seeming to sharpen as they noticed the increase of traffic beyond, the crash of water against the shore, and the call of birds overhead. Wolf and woman catalogued the sounds as she pushed her body, identifying any potential threats or lack thereof and remaining mindful.

By the time she drifted into a graceful downward dog, she’d relaxed her breathing and banished her anxiety. Curling her toes, she concentrated on feeling the wholeness of the position, the hinging arch of her hips and the warmth of the sand beneath the mat and blanket.

From triangle pose to seated twists to bridges, she pushed her body to achieve perfect serenity while maintaining her sense of being in the present. The sun warmed her as it continued a steady rise, and she basked in the rays as they heated her skin. When she finally settled into a lotus pose, she let her mind drift, as though flotsam upon the waves before her.

The world withdrew, leaving her alone with the lapping water, humming cars, and screech of seagulls…then water dripped on her. The icy sensation of splashing drops was cold against her skin. Though there had been no call for rain in the forecast, she fought to hold onto her sense of inner peace and deepened her breathing…only to inhale a lungful of coconut and brine mingling with the green scent of dewy sea grass atop the sand dunes with slivers of mint and…

Mimi jerked her eyes open and stared into the blue eyes of the wolf squatting right in front of her. His long, straggly hair clung wetly to his face and shoulders. The wet suit left little of his physique to the imagination, and he canted his head as though trying to figure her out. This close, however, she couldn’t miss a single nuance of his expression or the drops of water sliding off of him to splash wetly against her legs.

How the hell had he approached her so stealthily that she hadn’t sensed or scented him before he dripped on her?

Worse…who was he and what did he want?

“Hey, gorgeous,” he said, as though aware of her racing her thoughts. “What brings a sexy little wolf like you to my stretch of beach?” A slow grin spread his mouth wide, and her stomach did a little flip flop. He was gorgeous and damn if he didn’t know it.

Just what she needed…a hot, sexy wolf who was most assuredly male and made her wolf stand up to take notice. Ignoring her animal’s very natural curiosity, she narrowed her eyes. “I was enjoying a quiet morning. Now go away.”

One thing about having Owen for a brother, she wasn’t helpless, even if she was tiny. Closing her eyes again, she forced her muscles to relax and prayed he’d take the direction well, even as she prepared for the worst.

J
ake spent
two hours working out the aggression Mitch’s visit stirred in him before the winds shifted to a blow out from the shore. He’d ridden the board for a little while longer, waiting to see if the winds would change again, but the alluring scent of female wolf rode those breezes, along with the sand and the hints of carburetor fumes and gasoline. Following her scent, he’d made his way to land then tracked her. One piece of good fortune, he remained downwind from her the whole time and it afforded him the ample opportunity to study the petite, yet compact little wolf as she contorted her body.

Damn
could she contort her form. His groin tightened painfully with her every stretch. Flexible. Fluid. Gorgeous. Then she opened those sweet brown eyes. His wolf all but wanted to hump her leg and every other part of her anatomy. Her pupils expanded as she inhaled his scent, and he let his grin grow. Beauty always recognized beauty, right? The narrowing of her eyes surprised him, as did the way she wrinkled her nose. And her earlier tart dismissal.

Fascinated, he continued to crouch and watch her as she closed her eyes. Could she really ignore him that long? The tiniest of frown lines appeared between her eyes and he curled his toes into the sand. After the chill of the Pacific, the heat felt damn good against his bare feet.

“Why are you still staring at me?” The sharpness of her tone tickled him. Irritated or not, he’d gotten to her. She appeared delicate and fine-boned, yet not even an ounce of helplessness surrounded her.

“Because you’re beautiful.”

Most women liked compliments, right? Instead of being pleased, she groaned then squinted at him. “You can stare at me from about ten feet farther away, you know.”

“Sure, but I’m already here.” He spread his hands wide, and she made another face as water pelted her. “Sorry about that,” he offered, crab walking back a step.

Instead of accepting his apology, she released an aggrieved sigh. On the upside, she met his gaze. On the downside, she looked pretty pissed. Like a storm moving through the woods, her scent tingled over him—electric and fresh, laden with the promise of so much more. “What do you want?”

“To talk to you…maybe buy you a snow cone.” Of course, it was early yet. Some vendors wouldn’t be out and about till at least mid-morning. He spared a glance down the beach. “Or maybe coffee…” His nose twitched. He wanted to drown in her scent, but he could detect the faint hint of fresh Arabica drifting from the direction of one of his favorite trucks. Al set up early for surfers like him. “Or food. Are you hungry?”

The pixie with the gorgeous autumn-colored curls blew out a breath then glared at him. The deep brown of her hair included strands of russet and gold, which reminded him of autumn back home. For the first time since he drove away from Story Pointe, he experienced real nostalgia for what he’d left behind.

She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, and he jerked with surprise. “Okay, you are still there. You got a really weird look for a moment.” Unfolding herself from the lotus position, she rose and he followed her upward, barely restraining himself from catching her arm to help her up. He might be interested, but he wasn’t stupid. She wolves who didn’t want to be touched would take his arm off at the elbow.

“Sorry, I was admiring your hair.” The moment the words left his mouth, he blinked again.
Admiring her hair?
She gave him a look which seemed to mirror his own internal confusion. What the hell was he talking about? “Maybe I’m the one who needs coffee. There’s a great place, about a quarter of mile down, my treat. They’ll have some great cronuts too, if you like those.”

Disgust rippled through her expression. No other way to describe how her lips tightened or her nose crinkled as she grimaced. “I am not even going to ask what a cronut is. I already had breakfast so…thank you, but no thank you.” She reached for her yoga mat and began to roll it up, so he swiped her blanket and folded it. It wasn’t the best job then he eyed all the sand clinging to it and unfolded it with a swift shake.

Sand flew off of the blanket, and she winced. Then rubbed at one of her eyes. Crap, he’d managed to get sand in her eye. “Wait.” He dropped the blanket and caught her face in his hands. “Don’t rub.” The order rolled out of him, and the deep brown of her eyes went gold…which only accented the redness of her sclera. “Sorry, don’t rub it. You need to rinse it out or you could scratch your iris. Hurts like a bitch.” And then some. With a gentle thumb he kept the lid open then blew a light breath at her irritated eye.

“Ow,” she complained, her jaw rigid beneath his palm but her skin was so smooth and warm. A tear formed almost immediately, the combination of salt air, breeze, and his breath aggravating the situation.

“Natural tears are better.” The need to soothe the hurt he’d created filled him. One droplet fell free, then another. Her soft exhalation of relief proved his work a success, but he kept her eye open a few moments longer. “There we go. Better?” Tracing his thumb down her cheek, he swiped away the tears. Though they were necessary, he found himself hating the fact she’d had to shed them.

“I’m fine.” She didn’t sound fine. If anything, he caught more discord in her tone versus her words. “But thank you. It did hurt.”

“I’m sorry, it was careless of me not to pay attention to the sand on the blanket. I’ll shake it off away from you this time.” As reluctant as he was to let her go, he released her so he could snatch the blanket.

“You don’t have to…” But he had already walked a dozen steps away with the offending cloth and tested the wind before he gave it a firm shake. The last thing he wanted to do was hit her in the face again. “Or you can just do whatever.” At least the impatience in her tone gave way to something verging on grudging acceptance.

He checked the blanket twice before refolding it then returned to her side. Like him, she was barefoot, but a hint of gold sparkled against her tan skin. A toe ring decorated the middle toes of her delicate little feet. It was precious.

She should have jewels there, too. Maybe amber. It would match her hair and her eyes. No sooner did the thought take root than he wondered what her wolf would look like. Autumn shades? She would love the woods in Story Pointe or, better, the Adirondacks. He could take her hiking and maybe rock climbing…

Thrusting the blanket toward her, he glanced around to make sure he hadn’t missed anything else. “Coffee?”

Her mouth opened, but no words escaped. She snapped it shut, then opened it again only to shake her head as she took the blanket. “Who are you?”

“Oh, crap. I suck. Sorry…Jake Danes.” He extended a hand to her and, to his utter delight, she gripped it automatically. Her palms were as smooth as her cheeks had been.
So perfect.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, You Suck—I mean, Jake Danes.” For a split second, humor softened the disapproval in her eyes. It was better than a gold star at school. “I’m Mimi Chase.”

“Chase…any relation to Owen Chase?” The Willow Bend Hunter had come to Hudson River in the last couple of months before Jake called it quits. Between the murders and the death of their healer…the whole thing had been way too much of a downer.

“Ugh, of course you know Owen.” The humor evaporated and she grimaced again, pulling her hand away. “You can tell my brother I’m fine. The whole point of this year was to get away from it all, and I don’t appreciate him sending a babysitter to check on me. The Enforcers are bad enough.”

Tucking the blanket and mat under her arm, she pivoted and headed for the parking lot. Jake stared after her, dumbfounded. She thought her brother sent him? “Wait!” he called then diverted to grab his board. Damn, she moved fast. She’d already made it to the rocks near the parking lot by the time he caught up to her.

With a jump, he landed on the outcropping just above her then reached a hand down. Instead of accepting his assistance, she made the leap herself then gave him a long look.

“What? I was being polite.” He raised his free hand in surrender. “But, noted, the lady doesn’t want assistance. I can do that.” So, instead of offering to let her go ahead of him, he headed toward the lot but walked at an angle so he could watch over her and the area.

Suddenly Mitch’s warning about foreign wolves echoed in the back of his mind and here she was, all delicate and gorgeous, and alone…why had her brother let her take off?

“You know,” he said, delighted to find she’d parked right next to his van. He tugged open the back, then shoved his board inside. He’d have to clean it later and he would. “There’s safety in numbers.” He unzipped his wetsuit and peeled the top down. It clung uncomfortably, keeping the chill close to his skin and the sun on his bare chest warmed him immeasurably.

“There’s safety in privacy, too.” She opened the door of her miniature car—the little Cooper seemed a perfect match for her. “Have a good day.”

Wait…what?
He hurried around the end of the van and grabbed her door before she could vanish on him. “Mimi, I really would like to buy you a cup of coffee…or a slushy…or a bottle of water. Don’t go.”

Though she had her keys at the ready to be inserted into the ignition, she didn’t move. In fact, all she did was stare at him. Or more specifically at his chest, and she bit down on her lower lip.

Appreciating the action, since he really wanted to bite down on her lower lip, too, he braced the door and fought the urge to puff out his chest. The very real interest flickering in her eyes left his mouth suddenly dry.

“I suppose one drink won’t hurt.” She tapped her key against the steering wheel. “But we probably shouldn’t.”

“Oh, we most assuredly should.” He glanced down at his wetsuit then at her car. “If you promise to wait, I’ll get out of this and into something dryer.”

“If I promise?” Challenge etched the words. “What if I don’t?”

“Then I’m going to climb in just like this and your seat will get wet.” Wet was not the word he should have used because his thoughts went straight to her yoga pants…

“Well, we wouldn’t want that.” Folding her arms, she leaned against her vehicle.

“I don’t know. I think I’d like you wet.” Like? Fuck that. He’d love it.

“Uh huh, it’s you being wet we’re talking about. Go on…go get into something else before I change my mind.”

She didn’t have to tell him twice. He pivoted and darted toward the back of the van. Inside, he stripped off the wetsuit and winced when he banged his head. Then he let out a curse when he stepped on something hard. Fortunately, slamming his elbow into the side didn’t end with him on his ass. Once out of the too tight fabric, he dragged on a pair of board shorts and snatched a t-shirt from the passenger seat. It smelled pretty good, no hints of sweat or food stains. Tugging it over his head, he hopped out of the van and snagged the rope sandals and his wallet from the side of the tire well.

At her passenger door, he took a moment to run his fingers through his hair. It was already drying with the salt in it and that would itch, but he didn’t have time to shower. The door unlocked as he gripped the handle, and he slid in next to her and grinned.

“Ready.”

She met his announcement with the most magical sounding laughter he’d ever heard. Wolf and man stared at her in captivation.

M
imi couldn’t believe
she’d stumbled across a wolf on the beach in Monterrey as far from Willow Bend as she could get. Although, in all fairness, he’d stumbled across her. Or at least she thought he had, until he mentioned Owen. Naturally, the first non-Enforcer she met on the beach turned out to be someone familiar with her big brother. It didn’t help that he was deliciously attractive and smelled fantastic…and, sure enough, he was the wolf she’d scented earlier near the van.

“It’s about a block down,” Jake continued, one hand braced on her dashboard as he sat almost sideways. Even with the seatbelt on and his legs folded, he did not
fit
in her car. One of the best parts of the Cooper was its sleek size and comfort, but Jake seemed to occupy all of the space on his side of the vehicle. Locking her hand on the gear shift, she backed out of the parking space then slid into first gear. “I love a woman who can handle a stick shift.”

Was that another attempt at a lewd come on? The earnest honesty in his voice belied the flirt, yet she couldn’t help a glance at his groin before jerking her attention back to the road. The shorts were a welcome change from the wetsuit. The clinging the outfit gave her all kinds of ideas. Worse, when he’d stripped down the top and she’d gotten a solid eyeful of his muscles, the man had a clearly defined six pack.

Which isn’t that unusual.
Wolves, especially young males, tended to favor physical fitness. It led to physical prowess. Based on his accent and mention of Owen, Jake came from somewhere in the northeast.
Which makes him Hudson River
. The bigger question…was he a Lone Wolf on sabbatical, like she was, or was he there on some mission for her brother?

Owen and Gillian spent more than half their time in Hudson River, because the other pack needed Gillian for training their healers. Owen wouldn’t leave his mate alone, no matter how much he seemed to like the pack.

“Mimi?”

“Hmm?”

“You just passed the coffee stand.”

“Dammit.” She smacked her palm against the steering wheel and checked the traffic around her. If she pulled into one of the other lots farther ahead, she could turn around and drive back the way they’d come. “So much for mindfulness.”

“It happens. I should have pointed it out, but I got distracted by the way you were gnawing on your lip.”

“I was not gnawing on it.” Outrage speared her.

“Yes, you were. It’s okay. I thought it was cute.” He flavored the statement with another one of those stunning smiles. Damn the man had a fine one. She jerked her attention off of his gorgeous mug and licked her lower lip. Half to wipe up any drool and half to check if she’d actually done any damage with her so-called gnawing.

“It’s not okay,” she growled, then found a spot and cut left into a parking lot. Slowing, she navigated around pedestrians to swing through the lot then back to the exit. “Dogs gnaw on bones. Are you calling me a dog?”