Worth the Risk (5 page)

his cock lengthening against her back.

Thanks to biology, shifters were able to have sex for hours on end. He was

obviously ready to go again, but she wasn’t, and it surprised her that he wasn’t pressing

her for more. It made her throat tighten.

If someone had asked her a day ago what she thought about Stephan Vasquez, she

would have had a sure answer. Now she realized she didn’t know shit and that scared

the hell out of her.

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Worth the Risk

Marisol’s eyes flew open with a start. She glanced around the foreign bedroom and

frowned. The espresso-colored silk sheets were rumpled next to her, but the bed was

otherwise empty. And Stephan wasn’t in the connected bathroom either. She knew

because she couldn’t smell his scent. Last night had been amazing and it surprised her

that she wanted to see him again so soon. She’d been waking up alone for the past year

with no one to care if she lived or died. She slipped out of the huge bed and walked to

the window.

A gasp escaped at the sight before her. The night before she’d been too wrapped up

in Stephan for her surroundings to even register. In addition to a private dock, a boat—

scratch that,
a yacht
—a perfectly manicured lawn and an Olympic sized pool, Stephan

had a completely unobstructed view of the ocean. Calm, glistening and expansive—the

teal-blue water seemed to stretch out forever.

It was a little chilly out, but she’d love to try his pool. Then her stomach rumbled,

and she realized how hungry she actually was. Casting a backward glance at the pool,

she tugged on the clothes he’d given her the night before and went in search of Stephan.

She still couldn’t believe she’d found her mate in a Miami nightclub of all places. Even

though she wanted to call what they’d shared the night before simple fucking, she

couldn’t.

He’d taken such gentle care with her, it was frightening. She didn’t want to care for

this man. Didn’t want to feel anything. Somehow he’d gotten under her skin without

even trying.

Her feet were quiet along the carpeted hallway, the stairs and the wood floor that

led to the kitchen. The aroma of rich hazelnut coffee and something—
someone
—tickled

her nose. Whoever she scented was female.

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Savannah Stuart

Marisol frowned as she stepped into the kitchen. “Hello?” She jumped back when a

tall—very pretty—redhead popped up from behind the large island in the middle of the

room.

The redhead’s blue eyes widened. “Hi…who are you?”

Marisol didn’t sense any danger from the woman, but she was surprised at the jolt

of jealousy that shot through her. Why the hell was another woman in Stephan’s house?

She took a step forward when the other scent hit her with startling intensity. This

woman was marked by someone and it most definitely wasn’t Stephan. “You’re

human,” she blurted out before she could censor herself. She hadn’t even realized

humans and werewolves could mate.

A curious smile played across the woman’s face. “A few months ago, I might have

thought you were crazy if you’d said that to me… I’m Carly by the way. Are you

friends with Nick’s parents or something? Alisha said I could stop by, but she didn’t

mention anything about anyone being here.”

“Uh, who are Nick and Alisha?”

The redhead’s mouth pulled into a thin line and a wave of blatant distrust rolled off

her. “Who are
you
?”

Marisol opened her mouth, though to say what, she had no idea. The sound of a

doorhandle jiggling stopped her. She turned to find a completely naked Stephan

walking in from the backyard.

“Oh my Lord! I don’t want to see that!” Faster than Marisol would have thought

possible, Carly threw a dishtowel at Stephan and covered her eyes. “For the love of

God, cover yourself!”

To Marisol’s surprise, his neck and face turned four shades of red. “What the hell

are you doing here?” he muttered.

“Your mom sent me over to grab candlesticks for Nick’s birthday thing. Which by

the way, you still haven’t responded to… Are you covered yet?”

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Worth the Risk

He shot Marisol a guilty look and cleared his throat. “Yeah.”

Carly dropped her hand and glanced back and forth between Stephan and Marisol

with narrowed eyes. “Why are you staying at the guesthouse? I thought you were out

of town or something.”

“Guesthouse? You don’t live here?” Marisol asked.

“Not exactly,” he muttered.

“Are you related to him?” Marisol directed her question to Carly because she had a

sneaking suspicion that Stephan had been holding back a lot from her.

Carly nodded. “He’s my brother-in-law—”

“Damn it, will you just stop?” Stephan thundered.

Both women turned to stare at him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I just…ah, damn it.” He raked a hand through his

dark hair and cursed under his breath.

This woman was mated to a werewolf and as far as Marisol knew, only
one
pack

lived in Miami. If Stephan had lied about where he lived… “What’s your last name?”

she asked Carly.

The pretty woman bit her bottom lip and cast a nervous glance at Stephan, but she

answered. “Lazos.”

Marisol swiveled to Stephan who held his hands up in defense. When he did, he

dropped his towel.

The redhead averted her eyes again. “Oh for the love of… I’m leaving…it was nice

to meet you, uh, what was your name?” she asked Marisol.

Despite the barely leashed anger humming through her, she gave the other woman

a tight smile. “I’m Marisol.”

“It was so nice meeting you. Sorry about barging in. I didn’t mean to interrupt

anything…okay, then, I’ll…” Oversized candlesticks in hand, she brushed past her and

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Savannah Stuart

hurried from the room. Her heels clacked against the tile of the kitchen and echoed as

she moved throughout the rest of the house.

When Marisol heard the front door slam, she blindly reached for one of the coffee

mugs on the counter and hurled it at Stephan. She’d had enough wolves lie to her to

last a lifetime. “You lying son of a bitch! Is this some kind of game?”

“I can explain!” He ducked out of the way and the mug smashed against the wall.

Before the broken shards had even hit the floor, she picked up another mug. As she

hauled back to throw it, he grabbed her and held her arms by her side. Using the extra

body weight he had on her, he shifted and pinned her against the island counter.

Despite his strength, she struggled against him. “Let me go, you bastard!” she

shrieked. Against her will, a sob tore from her throat and tears started to fall. Everyone

was a liar!
Even her mate.

“Don’t cry! Shit,
kardia mou
, don’t cry.” He started to loosen his hold but when he

did she got an arm free and punched at his chest.

There was no give to the broad expanse of his muscles, but it made her feel better.

Since he wasn’t holding her legs, she lashed out and kicked him in the shin. He winced

but she doubted it even fazed him. “You lying piece of shit! I’m leaving.” She tried to

kick him again, but he hooked his much larger leg around the back of her knees,

immobilizing her. She wiggled again. In that instant, she hated how short she was. If

she could just get a leg free…

“I’m an undercover agent for the DEA!” he shouted in her ear.

She stopped fighting and her head snapped up at the admission. “What?”

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He released his grip and pushed away from her.

Stephan turned his back to Marisol. He was in such deep shit he couldn’t even wrap

his mind around it. This woman might be his intended mate, but that didn’t matter. He

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Worth the Risk

didn’t know anything about her. It was doubtful, but for all he knew, she was a mole

for Perez.

When she’d said she was leaving, something inside him had snapped. He couldn’t

lose her. Not when he’d just found her.

He swiveled back to face her. She still stood next to the island. Her hands were

clasped so tightly in front of her, her knuckles had turned white. They faced off, neither

saying anything. Hell, he didn’t know where to start.

Finally she broke the silence. “So, you’re not an arms dealer, huh?” Her quiet voice

seemed overly loud in the even quieter room.

“Nope.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“Why would I bring you to my family’s home? When I realized who you were, I

wanted to keep you safe. Stephan
Vasquez
doesn’t care about women, but Stephan
Lazos

cares about his mate. I couldn’t let Perez know you meant anything to me so I brought

you here. I sure as hell didn’t plan for you to meet my sister-in-law.”

She stared hard at him for a moment then nervously rubbed her hands over the

front of her pants. Even though she held his gaze, a light blush of pink stained her

cheeks. “Sorry about your coffee mug.”

“That’s the least of my worries,” he muttered. He might have just screwed up one

of the biggest takedowns he’d ever been involved with. It had taken decades to find a

job he enjoyed. Hiding the fact that he was a werewolf was hard enough. He wasn’t

even sure how he was going to tell his boss that his cover was blown.

“I’m not going to tell anyone.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“What?”

“I won’t… I’m not going to tell anyone who you are if that’s what you’re worried

about. There’s no one I could tell even if I wanted to.”

Her last statement caught his attention. “What pack are you from? No lies.”

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Savannah Stuart

“Tell me about yours first…please.” The pleading note in her voice tore at his gut.

Standing in front of him, she suddenly looked lost and impossibly young. By shifter

standards he guessed she was close to a hundred, but she looked to be about twenty-

two. Without the makeup she’d had on last night, she
barely
looked that.

“My real name is Stephanos Lazos. I hail from Leontio, Greece, though I haven’t

lived there for over a century. My father,
my Alpha
, is Lucas Lazos, my mother is Alisha,

and my two brothers are Thomas and Nicolas—Nick for short. You just met his new

wife, Carly. She’s one of the few humans who know about us. For now we call Miami

home but we’ll probably move in a decade. I have a lot of cousins, but there are too

many to name. Your turn.”

She bit her bottom lip as she assessed him. He felt as if he were under a microscope,

but if it got her to talk, he didn’t care about the scrutiny. “My last name is Cabrera and

my entire pack is dead. I’m originally from Asuncion, Mexico, but my Alpha moved us

to northern California when I was a pup. We moved around but I had never left the

state…until a year ago when I came to Florida. I literally have no one in my life so you

have nothing to worry about from me.”

“You have me.” The words slipped out.

Disbelief flitted across her face, but it happened so fast and then her protective

mask was back in place. Her pain and loneliness tore at his insides. He couldn’t keep his

distance any longer. Closing the gap between them, he wrapped his arms around her

and pulled her into a comforting embrace.

At first she tried to pull away, but finally she wrapped her arms around his waist

and laid her head against him. She was quiet, but he could feel the wetness of her tears

on his skin. His chest tightened as the thick shroud of her emotions surrounded him.

A dozen questions raced through his mind—such as why the hell was she in Florida

and why had her entire pack died? Even though he needed to ask them, he knew
she

needed to be held. Whether she admitted it or not. His protective instinct kicked into

overdrive as she pressed her lean body against his.

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Worth the Risk

He searched for a way to distract. “You want to go for a run?” he murmured into

her hair.

“Is it safe?”

“My pack owns a private stretch of beach here. That’s where I just came from.”

She pulled her head back to meet his gaze. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears but

there was a hopeful spark in her eyes. “I’d love to.”

She stepped away from him and stared at him expectantly. His older brother, Nick,

had connected telepathically with his mate after the first time they’d had sex, but

Stephan couldn’t link with Marisol. Or maybe she was intentionally blocking him out.

Either way, he wished he knew what was going on in her head at that moment.

“Uh, it’s this way.” He motioned toward the back door.

Tentatively she followed him. When they were outside on the stone patio and she

didn’t make a move to shift, he realized she might be shy about undergoing the change

in front of a stranger.

He didn’t have a lot—or any—modesty, but she was in a new area with someone

she barely knew. Hell, she’d lost her entire family. That was something he couldn’t even

fathom. Without his pack, he’d go crazy. It was a wonder she hadn’t.

Wordlessly he turned and changed, hoping to give her some privacy and to let her

see him at his weakest moment. As his bones shifted and broke, then realigned, the pain

hit with the intensity of a tsunami. While the pain was inevitable, it was always fleeting.