A Mutt in Disguise (3 page)

"Oh, you
silly dog."
Anja's
lighthearted giggle made him
grin despite the situation and the discomfort in his groin. "Anyone would
think you'd never seen a naked woman before. There, I'm all covered up. Hop up
if you dare."

He risked a peep
upwards, and sure enough
Anja
was safely ensconced
under her duvet, which sure looked inviting. She yawned and snuggled under the
covers and against his better judgment he allowed his wolf to take over and
joined her on the bed. She smiled at him, patted the space next to her, and
curled up on her side. He crawled up to her, and she buried her small hand in
his fur with a sigh. He went rigid and counted backwards to distract himself
from the feel and scent of her surrounding him.

"I've been
such a fool, you know."

His ears pricked
up at the whispered words, and his conscience stirred. He fixed his gaze on her
face, and the shimmer of unshed tears in her expressive emerald eyes made his
wolf whine.

She smiled and
tickled his ears. "I can tell you, because I know you won't judge me. But
I knew deep down that Declan was a shit. I think I've always known, but I was
lonely, and he can be so very persuasive. And Gran was so pleased when he
expressed an interest. You see, Mum and her fell out big time when Mum married
Dad. Mum was supposed to marry into money, but instead she fell for Dad, a
penniless bus driver. Gran disinherited her. The only contact they had was
through me, and I guess..." Her words faltered, and he laid his head on
her tummy, silently imploring her to carry on. She seemed to take strength from
the simple contact and swiped the tear rolling down her cheek away.
"Anyway, Gran was always good to me, and I loved her dearly, and I guess I
always thought that she and Mum would reconcile one day, and if my making a
suitable match helped that, then so much the better. And I did like
Declan."

Ethan snorted his
disgust, and she smiled.

"Yeah, guess
you had his number straight away, huh. It was a stupid plan, really. All I
wanted was to find someone who loved me as much as Dad loves Mum. They're still
happy, even after almost thirty years of marriage."

She stroked his
fur absentmindedly and stared into the distance with such longing on her face,
Ethan's chest felt suspiciously tight. Love didn't exist, he knew that.
Everyone had an agenda, everyone. You just had to find it. The vulnerability
she showed him now was just an act. It had to be. Though humans tended to open
up to Mutt in a way they never would to him. It had stood him in good stead in
his business dealings, but this wasn't business, this was ...
fuck it,
what was it exactly?

He growled, and
Anja
jumped. She threw him a worried glance and then
resumed stroking his fur.

"Typical male
of the species, aren't you? Mention marriage and you balk." She smiled at
the shake of his head. He had nothing against marriage, just as long as it
didn't involve him.

"Well, unless
you're Declan of course. When Gran died, and left me a fortune in a trust fund,
he couldn't ask me to get married fast enough. Got all uppity when I said I
wasn't sure and what's the rush. And I don’t want the damn money. I
don't."

Her hands
tightened in his fur, and he whined his discomfort. She released him
immediately with a murmured, "Sorry, I just get so cross. I have enough to
live on. I don't need any damn trust fund, and I certainly don't need any
gold-digging men sniffing round my knickers because of it. And I realize that's
all Declan ever was. I was a means to get to my gran, and once she passed on, I
was his meal ticket."

Ethan had to agree
with that assessment. In fact, Declan had gambling debts a mile long, as Ethan
had found when he'd checked the man out. He still wasn't entirely sure why he'd
felt the need to do so, but once he'd heard through the grapevine that Declan
was soon to come into money, and he'd learned of the weasel's connection to
Anja
, he simply had to find out. It was simple
gratitude, that
was all. She had taken him in after all, and
had proven to be a tower of strength to Mary. It didn't mean he was developing
feelings for the little human. The whole idea was preposterous. He grumbled his
annoyance, and
Anja
yawned again.

"Anyway, I
know what I'm going to do with that money. I'm going to give it to Mary for
Christmas. It should help to keep the shelter open for another few months at
least. And if we get some sponsors tomorrow, then we won’t have to worry for a
while. So, you better be on your best behavior, Mutt. No growling and jumping
at folks like you did today."

She yawned again
and snuggled deeper into the covers. Ethan allowed himself to roll with her
until his head rested on her hip and her even breathing told him she had gone
to sleep.

Tomorrow indeed.

Chapter Three

Anja
stretched under
the covers and yawned. Heat rose in her cheeks when she remembered last night's
dream. No wonder Mutt wasn't on the bed anymore. He'd probably taken himself
off in disgust at her thrashing and moaning, and really, since when did she
have erotic dreams like that?

She'd drifted off
into sleep last night, having poured her heart out to a patiently listening
Mutt, his comforting heavy presence on her body like an extra thick blanket.
Only in her dreams the dog had morphed into a drop-dead gorgeous man with
shoulder-length chestnut hair that she'd clung to while he'd licked her body
all over.
 
He'd brought her to an earth-shattering
orgasm using just his tongue and fingers. His goatee had tickled her sensitive
skin as he rubbed it across her aching breasts, and her nipples had puckered
and begged for his attention. Her dream lover had ordered her to keep her eyes
shut after they'd fluttered open and she'd caught a glimpse of broad shoulders
and abs to die for. She'd obeyed the growled words immediately, her body
responding to his domination with a surge of liquid heat between her thighs.
Never had she been this turned on in real life, let alone in a dream.

Dream-lover's
earthy scent had surrounded her and pitched her need for his touch even higher.
Not the expensive colognes she was used to from Declan—no, this was pure
aroused male—earthy, spicy, with just a hint of sweat and that indefinable
something that had made her want to retaliate and sink her teeth into his skin
and taste him. Lord only knew where that thought had come from. She'd bucked
and writhed underneath him when he'd flattened her nipple against the roof of
his mouth. Every suck, nip, and bite seemed to have an invisible string to her
clit. Her pussy had
spasmed
, her juices had coated
her thighs, and she'd moaned and begged for him to get her off like some sort
of wanton woman. By the time he'd finally worked his way down her body, she'd
been so desperate for release, the scrape of his beard against her swollen
folds, combined with his hot breath on her clit had sent her tumbling into a
powerful orgasm. He'd licked her clean in between animalistic growls, and,
completely spent and sated, she'd finally drifted back into dreamless sleep.

The dream had been
disturbing in its intensity, and even now his leftover scent tickled her
senses. It had to be a combination of her own state of arousal last night and
the fact that Mutt had slept on her covers—covers that were now in tatters
around her.

"Mutt? Where
are you?"

No answer. Not
that he could have shouted "yes" exactly, but she would have at least
expected a yip in response. A quick search of her one-bedroom flat showed it to
be empty. Where could he have gotten to? She'd locked the front door last
night, hadn't she? And while he might be able to turn handles, he certainly
wouldn't be able to unlock doors. She tried the handle of her front door, and,
sure enough, it was unlocked. A shiver of unease went down her spine. Anyone
could have walked in, and she always locked the door. But what other
explanation was there?

Dogs didn't turn
into men. That only happened in paranormal romance novels for pity's sake,
which she'd clearly read too many of recently to have a dream like the one
she'd had.

Nonetheless she
walked to the bathroom and studied her body in the mirror. There were faint
marks between her legs and on her breasts, but that just meant she'd slept
funny. Yes, that's what it was. She shook her crazy imaginings off and stepped
into the shower. Today was a big day, and she had no time for foolishness.

****

Ethan approached
the shelter in his human form, pleased to note the news van parked outside.
Money and contacts definitely talked in this society, and he had plenty of
those. No one paid much attention to him, other than to subtly move out of the
way. Maybe rolling in dung had been a bit much, but it completed the impression
of the complete down-and-out wino he was going for. He grinned to himself as he
recalled the look of surprise on the homeless person's face, whose clothes he'd
bought with a wad of cash. They'd exchanged clothes by the bridge the man lived
under, and Ethan had left him stuffing his face at a diner. By the speed with
which he'd wolfed the food down, it had been pretty clear he hadn't had a
decent meal in a while. Shelters like Mary's were much needed, but Ethan was
determined to do more to help the homeless community. It was one of the reasons
why he'd been undercover for some time, and maybe, just maybe he'd found the
answer to his search for a solution. Mary and
Anja
certainly made a good team.

Mary had been
running the shelter on a shoestring for years, and
Anja
had a natural ability to relate to people. Nothing seemed to faze her. He
watched her now, moving about with a natural, unaffected grace. She'd tied her
dark blonde hair back into a ponytail, and he swallowed hard at the poetry in
motion that was her denim-clad behind. She'd looked stunning in her dress-up
clothes yesterday, every inch the born socialite, but she came into her own in
simple jeans and a baggy jumper that hinted at the curves hidden underneath. He
shifted in his already tight trousers. At six foot three he'd had a hard time
finding a homeless guy close enough to him in height. His trousers were
jack-ups as a result, exposing his bare ankles. As a shifter, he didn't feel
the cold as much as a human would, but nonetheless there was a cold draft going
up his trouser leg, not helped by his big toe sticking out of the ancient
lace-ups, which were two sizes too small. A patched-up tweed jacket worn on his
bare skin and held together by a length of rope completed the look he was going
for.

The semi-permanent
erection he'd sported since last night roared to life as he came close enough
to catch her scent, and he clenched his jaws together. Last night had been a
mistake. It had been bad enough to imagine her curves, but he now had firsthand
knowledge of them. And he knew exactly just how responsive she was under his
hands. Yes, definitely a mistake. He could still taste her under his tongue,
and it took every ounce of his self-control to rein his wolf in.

He knew the minute
his stench hit her. She wrinkled her nose and looked in his direction. Her eyes
widened, and then she smiled.
Fuck it, I
am doomed.

****

"Oh my, he
hasn't seen a shower in a while." Mary held her hand over her nose and
coughed discreetly. "Shame really, 'cause under all that grime I bet he's
not bad-looking."

"
Mary!"
Anja
elbowed Mary and shook her head, though
the elderly woman had a point.

The newcomer
making his way towards them was tall, broad-shouldered, and commanded the room
as though he owned it. A curious contradiction to the way he looked. He reeked
and was unbelievably filthy, but there was something vaguely familiar about the
set of those broad shoulders straining the fabric of his jacket.
Anja
searched her memory as to where she might have seen
him before, but she came up blank. Whoever he was, he'd clearly fallen on hard
times, and
Anja
fixed a smile on her face.

A smile that
faltered slightly when she looked up into intelligent brown eyes—Mutt's eyes.
She
was
losing the plot. Last night's dream was messing with her
perception of reality. Why else would she feel as though she knew the man now
standing right in front of her? He wasn't Mutt. He couldn't be. Her heart beat
a little bit faster, and she grabbed the long counter she stood behind for
support. His amber eyes darkened as he slowly ran his gaze up and down her
body, and
Anja
forgot to breathe under that silent
assessment. She had to resist the urge to fidget with her hair, and an army of
butterflies seemed to have taken up residence in her lower tummy. This was
ridiculous. She didn't react to any man like that, well not outside of her
dreams, anyway. Even Declan with his all-too-obvious good looks and easy charm
hadn't made her feel lightheaded like this. And this man reduced her to a
simpering version of a Regency heroine with just one glance?

Too much coffee,
that's what it was.
Easy on the caffeine in future and stop gawping at him,
girl.

"Hi, I'm
Anja
. So glad you found us. We haven't met before, have
we?"
 
The words came out far too
breathy, and Mary threw her a surprised look. The stranger didn't seem to
notice the effect he was having on her.

Thank the Lord for
small mercies.

The last thing she
needed was to make a spectacle of herself in full view of the rolling camera
crews. Much to her surprise, a news van had turned up for the open day, and
they were going to do a special feature on the shelter on the six o'clock news.
Mary had been beside herself with excitement. The segment would go out tomorrow
night with an appeal for sponsorship, and the reporter had been unobtrusively
filming in the background all day. He trained his camera on
Anja
and the long line of people waiting for their evening meal. Mindful of the
audience,
Anja
bit back the smart words bubbling on
her tongue when the stranger in front of her grunted in response to her question
and pointedly stared at her boobs.

Now that was just
plain rude
.

He leaned closer
and pointed towards the pot of homemade soup with another grunt, and
Anja
jumped into action. Of course he would be hungry. He
needed food, a shower, and a bed for the night, not to be subjected to her
fevered imaginings.

"There you
are." She passed him a steaming bowl of chicken soup and a chunk of bread.
He grabbed the bowl of food from her, and she reared back in surprise. A jolt
of electricity shot up her arm at the simple contact of his hand brushing hers.
Heat flooded her cheeks, and her fingers tingled. Their newest arrival seemed
completely unaffected, however. He slurped the soup down, pointedly stared at
her boobs again, and then turned his back on her. He snarled at one of the
overeager reporters approaching the food station, and Mary deftly intercepted
before the man could take offense.

The newcomer
slumped into a seat, shut his eyes, and promptly started snoring.
 
Despite his obnoxious behavior
Anja
couldn't help but get annoyed at the reaction of those
around him. They gave him a wide berth. The smell emanating off him
was
unpleasant, but everyone had a story, and this man had as much right to be here
as anyone. As soon as the last person in the line had been served, she walked
up to him and shook his arm to rouse him. She was prepared for the jolt this
time, but not for the deep, gravelly voice wrapping itself around her senses.

"No need to
manhandle me. I move."

"I wasn't.
The day is winding down, that's all and—"

"You want me
to fuck off out of here, I get it." He interrupted her and shook her hand
still curled around his surprisingly hard biceps off with an almost feral
growl. Again,
Anja
was reminded of Mutt, and she
shook her head to clear the fanciful notion away.

"No, that's
not it at all. The shelter is filled to capacity, but I thought you might want
to take a shower, and I'm sure we can find you something warmer to wear at
least, before you set off again."

"I don't need
your pity or charity, lady." He growled the words and rose to his full
height.

"I'm not in
the habit of handing out pity, Mister, and if you don't want charity, then
don't come to a shelter. It's really no skin off my nose whether you want to
freeze to death out there, but as you're here now I feel obliged to offer you
some help. If you don't want to take it that's your prerogative, of
course."

To her surprise he
laughed, showing an even set of teeth, and
Anja
shook
her head at an advancing Mary. She could handle this just fine. He ran a hand
through his straggly, shoulder-length hair, the color of which she couldn't
determine, caked as it was in seeming days' worth of dirt.

She stiffened her
spine, drew her shoulders back in an effort to make herself taller, and tore
her eyes away from the width of his chest shaking in now-silent amusement. Was
he laughing at her?

"What in the
world is so amusing?" She tried for her haughtiest tone, but failed
miserably. There was an unmistakable twinkle in his eyes.

"Quite the
ball-buster, aren't you, lady?"

"Not usually,
no, and the name is
Anja
. Are you going to tell me
your name or do I call you Shaggy?"

His eyebrows rose,
and he stepped so close to her that she had to crane her neck to look up at
him. She held her breath to escape the smell assaulting her senses, and he
laughed again, before he mercifully took a step back.

"Shower, you
say?"

Anja
released the
breath she'd been holding and nodded.

"I guess that
would be a good idea."

"You think?
What did you do? Roll in dung?" She slammed her hand on her mouth in
horror at her insensitivity, but he just laughed, and murmured something she
couldn't quite catch.