E.A. Price - Valentine's Wolf (Grey Wolf Pack #11) (7 page)

He watched rather than listened to what Robyn was saying. She looked serious, but he could tell she was enjoying herself. This was always the part of the job she loved. The glory. Jake could never consider giving a press conference and admitting to the world that a killer was roaming free to be glorious. But no, Robyn wanted the recognition. Jake had always wanted to be left alone to do his job. Not that it mattered anymore; he wouldn’t change what he had in Rose for the world. Although he could think of one thing that would make his life just a little more enjoyable,
well, one woman, rather…

Chapter Seven

The next day, Val decided to go on a charm offensive. Following some more dirty –
but highly enjoyable
– dreams, it was clear that just ignoring the sheriff wasn’t going to work. She felt herself flush with pleasure at just the thought of him, and, lord help her, his gruff, no-nonsense attitude just seemed to make her hotter.

Maybe, just maybe, if she could find a way to make friends with him, he would stop acting so sexily! Maybe she could find out something about him that made him less hot.
Like if he had all his ex-girlfriends buried in his back yard…
That seemed unlikely, but she’d take what she could get.

Val made her way into the town cake shop, Cake Moon, after having stared at their delicious looking window display for a good ten minutes.
Mmmm, lemon meringue cupcakes – yum.

She was immediately greeted by a man and a woman who were very young and very attractive.
Darn it! What were they feeding them in Rose?
These two looked like Barbie and Ken! They were both so tall, toned and healthy looking that Val guessed they were both shifters.

The young woman introduced herself as Darcy, and with a playful punch to his arm, introduced the man as Casey.

With her small, curvy figure, and bags under her eyes from a lack of sleep, Val felt very inadequate next to these two.

A smaller woman bustled in, and Val actually felt a bit of relief. Although she was pretty, she was much more of what Val would consider to be a ‘normal woman.’ She was a couple of inches shorter than Val, but they had a similar set of curves. Finally! Someone who actually looked like they ate some of the goodies they sold there!

The small woman beamed. “Hi, I’m Carly! You must be Val.”

Val blinked, dumbfounded. “How did you…”

“Small town.”

Carly giggled and started putting out some red velvet cupcakes decorated with hearts onto a stand. Val tried not to moan at how lovely they looked.

“So, what can I get for you?” asked Darcy.

Val almost pressed her nose against the glass of the display case. “I was going to ask you what was good, but darn, it all looks good.”

Darcy winked. “Oh, it is.”

Val eyed all the cakes on display and tried not to drool. Since starting her doomed quest to find a man through Intimate Connections, she’d foregone cakes and candy in the hope of losing a few pounds.
Thank the stars – that was over now.

She tapped a finger against her lips. “Okay, I’ll take two peanut butter chip blondies, two mint choc chip brownies, two oatmeal and raisin cookie sandwiches, two carrot cake muffins, two pumpkin cupcakes, two slices of coconut loaf and, hmmm, what are those?”

Val tapped her fingernail against the display case.

“Oh, we call those crownies…”

“Brookies,” interrupted Casey.

“Crownies,” reiterated Darcy giving the young man the evil eye. “They have brownie on the bottom and cookie on the top, so – crownies.”

“Brookies,” muttered Casey.

Silly names aside, Val tried not to salivate. A brownie and a cookie?
Heavenly!
Almost as heavenly as the gorgeous sheriff -
damnit!
She managed to go at least thirty seconds without thinking about him before she ruined it. Focus on the sweet treats.

“So, yeah, and two of the crownies slash brookies. And then, in a separate box, can I have a red velvet cookie, a pecan pie bar, a slice of banana loaf, a lemon meringue cupcake and definitely throw in a crownie slash brookie.”

Okay, that should tie her over until lunch.

Darcy smiled sweetly as she started boxing up the numerous cakes and pastries. It was really unfair at just how gorgeous this girl was.

“Special occasion?”

Val smiled wryly. “More like a peace offering.”

“To Jake?” asked Carly softly.

Val cocked her head on one side. “Who?”

“The sheriff.”

Oh, Jake. Hmmm, why was this woman calling him by his first name? Val felt her hackles rise and then immediately felt ridiculous. One confrontation with him and she was getting jealous over every other woman in time. For pity’s sake!
He could be married or have a girlfriend or even be gay!

“How did you know?” asked Val sheepishly.

Carly shrugged and smiled genially. “Like I say, it’s a small town, just about everyone knows each other’s business. And my mate tells me everything that happens; he’s a deputy.”

She looked inordinately proud and, although she was thoroughly annoyed at herself, Val felt relieved that pretty little Carly was actually off the market.

“I wouldn’t worry, Jake’s not one to hold a grudge.”

“You know him pretty well,” commented Val.

“He’s a pack mate.”

“You’re a wolf shifter?” asked Val incredulously and then was immediately awash with guilt when Carly’s face fell. “I’m sorry…” she stammered.

Carly held up her hands. “No, don’t be, I don’t know why, but I thought you were a shifter too, so I thought you knew. I was just surprised.”

Val blinked at her. “You thought I was a shifter?”

That was definitely the strangest thing someone had accused her of being. Not offensive, just surprising.

“I guess I’m just a little off today.” Carly rubbed her neck. “I’m the pack Omega, I can sense emotions, and shifters’ feelings are usually different to humans. I can usually tell just by sense and because of your perfume I couldn’t tell your species… I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine; I’m just surprised too. So, right, yeah, you’re a wolf, like Jake… umm, the sheriff.”

Carly nodded. “Yeah, he’s a great guy.”

Casey snorted and then muttered a word that sounded suspiciously like ‘asshole.’

Val’s suspicions were confirmed when Darcy elbowed him and told him to be nice. “He’s just jealous about Jake and Deanna,” Darcy told her in explanation.

Oh, the cute little blonde deputy, who looked like the lovechild of a young Mia Farrow and Scarlett Johannson. Val felt a stab of disappointment at the thought of Jake and the young deputy together.

“Oh, are they dating?”

Casey slammed a fist down on the counter. “No, they damn well are not!”

Darcy shook her head. “Deanna is Casey’s mate, but before they got together she had a crush on Jake.”

Casey scowled at the young woman, who seemed completely unfazed by the murderous glint in his eye.

“What? It’s not like it’s a secret? And Jake never touched her. He’s a great guy.”

Val frowned as Darcy told her that in earnest. Why were all these women falling over themselves to tell her he was great?
Did they know something she didn’t?

She was quickly distracted as the enormous deputy from the day before pushed his way into the shop. Carly almost bounced up and down.

“Ooh,” twittered Carly, “you’re looking mighty fine today, Deputy Moran.”

The huge guy completely ignored everyone else in the shop and beamed at Carly. “Oh, beautiful, you always look fine.”

Carly flushed pleasurably and sauntered back into the kitchen, casting a heated look over her shoulder. The deputy let out a throaty chuckle and followed her.

Val gaped at the direction they disappeared. That huge guy and that tiny woman… surely he’d roll over and crush her in the night!
It defied logic.

“Don’t have sex in there; it’s unhygienic,” called Casey, trying not to laugh.

His only reply was a deep rumbling growl that Val assumed came from the huge deputy.
At least she hoped it did…

“Don’t mind Cain and Carly, they’re still in their honeymoon phase,” chuckled Darcy.

Val leaned over the counter, trying to block out the giggles and smooching sounds emanating from the kitchen. “Can I ask you something? What’s the sheriff’s favorite cake?”

Darcy tried not to smirk and pointed at it.

“I’ll take all of them, please.”

*

Ten minutes later, the occupants of the sheriff’s station were milling around the sweet treats Val had supplied.

The small blonde, Deanna, whom Val now knew to be Casey’s mate, was nibbling on a blondie. The pregnant wolf, Delilah had already devoured a cookie sandwich and was working her way through a pumpkin cupcake. While two other deputies, a dark, smallish woman about her age and a strapping man with muscles to rival the sheriff, were deliberating over their choices.

Delilah shook her head. “Just pick one, Susie,” she said in between bites. “They’re all good.”

The small deputy sighed. “I’m watching my figure.”

“Oh, one can’t hurt,” encouraged Val. “Treat yourself.”

Reluctantly, and with a belabored sigh, she picked up a carrot cake muffin and started munching. The strapping man grabbed three cakes, and they were gone within a minute.

Yeesh, he practically inhaled them.

He smiled at her. “Thanks for these.”

She gave him her flashiest smile. “You’re very welcome.”

He stuck out his hand. “I’m Ford, by the way, Ford Carver.”

She shook it. “Val Daniels.”

Oh, if she weren't so hung up on the sheriff, she would find him absolutely dreamy. He had more of a boyish, open face than the sheriff, but she didn’t find him as appealing.
And definitely not as smoking hot.

“What’s going on here?” demanded a cool, deep voice.

Val jumped and pulled her hand away from Ford like she’d been stung. “Nothing!” she squeaked.

The sheriff, or Jake as she should perhaps call him, folded his arms and regarded her through half-closed eyes. She had the urge to confess to everything bad she ever did.

“I stole a pack of cigarettes when I was 16,” she murmured dazedly.

He frowned. “What?”

“Nothing!”
Get it together Val, you’re not doing anything wrong.

“I thought you’d have had enough of this place after yesterday,” he said musingly.

“Oh, well, I’m a glutton for punishment.”

“Are you?” he asked deadly serious.

She almost gasped as an unbidden image of Jake spanking her leaped to mind.
Thank Hades he wasn’t a mind reader.

A change of subject was in order…

“I brought cakes for the station.” She swept her arm over them with a flourish, like a pointer on a game show. “Sorry, they’re not donuts. You know, cops and all.”

Ford snorted. “Low blow, Daniels.”

Jake walked towards her slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. He looked like he was stalking her. She had an urged to run away and make him chase after her.
All the butterflies in her stomach were practically doing the hula over that thought.

“Oh, and these are especially for you.”

She pulled out the box of cinnamon buns and held it in front of him. Yikes, she hadn’t felt this nervous since her first date.
What if he doesn’t like what I’m wearing? What if he finds me boring? What if he doesn’t want to see me again?
And this time, the only thing she was putting on the line was freaking pastries!

Cain chose that moment to come bounding into the room. “Hey, cinnamon buns! Carly said they’d run out.”

He reached out a meaty paw and Val, without hesitating or taking the time to think about it, slapped him. Aghast, he pulled his hand back and let out an almighty and snarling ‘hey.’

If she hadn’t stood in Jake’s presence, she probably would have been a little intimated by the enormous man. But, instead, she felt safe. She felt like Jake wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Which was kind of a weird sensation for her. She’d known him for only a day, and already she felt like he’d protect her. Usually, she didn’t even feel comfortable enough to give out her address to potential boyfriends until after their fourth date. But, with Jake, she would have shared her credit card details if he asked.
Although, she doubted it would come up.

“They’re not for you,” she told him primly.

Cain gave her a wounded look and tried to look at his colleagues for help; with the exception of Jake, who merely smiled, they were openly laughing.

“But, I…” spluttered the big guy.

Ford slapped him on the back. “C’mon, man, you’ll live. You can’t honestly expect us to believe that Carly lets you go hungry?”

He grumbled and growled a little before settling down at his desk and eyeing Val warily. She gave him the best admonishing look that she could.

Jake looked at the buns, and then slowly slid his gaze up her body.
Ooh, he gave her goose bumps.
“Why?”

Val licked her lips. “I wanted to make amends for yesterday.”

He raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything.

“I want to be the bigger person.”

His lips twitched. “Well, you should be; you were in the wrong.”