Espino, Stacey - Surrounded by Wolves [Wolves of Climax 1] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) (4 page)

“No. Tonight you’re sleeping where it’s safe and comfortable.”

“But—”

“It’s not smart to argue with the boss, Cassie. Not even my own men dare to challenge me.” He continued to use his tongue to run over his teeth, barely visible, but highly distracting. “I can be very convincing.”

* * * *

Garret wasn’t a fool. He knew allowing himself to become attracted to the new employee was a bad idea, but he couldn’t seem to stay away. Was it due to the general lack of females in the area, the fact he hadn’t had a real fuck in months, or did his wolf sense something about the girl he was too blind to see?

Just after nightfall he returned to Cassie’s cabin, ready to take her over to his pack’s cabin in the woods for safekeeping. He still preferred to keep to his roots, living outdoors year-round in his wolf form. He needed the solitude from the constant voices in his head. Garret also saw it as a measure of being a man, choosing to rough it rather than spoil himself with human luxuries. Before his shifts each morning, he’d come to work early to shower and change in his personal trailer. Garret supposed he could have offered Cassie to stay there, especially since she’d be working on-site, but it was his private space, and adding a woman to his darkly masculine world would tilt it off axis.

He’d found out that Patrick and Travis had been sniffing around her cabin at night, which was probably what she’d heard. But they could never be too safe with the wolves from the Rockford Mine out to destroy them. Their best operator and fifth pack member, Matthew, was already missing, and a new dispatcher would be a prime target to curb Gregor Mining’s production.

He knocked at the entrance to her cabin and waited.

She fussed with her hair after opening the door. “I’m sorry, I have no shower.” Her clothes were clean, and she looked more rested than she had earlier.

“You look good.”

“I’m a mess.” She moved aside to allow him entry. The place was barren, uninhabitable for a woman in its current state. If she were his, he’d make sure she had all the comforts a human could ask for. But she wasn’t. “So, you actually came back, eh?”

“I keep my word.” He noticed the folded blankets in the corner. She’d slept alone on that thin bedding last night. The sight made him stop in his tracks and frown. Even though she wasn’t his responsibility, it rubbed him wrong. He decided his concern for the girl was only his human nature, nothing deeper, which satisfied him for the moment.

“These friends of yours wouldn’t happen to have a shower?”

He nodded, too busy absorbing everything about her to answer. Her scent was captivating, capable of turning an alpha into a quivering mess. There were no female wolf-shifters in known existence. Only the male gene carried the trait. Garret knew he’d have to choose a delicate human woman for their mate one day. It terrified him. His beast was dominant in him, making him crave aggression during sex. But if he ever took the leap, his daughters would be like their mother and his sons had a fifty percent chance of becoming wolf-shifters like him.

Garret was in the prime of his life, not ready to settle down with a mate. Shifters mated for life, so when the time came, he had to take the commitment seriously. But there was something about this little brunette with the independent spirit that called to him. He shook off the urge to claim her. Life in Climax was complicated at best. The stability of their mine was in question due to competition and lack of staff and equipment. Matthew had been missing for nearly a month, and Garret also had to contend with wolf hunters and loggers trespassing on their land. It was no time to be thinking about women, sex, and mating. Although his cock would beg to differ, he had to keep a level head.

“Is this really unnecessary?” she said. He stood in the doorway of her kitchen, arms crossed. “I’m fine on my own. With the firewood Evan cut for me, it will be much easier than last night.”

“Do you even know how to start a fire?”

She shrugged. “Necessity can be very motivating. I’ve survived on my own this long, I’m sure I’d figure it out.”

There was something refreshing about Cassie. Although he had the urge to care for her, he also respected her independence. “Not tonight. Sometimes a person needs to know when to accept help from others.” He winked at her, understanding her need for control in her own life, but also enjoying watching her squirm.

“I don’t know…”

“There’s no negotiating on this, Cassie.” He took her bag and purse sitting by the wall near the entrance and headed back to his truck. “Come on. Don’t make me toss you over my shoulder.” She reluctantly followed him out into the night. Garret held the truck door open for her as she climbed up with the assistance of the running board. She had a nice, round ass. Perfect for him to sink his teeth into. “Have you eaten?” he asked once she was in her seat. It was nice to have a petite, feminine presence in his truck for a change.

She took a breath. “I’m really unprepared. I’ll have to hit your grocery store tomorrow after work.”

“So you haven’t eaten a proper meal. Don’t be afraid to tell me these things.” He instinctually reached out and ran the backs of his fingers along her jawline, but pulled back as soon as he could think better. “First I’ll drive you into town so you can grab a bite to eat at the diner, and then we’ll head to the cabin.”

His pack had feasted on venison last night, so they wouldn’t be preparing a meal tonight. Cassie had to eat. The roads were already dark as they made their way into the small town of Climax. Only the hum of the engine broke through the otherwise silent cab. As much as Garret wanted to get out of his skin so he could scout the forests, look for more clues into Matthew’s whereabouts, he also wanted to suspend time. Even in awkward silence Cassie’s presence felt…right.

“So, what happened to the last dispatcher?”

“He quit.”

“Why?”

He didn’t want to lie, but also didn’t want to scare her off. “It’s not always an easy job. Some of the crew gave him a hard time, and he couldn’t stand the local wildlife. He ran back to the city.” Garret reached across the bench seat and trailed his fingers over her thigh. It was meant as a comforting gesture, but it only served to fuel his desire for her. She didn’t push him away, but parted her legs slightly. “You’re stronger than him, Cassie. The hard work, climate, or even wolves howling at your windows can’t scare you away.”

“Don’t be so sure, Garret. I’ve only been here one night, and I can’t say I’m too fond of the place yet.” He loved the sound of his name on her lips. His men rarely called him by name, but it still had nothing on Cassie’s sweet, feminine cadence.

“It’ll grow on you.” He pulled into the diner parking lot. The
I
and
R
were burnt out on the neon diner sign, the glow from the picture window chasing away the shadows surrounding the small one-story building. “We’re here.” Garret cut the engine, silence settling in immediately.

This time it was her that shifted in her seat to face him. She touched his hand, a soft smile on her lips. “Thank you. You don’t have to do any of this. You’re my boss, not my savior…but here you are. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to manage everything on my own.”

Her hair fell to one side, brushed smooth despite her earlier complaints about her appearance. She had big blue eyes, the kind to make any man submit with just a batting of her thick lashes. There was a mix of innocence and darkness swirling in her gaze. When she swallowed, her little pink tongue darted out to moisten her lips. He followed the movement, too tempted to lean over and kiss her hard and demanding. But Cassie was a coworker, and he had much more pressing matters on his hands now besides a potential mating. Still, the fact he ached for her confirmed that the forbidden fruit was by far the sweetest.

Chapter Four

Cassie sat at the counter to order, while Garret was still outside. He said he’d be in shortly. There had been some serious sexual energy passing between them in the truck. Her pussy chaffed in her tight jeans, her stomach all aflutter, but he never made a concrete move. The constant flirting would be the death of her, like having sex but being denied an orgasm. She wanted him to make a move, knowing she wouldn’t resist the darkly handsome foreman. Not only did his physical size and position at the mine scream power and dominance, but he radiated an inner strength that pulled her in, made her want to whimper and beg. She always went for the take-charge men, but unfortunately they were often not worth keeping.

A middle-aged woman with a blonde ponytail appeared from the back kitchen. “Can I help you, darlin’?”

Cassidy instantly thought of Travis and his Southern charm, doubling her discomfort and need. She took a breath and ordered her food from the menu board above the grill.

“What are you doing way out here?” asked the lady.

“I’m the new dispatcher at Gregor Mining.” She figured everyone in the small town would know the mine. There were several burly men in plaid jackets at the other end of the counter, who suddenly turned their attention to Cassidy.

“New dispatcher, eh? You’re a brave girl taking that job,” said the waitress, pouring coffee into her mug.

“Oh?”

One of the men from down the counter called out, “Ain’t you ever hear the wolf stories? Hikers gone missing, mine workers snatched away feet from their homes. Gregor’s best man disappeared into thin air like he never existed.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know much, but I’m also not one to rely on stories.”

The blonde-haired waitress leaned over the counter on her elbows. Cassidy noted her teeth were stained. “You know who owns all that land north of town, don’t you? It’s owned by the Gregor Mine. You can play it anyway you want, but all the disappearances happened on their land. Makes a man, or woman, question things.”

“Some say they fed that missing miner to the wolves, which is why he’s never been found,” said the man. “Make sure you don’t piss off your boss, little lady. You could be next.”

Gossipy old townsfolk. She just wanted her food so she could get away from the scandalous conversations that weren’t any of her business. As she waited for her order, she felt the cold stares of the other patrons. Climax was supposed to be her new home, but she felt anything but welcomed here. It was Garret and his staff who’d shown her kindness and generosity, but they were the ones being portrayed as the bad guys. Why would they kill one of their own staff? It didn’t sit well with her.

The bells on the glass door chimed as a gust of cool, evergreen-scented air drifted into the diner. “You making out all right?” Garret’s voice was right next to her ear, his lips likely against her hair. She closed her eyes briefly, delighting in his presence.

“I’m okay now that you’re here.”

He sat beside her on a red upholstered swivelling stool. The other men no longer stared her way. Leave it to a bully to cower away when the target of their gossip showed up in the flesh. Or were they truly afraid? “Someone bother you? Let me know who.”

The determined inflection in his voice made her heart leap. If she were a man, she wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of Garret’s wrath. Just his fists were huge, easily able to drive through drywall. His hunched-over shoulders were massive, twice as wide as hers. He made her feel feminine and dainty, something she rarely felt working at the call center. Most of the staff there were size-zero, university students making her the old maid with the mature figure. Being away from that atmosphere, where she’d always be second best, gave Climax a new appeal. Cassidy would never stand a chance with these godly looking men back in the city. But here, she had hope of landing a man of her dreams. Forget the gossip. She had a chance at a real relationship here. She could feel it.

“Everything’s fine now.”

Once her food was served, she noticed that Garret watched her intently. She used her napkin to continually wipe her mouth, feeling self-conscious under his scrutinizing gaze. He even smiled as if she humored him.

“Aren’t you going to have anything?”

He shook his head. “I’ve already eaten.”

Cassidy managed to finish her meal with some semblance of dignity even though Garret watched her the entire time as if she were the entertainment. It was unnerving. When the bill came, he snatched it up before she could even read it.

She followed him out to the truck, a chorus of crickets breaking through the darkness behind the diner. “Thank you, but I could have paid that, you know?”

Before he boarded the truck, he stared out into the black voids between the trees. He froze as if listening, his features set hard. It reminded her of dog sensing a threat. When he finally boarded the truck, she hurried in after him. The evening was nippy, and goose bumps formed on her exposed skin. “When you’re with me, you don’t have to worry about anything.” He looked at her through the haze of darkness in the truck cab. Only the digital display gave his face a soft, yet forbidding glow. “Not even wolves,” he said, his voice slithering down her body.

She wished he’d have offered for her to stay with him. He would be the perfect man for her, albeit a bit intimidating. “Are you married?” she blurted out once they started driving. No sense investing herself in a man she had no hope with.

“No.”

“Do you live alone?”

“You could say that.”

She didn’t want to say anything. What she needed was the truth, the facts, more details. “The men in the diner were talking about wolf attacks. Murders. Is there any truth to that?”