Full Circle (Central Florida Pack Book 1) (2 page)

"I have to work tomorrow, remember?" He was her boss at CFP Construction and had been since she'd returned from college. He was also the one who'd helped her pick up the pieces after her mother had died in a car accident.

"What if I said you'd better serve the Pack by staying here tonight?"

He was joking; he had to be. She hoped.

James shook his head. "You should see the look on your face, Ria. You know running away from Drake isn't the best way to deal with him."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ria resumed digging in her purse. "Have you seen my keys?"

"No, I haven't." He looked over her head and smiled. Ria's heartbeat picked up speed. She gripped her purse more tightly as heavy footsteps sounded in the hall. Warmth at her back told her just how close Drake was.

James shoved off of the door, a grin of amusement on his face. He had the audacity to wink at her as he brushed past her and sauntered down the hall.

"Aren't you going to tell me why you're leaving?" Drake asked. He wasn't growling at her anymore. His voice was as gentle as she supposed one could make gravel.

"I have tons to do tomorrow, and I'm tired. Feeding and cleaning up after forty Pack members and their assorted spouses and children isn't easy." She chanced a glance at his face and was surprised to see him frowning.

"Didn't you have any help?" He was beginning to sound angry.

"Well, yes. But most of the women are busy with their families and the unattached females really have no clue. Besides…" She bit her lip, not wanting to say more.

"Besides?"

She shrugged. "It's just what I do."

What she'd really meant to say was that no one paid attention to her when she issued an order or made a request for help with the kitchen or childcare. Well, almost no one. James would do whatever she asked, but she didn't like asking. Drake had always listened even when he didn't have time, but in the months since Ria had realized the attraction she felt for him wasn't a case of infatuation, she'd made a point of avoiding him.

"And that makes it okay that you are the one to shoulder the responsibility?"

She dug back into her purse, uncomfortable with where the conversation was going. He was in alpha mode, solving a problem. The last thing she wanted to be to Drake was a problem. Her fingers connected with cool metal.

"With me here, they can focus on bonding. I don't—"

"We all take advantage of you," he continued, as if she hadn't spoken.

"This is my Pack, too, and this is where I fit."

Drake moved closer, his hands brushing hers as he closed the distance between them. Trembling, she stood her ground, her eyes focused on his mouth.

"Our Pack," he said.

His fingers brushed her cheeks as her hands clenched on the keys. Ria felt them bite into the palm of her right hand. Still, she leaned into his touch. His low growl made her half-closed eyes open. Ria took a step back, bringing her purse up between them as he followed. "I have to go."

He stopped when her purse connected with his chest. She held it between them like a shield. She needed to leave before she did something stupid like give in to the need to touch him.

"Goodnight, Drake," she whispered as she slipped by him, feeling his fingers graze her hip as she went.

***

Drake strode through the building, greeting Pack mates and workers alike on his way up to Ria's office. He stood at her open doorway, captivated by the scene before his eyes. Timid, shy Ria was arguing with a supplier. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a ponytail. Her feminine body was encased in a pair of jeans that hugged her like a well-worn glove. She perched on the edge of her wide desk with the phone to her ear, her booted foot swinging, her face turned away from him.

"I need those fixtures. Marco, you do realize that if our reputation is damaged that will also trickle down to you? I would hate to see our business relationship go sour because you promised something you couldn't deliver."

Unashamedly, Drake eavesdropped. Ria had claws and she was sharpening them appropriately on someone who thought she was a pushover. Pride bloomed in his chest and with it confirmation of what he'd always known followed. Ria was strong enough to rule his Pack by his side. Now he just had to convince her of it.

"I expect to see them on Monday, Marco, or I'll find a new supplier." She ended the call, gave a self-satisfied little hum, and jumped down from the desk. Her eyes met his in the polished glass that separated her from the rest of the construction office.

He watched as her eyes widened and her spine stiffened.

He walked in and shut the door behind him.

"Drake. What can I help you with?" She covered it well, but now that her scent wasn't covered by the Pack or the scents of a warm kitchen, he scented her instant arousal—with fear and caution thrown into the mix. Her pulse beat faster at the base of her throat as he moved closer.

His wolf was triumphant. At last, she recognized him. He scented her panic and swooped in, determined to nip it in the bud. His hand closed on her neck. The curls at her nape tickled his palm. Drake wrapped her ponytail around his fist as she tried to back away. A brief warning growl left his lips as they covered hers in a soul-searing kiss.

***

Ria couldn't think. She could only feel as his lips moved over hers. Her mouth opened under the unrelenting pressure, and she was rewarded with the addictive taste of Drake. As her head fell back against the wall, Drake's arms were the only things that prevented her from sliding down toward the floor. Her hands clenched and unclenched in his shirt as she attempted to pull him closer. His right hand gripped her hip and it didn't take much for Ria to wind one of her legs around his.

He moved on to her neck and left her gasping for air as she threaded greedy fingers through his hair to cup his skull. She couldn't let him go, didn't want to. She used the wall for leverage and ground against him, trying to relieve the pressure that was building at the juncture of her thighs.

He groaned and pulled her tighter to him. Lifted her up so that both of her legs were wrapped around his waist and the heat of him was resting against her core. She needed more. She wanted his hands on her. That was, until she turned her head to the side. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was staring straight into James' glowing yellow wolf's eyes.

Panic hit. The hands she'd used to hold Drake close frantically pushed him away. "Let me go." She shoved at Drake's chest; he wouldn't budge. In fact, he buried his face in her neck. "Drake, we're in the office." The guys downstairs had gotten an eyeful. Her legs were still wrapped around his waist and his hands were still on her ass.
This isn't happening. This is never happening again.

She unlocked her legs. "Drake?"

He growled a little, lifted his head and released her. Her legs slid to the floor. There was just enough space to slide by him. From the corner of her eye, she could see the guys moving slowly back to work. James must have given them the rough edge of his tongue. She concentrated on that while she waited for her heart to slow, and she attempted to put herself to rights.

"Look at me." Drake's voice was nothing more than a low pitched growl.

She couldn't do as he asked. She was well aware that her hair was now falling out of her ponytail. Her hands shook as she straightened her shirt.

"
Look at me
."

He was right behind her. She turned and looked up into his narrowed, heated gaze. "Please leave." Her voice sounded thin and reedy. Her heart was back to pounding.

Two things happened: Drake snarled at her and James entered the room. James didn't get in between her and Drake physically, but instead spoke a single word.

"Drake."

It was a warning, nothing more, but one that made Drake pull back and in the end, slam the door as he left.

She couldn't look at James. She ran a shaky hand over her face. "I...I'm headed home for the day." There was no way she would be able to work like this. Her entire body was shaking and she couldn't look her coworkers in the eye. No one else but James knew she was in love with Drake. Had been for ages. At least, no one else had known before that kiss. Now, she was afraid everyone knew.

***

Drake could have kicked himself. He'd messed up royally. He tried to regain control, here in the alley behind the office building, pacing like a caged animal, kicking at the wall because he couldn't kick himself.

Angry footsteps were his only warning. The door to the alley slammed open and chunks of concrete hit him in the back.

"What the hell were you thinking?" James was pissed. He had every right to be as the brother-figure for Ria. "She's scared shitless."

Drake tamped down on his instinctive snarl. This wasn't an attempt by James to take over the Pack; this was James acting as not only his friend but Ria's. With James, Drake didn't have to worry about challenges to his leadership. James was unwaveringly loyal.

"I messed up."

"Yeah. You did. What were you thinking?"

Drake turned to face his best friend and second. James' eyes were slowly fading from yellow back to brown. They narrowed on the hand Drake knew was shaking as he ran it through his hair.

"I came close to just taking her."

"I know that. Hell, the entire crew knows it. Even the humans."

Drake shook his head even as a growl broke free of his throat. "Drive me home."

He tossed his keys to his second and waited. James grunted and moved around to the driver's side of the truck.

He'd just reached for his seat belt when James spoke up.

"I know you're going after her. Just find your control before you go hunting her again."

Chapter Two

Hours later, in the privacy of her duplex, Ria was still shaking.

She'd half expected Drake to be waiting on her doorstep when she'd driven home from work. Since he hadn't been there, he must have satisfied that primal lust somewhere else. The thought of him sleeping with another woman hurt. The pain didn't stop her from wanting him.

James hadn't checked up on her again, either. She was grateful that she wasn't forced to face the guys. She didn't want to imagine what they thought of her now. She'd always maintained a distance. When anyone hit on her, she'd played it off. Now, Drake had all but had her clothes off in the office.

Curled up on the couch watching some brainless show was going to be the highlight of Ria's night, and that was good. No, she didn't need an oversized Alpha on her doorstep or in her bed.

But she wanted it.

The phone rang, waking her out of her light doze. Belatedly, she realized it was her cell and not the house phone. She grimaced when she saw the name: Sheena. "Hello."

She would love to pretend that she didn't know what Sheena wanted, but it was a Wednesday night and it sounded like Sheena and her friends were in a bar.

"We need your help."

"Why?"

"We had way too much to drink and need a ride home."

Ria rolled her eyes. "Why call me? Take a taxi. The bouncer will call you one."

"Look, we know you. You'll get us home in one piece. Please, Ria."

Sheena never said please, ever. She must have been in a bad way. Thankfully, it was only ten. Ria had been called out much later. Sheena and the others had a bad habit of assuming Ria was available at all hours.

The truth was, it was Ria's fault. She was always available. She'd dated a little but had learned the hard way that dating a werewolf was hazardous to the heart. A mate would come along and take him right out of the picture before she knew what was happening. Human males, on the other hand, hadn't the slightest clue how to deal with the suddenly territorial males that would appear to protect her, males like James, who felt the need to check out anyone she dated who wasn't already in the Pack.

Ria sighed as she stared at the ceiling, willing her body to get up from her comfortable couch. She grumbled to herself as she pulled on her shoes and picked up her purse. It was frustrating to know that her only value to the Pack was that of chief cook and bottle washer. She'd better add obligatory designated driver to that list as well. Ria made her way to the door, hitting the switch for the porch light as she grabbed her keys from her favorite mother of pearl dish on her shelf in the entry way.

She stepped out into the cool night air and felt soothed. Fall, when it hit Orlando, was wonderful. Her street was lined with cars as usual and the scent of wood smoke from rarely-used chimneys was in the air. She shivered but decided against going back in for a jacket. A quick twist of the door handle showed the bottom lock of her home's door was engaged. With another twist, the key locked the top deadbolt. Ria stepped back into a hard wall of muscle. She shrieked. Firm hands grasped her arms. The contact made her gasp, her body immediately sensitized.

"Where the hell are you going?"

She tipped her head back, and had to look way up. Drake frowned down at her, his black hair falling into his ice-grey eyes.

"To pick up Sheena and some of the others from a bar."