New Beginnings (9 page)

“No thanks. Look, I’m not looking to be
buddies with you, or anyone really. I just want to run my bar.” She
managed to lock the door without turning her back on him and
started for her vehicle.

“Jess, please give me a chance.”

She stopped to look at him. “Sorry, I don’t
think so.”

“Please.”

She laughed out loud. “Seriously, Liam, You
aren’t interested in a friendship. I don’t know what you’re up to,
but I’m not interested. I know you don’t want to be my friend, and
you certainly aren’t interested in me in any positive manner. So
whatever you’re attempting, you can forget it.”

He growled at her, “It’s not a game. I want
to help. I want to be your friend, maybe more.”

One pale eyebrow rose. “Sure you do. Have a
good evening, Liam.” She climbed into her truck and drove away.

He stood there fuming. She was so fucking
difficult. Could she see what he planned? Is that why she avoided
him like the damned plague? She was making it impossible to get
close to her. She wasn’t even letting Slater close. It was all
Brody’s fault, but maybe he could use that.

The voices sang to him.

She
’s with Brody.

They
’re plotting against
you.

They
’ll take Slater down, then
you.

You have to stop them.

Stop them now, whatever it takes.

* * * *

Slater was in a dark mood as he stared out
over the lake. He sat under a tree and was honestly tempted to slam
his fists into the rough bark. Instead he breathed in through his
nose and out through his mouth.

A branch snapped, jerking his attention
toward the sound. He caught her scent of jasmine and all the
tension flowed from his muscles, but he was on guard. “Be warned,
I’m here. You may as well leave or give me a moment to.”

Her sigh trailed over his senses. “I deserve
that. I’ll go if that’s what you want.”

“Is that what you want?” He snapped, and
cringed at his tone.

“If it were, I wouldn’t have asked, I would
have left when you opened your mouth.” Her words were clipped but
she didn’t leave. He took that as a good sign.

“I’m sorry…,”

“Don’t,” she interrupted. “You were a dick
after that meet and greet, and then I was a bitch since then. Let’s
start fresh and forget the shit.”

He relaxed. “Care to join me?”

She walked over and sat down just inches
away before she glanced over at him. Her eyes locked on his.
“What’s with Liam?”

Refusing to let any emotion bleed through,
he cautiously asked, “What do you mean?”

“He’s shown up a couple times, wanting to be
my best friend and try to help with the bar or some shit. I was
under the impression that I don’t have to play nice with anyone I
don’t want to. Not that I’ve been rude, but I’m not hanging out
with your second. I’m not looking to be anyone’s favorite and the
bastard just rubs me wrong.”

“I can talk to him, but I’ll warn you now. I
don’t trust him. Ever since I made Brody an enforcer, he’s been
slipping. I’m looking for proof so I can send him packing, but we
haven’t caught him in the act.”

“I suppose I’m sworn to secrecy?” She
smirked.

“Best if you were, but I won’t hold you to
anything.” He trusted her, deep down he did, more so than he
wanted. Turning toward her, he looked into her baby blue eyes and
felt the pull. He fought for control over the urge to reach out and
touch her. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel pressured
into anything by
her Alpha
.

She would never let him force her hand, and
he knew it, but he wouldn’t. That didn’t stop him from wanting her
to want him on her own. She would deck him if she thought he was
trying to push for more than she wanted, he knew it.

“I won’t tell a soul.” She whispered and
leaned in a little.

A thousand questions entered his head, but
one was on the tip of his tongue. “How did you become a wolf?” He
knew it wasn’t a petitioned request which usually meant an attack.
Not even Gregory seemed to know the story.

A sigh exploded from her lips as she looked
away. “My twin was in love with a man who loved her. However, he
was obsessed. He was smothering her. When she finally figured out
how wrong his love actually was, she attempted to leave.”

She pushed a hand through her hair, curled
her legs under her and wrapped an arm around herself before she
continued. “I woke up from a nightmare that was really a vision. I
prayed it was a bad dream as I drove over to Jamie’s.”

Jess shook her head. “I’m glad I brought my
shotgun.” She met his gaze but there were tears in her eyes. “I
found him standing over her as a wolf. He was gnawing on her ribs
that were torn open, there was blood everywhere. I shot him.”

He could imagine her horror and he wanted to
comfort her but he blurted out the next question. “Did he attack
you?” Somehow, he didn’t think it was that simple.

“Yes, but he wasn’t why I changed. I saw him
with his snout in my sister’s broken body and I shot him without
even thinking about it. I don’t regret it for a second, but I
didn’t have silver bullets. I’m usually a better shot, but I was so
furious that my hands were trembling. I’m surprised I hit him at
all. I blew his shoulder out and it sent him flying into the wall,
shifting back. I should have made sure he was dead, but he wasn’t
moving.”

He reached out and squeezed her shoulder.
“You stopped him from killing your sister, and he attacked
you?”

Leaning into his touch, she nodded. “I went
to Jamie. I did my best to stop her bleeding. She wasn’t conscious,
but she was breathing. I did what I could, until he hit me.”

He winced and whispered, “Jess.”

“I’m not even sure what he hit me with, but
my vision was going. I raised the gun and blew his brains out. A
shotgun at that close range, even with normal bullets will stop a
wolf in his tracks.”

“If he wasn’t in beast form, how did you
change?”

“He stabbed me as he fell. Cut my femoral
artery. Maybe he stabbed me twice, I’m not sure. I would have bled
to death, but it also happened to be the day before the full moon.
Jamie woke up shifting. She knew enough about how werewolves
changed other people that she attempted to change me.” She looked
him in the eye. “It worked.”

“So you saved her, and she saved you?” He
ran his hand up and down her back and she leaned closer again. He
was tempted to pull her into his side, but he let her decide where
she wanted to be.

“Yeah.” She took a long shuddering breath.
“I don’t remember Jamie doing it. I never even saw it in a vision.
Maybe it was because she was running on pure instinct from her
wolf, or maybe because I was nearly dead myself. I just don’t
know.”

“I remember being turned,” he said
softly.

“Really? Even that long ago?”

He nodded. “They told me it was a gift.”
Slater snorted. “I saved a family from a small band of thieves.
They were killing their victims. Turned out the three drifters were
vampires.”

“Do tell,” she said as she leaned against
his side.

He wound his arm around her. “They had a
whole pack of werewolves hunting them down for revenge. I guess the
vamps killed several innocents that were protected by their
pack.”

“Did you kill the vampires?”

“One of them. The other two had me cornered,
and were arguing over how they were going to drain me when the
wolves showed up and finished them off.”

He remembered everything fading around him.
He was about ready to give up when he heard the commotion, and
then he was falling and he blacked out for a bit.
“I was
bleeding out because they ripped me open.”

“So they infected you?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know what the hell they
were at the time.”

“Shit, that’s got to be crazy. At least I
knew what werewolves were. I knew if Jamie survived she would be a
wolf. I guess I hadn’t considered her changing me. I figured the
process would take longer.”

“That close to the full moon? No. I’m sort
of surprised he didn’t shift back.”

“He was tripping on some Silver Council
pharmaceutical. It was some big hush project that went wrong. They
discontinued it, but some of the wolves down in California got a
hold of a batch because they were already addicted.”

“Really?” Slater scratched his beard. “How
did they get it in the first place?”

“Let’s just say this guy Bill was able to
get it. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that was part of what
makes his moonshine so potent. I’m sure it was watered down with
God knows what.”

She looked over at him and their eyes
locked.

“I have a confession,” Slater blurted
out.

A slow smile started on her lips.

“I could easily forget what I swore off all
those years ago, for you.” He squeezed his eyes shut and turned
away. “Fuck, I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

“Why is that?”

Because he knew if they did what he wanted,
they’d be mated. “Last thing I want is for you to feel
obligated.”

“I already figured that out, Slater.” Her
voice was a little lower and he turned to her, getting pulled into
her gaze. The only thing that kept him from taking her lush mouth
in a kiss was his conscience, but he was barely holding on to his
control.

* * * *

Jess couldn’t pull away from the molten gray
of Slater’s eyes as they grew stormier. His scent wrapped around
her. Loam, musk, and his dark spice churned through her. Something
snapped inside, and resistance was lost. All she knew was that she
needed him.

His mouth was so close, framed by beard. She
needed to know what he felt like and leaned in to brush her cheek
along his jawline. It was soft with just a hint of scratch.

He groaned low in his throat when she
trailed her lips over his chin to his mouth and licked his lips so
slow, just tasting him. There was a hint of cloves mingled with his
masculine flavor. His lips parted and she delved inside, brushing
her tongue against his as a satisfied growl rumbled out of him and
into her.

She didn’t think as she threw her leg over
both of his to straddle his lap. One of his callused hands wrapped
around the back of her neck and his fingers tangled in her
hair.

He pulled her tight against him. Unable to
resist, she ground herself over his thick cock, and oh, was he
ever. She fit against him perfectly and all she wanted was to make
love to him.

When neither of them could breathe she broke
the kiss and leaned her forehead against his.

“Jess,” he whispered desperately, and held
her still. He tipped her head back and stared into her eyes. “This
what you want?”

“Yes.” It was out of her mouth before she
considered what he was actually asking her. She needed him too bad
to give a damn about the consequences. She managed to slip her hand
between their bodies and work his pants open. He hissed when she
wrapped her hand around his shaft.

“Think this through.” His words rumbled
through her and she squirmed against him, not thinking, just
feeling.

“Shut up, Slater.” She took his bottom lip
in between her teeth and he rolled her onto her back as he propped
himself over her.

She shoved his pants down enough to free
him. God, he was hard. His hips jutted forward when she gripped his
length.

His voice was deep and gravelly. “Jess, I
won’t be able to stop if you keep that up.”

“Enough talk already.” She rolled him over
and climbed down his body to lick him from base to crown, and then
ran her tongue around the tip. The sound he made was desperate, and
he didn’t argue.

She was opening her pants until her phone
rang. She could just imagine the tongue lashing Fallon would give
her for leaving San Francisco and falling right into another
Alpha’s bed.

Leaning back, she pulled her phone out and
took a look. All the reasons she shouldn’t be doing this flashed
through her head

She scrambled out of his lap. “I need to
take this.” She got up and started back down the trail to her
place. Running sounded like a good idea, but she walked calmly,
even though she felt like she was being torn apart.

“Hey,” she told Fallon.

Slater made no move to follow. He stayed
there, just sitting there without a sound. Fuck, that shredded
through her chest. She reminded herself that was supposed to be a
relief.

In fact, he had warned her to stop. He
didn’t really want her, didn’t want to get attached. Was she
attached? Damn it, she wanted him to want her, to need her as bad
as she needed him.

And he let her go….

“…Jess, what the hell?” Fallon finally broke
into her thoughts.

“Sorry, just overthinking shit that
shouldn’t matter.” She stepped into her cabin and hoped like hell
he hadn’t followed to hear that.

He should matter. Not because he was the
Alpha but because she did legitimately want him against her better
judgment. It wasn’t supposed to go down that way. She was supposed
to resist, and things were supposed to go back to normal. They sort
of skipped normal though.

Fallon snorted. “If you say so. I know
better than to pry when you get like this. You must not know what’s
up with whatever it is yet. I’d love to know how you managed that
one.”

At least that was an easier topic. “I’ve
been avoiding touching anyone. I plan to keep that up for as long
as I can.” She was tempted to mention Brody, but knew that wouldn’t
go over well. Fallon would never move out if she did.

“How is that working out for you?”

“Pretty well, thanks.” She flopped down in a
chair and pried into Fallon’s life to forget her own mess.

Working with wood usually kept his mind off
things he didn’t want to delve into. It wasn’t helping.