Tameka's Smile (4 page)

Following her scent, he headed straight for her bedroom and laid her on the bed. In seconds he had her stripped and under the covers. She gave a soft sigh and was out like a light.

He headed back out front to lock up. He hadn’t been invited to stay, but he wasn’t leaving. His wolf wouldn’t allow it even if he wanted to go. He checked the locks and windows, put up the food, and turned off the lights. In the dark, he walked back to the bedroom. Beside the bed, he pulled off what remained of his jeans and toed off his shoes and socks before climbing into bed beside his woman. She may not agree when morning came, but for tonight, she was his.

Being human, she might not accept what he was. He’d cross that bridge when it was time. In the meantime, he’d marked her with his teeth and his seed. His scent was all over her. Any shifter that came near her now was asking to die. She was his and he didn’t share. Not now. Not ever.

He pulled her into his arms and inhaled deeply. Yes, she belonged to him. Now he just needed to convince her.

* * * *

22

ZENA WYNN

Chapter Two

At eight the next morning, Chad walked into the sheriff’s department, his mind still on the woman he’d left sleeping in bed. He wanted to be there when she woke. Hell, he wanted to wake her with his body, deep inside of hers. Instead, he was here, reporting for duty. Today was the first time in the history of his career that he’d hated reporting to work.

He walked past dispatch. “Morning, Deputy Wilson.”

“Ms. Hannah. Bull.” He nodded at them both before continuing to his locker.

Bull followed. “Hey, Wilson. Where were you last night?

Me and some of the guys met up at the Cock & Bull. I came to see if you wanted to join us, but you’d already high-tailed it out of here.”

“I had something to do.”

“Yeah. Okay. Listen, last night some of the guys were talking. Did you know Ms. Emma had a granddaughter? She’s here. Took over the old homestead. From what I heard, she’s a hot piece of as…”

The words were abruptly choked off as Chad erupted into two hundred and forty pounds of bristling werewolf. He had Bull slammed up against the locker, his forearm in his throat before he could blink. Bull’s eyes bugged out and his face turned red as his brain was deprived of oxygen. Chad got right in his face.

“Show some respect when you talk about her.”

“Wilson! In my office. Now!”

Chad hesitated a minute longer to make sure his point had been made.

“Deputy.”

He released Bull, allowing him to drop to the floor and stepped over him towards the doorway where Rome waited.

“Bull, you okay?”

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TAMEKA’S SMILE

“Yeah, boss. Just fine,” Bull wheezed.

Chad brushed past Rome and preceded him into the office, standing at attention while Rome passed him and sat on the edge of his desk.

“Close the door, Deputy.”

The door closed with a snap, sounding overly loud in the tense silence of the office.

“You want to talk about it?”

“No.” When Rome’s eyes narrowed in warning, Chad added, “Sir.”

“How long have you been with this department?”

“Two years…sir.”

“You’re a good officer. You were a little standoffish at first, but that’s understandable considering your background. You followed the rules, and never stepped outside of the lines. If there’s a problem, I hope you know you can talk to me about it.” Chad remained silent.

Rome sighed. “Go make your rounds, deputy. I’ll let it go, this time. If it happens again, I’ll have to take disciplinary action.

We can’t have any division in the ranks. Understood?” Chad gave a brief nod.

“Dismissed.”

Chad opened the door. Before he could leave, Rome had one more thing to say. “Chad, if there is a problem and you can’t talk to me, at least speak with Alex. You’re not a lone wolf anymore. That’s what packs are for, to help each other.” Chad waited to see if Rome had any more to say. When nothing more was forthcoming, he continued out the door.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Are you trying to get yourself fired?

Because if you are, you’re certainly going about it the right way.

What the hell is the matter with you?
He castigated himself as he headed outside.

Bull caught him when he was almost to his squad car. “Hey, Wilson. Wait up.”

Chad stopped, knowing he owed the man an apology, but was loathe giving it.

“Hey man, I’m sorry. You’re right. Ms. Emma was much too nice for me to be talking about her kin like that. She’d have been the first one to knock some sense into me had she heard.

24

ZENA WYNN

Thanks for not saying anything to Rome. We cool?”

“Yeah.” He held out his hand to Bull and they shook hands.

“You hit the road before Rome comes out to see what’s keeping you. Keep howling and I’ll catch you on the flip side.” Bull saluted him, turned and walked off.

Chad drove off, glad he hadn’t needed to provide an excuse for his behavior. The last thing he wanted to do was explain about Tameka. It was all too new and he didn’t completely understand himself why she called to him the way that she did.

He only knew that he couldn’t back off. Couldn’t let her go.

Once she understood that she was his, he’d tell the world about them.

* * * *

The cool air felt good on her bare breasts.

She sleepily cupped her breasts, rubbing the nipples with her thumbs. Mmm, that felt good. She felt good. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so well rested. Her hands slid from her breasts to her waist, gliding on smooth, bare skin.
Bare
skin?

She jerked to a sitting position and looked under the covers.

Her whole body was bare. Where was the big, floppy t-shirt she usually slept in? She never went to bed naked. What if the house caught on fire and she had to run out in the middle of the night?

She didn’t want to be worried about finding clothes if the worst were to happen.

Not only was she naked, but her body was all sticky, especially between her legs, like she’d recently had intercourse.

Sex. Chad. Oh lord, she’d slept with Officer Handsome. Shaking her head, she corrected herself. She’d had sex with Deputy Wilson. She smacked herself upside the head since there was no one there to do it for her. “God, Meka, what were you thinking?” She had sex, unprotected sex, with the officer who’d molested her on the side of the road. God, was she that desperate? Apparently, she was. She should have closed the door 25

TAMEKA’S SMILE

in his face when she saw who it was.
But that would have been
rude. After all, he brought me dinner.
Okay, maybe not then, but after they’d eaten.
But he was still watching
Speed
, his all-time
favorite movie.
Alright, definitely after the movie finished. She should have hustled his butt right out the door.
Then you would
have missed his kiss.
The man did know how to kiss.

“Arrrggghh! Just face it, Meka. You were putty in the man’s hands after the first orgasm. He could have stripped you naked and took you in the middle of the road and all you would have said is ‘more, harder, please.’ You are so pathetic.” She rolled out of bed and headed for the shower, determined to wash the memory of his touch off of her body. She had things to do today and sitting around mooning over Deputy Chad Wilson was not on her to-do list.

She needed to find a job. She was a licensed hairdresser, so she wasn’t worried about finding work. She just needed a location to set up shop. Her home was located almost halfway between Refuge and Colbyville, although Refuge was closer.

She’d start with the shops there. With gas prices the way they were, she’d much rather drive the fifteen minutes it took to reach Refuge than the twenty-five minutes it would take to take to reach Colbyville.

She dressed and paid special attention to her hair. You could tell a lot about a hairdresser simply by the way they styled their own hair. Then she headed for the kitchen to pour a glass of juice and toast some bread before leaving. On the refrigerator was a note.

I’m sorry I had to leave this morning before you woke. I
have duty today. I programmed my numbers into your cell and
home phone. If you need me, just call. Otherwise, I’ll see you
after work. Chad.

He wouldn’t. She rushed to her purse and grabbed her cell phone. He did. In the directory was three numbers: Chad cell, Chad work, and Chad home. Same thing with her cordless phone. She stared at the phone, mightily tempted to erase them, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. The man had some kind of hold over her.

Yeah, and we know right where it’s centered, don’t we?
her libido whispered.

26

ZENA WYNN

“Oh, shut up!” she told it and walked out the door.

In Refuge, she parked in front of Miss Lulu’s House of Style. Although the shop was open, there weren’t any customers.

Typical Monday. No matter what the location, Mondays were always slow business days for hairdressers.

The bell on the door tinkled when she opened it, and a voice called out, “Be right with you.”

Tameka took the opportunity to study the shop. To the immediate right of the door was a waiting area with seating for twelve. That was a good sign. It meant she got plenty of customers. To the left was the register. Behind a half-wall with plants hanging from the ceiling was where the stations were located. There were four, each with its own barber-styled chair, a huge mirror, and plenty of storage space and outlets for supplies.

In the back and to the left were two bowls for washing hair, and along the wall on the right were the dryers, of which there were five. Beyond that were three doors, one of which was closed, containing either an office or supply closet. Tameka guessed the former when an elderly, African-American lady entered the room through it.

“Hi, I’m Ms. Luella. My friends call me Lulu. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if you needed any help, or do you rent out your stations? I’m new in town and looking for a place to set up shop.”

Ms. Lulu slid her glasses to the tip of her nose and gazed at her with sharp, intelligent brown eyes over their rim. “What’s your name, honey?”

“Tameka Jones.”

A big grin filled her face. “Land sakes. Meka? Give me a hug, honey-child. Me and your grandma Emma were great friends. Told me all about you. I feel like I know you myself.

Too bad you couldn’t get this way to visit while she was living, but she’ll shole be glad you’re living here now.” Tameka found herself gathered against the large bosom of Ms. Lulu in a bear hug.

“Come over here and sit a spell. Tell me ‘bout yourself. You doing hair? I thought Emma said you went to school and got some big, fancy degree? Some kind of doctor, weren’t you?” She 27

TAMEKA’S SMILE

pulled Tameka over to the waiting area, pushed her into a chair and sat beside her.

A bit overwhelmed, Tameka wasn’t sure where to start. She decided to answer the last question first. “Yes, ma’am. I got a degree in psychology and practiced for a while. I studied cosmetology in high school, got my license and used it to support myself while in school. I discovered I’d rather be doing hair. It’s less hassle, less headaches, and I still listen to people’s problems. Only now, no one’s paying me to give them my opinion and I can’t be sued if they don’t like what I say.” Ms. Lulu threw back her head and laughed while slapping her thigh. “Ain’t that the gospel truth,” she exclaimed, wiping tears from her eyes. “When do you want to start?”

“Ma’am?” The abrupt switch of topics left her off balance.

“Not ma’am. That’s my momma, God bless her soul. Call me Lulu. Everybody does. I said, when can you start?”

“You don’t want to see pictures of my work first? I have a photo album in the car.”

“No, baby. You’re family. Of course I’ll hire you. I know you’re good and you’ll breathe new life into this shop. I can’t do a lot of the newer hairstyles. These old fingers just won’t cooperate. But once word gets out that you’re here, a lot of the youngsters that go into Colbyville to get their hair done will come here instead. You just let me know what days and hours you want to work and I’ll schedule you in.” They discussed salary and came to an acceptable arrangement. Tameka would draw an hourly wage until she built up her clientele. Afterwards, she and Lulu would discuss a price list for services and Tameka would pay her a set percentage for each. The rest, as well as any tips earned, would be hers to keep.

She scheduled herself to come in tomorrow, get her station set up, and be ready to start taking customers Wednesday.

She spent another couple of hours with Lulu visiting and getting to know her better. From there, she headed into Colbyville to stock up on supplies. Lulu told her to expect plenty of customers. Fridays and Saturdays were always busy, plus there would be the curious—those who came in just to see what she could do. It would be up to Tameka to turn the inquisitive into regulars.