Wolf's Lady (After the Crash Book 6.5) (5 page)

“No.” His eyes were solemn. “Lust at first sight, yes.” Now a corner of his mouth kicked up in a quick grin, but it settled immediately back into solemnity. “Love is something different, though, something better.”

She could agree with that. “You’re right. But you said you picked me at first sight yesterday.”

“My wolf chose you to be my mate,” he corrected.

“So it’s your wolf that fell in love with me at first sight?”

His chuckle was soft. “I guess you could put it that way.”

She glanced sideways at him, trying to understand how that lean, slimly muscled body could house a wolf. “What if the man doesn’t want the same woman the wolf wants? Does that ever happen?”

“No …” He trailed off, frowning at the grass at their feet. “Maybe. One of my cousins sent his mate away. They were unhappy together, but they’re just as miserable apart.” He focused his gaze on her face. “We can be happy together, Amanda, I know it. We can learn to love one another. As long as we are honest with each other and talk things out we can make it work. Please, promise me to always tell me how you feel. If I do something wrong, talk to me about it, okay?”

She tried to imagine one of her clients saying that to her, especially in that gentle, earnest tone, and failed. “Okay, I promise. I’ll start by saying I’ve never brought any other man here to my special place. Only you.”

His smile beamed as bright as any lamp. It turned him from a handsome man into a gorgeously appealing one. She leaned closer to him, wanting to kiss that smiling mouth.

He flowed to his feet with such smoothness it almost didn’t seem abrupt. His crouched posture was that of a wild animal protecting something. “What?” she began.

“Shh,” he hissed. “Someone’s coming.”

*

Sand stood in front of his mate, using his own body to shield her from whoever approached. He tasted a familiar scent on the warming morning air. He identified it only a moment before two men came around the shrubs into the fountain area. One was a tall skinny man in the uniform of the City Guard. The other was Terry Askup, his mate’s appointment from last night.

“See?” said Askup loudly. “There he is!”

Sand heard the brush of Amanda’s jeans over stone when she stood and forced down his immediate desire to push her behind him. She stood beside him and smiled at the Guardsman.

“Good morning, Jimmy!” she said brightly. “How’s Leanne?”

The guardsman gave her a small smile in return. “She’s doing fine. Not here to chat, though, Miss Amanda. Mr. Askup wants to file a complaint against your companion.”

Sand tensed, but Amanda just blinked at the men with an expression of confused innocence. If Sand hadn’t smelled her anger, he would have accepted it as genuine.

“Really? What on earth for?”

Askup stabbed a finger in Sand’s direction. “He refused to allow me to keep my appointment with you last night!”

When Sand began to growl Amanda looped an arm around his. The warmth of her skin pressed to his eased the growl to a hum so low human ears probably couldn’t hear it.

“That’s right. I’ve cancelled all my appointments for the rest of the month.” Her voice dripped honey that Sand could almost taste. “I’m so terribly sorry for the short notice, but it couldn’t be helped.”

Askup had a mean nature. Sand didn’t have the best nose in the Pack, but he could smell the sour stink of it. The thought of this man laying his hands on Sand’s mate brought the growl back.

Askup’s eyes were narrowed in rage and narrowed further when the Guardsman said, “Mr. Askup, I see no grounds for a complaint.”

“He laid his hands on me! My shoulders are bruised! I want him arrested for assault.”

The guardsman turned slightly away from Askup to face Sand more fully and said politely, “I am Sergeant James Rush of the Omaha City Guard. May I see your Visitor’s Permit, sir?”

Sand dug the paper out of his pocket and handed it over. The sergeant took the time to read it thoroughly before handing it back. “Thank you, Mr. Wolfe. Would you care to comment on Mr. Askup’s accusation?”

“I didn’t assault him. I told him his appointment was cancelled, and when he wouldn’t leave I picked him up and carried him down the stairs.”

Sergeant Rush glanced from Sand to Askup and Sand knew he was wondering how he could carry the much larger man down the stairs. “Did you strike him or kick him?”

“No.” Sand remembered wanting to, but he’d restrained himself.

“Mr. Askup, in what way did Mr. Wolfe assault you?”

Askup curled a lip. “He touched me. He forced me out.”

Amanda spoke up. “Of course he did.” She directed that same innocent smile at the guardsman. “He is employed by Sky Wolfe to keep the peace at The Limit. As I wasn’t taking appointments, Sand escorted Terry out. He is allowed to use necessary force if an appointment becomes unruly.”

“I asked you to marry me!” Askup yelled. “Last week I asked you to marry me.”

“You did, and I declined.”

“Why?” Askup spat. “So you can slither all over this ... this …”

Showing his teeth in an expression that didn’t really feel like a smile, Sand took one step forward. Only the weight of his mate hanging fiercely onto his arm kept him from invading Askup’s personal space.

“I refused you before I ever met Sand. Who I choose to … slither over is my concern, not yours. Sergeant, it seems clear to me that Mr. Askup is trying to cause trouble, not file a legitimate complaint.”

“I agree.” The guardsman frowned at Askup. “Unless you have some evidence that Mr. Wolfe caused you unnecessary harm, I am dismissing your complaint.”

Sand wondered if the scum would lie, but he didn’t. His round cheeks were red with rage, a muscle at the corner of his jaw bunched. “Fine.” He leaned toward Sand. “But don’t expect me to forget this. I won’t. I will make you pay.”

Sand watched Askup and the guardsman until they were out of sight and hearing. When he was sure they were away, he turned to Amanda. “That fat slug asked you to marry him?”

Her beautiful smile, the one that showed honest amusement, curved her mouth. “Yes, he did. He’s rich, he’s close friends with the mayor, and he has a large mansion, so his wife would have a life of ease.”

He didn’t like that. “Then why did you refuse him?”

She leaned close to speak in a voice hardly louder than a whisper. Her scent overwhelmed him. He breathed deeply of that precious scent. “He’s also petty, controlling, and mean in bed. Did you hear his threat? I won’t marry a man who can’t accept defeat gracefully.”

The threat didn’t bother him. The image of Askup in bed with Amanda lifted his lip in a snarl. When Amanda dropped his arm and stepped back he realized his mistake. He sniffed. Her scent had changed. “You’re nervous?”

“Of course not.”

Her scent said different, but her face lifted to his with a calm expression. Amanda was not only beautiful beyond his dreams, she was also strong and self-controlled. His wolf had chosen a superb woman for his mate. She stepped forward again and hooked her arm through his.

“Let’s go look at the flowers,” she suggested.

The gardens were nearly deserted. He obediently stared at a bunch of red flowers which Amanda said were chrysanthemums. They were pretty, he supposed, and their scent was nice, but he rather look at his mate and enjoy her scent.

“Sand, does my career bother you?”

“We already talked about this.” It took a little effort, but he kept his voice mild. “What you did before we even met is none of my business.”

“Hmmm,” she murmured in a doubting tone.

He clenched his teeth. “I’m jealous of the men who have been in your life before me,” he admitted. “I can’t help that, but I know I have no right to expect you to deny loving other men in your life.”

“I never loved them, and they were in my bed, not my life!” she clarified, with a bit of a snap. “The only men in my life that I care about are my dad and Sky. I love Sky. He’s like my brother. And I’ve never brought Sky here.” She dropped his arm to wave at the clearing with the dead fountain behind them. “Only you.”

Only him. She’d said that before. Relief, and something close to wonder, melted his heart within him. “Will you accept my mate claim?”

She smiled and lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. “I don’t know yet.”

Relief dissolved in disappointment. “Oh.”

Her smile grew to a laugh. “Don’t give up, Sand. It took me two seconds to refuse Terry. It’s been twelve hours and you’re still in the running.” She took his arm again. “Let’s go back to The Limit.”

She hadn’t denied him yet, at least. He just needed to figure out what would make her accept him. As they strolled through the gardens he noticed her pleasure in the flowers. “If you accept my mate claim I’ll plant all the flowers you like around our house. I’ll make you a garden, with a fountain, and a bench, and anything else you like.”

She flashed him a quick glance. “That would be nice. But if I marry you, it won’t be for a house, or flowers or anything like that.”

He stopped and looked down at her, forcing desperation back. “Then for what? What can I give you to convince you to accept me?”

She stopped too, staring up at him with an unusually sober face. “What I want from my husband can’t be touched or put into a gift bag, and the price could be very high.”

“Name it.” Determination rose in him. “I’ll give you whatever you want.”

Amanda’s smile this time was misty, as if she were holding back tears. “It’s not that easy, Sand. I’ll be cheating if I tell you what I demand from my husband. You have to figure it out for yourself.”

A challenge! There was nothing a wolf liked better. His smiled fiercely at her, savoring the lovely lines of her face. “I will figure it out. Give me a hint.”

She bit her lower lip. “It’s only what most women want.”

If the Lupa were here he could ask her. Maybe he could write her a letter. “I’ll find out and I will give it to you.”

Her hand was soft and gentle when she touched his cheek. “I hope so,” she murmured. “Let’s go home.”

Amanda left him at the door to Sky’s house, saying she had girl things to do until supper. He watched her go up the stairs with sadness. He wanted to spend all his time with her. With a sigh, he turned to go to the kitchen.

Paint was standing in the kitchen door. “There you are!” he said. “I could use another hand with the lawn.”

Sand followed willingly. Two of Sky’s men he didn’t know well pushed a pair of mowers over the grass. Why did anyone want to cut grass? All that did was make it fall in untidy heaps that he and Paint had to rake into piles and load onto a wagon to be taken away. The scent of freshly cut grass was so strong in his nostrils Sand couldn’t smell anything else.

They took a break on a low stone wall to eat the sandwiches Rita brought out for them. “Why are you still here?” Sand asked. “Aren’t you going home?”

Paint shrugged, swallowing half a sandwich whole. “I guess I’ll leave pretty soon. Snow wanted a few days to play tourist.”

“And you didn’t want to leave Sky short-handed. Where is Snow, anyway?”

One of Paint’s rare smiles flitted over his face. “Riding the bus, I bet. He’s fascinated with it.”

Sand made a face. He remembered the loud, smelly vehicle with distaste. “I wouldn’t ride that thing if you paid me.”

“Amanda likes to ride it.”

Gentle warmth curled around his heart. He had first seen his mate when she mounted the bus. “If Amanda asked me to, I’d ride the bus with her.”

Paint adjusted the patch over his missing eye. “How is your courtship going?”

“I don’t know.” Sand looked down at his sandwich. “I think it’s going okay. She hasn’t accepted my mate claim, but she says I’m still in the running. She wants me to give her something before she’ll be my mate.”

“What?”

“I don’t know.” He spread his hands. “She wouldn’t tell me what it is, only that without it she won’t marry anyone. She said I had to figure it out myself.”

“Hm. That’s not fair. Maybe you could ask Sky. He’s learned a lot about women since he came here.”

“Yeah,” Sand agreed. “I’ll ask him.”

After they finished the lawn work Sand went back into the house in search of Sky and found him in his office seated behind his desk. He wasn’t alone. A slender man in a black suit was in the plush visitor chair. Sand thought he looked familiar.

“Sand,” said Sky. “Just the man we needed to see. Peter, this is my cousin, Sand Wolfe. Sand, Peter Vann, Vice Mayor of Omaha.”

Since the little man stuck his hand out, Sand shook it before folding his arms over his chest. Maybe he should have said one of those polite, meaningless phrases that townsmen used when meeting a stranger, but Sand didn’t see the point. He waited, saying nothing.

He didn’t have to wait long. Vann spoke in a quiet, finicky voice, fussing with the cuffs of his suit rather than looking at Sand. “A complaint has been lodged against Sky and The Limit.”

Sand almost spat on the floor. “Askup,” he growled.

“Yes, indeed.” Vann did look up now, narrow face cool. “Normally, the Mayor’s office wouldn’t concern itself. Sky has proven himself a savvy and supportive businessman. However, a formal complaint can’t be dismissed out of hand. An investigation must take place.”