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  “How did I not know you did this?” he asked when she entered the room. “You must have your work displayed around town.”

  “Not really. I’ve done some local weddings, of course. Invitations, place settings. But I don’t sell my drawings.”

  “You like to draw wildlife,” he noted.

  “It’s a thing I do,” she said, shoving her hands into the pockets of her cutoffs.

  Very short cutoffs, he saw. She had spectacular legs and certainly couldn’t get away with wearing a skirt this short, so he was happy to see jeans at last. “You still swim?”

  She nodded. “A friend of mine has an indoor pool. I go there a couple times a week.”

  “Nice.”

  She smiled. “What do you want for dinner, Smokie?”

  “We could go out,” he said doubtfully.

  “You can’t think I’m going to poison you. Owen’s my cousin. He was talking about something from when we were kids.”

  “You fed me before and I didn’t croak, but you weren’t expecting to cook for me now.”

  “How about we compromise? I have a good frozen pizza and salad fixings. You could open a bottle of wine.”

  “Deal.” He followed her back downstairs, and checked her small wine rack. He found a bottle of fruity red wine that he’d had before and liked then placed it in her refrigerator so it would chill. After he’d done that, he leaned against Olivia’s kitchen counter and watched her doctor a frozen cheese pizza with mushrooms, onions, green peppers and more cheese.

  “No meat, I’m afraid.”

  “No problem,” he said, hungry after his trek through the forest but feeling the telltale signs of a churning gut. Nerves, he supposed. He’d never shared his shapeshifter status with a human before.

  She slid her round pizza pan into the oven and pulled out a plastic box of peppery arugula out the fridge. She sliced in carrots and a tomato before bringing out olive oil, vinegar and herbs.

  “You should invite Owen over for dinner. He might be pleasantly surprised.” He’d never known anyone to make their own salad dressing before.

  Olivia snorted. “A box of pizza and a salad would not impress Mister Grill Expert.”

  “He does make a mean burger,” Smokie admitted.

  “That’s the least of it. I’m not a red meat fan but even I like his ribs.”

  “I like my meat raw, usually,” Smokie blurted.

  Olivia’s fingers stilled on the kitchen timer she’d been setting. “Huh? Like steak tartare?”

  “No, not from a restaurant. Fresh killed.”

  She took her hand off the timer. “You’re veering into TMI territory, Smokie. What are you trying to tell me?”

  “You can tell I’m trying to tell you something?” He rubbed his palms against his jeans.

  “Wasn’t born yesterday.” Her lips tightened, as if she’d wished she hadn’t said something that reminded him of their age difference.

  But it didn’t really matter. A true mate was a true mate, after all. “I’m part of a clan group, called the Brotherhood of the Óêõëß—dog.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Have you ever seen an emblem around town? Or my tattoo, for that matter. The snarling dog’s face?”

  “Sure. Besides on your arm, I just saw it at the end of the school year. I brought in some invitations I’d done for a retirement party and sneaked into the science exhibit. An exhibition about wolves had an emblem like that on each of the poster boards.”

  “It was probably made by one of the Brotherhood children. We have a special affinity for wolves.”

  “So do I, actually.”

  At his raised eyebrows, she continued. “Did Owen ever tell you? There’s an old family legend that we’re descended from werewolves on one side. Funny, huh?”

  Smokie felt his eyelids freeze at very wide open. “Really?”

  She shrugged. “Every time I see a wolf I just have to draw it.”

  “I thought I recognized the subjects of a couple of your drawings.”

  “Are you a wolf tracker? I see them sometimes when I’m hiking with Owen and his sister. But until this past week I’d never suspected one might be lurking around my house.”

  “Yeah, about that.”

  Olivia wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. “Did you see one?”

  “Yes, a wolf was hanging around, not a coyote. Looking for me, actually.”

  “You’ve lost me.”

  Smokie cleared his throat. Time for the big reveal. “Remember when we went to the Greek restaurant?”

  “What does that have to do with wolf sightings?”

  “Bear with me.” He gripped the edge of the counter over the dishwasher. “This Brotherhood of mine, we have a seer. You know Barkley. That’s him. Anyway, he sees auras and he looked at ours at the restaurant. He didn’t say anything then, but after that fire, before the EMTs took him, he said we were true mates.”

  “You disappeared out of my life after that.”

  “I was frustrated. I didn’t know what to do. But being out in the woods just now clarified things for me.”

  Olivia made a sound. “I’m trying to bear with you, but this is very confusing.”

  “Right. ‘True mates’ means we’re meant to be together, you and me. True mates can’t even be apart for very long or they die. It’s a huge deal. The true-mate ceremony is more binding than marriage for my people.”

  “So you want to bind to me for the rest of our lives, because Barkley the firefighter who is really a seer saw our auras?” She started to smile, as if she thought he was joking, then her expression became pained when she saw he was serious.

  “I’d never have thought it, since you’re human, but it sounds as if maybe you have shifter blood, which is great. Less of a transition for you.”

  Her words came slowly. “A transition to what?”

  “Our world. Knowing about us.”

  “Are you going to bite me?”

  “No, you can stay human. I have no problem with that.”

  “Huh.”

  He knew he was losing her, so he summed up. “I’m a shapeshifter, a werewolf. And you’re my true mate.”

  She said nothing, just stood before him, blinking. “Why did you decide it was okay to tell me now, when it wasn’t before?”

  “A girl from my clan hit on me and I got angry because she knows you’re my true mate. I thought it was so disrespectful of her, but after all, I hadn’t claimed you. I hadn’t realized how important this was to me until that.”

  “I had a werewolf stalker?” She clasped her glass cruet of homemade salad dressing and shook it.

  He took it from her when she started to shake a little too vigorously. “Sort of. But I told her to stop it. She was breaking the rules of our clan anyway, being in wolf form so close to town.”

  “I see.”

  “So what do you say? There’s a ceremony we can do. Mostly people plan for it, like a wedding. We can get married too, of course, if you want.”

  Olivia folded her arms across her chest. “I say no way.”

  “What?” The word emerged strangled, half-formed.

  “I’m not going through some kind of mystical binding ceremony with you.”

  “You aren’t?” Smokie’s mind felt encased in sticky marshmallow fluff. He set the leaking bottle down on the counter. “But we could die.”

  “You admitted you didn’t really want me until some chick, excuse me, werewolf chick, hit on you.” Her mouth twisted.

  “That just reminded me of my priorities. You know I want you.” He wanted to grab her, crush his mouth to hers, prove himself, but that would only prove lust, not love, and who was he to talk about love anyway?

  “I know you want to fuck me, Smokie, but that’s not enough. Come on.”

  “But we’re true mates.” His voice was almost pleading.

  “So said my ex-husband. He wasn’t all freaky mystical about it, but nonetheless, I’m not going to commit to someone again just because
the stars are aligned or whatever. I made a promise to myself that I’m only going to get serious with my best friend, someone who really loves me, next time. I’m too old to make more mistakes.”

  “It wouldn’t be a mistake though. True mates are perfect for each other, happy.” How could he make her understand? “We’ve been happy together so far, right?”

  The oven made a clicking sound and Smokie smelled slightly overdone pizza. Olivia swore and opened the oven then grabbed a mitt and pulled out the tray.

  “Enough baloney, Monahan.” She tossed the pizza in the sink.

  “It’s not burned,” he protested. “Just a little crispy.”

  “I’m not hungry. I’ll see you later, okay?”

  He put his hands to his head, ran his fingers through his hair, forgetting he had dressing on them. Now his head smelled like Italian herbs. “I’ve told you about us all wrong. I’m sorry.”

  She remained at the sink. Her head was down and he wondered if he’d made her cry. Two crying women in one afternoon. Geez.

  “I’ll get out of here, give you time to think. I’m sorry I can’t make this easier.” Awkwardly, he patted her shoulder then left the house. He knew leaving was the wrong thing to do but he had no idea what the right thing would be.

  If he didn’t fix things, he had just handed them both a death sentence.

  Chapter Five

  Olivia heard the doorbell early the next afternoon and debated whether to open it. She peered out the open window of her studio down to the front porch. Smokie. He’d tilted his head upward and she could see his sad puppy expression.

  Funny that she should see him as a puppy when he claimed to be a wolf. He’d been one in her dreams the night before, endlessly pouncing on her then becoming human again—a big, strong male. A firefighter who made everyone safer because he did a dangerous job.

  He’d get another chance with her, she decided. Not just because of who he was in the community, but who he was to her. Lover. Entertainer. Friend? He meant well, she understood that much deep in her bones. Owen regarded him highly. She wasn’t even sure she didn’t believe Smokie, but then she’d trusted her ex and look where it had gotten her. A lost career that had been so promising and lucrative. Years in New York with a flaky artist when she had belonged on the west coast.

  The doorbell rang again. She sighed, wiped her inky fingers on a baby wipe and went to answer.

  When she opened it, Smokie held out flowers. White roses, no less.

  “Are you trying to tell me your intentions are pure?”

  He grinned suddenly, a dirty smile she’d seen on his face more than a time or two before he’d taken her clothes off. “Never, and you like that about me.”

  She had a sudden memory of the way that breast binder had bitten into her tender flesh. Cream rushed into her pussy and she was reminded of how sexy he made her feel, how experimental. “You’re right about that, Smokie. I’d take you up to my bed right now, if you wanted.”

  “I want you.”

  His words were simple, but she knew they were loaded.

  “You’re trying to take away my free will with this true mate stuff, even if it’s real. I should get to choose my husband.”

  “Your elderly neighbors next door are sitting on the front porch,” he advised. “You want them to hear this?”

  “Considering they are Owen’s parents, probably not.” She held the door open.

  “I didn’t know they were the Hotchkisses.”

  “Tony had a bad stroke a few years back. He’s never been the same. My aunt has aged too, trying to take care of him.”

  “That’s commitment, though. I mean, it can be hard, but I’m sure it’s worth it to her.”

  “She loves him, I’ll give her that.”

  “It doesn’t mean anything to you?”

  She shook her head. “Of course it does. Uncle Tony is a great guy, treated her like a queen back in the day. Of course Aunt Divna should stick things out when he needs her.”

  “That’s love.”

  “I feel like you’re playing the girl in this scene and I’m the guy, shying away from commitment,” Olivia said. “I got hurt, you know. I was married. I’m so much older than you.”

  “True mates don’t hurt each other,” he said, handing her the roses. “They can’t. It’s like a promise from the universe.”

  She walked into the kitchen, tense and confused and turned on. Why couldn’t this relationship stay simple? She found a vase to put the flowers in and set them in the sink. “Then how come you didn’t knock on my door years ago, as soon as you were old enough?”

  “I didn’t know about us. Only Barkley did. I can’t explain it.”

  She ran the water, too upset to care for the flowers properly. “I don’t like it. It’s not respectful. It doesn’t give me a choice. Just because I want to jump your bones doesn’t mean I want to give you my whole life.”

  Smokie licked his lips and looked up at the ceiling before finding her gaze again. “Can you think back, Olivia? Do you remember why you propositioned me in the first place? Was that your normal thing?”

  She turned off the water and turned to face him. “No. I just always thought you’d be fun. It took me months to find the guts to come to you.”

  “Just fun? I have a committed job, a committed clan, I’m a committed kind of guy.”

  She swallowed hard. “Why did you agree to fuck me if I was being such a skank?”

  That dirty grin flashed across his face again. “I’ve wanted you for ten years, you know that. The sight of you in a bikini rocked my world. I wasn’t wrong. We’re great together.”

  She felt her nostrils flare as her nerves hit a new level. “Could have gotten complicated around the station, with Owen there. He’d kick your ass if you treated me badly.”

  Smokie casually rested his hands on his belt. Even now she wanted to take that belt apart with her teeth and slide that gorgeous cock down her throat. He was simply killing her with his hotness.

  “Owen couldn’t take me, and you’re worth it. You’ve always fascinated me. Even without the mystical woo-woo.”

  She sighed. “I guess you were worth it too. I’m just not sure where that leaves us now.”

  “C’mon.” He took her hand.

  “What?”

  “I want to show you something. Put on your hiking boots.”

  She looked at him, chewing at the edge of her lip. Something told her she wanted to see what he had in mind. She went upstairs and put on jeans, boots and thick socks, found her sunglasses, hat and a handkerchief to tie around her neck, then grabbed a backpack on the way out that held a couple of bottles of water, energy bars, sketchpad, pencils and a blanket.

  They crossed the street and walked through the evergreen tree line then moved into the woods. Smokie took the pack from her and shouldered it then held her hand as they walked on the trail toward the reservoir. The afternoon heat roasted most people and she only spotted two college-age guys out of earshot ahead of them. She could feel sweat collecting under her breasts and trickling down her stomach.

  Two miles in, she saw the chain-link fence around the reservoir. Smokie directed them to a path leading to the left past a stand of cottonwoods. She followed him for another few hundred yards before they veered into the brush off the trail.

  “Do you know where you’re going?” She wondered if she had a compass in her pack.

  “Oh yeah. This is my normal path.”

  “Let’s stop for a second.” She untied her handkerchief and wiped her face then took a sip of water.

  “Ready to go?” he asked, less than a minute later, so full of energy that he bounced on the balls of his feet.

  “Absolutely.” She took another sip of water then capped the bottle.

  They walked another mile, partially shaded by tall trees. He took the lead with her trailing behind him, glad she’d worn jeans instead of shorts, given the undergrowth. The sun lowered a bit as they progressed, lessening the intense bright
ness, though the late afternoon was the hottest part of the day around there.

  “Want an energy bar?”She hoped for another break.

  He paused, glanced around, then lowered the pack to the ground and pointed to a tree stump next to him. “Have a seat.”

  “You want to show me something here?”

  He nodded, very solemn. Excitement danced down her spine along with a hint of nerves. He was a firefighter, a community hero, her cousin’s friend. She knew she could trust him, but out in the forest she felt primitive, aware of her delicacy next to his brawn.

  Taking out her water bottle again, she sat on the stump. He said nothing more, just started to shuck his clothes, a Ladder Company One T-shirt and cargo shorts, blue-boxer briefs, hiking boots and athletic socks.

  “Mmmm,” she said, feeling a sensation very different from heat exhaustion. She could find the energy to take that strong cock into her and roll around on the ground a little. That patch of grass to her left might have enough spring to be comfortable.

  She glanced up, expecting to see a condom in his hand, that dirty grin back on his face.

  Instead, his torso bent forward. His nose elongated. Cracking noises shocked her into immobility. They emanated from his body. His hands became paws and she could see a tail emerging. The water bottle dropped from her hands, spilling its contents. Her mind froze. All she could do was watch. When a wolf stood proudly in front of her, more beautiful than any creature she’d ever sketched, she rocked back, fell off her stump. As she scrambled back, he padded toward her. Much of his mass had dissipated in the mystical transformation, but he was still huge.

  She held back a scream as an odd thought grabbed her barely functioning brain. He was still gorgeous, similar to the wolves she’d sketched over the past eight months. She’d never been so close to one before. Would he attack? Were all the wolves she’d seen shapeshifters, maybe people she knew? None of them had attacked. She couldn’t gather enough muscle control to move, even if he wanted to hurt her.