Chapter 7
7
Cody slept in wolf form. It seemed the safest idea—less temptation to go in the bedroom and finish what he’d started with the beautiful redhead sleeping there. He woke at dawn and nosed into the bedroom.
Melissa sat up, beautiful with her long, thick waves sleep-tousled, her cheeks flushed. His wolf almost whined at the sight of her. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of him, but she climbed out of bed and came toward him. She wore one of his t-shirts, and her long, bare, shapely legs would’ve made him groan if he was in human form.
He trotted toward the bathroom intent on shifting back in there, where she wouldn’t see the gargantuan cock stand he got every time he shifted around her, but she stopped him.
“Cody?” Her voice was throaty from sleep.
He stopped and turned.
To his surprise, she buried her fingers in his fur. “May I pet you? Is this okay? I just wanted to feel…”
It took all his willpower not to shift back and tell her to touch the part of his anatomy that had been straining for her since the moment he first saw her.
She ran her hands over his body, stroking, petting.
It occurred to him that he hadn’t been petted like that in years. Perhaps ever. No, his mom had pet his fur when he was a pup. But she’d been dead since he was eight, and his stepmother and father had never been very affectionate. And while he’d had sex, he hadn’t had a girlfriend. Not someone who touched him just to feel. Not with any intent other than to stroke.
A shiver ran over his entire body. What was it? Pleasure? Not sexual pleasure, but something else.
She stroked his ears, buried her face in the fur of his neck.
He twisted and licked her shoulder.
She giggled, clinging more tightly.
He gave a shake and trotted away toward the bathroom, shifting just before he got there.
Melissa stopped short at the sight of his naked form, her mouth dropping open. When her eyes slid down to his jutting cock, he shrugged. “Happens when I shift.”
He shut the door and turned on the water, ignoring the raging hard-on. He had to get to two worksites to check on progress, then meet with his agent. And he didn’t like to leave Melissa alone for too long.
When he emerged from the shower, he found her in the living room, doing some kind of yoga routine on his floor.
He bit back a groan, his cock instantly hard again at the sight of her panty-clad ass sticking high in the air.
“Seriously, princess—are you trying to torture me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, a little too innocently. “I’m just practicing my downward dog.”
If she was his mate, he’d hold her in that position while he fucked her into oblivion for teasing like that. The momentary fantasy of all the sexual games they’d play if they were mated glued his feet to the floor, his eyes still fixed on her oh-so-appealing ass.
And then he lost his hold on the tenuous control he had. Before he knew what he was doing, his feet crossed to her, hands peeled those panties down to her ankles.
She shrieked, laughing, and tried to twist away, but he looped a forearm under her waist to hold her in the position and smacked her ass.
She gasped. Nectar glossed her entrance, the scent of her arousal sending him into orbit.
He lifted his prisoner into the air and carried her to the sofa, where he sat down with her on his lap, her back against his front. “Put your hands on the floor.”
“What?”
He didn’t wait for her to obey, but maneuvered her himself, pushing her torso forward until her hands reached the floor and her legs straddled him, wheelbarrow style. “I’ll show you my favorite yoga pose.”
Her ass was presented to him, pussy spread and glistening.
“This isn’t yoga,” she protested, but he ignored her struggles, giving each cheek another perfunctory smack. She stilled.
He filled both hands with her ass, making small circles with his thumbs at the juncture of her inner thighs. “If you’re a good girl, I’ll get you off. Would you like that, baby?” He brushed her labia with his thumb and she made an indistinct mewl. “What’s that?”
She didn’t answer.
“Or did you need more spanking?” He slapped each cheek again smartly.
“No-o-o,” she moaned. “I’ll be good.”
He brought his thumb to her dewy entrance and slid it slowly up and down, coating her vulva with her natural lubricant. “You want me to make you feel good, baby?”
“Yes,” she breathed. “Cody…”
He really loved the sound of his name on her lips. “That’s my good girl.” He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her clit quickly, then slowed down for a few firm downward strokes.
“Ahh-ah,” she cried out.
He gave her ass a light slap. “Settle down, beautiful. You don’t come until I say you come, got it?” He had a feeling she’d go off like a firecracker with just a few strokes, and he intended to take his time. If he wasn’t going to fuck the hot little human, he could at least savor the pleasure of bringing her to orgasm. He tossed a pillow down to his feet. “Make yourself comfortable.”
She snatched it up and propped it on his feet, then rested her cheek on the pillow, arms wrapped around his legs.
He peppered her ass with several more spanks, loving the way her butt bobbed and arched for them, the way her inner thighs quivered and her pussy wept for his touch. “What happens to girls who tease?” He sank one thumb inside her while the rest of his hand cupped her mons and massaged her clit.
“Ahh!”
He slapped her ass with his other hand, delivering a sharp smack. “What happens?”
“This?” Her voice quavered.
He bit back a chuckle and slapped again in the same exact place, while still pumping his thumb in and out of her. “What is this?”
“Punishment,” she gasped, humping his lap.
He removed his thumb and returned to focus on her clit, which had her squeezing the legs wrapped around his waist in a pulsing excitement.
He stopped and slapped her ass again. He dragged his thumb through her juices and brought them up to her anus, circling the little pink rosebud.
She scrambled, as if she wanted to crawl right off his lap. He caught her hips and yanked her back. “Where do you think you’re going?” He pressed his thumb insistently at her rear entrance, waiting for the tight ring of muscles to relax.
His thumb breached her hole and he dropped some saliva on it to help lubricate, easing it in and out. He added his other thumb to her pussy and worked them alternately, pressing first one thumb in, then the other.
“Oh, my God,” she wailed. “Cody…”
“Do you like your punishment, baby?”
“Yes,” she breathed. “Please…”
“You want to come?”
“Yes, please. I’ll be good.”
A chuckle bubbled out of him, but he increased his speed and pushed both thumbs in at the same time, while the fingers of his lower hand pressed firmly against her clit.
She shrieked. “Cody! Oh Jesus, oh my God!”
“Come for me, baby.”
Her scream echoed through his house, muscles clamped down on his thumbs. The unstrained pleasure on her face made a picture he etched forever in his mind as the most beautiful thing he’d ever witnessed.
When she collapsed over his lap and legs, fully spent, he bent to pull her back up, then swung her up into his arms and carried her into the bathroom. He stood her on her feet, but kept an arm wrapped snugly around her waist in case her legs wobbled. Passion had flushed her slack cheeks, and her glassy eyes were heavy-lidded.
He turned on the water and waited for it to warm up. When he tugged his shirt off her body, he nearly wept with need. Her apple-sized breasts pointed up, peach nipples forever optimistic. With a surge of lust, he gripped both her wrists and slammed them over her head to lift the impudent nipples even more. Her breasts lifted for his mouth, which he brought first to one, then the other.
The wolf within him surged and his vision domed. This time, he sensed the shift in his mouth, teeth lengthening, mating serum dripping.
No.
He used every bit of control he still had to pull back and yanked the shower curtain open. “Get in.” His guttural voice sounded like someone else’s.
She stepped in, but gripped his shirt, pulling him toward the shower. “Cody… I’m sorry I got scared last night. You didn’t hurt me. Let’s try again.”
The wolf raged at the surface.
Take her. Claim her. Make her yours.
His sharpened vision made her seem even closer. He stumbled back. “We can’t,” he grated harshly and he left the bathroom, and then the house, before the wolf could change his mind.
The orgasm hadn’t diminished her interest in Cody—not in the least. The way he’d taken her had been base and raw—utterly humiliating, and yet the orgasm he’d wrung had been out of this world. Which was why she’d been devastated when, yet again, he’d left her without a word. This time, though, she understood.
Cody wanted her. He wanted to mark her, even, like Ben had marked Ashley, only he apparently thought that would be a terrible idea. Tears stung her eyes.
She spent most of the day catching up on work. She posted photos of a new listing and put together the virtual tour. She called several clients to give them updates and put together comps for a house one of her clients was considering making an offer on.
Only after she’d done everything she needed to do, did she call Ashley for a heart to heart.
“So he won’t have sex with me because he wants to mark me,” she said dully.
“What? Oh, my God! Seriously? He thinks you’re his mate?”
“No! That’s the problem. He definitely doesn’t want me as his mate. So it’s a no-go. Which is fine, really, because he’s a little too much my type, if you know what I mean.”
Ashley paused. “No, actually, I don’t. What are you trying to say?”
“Have you seen the guy? He looks like he could be a mob enforcer or a hitman or something. Covered in tattoos, works as a manual laborer.”
Ashley was silent. “Did you just say works as a manual laborer ?”
“I don’t mean to sound snobby. I have nothing against blue collar work—obviously. I still work in a bar to make ends meet and every guy I’ve dated has had a menial job. It’s just… I’d decided it was time for an upgrade. I want to date a normal, professional guy this time. Not some dark, dangerous, motorcycle-riding head of a wolf gang.”
Ashley snorted with laughter. “I don’t know, that sounds really hot to me. But I don’t know if I called him a manual laborer. I mean, I thought Ben said he flips houses?”
“Yeah, he works for CJ Steele Construction, the company that refurbishes houses in the Old North End neighborhood—the ones I’ve been lusting after? But you know what I mean. He’s not a doctor or lawyer.”
“You’re not even making sense. When did you ever want a doctor or lawyer?”
“That’s the point!” she wailed. Usually Ashley understood her better than this. “It’s not what I want, but it’s what I should want. I’m done with bad boys and Cody is definitely a bad boy.”
“Hmph,” Ashley sniffed. “Well, I don’t believe you, but it sounds like you need some time and space to figure out what you want next, and you’re just getting out of a relationship, so don’t rush. If Cody won’t have sex with you, that’s probably a good thing. You know you’re way too loyal to people you’ve bonded with.”
“Shut up.”
“I’m not criticizing. It’s what makes you an amazing friend and a perfect sister. It’s what will make you the best girlfriend for the guy who doesn’t take advantage of you.”
“If that guy exists,” she said sourly.
“He exists,” Ashley murmured and Melissa heard the depth of her love for Ben. A pang of guilt over calling during their honeymoon made her forget her own dramas.
“Hey, get back to your groom. Your alpha wolf. Does he still bite you?”
Ashley laughed. “No, once he marked me he had more control.”
“Good to know. Not that I’m going to be getting marked or anything. Have fun. Give him a killer blowjob today, okay?”
Ashley laughed. “He’ll thank you for that suggestion. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” she said softly and hung up.
Cody came home that afternoon to find Melissa sitting on the couch with the Chromebook propped on her legs, looking adorably studious. He’d rushed through his tasks for the day, not wanting to leave her alone too long.
Or maybe it was the fact that her scent still lingered on his clothes, the vision of her, glorious and naked, trying to tug him into the shower that morning kept replaying in his mind until he could scarcely think.
She didn’t look up immediately, but her cheeks colored, and he knew she was remembering what he’d done to her that morning. He smirked.
“Hey, baby. No special outfit to greet me today?”
She pursed her lips in what must be her attempt at prudish, but actually made her look even more sex-kitten. “That got me in trouble, if I recall.”
He sauntered toward her, his cock already stiffening at the memory. “And I seem to recall you enjoyed your punishment. Quite a bit.”
Her lips twitched, but she continued to play at ignoring him, clicking away on the computer.
The burner phone he’d bought her rang.
“I forwarded the calls from my old phone to this number,” she explained as she picked it up. “This is Melissa.” The blood drained from her face. “I don’t know where he is,” she croaked into the phone.
He rushed to her side and put his ear next to hers.
“You tell him Junior Rabago is looking for him, and I want my money back. He has until Friday to produce it.”
“How much money does he owe you?”
“Fourteen grand, plus interest. I need it paid in full or you and your boy both die. Don’t think I can’t find you.” He hung up.
Melissa drew a long, shaky breath. “Well… at least I know how to get a hold of him now, if we do use Ben’s money to pay him off.”
“We’re paying him off. The sooner the better. We need to get this guy off your back and out of your life.”
“Do you think it will get him off Jeremy’s back too?”
He glowered, hating that she mentioned the asshole. “Only if he’s part of the delivery,” he opined.
Her hand shook as she looked at the phone in her hand. “I talked to Ashley today and Ben said he could have the money transferred straight to your account, if you give him the routing and account number.”
“I’ll text it now.” He moved away from her, no longer able to stay so close without shoving her onto her back and having his way with her.
She returned her focus to the Chromebook and her brow furrowed. “Oh, no!” she exclaimed, smacking her forehead. She tossed the Chromebook down on the sofa and jumped to her feet. “Oh crap, oh shit, crap shit crap!” She paced a rapid circle around his living room, shaking her fists in various directions.
“What? What is it?”
She whirled on him. “I forgot my little’s birthday.”
He stared at her. What in the hell was she freaking out about? “Your what?”
“My little. I’m in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program. I was supposed to have a date with my little to celebrate her birthday last night. With everything that’s going on, I totally forgot. She probably tried to call my phone but of course I don’t have it—it’s probably dead by now. I feel like such a schmuck.”
He stared at her, surprised at how much she seemed to care about this. She’d just taken a phone call from a guy who’d threatened to kill her without freaking out, and now she was upset? Over a missed date with a charity case? Was the woman he’d pegged as superficial, if not selfish, actually this upset about an underprivileged kid? Just the fact that she participated in the program shocked the hell out of him.
“So tell her you’ll make it up to her.”
To his alarm, her big blue eyes swam with tears. “You don’t understand. This is a totally underprivileged kid. Her mom’s a stripper crack whore who barely keeps a roof over her head. She’s probably never had a decent birthday in her life. I’d bought her a great gift and I—” She stopped, her chin wobbling.
“Baby.” The need to comfort her made him want to howl. He wasn’t any good at soothing women—he sorely lacked practice—but he sure as hell had to try. Tucking her against his side, he rubbed circles over her lower back. “Beautiful girl, don’t cry. We’ll go over there right now and explain. Well, we can’t explain about people wanting you dead, but we’ll tell her you had an emergency.”
“But her gift,” she moaned. “It’s at my place.”
“We’ll get her a present on the way and you can tell her you have something else for her later. She’ll get two birthdays. What kid wouldn’t love that?”
Melissa sniffed. “You don’t mind taking me there now?”
He cupped her chin and lifted her tearstained face. The sight of the moisture still tracking down her cheeks was unacceptable. He wanted to crush anything and everything that had ever made her cry. It unnerved him how much power her tears commanded over him. “As long as you stop crying,” he muttered.
She gave a half-sob, half-laugh and shoved him away, dashing at the tears with the back of her hand.
They drove to Dairy Queen and picked up an Oreo ice cream cake, decorated with her little’s name—Margot—because Melissa said she probably didn’t get much with her name on it. With the cake on her lap and a Target gift card stuffed in her purse, Melissa sat rigidly beside him, shoulders square and stiff.
“How long have you been her big sister?” He wanted to know more about this side of Melissa. This unexpected and generous side.
“Not long.” She raked her teeth across her lower lip. “Six months. It’s a project of Brown Realty. I didn’t want to do it at first.”
“Why not?” He expected her to say what a pain it was or to enumerate the problems with the program, but she stared out the window, still worrying her lip between her teeth.
“I get too attached,” she said finally, with a sigh. “I don’t do casual relationships. I’m all in and I never know when to quit.”
Somehow he thought she might be talking about her ex-boyfriend, too.
She heaved another sigh. “I can’t believe I missed her birthday date. I’m such a fuck-up.”
His eyebrows shot up. That was his line. Did Melissa really see herself that way? If so, she’d been looking in the wrong mirror. “How are you a fuck-up?”
“Always have been,” she said softly.
He hated the dullness in her voice, in her blank stare out the window. “I keep trying to better myself, but I just don’t ever seem to get it right.”
“I thought I said no more crying,” he said, hoping to lighten the mood. It didn’t work. She didn’t even seem to hear him.
“Hey… I’m sure you’re an amazing big sister. Margot’s going to be thrilled.”
“Ashley wouldn’t have forgotten.”
Ashley. Was that her twin?
“Melissa, you’re being too hard on yourself.”
“Ashley was the good twin. The one with perfect grades and high test scores. The one who got everything right.”
His lip curled. He knew something about not measuring up to siblings. Quite a lot, in fact. “So what does that make you?”
She gave a harsh chuff of laughter. “I was the one cutting classes in high school. Trying drugs in the lower parking lot with the rough crowd. Dating assholes like Jeremy.”
Ah. He hated that her asshole ex took up so much brain space for her, but at least she knew it had been a mistake.
He pulled up at the address for a low-income apartment building she’d given him and turned the truck off, twisting to face her. “Comparisons will fuck you every time, my friend,” he said, trying to make his voice light. “Next to me, you were probably the golden child.”
He watched her return to him then, blinking and losing the faraway stare. Her eyes searched his face with curiosity and it was his turn to sound bitter. “I have some perfect brothers, too. I hate the motherfuckers.”
She laughed, sending relief flapping through his belly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She shoved open her door and took the cake from her lap before they stepped out. The darted glance she sent from under her lashes seemed shy, as if she hadn’t expected him to be a gentleman. Well, why in the hell should she? He’d practically gone out of his way to shock her with his basest manners.
They climbed the stairs—apparently there was no elevator in the place—to the third floor. The stained hallway walls and filthy laminate tile screamed volumes about the care the landlord took of the place. Yeah, he didn’t keep his place spic and span, but that was because it was his and he didn’t care. The houses he rented out or sold to others reflected the pride he took in restoring them, bringing them up to a higher code than people expected. That was what had made him successful.
Melissa knocked on one of the doors and shifted from foot to foot. He dropped a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. Seeing this vulnerable side of her brought out furious protective instincts. He wanted to repair every broken piece of her, sand down every surface of her life, to prevent her from ever getting another splinter.
And the urge terrified the shit out of him. Mad lust for her he at least understood. She was smoking hot, human or not. But this other instinct—the one that didn’t seem to understand they weren’t in a relationship, weren’t attached in any way, didn’t even like each other much—screamed mate. Screamed it even louder than the urge to mark her.
The door swung open and a lanky, sullen teen with blue-tipped hair that hung in her eyes peered out. She scowled at Melissa, although he thought he saw a glimmer of interest at the cake.
“Margot, I’m so sorry I missed our date. My house got broken into and I had to move out and… things just went haywire.”
The girl stared over Melissa’s shoulder at him. “Who’s that?”
Melissa bit her lip. “This is Cody. He’s, uh…” She darted an uncertain glance in his direction.
“I’m her bodyguard,” he filled in. “Until we figure out who broke into her place and why.” Stick close to the truth when dealing with humans. That’s the way he’d always played it.
The teenager nodded, absorbing his position as if most people in her life walked around with beefy tattooed bodyguards. She looked down at the cake, then over her shoulder, where a television blared. A pair of feet hung off the edge of a ratty tartan couch. “You can’t come in right now.”
“That’s okay. I just wanted to bring this over.” Melissa handed her ‘little sister’ the cake, then took the gift card they’d picked up at the grocery store on the way over.
The teen switched the cake to one arm and reached for the gift card, finally cracking her first smile. “Thanks.”
“Hopefully we can meet next week.” She shot another glance at him. “But I’ll let you know either way. I have a new number—I’ll text it so you have it.”
Margot narrowed her eyes. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, I’ll get it straightened out. I’m really sorry about yesterday.” Melissa gave the girl an awkward hug.
Margot stiffened under the hug and ducked her head, so Melissa pulled quickly away. After an awkward goodbye, the door shut and he eyed Melissa, trying to get a read on how she thought it had gone.
She tilted her head up to meet his gaze. “Thanks.”
Warmth seeped through his chest. It was just one word, but it shivered in the air between them, bare and exposed. She’d shown him her real self today—the one underneath the haughty exterior, and he didn’t take the honor lightly.
He hooked an arm around her waist and started to pull her toward him, when a scent caught his notice. Whirling, his eyes came to rest on the female pup from the mall.
Cody had been about to kiss her, but he stopped and turned. The girl they’d seen at the mall stood behind him, frozen, her green eyes wide.
“Hey.” Cody’s voice was kind—nothing like his usual gruff tones. “Where’s your mom?”
The girl sucked her lower lip into her mouth and didn’t answer.
“Will you tell her I’m here?”
Eyes still glued to Cody, she nodded and backed away from them, running to the end of the hall, where she pushed the last door open and disappeared inside.
Cody exchanged a look with her and set off down the hall, following. Melissa hurried to catch up, but then halted, wondering if she was intruding.
“Should I—? Maybe I’ll wait down in the truck?”
Cody stopped and frowned. “Not safe.” He held out his arm and when she arrived at his side, he tucked her in against him. It seemed so natural, she almost forgot how strange it was to have the tension between them eased. She knew she’d thrown him for a loop when she’d lost it back at his place, but forgetting Margot’s birthday had been unforgivable. She’d worked for months just to get a rapport going with the girl, and to lose it all because she’d been so self-absorbed just killed her.
But Cody had been amazing. She really hadn’t expected him to comfort her or even to take her dilemma seriously. She definitely hadn’t expected him to help her fix things. Maybe she’d misjudged him.
They stood outside the apartment door, but Cody didn’t knock. Instead he leaned a shoulder against the wall, keeping her nestled against his other side.
The door opened as far as the chain lock would allow and the pale, gaunt face of the shifter female peered out. Her gaze swiveled from Cody to her and back to Cody. Her nostrils flared and Melissa knew she must be scenting them.
“Lived here long?” Cody asked when she didn’t speak.
She shook her head rapidly, causing her blond hair to fall in her eyes. “Just a few weeks. We’re new to town.”
Cody waited again, but she didn’t elaborate. When he spoke again, he adopted a tone she hadn’t heard from him before. It was slow, patient. Like he knew the female would spook if he showed too much aggression. “I’m Cody. This is my friend Melissa. We aren’t here to hurt you.”
The woman studied them both a moment longer, then, looking as if it was against her better judgement, slid the lock on the door and let it swing open. “Would you like to come in?” She sounded resigned, tired.
Melissa hid her shock as they stepped into the dingy apartment. There was no furniture in the tiny studio, save a single mattress with a quilt pulled over it. Both children sat on it, watching the newcomers.
“Are you the alpha?” the woman demanded. She sounded slightly bitter rather than submissive, but she didn’t meet Cody’s eye with any kind of challenge.
Cody nodded once and shoved his hands in his pockets. Melissa marveled at how much less intimidating it made him look. Rather than pulling the alpha domination bullshit he’d laid on her, he’d reeled it way in with this woman, which warmed Melissa to him even more. Based on her pinched, nervous expression, the woman was already afraid enough. She looked like a cornered animal. Which made her possibly dangerous, considering she had pups to protect.
“I’m not staying long,” she bit out. “That’s why I didn’t come to see you.” Her skin had a grayish, malnourished pallor and she was missing two teeth on the top.
Cody gave a nod, which could’ve meant anything. “Where are you from?”
Her shoulders rode closer to her ears. “Here and there.”
“Name?”
The woman hesitated. “Colleen.”
Cody pulled his hand out of his pocket and produced his wad of bills. Without unrolling them, he held them out to her. “Looks like you could use a little help getting on your feet, Colleen.”
She didn’t move to take the money. “I’m not joining your pack.” Though the words were bold, she kept her gaze lowered.
Without taking his gaze from her, he changed the angle of his hand to hold the money out to the children. The boy, who looked to be around ten, scampered forward without hesitation and took it.
Smart kid.
Cody produced a business card. The fact that he carried cards when he didn’t even use a wallet surprised her, but maybe it was for pack business. He handed it to Colleen. “Our full moon run is tomorrow in the Woodland Park area, up Highway 24.”
The children perked up, as if he had said they could go to an amusement park.
Cody smiled. “The pups are welcome, of course. There’s a cabin there you can use any time. Call or text me if you want directions.”
The woman took the card, uncertainty arresting her face. The children had risen from the bed and were crowding her, looking up with pleading expressions.
“Can we, Momma?” the girl asked.
Colleen’s lips pressed together.
“You know how to reach me now.” Cody’s words both acknowledged she hadn’t reached out to him and let her off the hook. He pointed to the card. “Use it if you need it.”
Her expression shuttered, but she tucked the card in the back pocket of her baggy jeans. “I appreciate you stopping by.” She stared at the floor as she delivered this nicety, which sounded like utter bologna.
Cody sauntered toward the door, then looked back at the children, who had been watching him avidly, and now lowered their gazes to match their mother’s. “I hope to see you Sunday. The mountain is beautiful.”
No one answered, but Cody had already opened the door, as if he hadn’t expected one. He let Melissa go first, his hand lightly resting at her lower back. So the guy did know how to be a gentleman, despite his Neanderthal act.
When they climbed in the truck, she said, “That was nice of you.”
Cody stared at the steering wheel, looking grave. “Haven’t had to deal with anything like that before.”
“Like what?” She spoke softly, not wanting to knock him out of this uncharacteristic openness.
“Domestic abuse. I’m guessing she’s hiding from whoever knocked those teeth out.”
Melissa flinched to hear it spoken out loud, but she knew immediately Cody must be right. She studied his face, seeing him through a different filter. Cody as alpha—not just the guy who asserted his dominance sexually, but the one in charge of his pack. He seemed terribly capable. Dangerous, but not in the bad boy way, more in the protective way.
“You can… you’ll protect her, right?”
His beautiful gray eyes stared back at hers, expression inscrutable. Shit. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked about pack business. But jeez. She hoped he would help that woman. He rubbed his face. “If she asks for my protection, it’s hers. You’ll notice she didn’t ask. She might be afraid she can’t trust me—that I’ll rat her out to her mate, whoever the abusive asshole might be, or she might not think I have enough power behind me to protect her.”
He started the truck and pulled away from the curb. “You shouldn’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m a fucking hero. Because I’m not. And I like that look on you too damn much.”
Her breath hitched. Cody wasn’t looking at her, but the energy between them sparked.
He was a hero, though. He’d signed up to put his life before hers, without ever having seen her. And now he was ready to protect this other woman, who he didn’t even know.
Unable to think of anything to say, she kept her mouth shut, ignoring the buzzing traveling through her body just at the nearness of Cody.