Chapter 8
8
Cody parked the Ducati Streetfighter in front of his mountain cabin. Considering he had Melissa with him, he should have driven to Woodland Park in the truck, but the day was too beautiful. The open air ride through the mountain pass of Highway 24 was glorious, especially because he could bypass the jam-up of cars on the bike.
Choosing to ride the Ducati had nothing to do with the pleasure of having a certain beautiful redhead’s thighs straddling his hips, arms around his waist. Nor had it been about shoving his hellion ways in her face again. Right.
It might have had something to do with not thinking himself capable of sharing the cab of the truck with her for the trip, inhaling her scent and suffering through small talk. He wouldn’t have lasted ten minutes without giving into the need to shove the seat back and tell her where he’d like her mouth to go. Especially with the moon full and his beast so close to the surface.
Melissa unclasped her hands from their hold around his waist. He immediately missed having her body notched against his back. He expected her to look annoyed about having her hair mussed or the trip being too frightening—she’d held him in a death grip the entire time—but she wore a smile when she pulled off the helmet. When she gave her auburn waves a toss, sending them cascading over her slender shoulders, he distinctly heard the chicka-bow-wow play in the background of his mind.
Her eyes weren’t on him, though. She walked toward the cabin with eagerness plastered all over her face. “Wow. When you said cabin, I wasn’t picturing a full-on mountain retreat.”
One corner of his lips kicked up at her girlish enthusiasm. He hadn’t been prepared for this reaction. She skipped up the steps while he unloaded the food from the saddlebags. “When was this built?”
“I finished it last year.”
She whirled, her mouth open, her full lips forming a little O . “You built this? Yourself?”
He tried to ignore the cascade of pride her awe provoked. “Yeah.” He reached past her and hit the code on the security pad to unlock the door, somehow managing not to shove her against it and press his ever-eager cock against her lush, jean-clad ass.
“Oh, my God,” she breathed, rushing in the moment he pushed open the door. “This is so beautiful.” Her gaze swept over the oversized living room as she charged forward, checking out all the rooms. “I love the vaulted ceilings and the blend of rustic with high-tech. It’s just like a CJ Steele home. This is incredible. What’s the square footage, three thousand?”
“Thirty-two hundred.” He didn’t mean to, but he dropped the saddlebags with their clothes and food and followed Melissa as she rushed through the cabin.
“Four bedroom, two bath?”
“That’s right.”
“And this? Where did you find these carved supports?”
“I carved them.” His throat tightened. He wasn’t sure why he cared so much what she thought of the place.
“Who made this sink? It’s incredible.”
The sink was a hand-thrown and fired clay pottery beauty in shades of ochre and rust. “A friend of mine makes those.”
“Does Mr. Steele use these in any of his houses?”
A shard of irritation jabbed him. Her hero worship of ‘Mr. Steele’ was so at odds with her condescension toward him. Some stubborn part of him needed her to respect him , the guy standing in front of her, not the real estate success she worshipped.
“Yeah, these sinks are in a few of his properties.”
“Cody.” She turned.
He fucking loved hearing his name on her lips, although he loved it more when she was screaming it at the height of a climax. He schooled his features, hoping to hide the dirty thoughts looping through his mind on a constant playback. “Yeah?”
“Do you own this place?”
“It belongs to the pack.” That wasn’t exactly an untruth. He’d built the cabin for the pack—a meeting place and a getaway for anyone who needed it. It had taken him four years, working weekends, but he’d loved every minute of it. Nearly every member of the pack had contributed their labor for it, too, which made it truly fitting as their home base.
“This property is worth a lot.” The awe in her voice should not please him so damn much. He didn’t want to impress her with money, after all.
“How much would you list it for?” He was curious about her skill as an agent. She said she’d lost a deal with him. Had she improved since then?
“Four ninety-eight for a quick sale. Five thirty if you wanted the perfect buyer.”
“The perfect buyer? Who is that, exactly?”
“It’s the person who will love your property as much as you do. The one who will take care of it, or improve it. The one who will give it a new story.”
He stared at her, fascinated. His agent sure as hell never talked about people loving his properties. There was no emotion discussed in any of his transactions. Yet, watching her face light up as she described this love for a property, he knew exactly what she meant. He loved every property he ever worked on. And it was, sometimes, hard to turn his back on them when he sold. He’d never considered finding the ‘right’ buyer as a means of easing that pain.
“How would you show me this property, if I were a client?”
One corner of her lips lifted and her eyelids drooped slightly, as if talking real estate was a form of foreplay for her. She returned to the front door and beckoned him over. He pictured her in the tight skirt and heels she’d been wearing on the day he met her, her long auburn waves done up in a French twist. No—scratch that—hair down for this fantasy, always hair down, tempting his fingers to wrap it in his fist and pull. He sauntered to her side.
“I think you’re going to be blown away by this place, Mr.—er—” She stopped, eyes seeking his face for help with her pretend game.
He didn’t want to tell her his last name was Steele. Not now, maybe not ever. “Cody.”
She rolled her eyes but went on. “Mr. Cody. It’s more a work of art than a mere building. One of the members of the CJ Steele Construction team built this one, and it has all the same touches, which raises its value significantly. In time, I believe CJ Steele properties will become as sought after as, say, Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in other cities.”
Cody gaped at her. Was she really comparing him with an architect? An artist? Some unknown emotion threatened to expand his chest beyond comfort. An itchiness came over him, like he needed to shift and run. But from what, he wasn’t sure. Maybe from the feelings closing his throat.
She stepped to the center of the room and pointed toward the floor. “The wood floor looks like pine, but it’s actually Australian cypress”—she shot him a questioning look and he nodded in affirmation—“which is a harder wood and far more durable. Notice the builder chose to leave the interior walls as the same rough log as the exterior. This is a classic CJ Steele technique of exposing the raw materials. He doesn’t hide anything; instead he puts it front and center. In his industrial remodels, he exposes brick and uses the steel housing for electrical wires as a focal point. Here, in this cabin, he brings the outdoors in, yet still provides every comfort you’d crave in a getaway.” She trailed off with her monologue and looked at him sheepishly. “I know it’s not really a CJ Steele house, but I would sell it that way. Maybe I’d be cheating the buyer, I don’t know.” She shrugged.
He tried to speak around the knot in his throat. When nothing came out, he pulled her against him and crushed his lips to hers.
She gasped, jerking in surprise, then softening into the kiss. He slid his tongue between her lips, holding her nape to keep her captive. Then, because the little control he had was slipping, he pulled away.
“So your royal highness can stand the digs while I run?” He didn’t know why he had to poke her with that again, when he liked her the way she was now, soft and appreciative. It probably had something to do with needing something to wedge between them, because as much as his inner wolf screamed she was his, he didn’t want her. Not a human. He wasn’t going to make his father right.
She flinched, and when she turned, the haughty tilt of her chin told him his barb had hit its mark. “Is this just a new cage to lock me in while you go off and do your thing?” She put her hands on hips, her perky breasts seeming to taunt him through her snug cotton tee. “Am I allowed to step out the door?”
Hating the way he’d changed things between them, he picked up the saddlebags and tossed the food supplies in the refrigerator. “You’re safe enough here. You can sit outside on the deck, but don’t go further than that.”
She sniffed. “I should’ve brought the Chromebook up here.”
“There’s no Wi-Fi or cell phone signal. We’re out of range.”
“So exactly what do you think I’m going to do while you’re off on your run?”
“You could make yourself useful and get dinner ready for the pack.” He didn’t mean it, but he knew it would annoy her.
Her eyes narrowed. “Great, so the wolves go on a run and the lowly human stays home to cook their meal? This patriarchal wolf dominance thing is starting to get old.”
“You love the way I dominate you.” He stalked closer to her, backing her into a wall.
Her breath hitched, eyes dilated.
He sank his fingers into her hair and massaged her scalp before he tugged her head back.
“Ow. What are you doing?”
The scent of her arousal made him insinuate his knee between her legs before the thought even entered his brain. “Princess, the moon is full. Leaving you here and going for a run isn’t a pleasure, it’s a necessity. You want to know why?”
Her plump lips parted. “Yeah.”
“Because, baby.” He grazed her ear with his teeth. “If I spend one more second in here with you, I’m going to tear your clothes off and fuck you so long and hard you won’t be able to ride that motorcycle back tomorrow.”
She licked her lips and his eyes tracked the movement with hunger.
“Don’t tempt me like that, princess. You know I’d love to shove my cock in that hot little mouth of yours.”
He’d finally gone too far. Melissa shoved him back. “Jesus, Cody.”
He pulled his shirt off and her eyes widened, dipping to his chest and abs, following his happy trail to the place it descended into his jeans. He laughed darkly as he walked to the bedroom, unbuttoning his jeans. He kicked them off and shifted, running for the dog door at the rear before his paws hit the wooden floor.
Melissa’s heart pounded for long moments after Cody disappeared. Her panties were soaked, a constant every time she was around that dominant, dirty-talking wolf. Just once, she’d like to put him in his place, or send him off-kilter the way he always made her feel.
She looked around the place, wavering between self-pity over Cody dumping her there without much explanation about what was happening with the pack and their run, and pleasure at the incredible surroundings. The cabin—if you called it that—blew her mind. It was odd Cody didn’t realize how impressive it was, but then, he worked on CJ Steele projects all the time. Still, he owned this property—or his pack did. And she would put its value at close to a half million if it included as much land as she suspected it did. This property combined with the one he owned in the Old North End neighborhood put him at a net worth far higher than she’d originally estimated. Cody wasn’t just some construction worker living paycheck to paycheck. Or if he was, he’d invested wisely. She’d definitely misjudged him.
She thrust the pang of guilt away. He may have financial resources, but that still didn’t make him dependable. Or nice.
But nice didn’t go as far as she wished it did for her where it came to men. Never had.
Cody’s brand of ‘not nice’ was about as sexy as it came. And while he may lack manners and have a degrading treatment of women, he wasn’t doing anything illegal, like Jeremy. He earned an honest living. Had a decent amount of honor, actually.
She gave the property another thorough inspection, admiring the beautiful craftsmanship. There wasn’t one thing she would change if she bought the place. Not one request she would have made differently had the house been built for her.
She sighed. Soon, hopefully a CJ Steele house would come on the market and Ben would help her buy it.
An hour passed and Cody hadn’t returned. She went through a pair of French doors outside to the porch. The back of the cabin faced an expanse of woods. To the right, the mountain climbed upward, lichen-covered boulders dotting the wooded slope. A path led around the base of the incline, beckoning to her. No other building or property appeared in any direction from the cabin.
She drew in a deep breath of the crisp mountain air, rich with the scent of pine. The forest looked so welcoming. If Rabago and his cronies hadn’t found her at Cody’s place in Colorado Springs, they sure as hell wouldn’t find her here. Pulling on her jacket, she jogged down the porch steps. She wanted to know where the path led.
She followed it a half mile until it stopped at what appeared to be a natural spring bubbling up from the earth. Someone had fashioned a pebble-bottomed pool and fit a copper pipe at the mouth. A tin cup lay nearby. She picked it up and filled it with water, then drank. Cold as ice and incredibly refreshing. She closed her eyes, savoring the treat.
A low growl startled her. Two huge tan wolves closed in on her, fangs bared. The cup clattered to the rocks and she swallowed a shriek.
“Uh… easy…” She took a step back and the two wolves crept forward, teeth gleaming in the afternoon light.
Were they shifters? They must be; they were gigantic. Female shifters.
“I’m with Cody?” It sounded more like a question. She wasn’t sure how much shifters understood when in wolf form. “Easy, girls. I-I’m not infringing on your territory or anything.” Too late, she remembered to drop her eyes and not challenge them.
A movement to her left drew her eyes and she saw three more giant wolves, two black and one tan, watching. They were males. Was this some kind of mating thing?
She held her open palms out. “I’m not a threat, guys.”
One of the female wolves snarled and leapt forward, jaws snapping an inch from where her hand had been before she jerked it back. She stumbled into the spring, back against the rock. Her sneakers soaked through with the freezing cold spring water.
Another snarl came from behind her and silver fur flashed over her head. She screamed as a wolf flew from the rock above her and knocked down the snapping female. The silver wolf took the tan one to the ground and rolled with it, throat between its jaws.
Cody? Yes, his huge, magnificent wolf form was unmistakable.
A horrible, pitiful yelp echoed off the rocks and the female rolled to her back, showing her belly. For one horrible moment, Melissa thought the silver wolf had killed the tan one, but when he pulled back, there was no blood at her throat. He nipped her hindquarters and she lay still, whining.
The other tan wolf had dropped to her belly and now crept forward, also whining. He growled and nipped her as well, then turned and trotted away, in the direction of the cabin. All the wolves fell in behind him, tails tucked as they followed.
Melissa stood frozen for several long moments, willing her heart rate to return to normal. The discomfort of the ice-cold water soaking her shoes finally forced her out of her stupor. She walked on shaky legs back to the cabin. When she pushed open the front door, she found young people had filled the large living area, and more were coming out of the bedrooms in various states of dress.
Two young women stood talking as one pulled on her socks and shoes. The other, a wiry woman with a pierced lip pulled her sandy blond hair into a ponytail. When she saw Melissa, her conversation died on her lips.
Cody stalked from the master bedroom wearing nothing but his faded jeans. His feet were bare, as was his torso and her mouth went dry at the sight of his washboard abs and muscled chest. He wasn’t paying any attention to her, though. The pissed-off wolf stalked over to the blonde. “You don’t ever attack a female under my protection, whether she’s wolf or human,” Cody snarled.
Melissa’s heart took off at a gallop again. Of course this had been the female who had attacked her.
“We didn’t know she was with you,” the woman said with fake innocence.
“Bullshit. My scent is all over her and you know it.” He put his barrel chest in front of the girl and stared her down, the muscle in his jaw flexing.
“Sorry, Alpha.” The she-wolf dropped her eyes but her tone didn’t sound sincere.
The rest of the young people had gathered and stood watching the scene. Cody whirled on them. “What about the rest of you—standing around watching out there? What in the hell is wrong with you?”
The young men lowered their eyes and muttered things like, “Sorry, man,” or “Sorry, Alpha.”
“Well, why did you bring a human here?” the blonde challenged. “Is this your… girlfriend or something?” She said girlfriend like the idea disgusted her.
Finally, Cody glanced Melissa’s way. “This is Melissa. She’s Ben Stone’s sister-in-law. Ben requested pack protection for her and I gave it.”
Of course she hadn’t expected him to claim her as his girlfriend, but his words sliced through her nonetheless. Right, she was an obligation he had to Ben. The glow of satisfaction she’d had at his defense of her died a quick death.
“So she’s allowed to just run out on our mountain during full moon?”
The low growl from Cody was pure animal.
The girl held up her hands, looked away and offered her throat. “I’m just asking.”
“She’s under our protection,” he repeated firmly, but then shot Melissa a condemning look.
Damn. She hadn’t realized she would be causing such a problem with the pack.
Cody turned around the semi-circle, but no one met his gaze. “If anyone fucks with her again, I’ll put you in your place, and you will not like it. Do you hear me?”
“I liked it last time.” The blonde gave Melissa a little smirk.
The blood drained from Melissa’s face and her gut twisted. She’d been so thrown by the wolf dynamics she’d missed the obvious—this girl was Cody’s lover. Or ex-lover.
Melissa had no right to the jealousy burning in her gut, but she seriously wanted to punch the woman. Of course, she’d be sure to lose any fight with a shifter, which only made her more furious.
“Get out.” He pointed toward the door.
The blonde held up her palms. “Sorry. I was just joking. Jeez. ”
He stared her down until all traces of the smirk faded from her face and a flush started up her neck.
“Sorry, Alpha.”
A frown marring his handsome face, Cody surveyed the others in the room. “Anyone else have a problem we need to work out?”
A quick chorus of “No, Alpha” rang out.
“Good. Let’s eat.” Cody turned on his heel and walked to the kitchen.
Damn. She should not find it so hot to see Cody flex his wolf dominance with his pack, but she did.
Still, it was obvious she didn’t belong here. She’d been clearly marginalized by Cody and the pack and Cody was obviously irritated with her for leaving the cabin. And she hated that she-wolf who’d just made her feel so stupid.
Unable to pull her face together, she slipped into the master bedroom and shut the door.
Cody stalked out to light the grill, scowling at Lorna. As if it wasn’t enough just to keep the beast in check around Melissa on the full moon, now he had some crazy pack drama playing out. His pack never had drama.
The group had fallen together easily. They were all in their twenties and he’d been the obvious leader. He’d never had to assert himself with them except in a joking manner. Most of them worked for him with CJ Steele Construction, and they had an easy relationship, with his employees working hard to please him, but knowing he wouldn’t be a hard-ass if they needed slack.
Lorna’s reaction to Melissa had taken him by surprise. He hadn’t had sex with the she-wolf in over a year and they’d never been a couple—it had been gratuitous fucking, usually on a full moon, which is common among wolves until they find their true mate.
He should have warned the pack Melissa would be here. He’d told Greg, his beta, about the alpha promise, and had planned to tell the rest of the pack tonight, since it affected them all. But he wasn’t thinking clearly, hadn’t been since the night he brought Melissa home. She did that to him.
Voices picked up in the kitchen as the tension eased and the group fell into making food together. Greg, the beta of the pack, opened a couple of bags of chips and pulled a twelve-pack of beer from the refrigerator. Mary unwrapped a salad she’d brought.
He stepped in to get the meat, but something made him freeze. Somehow, the scent of Melissa’s tears had reached his senses. Where was she?
Dammit. The need to soothe her overrode any pack responsibility. Without a word to anyone, he stalked to the master bedroom and pushed the door open.
Melissa stood at the window, looking out. He caught her reflection in the windowpane, and the lost look nearly killed him. At his entrance, she whirled and darted away from him, into the bathroom.
He leaped forward, shoving his shoulder between the door and the frame before she could slam it shut.
“Can’t I just get a little privacy around here?” She wrestled with him, trying to shove him out. He caught her wrists and twirled her to wrap her arms around her chest in a painless restraint, pulling her back against his chest and holding her tight.
“Hey,” he said softly, trying to soothe her.
“Leave me alone.”
He pushed her up against the wall, sandwiching her there between it and his body, his arms protecting her from being squished. She leaned her forehead against the wall, panting. He leaned his cheek against the back of her head, breathing in her scent.
He didn’t know why she was crying—not exactly. And he wasn’t good at handling distraught women—he’d had zero practice. But his instincts demanded he comfort her.
“Are you here to yell at me?” Bitterness threaded her voice.
“No, baby.” Her heartbeat tapped through her back and into his chest. Her nearness both calmed and incited his beast.
“Why are you crying? Are you jealous because of what Lorna said?”
Her little body turned wiry against him, muscles tightening in reaction to his words.
He bit her ear, then laved it to soothe the sting. “You are, aren’t you?” Pleasure swam through him. Good. He was glad she was jealous. If she had any idea the level of desire she inspired in him, she’d know he would tear the head off any man who looked at her twice.
“Go to hell.”
“Baby, that she-wolf means nothing to me. I’ve full-moon fucked her a few times over the past few years, and that’s it. It didn’t mean anything and we’ve never been a couple.” He wasn’t sure why he needed to explain it to her—they weren’t in a relationship either, nor did they want to be, but it seemed important she know how things lay.
He turned her in his arms to face him. “I’m sorry she was such a bitch to you. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
Her lower lip trembled and it killed him to see her pain. “How many times?”
“What?”
“How many times is a few?” Then she shook her head. “Never mind. It’s none of my business.” She tried to shove him again. “Will you just go away?”
But it was her business. Her jealousy meant she had feelings for him, and despite his desire to stay emotionally clear of her, he cared about her, too. He wanted to ease her pain over this. He caught her chin and lifted it, brows knitting as he studied her beautiful face. “She never inspired one-tenth of the hunger I have for you. She never had me this tightly strung, seconds away from losing control every time I got close to her.” He pressed his bulging erection against her belly. “Feel what you do to me. You think you need to be jealous over her?” He shook his head. “There’s no comparison.”
Tears swam in Melissa’s eyes, but they didn’t fall.
Soft and romantic wasn’t his thing, but he did his best, tipping his head down to just brush his lips lightly across hers. “I’m sorry. That was a horrible introduction to the pack. Will you please come out and meet them now? The rest are nice and I will boot Lorna in a heartbeat if she’s rude to you again.”
She rubbed her lips together and nodded. “Okay.”
Some of his tension eased. He twined his fingers into hers and led her out to the kitchen where at least ten members of his pack had now gathered. “Say hi to Melissa, everyone. She’s a quarter wolf.”
Their interest piqued at that, and Mary, the only other female in their little pack, drew Melissa over. Melissa complimented her salad and soon had her chatting nonstop about which ingredients she’d bought at the farmer’s market.
By sunset, all twenty-five members of his pack had arrived and the noise in the cabin grew to a dull roar as they mingled and ate in casual potluck style. He considered asking Melissa to shut herself in the bedroom for the meeting, but decided against it. She’d already been marginalized enough and he wasn’t worried about her sharing their secrets. If she did, he could take it up with Ben Stone.