Chapter 7
SOPHIE
“I’m not trespassing,” Sophie grumbled to herself as she shoved her foot into a pair of tan Blundstones and pulled her socks up over the hem of her pants. “This cabin is paid for. A contract signed.” Did the contract even count if the teenager didn’t own it?
She dismissed her concerns as soon as they crossed her mind.
That grumpy wolf shifter, Torin ‘I’m the Alpha and Mr. Fancy Pants of this territory’ Matheson, wasn’t going to chase her off.
She needed this vacation, dammit, and she was going to make the most of it.
In some ways, it was a matter of life and death.
Dramatic, but she’d earned the right to be dramatic after the year she’d had.
Her clothes were unpacked, her suitcase and backpack stowed away.
She could sit here, on this couch and wait around until the so-called Alpha deigned to bless her with his presence, or she could go for a walk and enjoy her time in the Highlands, however short that may be.
Rolling her head, she pulled on a thick hoodie, tucked the cottage’s large, old-fashioned key in a pocket, and headed into the great outdoors.
Holy shit, it’s beautiful here, she thought as she followed a narrow path that led her past hillocks still covered in winter-browned heather.
Shoots of green poked through the deadfall, life emerging after a deep hibernation.
Love-sick birds flitted through the bush, singing for mates and establishing their territories.
She hopped over a stream burbling happily over moss-covered rocks, a smile playing on her lips as she spotted fluffy sheep higher up the hillside.
Filling her lungs with crisp, clean air, she felt a rush of peace and happiness fill her soul for the first time in far too long. Her friends were right. She did need this. As she tromped through the wilds, months of worry and anxiety melted away, and her shoulders dropped from around her ears.
She hadn’t realized how bad it had gotten.
Granted, having a creepy stalker lurking around, sending weird notes and ‘gifts’ was enough to keep anyone on edge, but she’d thought she was handling it well enough.
But being way out here, knowing her tormentor was in a different country and she was out of his reach, released the painful knot of tension coiled around her spine.
The only wrinkle in her get-away-from-everything plan was Bryn’s dad. The Alpha.
A branch cracked behind her, and she whirled around to see Torin cresting the ridge, his long legs eating up the distance between them.
Speak of the devil, she thought, annoyed at how well his light gray cable-knit sweater stretched across his broad shoulders and hugged the curve of his arm muscles.
He wore dark pants tucked into a pair of well-used wellies.
His salt-and-pepper hair was less tidy and more fluffy, like he’d been running his hand through it.
Her palms itched with the urge to smooth it for him. She tucked her hands into her hoodie.
“Mr. Matheson,” she said, acknowledging his presence with a small nod.
“Ms. Norwood.” He folded his arms over his chest, muscles flexing beneath his sweater. “You’re not welcome here.”
Her spine stiffened. No way was she going to let some man talk to her like that. Never again. She folded her arms, mirroring his stance. “So you’ve said.” And what are you going to do about it? she thought, her eyes narrowing.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Bryn had no right to rent that cottage to you.” I’m considering throwing you over my shoulder and personally removing you from my property, he seemed to say.
“But she did. We signed a contract. Money exchanged hands. It’s mine for the next two weeks.
” While I might really enjoy being thrown over your shoulder, I’ll fight you if you try to remove me from that cozy cottage.
You don’t understand how much I need it right now.
She turned and continued along the path, putting a bit of a swing in her hips.
She knew he was watching; she could feel his eyes boring into her back.
In two strides, he caught up to her, walking so close that their arms brushed with every step.
“She shouldn’t have done that. She’s underaged and doesn’t own the property.
” That girl is driving me ‘round the bend. But I’m also kind of impressed by her ballsiness and don’t want to crush her entrepreneurial spirit.
He heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, leaving the strands even more tousled than before.
“Since she did, I suppose I must honor her contract with you. However, you are not to interfere in any way with the day-to-day operations of my pack or my territory.” I’m accepting your presence here under extreme duress.
Even though yesterday’s kiss set your panties on fire and I can’t stop thinking about you, I still don’t want you on my lands.
That concession was pulled from the very depths of his soul.
She harrumphed, trying not to notice the way the sunlight emphasized the dark green of his hazel eyes made her heart beat harder, a flash of heat twining around her spine.
I don’t care if you don’t want me here. I’m here.
And I have no desire to interfere with this little fiefdom you’ve got going here, so save your bluster because any way you look at it, I win. “How magnanimous of you,” she said.
With a growl, he caught her upper arms and dragged her up against his hard body. “I can be very magnanimous when properly motivated.” His mouth crashed down on hers, his tongue sliding between her lips to tangle with hers.
She melted into his arms like chocolate on a hot summer’s day.
How was it this annoying man’s kiss could cloud her senses and turn her frustrations into fire with one devastating kiss?
She’d never had hate sex with anyone — post-fight nookie, sure, but never with someone who drove her so far up the wall she was dangling from the ceiling.
Though technically she didn’t hate him. In fact, she was strangely drawn to him — but she didn’t think she’d have the strength to do more than wrap her legs around his waist and hold on tight if he decided to pick her up, carry her off to his lair, and make sweet, sweet love to her all afternoon.
He slid an arm under her hoodie, fingertips teasing the sensitive skin along the waistband of her jeans. With his other hand, he clasped the back of her head, his fingers massaging the base of her skull.
A little, needy moan slipped out of her, heat pooling in her belly as his tongue danced with hers.
Kissing him was an experience she didn’t think she’d ever tire of.
He might be kind of grumpy, mostly uncommunicative, with a superiority complex that grated on her nerves, but together, the sparks they made could set the countryside ablaze.
This time, it was Torin who broke off their kiss, lifting his head to stare down at her, a thoroughly bewildered expression on his handsome face. His brows drew together as his fingers continued to stroke the bare skin of her lower back. Her skin prickled beneath his touch.
“Why don’t you want me here, Torin?” she asked, finally voicing the question that had been plaguing her.
He glared at her. “You’re human,” he ground out. “An outsider.”
“Ah.” In retrospect, she supposed she could understand his reluctance.
Most humans weren’t aware of the supernatural and, as a species, humans tended to be both tribal and reactive, especially to things that scared them or that they didn’t comprehend.
No doubt, the Wolfcraig pack had walked a fine line with the locals for a very long time.
He grunted. “My daughter tells me I need to have an open mind regarding human visitors to our land.”
“Some humans, sure. You’re looking out for your pack by being cautious who you allow in your territory.
” She shifted in his arms, unwilling to give up the comfort she felt this close to him.
His heart pulsed in a strong, steady beat against her palm.
“We have several bear shifter families back home as well as witches, demons, and a few other supernaturals. I think there are even a few lone wolf shifters in the mountains around town. We’re a diverse community, and we try to look after one another, but it can be tense when someone new moves in.
You just never know, especially these days. ”
His eyes widened like he hadn’t expected her to understand. As he opened his mouth to respond, a howl shattered the quiet of the afternoon. His head shot up as his hands fell away from her. “I have to go.”
With a nod, she tucked her hands in her pockets and reluctantly took a step back.
He gave her a long, probing look before turning towards the origin of the howl and loping off with animal grace.
Another disconcerting interaction, she thought, watching him disappear from sight.
At least I got another panty-dropping kiss out of it.
She cocked her head. If he can do that with a kiss, I wonder how he’d be in bed.
She snickered to herself. That sounded like something her friend Pippa would say rather than staid old Sophie.
With another huff of laughter, she brushed a finger over her lips and continued on her walk, a fresh spring in her step.