Chapter 20 #3
I wrinkled my nose at an unfamiliar scent, rubbing my eyes and peering through my lashes. Animal fur covered me and I looked around to find myself in a stranger’s bed. Lorenzo was standing beside me with his brown arms folded. Directly over the bed, a large mirror captured my stunned reaction.
I scrambled beneath the covers, fearing I had shifted and was lying naked beneath his silk sheets. Thankfully, my Capris and stretchy tank top were still accounted for.
A smile curved up one cheek and he lifted his brows. “You growl a little in your sleep.”
I sat up, looking at my surroundings. “Where am I?”
“My home.”
“And why am I in your bed?”
Then his face tightened so that his cheekbones appeared to be carved out of wood and his lips pressed into an angry line.
“Because that alpha you were with left you alone—intoxicated and passed out in a parking lot. If you were in my pack, Alexia, I would never leave you unprotected. I make sure my women are properly looked after.”
I ripped the blankets away and rubbed my eyes.
Wow. Lorenzo was loaded. The canopy bed had four posts with detailed designs carved into the wood.
Native American artifacts and paintings decorated the spacious room.
The ceilings stretched higher than fifteen feet, the floors were polished wood, and the window view made it seem like we were in the treetops.
His bedroom alone was a fully functional apartment, equipped with a small bar, a sitting area with cozy chairs, and a fancy bathroom farther down on the right.
All I could make out was an oversized Jacuzzi with two steps to get in.
But what really made the whole thing breathtaking were the windows that lined the walls in front of me, all the way down to the Jacuzzi.
The golden light of sunrise shimmered on the glass.
Lorenzo played statue on my left by the door, watching my appraisal of his living accommodations with avid curiosity. Then I saw one of those fancy hotel carts with silver trays and food on it.
“Why did you bring me here?” I hopped out of bed, looking for my shoes.
“You would have rather I left you passed out in the gutter?”
“Austin was coming for me.”
“And how do you know this?”
My hands rested on my hips and I carved him up with an intolerant glare. “Why are you trying to plant doubts in my head? I know Austin better than you do, and he was coming for me.”
Lorenzo nodded and walked around the bed. “Ah, but I was there for you.”
“To show off your swanky place? Sorry, it doesn’t erase the fact you’re my cousin,” I murmured, lifting the covers and looking under the bed. “Where are my shoes?”
“If you keep saying that, I’m going to take you to my father and have him explain why we’re not related by blood,” he said in a clipped tone.
“No,” I almost shouted. “I’m not meeting your family. Tell me what you did with my shoes because I have to go home.”
“Home to what?”
I shoved his chest. “My baby sister, you idiot! I left her alone all night with my neighbor.”
The humor melted away from his face. “Which neighbor? I’ll bring her here. Why would you leave a child with someone who is not family?” he hissed.
“Because I was kidnapped?”
He lifted his phone and dialed a number. “It’s Church. You know the young wolf’s apartment you’re watching? Her neighbor—”
I snatched the phone and hung up. “Don’t you dare send one of your men to get my sister! You’re having me watched?” I stuffed the phone in my back pocket. “Take me home, right now,” I said in slow words.
He chewed on his lip for a moment, considering my request. “I’ve had my men on you since one of them first spotted you at the cemetery. He sensed you were a Shifter and word spreads fast when it comes to rogue females.”
That damn dog really was a wolf.
“Tell your friend the next time he chases me up a tree and tries to gnaw on my leg, he’s going to end up tangling with the wrong wolf. I bite back.”
Lorenzo moved forward and lowered his chin. A dark intensity flickered in his eyes. “He did what?”
“I guess your pack isn’t so loyal, after all. If you don’t give me my shoes, I’m walking home barefoot.”
“Then you’ll end up hiking over sticks, and I won’t have that.
If you insist, I will see that you’re safely escorted home.
But you will not be permitted to leave my house until you are well fed.
There is breakfast on the tray. Use my phone to make any calls you need to.
” Lorenzo made no attempt to brush away the long strands of hair that fell in front of his right eye.
“My home is always open to you,” he said, inching closer so that our bodies bounced heat off each other.
His mouth brushed against my ear. “And my bed is still open whenever your legs are open, my sweet Nashoba.”
I drew in a sharp intake of air and stumbled back before he got me worked up again. There was no doubt that alphas had an undeniable magnetism that lured you under their spell.
I reached behind me, grabbed a croissant, and stuffed it into my mouth.
Lorenzo laughed heartily and cupped his hand against my cheek, patting lightly. “You are a wild little wolf. I think your spirit is what attracts me to you. Have all you want, and if there is anything you desire, let me know and I’ll get it for you. When you are ready to go, I’ll be downstairs.”
Clever man. He brought me here to dazzle me with the luxuries he could offer. Money, a huge bathroom, and croissants. He seriously didn’t know what kind of girl I was.
Although, the croissants were scrumptious. They had a flaky consistency with a sweet glaze, and…
“Alexia, I do hope you change your mind and consider joining my pack. You don’t officially belong to anyone yet, so you are your own woman.
Make the right decision. Cole lives in a shed and can offer you nothing.
” He slowly threaded his hair away from his face, steadily watching me. “I take very good care of my own.”
I dropped the croissant on the plate and wiped the crumbs on my pants. “So tell me why you were trying to buy my junky old car?” I asked with a mouthful of pastry.
He lowered his head and crossed his arms. “To meet you. After my man spotted you, we tracked down your plates to find out who you were. We know all the Shifters in the area, and someone new stands out. I have a man who does thorough background checks, and your name showed up in the newspaper database online. You shouldn’t put your full name in the paper like that. ”
“So I’ve been told,” I said, licking my thumb.
It was difficult to hate Lorenzo, even though I gave it my best effort. He didn’t go about any of this the right way, but deep down I could sense decency. He just had a serious issue with wanting to possess things. I didn’t have a desire to be possessed by any man, only loved.
After Lorenzo left the room, the first person I called was Naya, who chewed my ear off.
She had taken the night off to babysit Maizy.
They’d made mini-burgers and sweet-potato fries for dinner before having a Cinderella movie party in the living room.
I loved Naya to death. I just didn’t care much for her psychotic cat.
Since she had to go to work that evening, I promised I’d be over as soon as possible to pick up my Maizy.
Then the dreaded call to Austin. Maybe what Lorenzo said stuck in my head, but I was mad at Austin. But not as mad as he was when I used Lorenzo’s phone to call him and it showed up on the caller ID.
“Where did you go?” I asked, pacing around in the room and glancing out the window at a clearing in the woods.
“I’m coming to get you.”
“He’s having someone drive me; it’ll be quicker this way. I need to get Maizy.”
“Denver is on his way to pick her up now.”
“Why?”
Austin sighed. “We found your mother.”
My stomach did a somersault and I sank into a brown chair. “Is she okay? Oh God, please tell me she’s okay.”
“She’s fine. We brought her to the house and I’m not letting her go home.”
“Why not?”
He paused and I could hear him rubbing his jaw. “Your father got away. He’s clever; knows a lot about the Breed and how to evade us. Even has the right kinds of sprays to throw off his scent from trackers. We’ll talk about it when you get home. Your mom was… not happy to see me.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”