Chapter One
Keller
Keller had denied it to himself and had been lying to his friends. Molly Page was his forever. His mate. He watched her from his seat by the door of her aunt’s yoga studio. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Even first thing in the morning, wearing workout clothes and no makeup, red and flushed from the class she had just taught. A class he had attended. Keller had promised Coop that he would do sunrise yoga with her. He’d made that promise because Coop—Corey Cooper—was his best friend’s girl and he would do anything for her. Just like Dom would, or Baze, or Linc for that matter. They were a pack, and packmates stuck together.
But sunrise yoga had become the hardest part of his day. He had literally spent the last forty-five minutes falling even harder for a girl he couldn’t have. He chuckled to himself because, the funny thing was, he didn’t even need to be here this morning. Coop was at home, asleep in her bed. Snug as a bug in a rug. She was barely three months pregnant and didn’t have the energy to do anything before eight a.m.
Yet, here he was, torturing himself at motherfuckin’ sunrise yoga. He wasn’t looking for forever; he wasn’t sure he would ever be ready. Because of that, and so many other reasons, he knew he needed to keep his distance from the stunning Molly Page. Keep his distance and his hands to himself.
Keller looked down at his phone when he felt it vibrate.
Dominic: Meeting at the house tonight. Mandatory. Bring beer.
He snorted as he typed out a quick sarcastic reply.
Keller: What are we, a damn frat?
He put his phone away, no reason to let them know that he’d be there, and that he’d bring beer. Keller stopped by Dom and Coop’s house most nights on his way home, meeting or not.
Things around campus were about to go from complicated to downright difficult. The FBI had breezed in late last week to launch their investigation regarding the allegations that shifters were real and living large in Haxton, Colorado. Mr. Henderson, the now-dead former school counselor, had really caused a lot of damage during his short stint working at St. Leasing. He’d asked a lot of questions he had no business asking, then went and got himself murdered.
When he was found, the police uncovered all his research on shifters. Files and files of what the Feds believed were delusional ramblings about the students and faculty of St. Leasing. Dom’s detective friend had promised them that the investigators thought Henderson was a crackpot and that this whole thing should blow over fairly quickly. But Keller wasn’t convinced.
“Hey, Keller, you’re still here? I thought you left right after class.”
He looked up when Molly walked out of the studio, her long blonde hair coming loose from her braid.
“Oh, uh, yeah. I was headed out, but then I, uh, stopped? It’s raining so…” He was floundering—he felt like an idiot. And he sounded like a moron. So what if it was raining? He wasn’t made of fucking sugar.
“Okay, did you want to borrow an umbrella?” Molly bit her lip, probably to keep from laughing at him. When he just shook his head, she continued, “I was going to go next door and grab some tea. Do you want to join me?”
He cleared his throat and made sure when he spoke again his voice was solid. “No—no thank you. I was actually waiting to see if you needed a ride home?” There, he recovered. Now he sounded chivalrous and not crazy.
“That is so sweet, thank you.” She reached out and touched his arm. The contact made a chill run down his spine. Because he was a weak-ass loser. “I would love a ride home. My next class isn’t for three hours. Do you mind if we run by the coffee house first?”
“Not at all. I’ll just go grab my truck and pull it up to the door for you.” Keller cussed himself the whole time he was running to his truck in the torrential downpour. What the hell was wrong with him? It was hard enough being in class with her for forty-five minutes without wanting to touch her.
Or kiss her.
Or nail her.
Now he was going to grab a cup of coffee with her? And then have her sitting right next to him as he drove her home? Way to make things easy on yourself, buddy.
When he pulled up to the front door Molly ran out and jumped in as quickly as she could. It was raining so hard she still ended up soaking wet. It was warm outside, but she was wearing a tight tank and yoga shorts and Keller was nothing if not a Southern gentleman. “Here you go.” He reached into the back seat and grabbed a St. Leasing Baseball sweatshirt. “You can borrow this. Wouldn’t want you to catch cold on my watch.”
Molly pulled the way-too-big sweatshirt over her head. “Thanks.” Keller watched out of the corner of his eye. His pulse hummed in his veins when she lifted the collar and took a deep breath. The shifter in him growled in satisfaction. Molly was going to wear his scent all day, and she seemed happy about it—if that smile on her beautiful fresh face was any indication.
He drove the incredibly short distance to the coffee house next door. The place was packed to the brim, which wasn’t unusual for this early in the morning. Luna Café was the only place you could get a good cup of coffee in Haxton.
“Looks like the Feds made it to town.” He could spot at least two men in suits that looked completely out of place in the small shop.
Molly paused with her hand on the door. “Oh yeah, Corey was telling me they were coming to look into that teacher’s murder. Were you and he close?”
“Nah, I only talked to him a couple of times. But we are all supposed to be questioned at some point this week.” He put the truck in park. “You go ahead and get your tea and I’ll keep the truck running. Doesn’t look like there is anywhere to park.”
“Do you want anything? Coffee? A dozen or so muffins?” Molly beamed at him sweetly. Keller had an appetite, and even though he didn’t have breakfast with her and Coop anymore, she’d remembered.
“A coffee would be nice. Black.” He peered over her head and into Luna’s. They really did have amazing baked goods. And he had just worked out. “Maybe a muffin. Or maybe like three? I mean they make those things so damn tiny. Here, I have some cash.” He went to reach for his wallet, but Molly put her hand on his arm, stopping his movement and his heart.
“No, no, I got breakfast. You’ve paid plenty of times.” She hopped out of the truck before he could argue or try to shove money into her pocket. Although, shoving money into her pants was a risky game. One, because he didn’t want her to feel like a stripper, and two, because touching her was something he tried to never do. It would only make things harder, make things worse. Even though his fingers itched to connect with her skin all day, every day, he’d only put his hands on her one time. It had been at a barbeque at Coop and Dom’s house. He’d hugged her goodbye and he would never forget it. That one hug had sent chills racing up his spine.
Keller watched as every male’s head turned when Molly walked into the building. He bit his cheek to keep from growling. She didn’t belong to him. And he couldn’t react like she did. He felt like a stalker, watching her, wanting her from the safety of his truck. Like he had minutes before at the studio after class.
As busy as the place was, the line was moving pretty quickly, thank god. In the short time she had been in there, at least two men had stopped to talk to her. Keller didn’t recognize either of them; they must be investigators. He inched the truck a little farther forward so he could watch her while she was waiting for their order.
He was pathetic.
Oh great, one of the FBI asshats had said something to make her giggle. Wow, was he getting out his cell phone? Was he asking her for her number? Keller took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He didn’t need to see this; he didn’t need to see her flirt and hand out her phone number. He clenched his jaw and ground his teeth together. She did not belong to him. Maybe if he made that his new mantra and kept repeating it over and over his instincts would get the damn message. He decided to give it a try. She does not belong to you. She does not belong to you. He was still mumbling it to himself when Molly hopped back into the truck. She does not belong to you. Slowly he opened his eyes and turned to look at her.
Yet.
Nope, hadn’t worked.
“Here you go—black coffee and three muffins. I didn’t know which your favorite was so I got one blueberry, one banana nut, and one chocolate chip.” She winked. “Variety is the spice of life, right?”
“Thanks, Miss Molly.” He took a sip of his coffee and bit into the first muffin, banana nut. Delicious. He made sure to chew and swallow his food before speaking again. Coop was always getting onto them for talking with their mouths full. “So, were those guys with the FBI? I figured they had to be since they were the only people in there wearing three-piece suits.” He shrugged like it was no big deal, like he wasn’t irrationally jealous. “I saw one of them talking to you, that’s why I’m asking.”
She glanced out the window back toward the shop. “I guess. They said they were here on business. I don’t know what other business anyone would have in Haxton.” She blew on her mint tea. She always got mint tea, and he’d grown to love the smell of it because of her. Sap.
Keller shifted in his seat, trying not to get a hard-on from watching her mouth work. That girl could get him going by simply saying his name. “Did, uh, did one of them ask you out?” He winced inwardly, why the fuck did he ask her that? He was sure he wouldn’t like the answer.
He could feel her gaze on him. “Not that it’s really any of your business, but yeah, one of them asked for my number.” He knew that she had every reason to be pissed at his question, at his intrusion. It was clear to him as well as the rest of his pack that Molly liked him. But he’d kept her at arm’s length, for her protection as much as for his. And now he was prying into her dating life like he had any right to know?
“Are you going to go out with him?” He wanted to reach out and catch the words that had tumbled carelessly from his lips.
“Uh, I don’t know. He asked for my number, not my address, so I guess we’ll see if he actually calls.” Her tone sounded confused and slightly irritated. Like she didn’t want to answer his question. Not that he could blame her. He had no right to know. She wasn’t his.
And yet, he couldn’t seem to let the subject drop. “If he’s only here for a couple of weeks, he’s probably only looking for a good time. If you get what I’m saying.”
Out of his peripheral vision he saw her eyebrows rise and her jaw drop. He held his breath, waiting for her to go off on him. Which he totally deserved. “If I get what you’re saying? How could I not, Keller? That wasn’t very subtle.” She faced the road again. “Maybe I’m just looking for a good time too. Maybe I want to be flirted with and touched.” Was that a low blow? Was that directed at him? Had she noticed that he tried to never touch her?
“Um, okay. If that’s what you’re looking for then go for it. Nail the FBI agent, I don’t care.” Nice, Keller, real mature. Why was he saying all these stupid asshole things? It was as if he had no control over his mouth.
“Oh I know you don’t care, believe me.” Molly shook her head and looked out the window, her arms crossed over her chest. The two of them rode the rest of the way to her house in silence. Well, except for the sound of Keller polishing off the blueberry muffin. He was baffled by his own actions, but he was still hungry. No reason to let good food go to waste.
Keller stopped his truck in Molly’s driveway, letting out a long sigh. He couldn’t let this be the way things ended between them today. She didn’t deserve his jealousy or his irritation. She’d done nothing wrong and he refused to let her feel like she had. “Molly, look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted that way.”
She turned and met his gaze, throwing her hands in the air. “What is your deal, Keller? And please be honest with me. I feel like I’m always on shaky ground with you. I thought there was something between us when we met. But then you backed away so fast it made my head spin. Now you get jealous and angry when someone asks me out? If I got things wrong and you don’t want to be with me, then tell me. But I’m done with these mixed signals. I’m too old to play these games with you.”
Keller wanted to scream. Every instinct he had was begging him to kiss her, claim her, never let her go. He closed his eyes to try and calm his nerves, gain some semblance of control. But when he opened them she was all he could see. It was like he had tunnel vision and it was focused solely on Molly. This was exactly what he had been hoping to avoid. There was nothing he could do now; he was powerless to stop himself. His heart and his body were so sure she belonged to them—that she was theirs for the taking.
He closed the distance between them in an instant. He grabbed the back of her head and brought her mouth to his. His whole body melted like lava, everything that was wrong in his world suddenly righted itself.
Her lips were so soft and sweet; she tasted like mint and heat and he needed more. So much more. Slowly, he licked her lower lip, asking for permission to take the kiss deeper. She didn’t hesitate. She opened for him, unbuckling her seatbelt frantically like she absolutely had to get closer to him. Her actions made him smile against her mouth and press the lever that moved his seat back, giving her more room. Without breaking their kiss, she climbed over the center console, smashing his remaining muffin to hell with her knee. He put his hands on her ass and brought her into his lap, straddling him. She shamelessly ground against him and he loved every fucking second of it. He lifted the sweatshirt then trailed his hands up her back, finally allowing himself to touch her smooth skin. He dragged her closer, pressing her chest against his.
“Oh god, Keller, how is you moving like that? Don’t stop, that feels so good.”
He took inventory of his body. His hands were on her back and his mouth was at her neck. He started to laugh when he realized what was happening. “That’s my phone, darling’, it’s on vibrate. I’m good, but I’m not that good.” He reached between them to pull his cell out of his front pocket. “It was my alarm. My first class starts in thirty minutes. I’ve got to head back to campus.” He leaned his head back on his headrest and stared at her. “Don’t go out with the Fed.”
Molly pursed her lips, as if she was contemplating her response. “Give me a reason not to.”
He cupped her face in his hands and slowly brought her mouth back to his. He let his tongue dance across hers and then sucked gently on her lower lip before releasing her. “That a good enough reason?” His eyes searched hers. He prayed it was, but it was all he could give her right now. His body had set something in motion that he would be powerless to stop. However, he still needed time. He needed to wrap his head around what his future would look like.
He needed to figure out how to tell her.
She must have seen the utter desperation in his gaze because her face softened. “That’ll do for now.” She grabbed her tea, opened his door and climbed off his lap and out of the truck. “I’m keeping the sweatshirt.”
“Please do. It looks better on you than it ever did on me.” He winked and watched as she walked into her house. Too bad that sweatshirt was so big on her. It obstructed his view of her perky ass.
As he pulled out of the driveway, the smile on his face slowly began to fade. The further away from her he got, the more reality set in. What had he been thinking? He should have never done that. He had known the first time he’d touched her skin that she was his soul mate. Though his instincts were to claim her, he’d hammered them into submission.
It had been difficult to be around her. At times he had been edgy and moody, but he was managing. He was a shifter, and this was part of his life, his culture. He had laid awake night after night trying to figure out what he wanted. He’d always known that eventually he’d settle down, but right now? Molly was sweet and beautiful and wonderful and way too good for him. How could he be sure that he wouldn’t screw this up? How could he be sure he would become the man she needed?
And now was definitely not the time to tell Molly the truth—that shifters were in fact real, and she was surrounded by them on a daily basis. With his luck one of the FBI agents would see him shift for her and they would all be in trouble.
But man, that kiss.
He needed more; he had to have more. Maybe he could just date Molly. They could see each other and kiss and mess around; he just wouldn’t have sex with her. No sex with her meant no claiming her. His instincts would switch into hyper-drive being so close to her and touching her all the time and would scream at him to claim her, but hell, he was a strong guy; he could handle it.
At least until the investigation wrapped up; then he could tell her the truth without exposing his whole family.
He had a plan.
Everything was going to be okay.
Right?