Connie’s heart beat wildly in her chest as she closed the bakery door. “What the hell just happened?” she mumbled to herself, stepping outside on her way to grab some pizza.
She had no idea what was happening to her but she knew it was something big. Rocky was hot. Smoking hot and the way he’d looked at her almost had her melting into a puddle at his feet. His scent had her Wolf acting crazy, his body had her acting crazy, and damn if she didn’t want to run her hands under that t-shirt that was stretched so tight over his chest it looked fit to burst and . . . dang! Her mind was doing it again. Going in directions that it definitely shouldn’t be.
He was her boss and she was there for a few days only. Come Friday she’d be gone and . . . her breath rushed from her and a crushing pain lanced through her chest causing her to stop, bending over to draw great gulps of air in. Her hair falling forward as she fought to control herself and her body. What on earth was wrong with her?
A hand landed on her back, a concerned voice causing her to jump forward, stumbling and almost falling onto her knees, strong arms halting her. “Hey, Connie, you okay?”
Cody. Dang. Trust him to find her like this. How embarrassing. “I’m fine, Cody.”
“You don’t look fine, sweetie. What’s going on? Do you want me to call your mom?”
She spun around, hands on hips. “I said I’m fine. I’m a big girl, Cody, I don’t need you to call anyone.”
He stepped back, hands up in front of him. “Hey, sorry. I was just trying to help.”
Connie knew that. Of course she did and a rush of shame poured over her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap but I’m okay, really.”
“I saw you come out of the bakery and you didn’t look fine, Connie. Has something happened? Do you need my help? I promise I won’t call anyone but if you need me, you know I’ll always be here for you.”
“No, nothing’s happened . . . well, something has but I don’t know what.” Connie turned around. “I’m going to get take-out . . . walk with me?”
Cody fell in beside her. “Sure. Wanna talk about what it is?”
“I’m not sure if I can, Cody, because I’ve no idea what’s going on.”
“Why don’t you start with what you were doing in there when the shop has a closed sign on it?” he said quietly, smirking. “Yeah, I noticed that.”
She gave him a nudge with her shoulder. “Observant, aren’t ya? I’m working there, sort of, just for this week to help out and Rocky is, well, he’s . . . different.”
Cody nodded. “He is. He’s a Lion for starters and he keeps to himself but from what I know about him he’s a good guy. So, what else is going on?”
Connie sighed, shaking her head. “My Wolf’s been acting crazy, really nuts, and he’s been acting weird too. We had a few words there and he suggested we talk some more so I’m going to get us some food while he cleans up. But, Cody, I’m nervous and jittery and, hell, I’m not sure what’s going on.”
He stopped, staring down at her seriously. “Your Wolf’s acting up huh? And he’s acting weird too?”
She nodded, shrugging. “Yeah. She’s yipping inside my head and I swear my heart is thudding like a drum and my stomach is full of butterflies. Jeez, I sound like a baby. Don’t I?”
“No, honey, you don’t. But I agree that you and Rocky need to talk.” Cody patted her shoulder. “But before I go, I’m glad I ran into you because that ass you went out with a while back was in the bar last night looking for you, Alden I think he said his name was. You remember him?”
Connie screwed her face up. “Yeah, I remember him, black hair, right? I only went out with him a few times. I got rid of him pretty damn quick because he was just off. He was from one of the neighboring Packs but I can’t for the life of me remember which one.”
Connie thought back to the few dates she’d had with Alden and the way he’d pawed at her the entire time. He’d been after one thing and she hadn’t given it up and that had made him angry. When he’d got upset with her, she’d told him it was over and that didn’t go down well either but she hadn’t seen him since and that had been fine with her. She’d had a feeling about him and it hadn’t been a good one, she was relieved when he’d left her alone.
“I have a feeling he’s gone Rogue, Connie, and he’s sniffing around asking for you. You need to be careful. I don’t think he’s gonna give up easily so don’t take any chances and don’t be out walking alone at night. Okay?”
“Shoot, thanks for letting me know.” Connie shivered. “I’ll ask Rocky to walk me home later.”
Cody chuckled, patting her shoulder again. “Yeah, you do that.”
“What?” she asked, scowling up at him.
“Nothing.” He crossed his arms. “You go grab your take-out. I’ll stay here and wait until you get back to the shop safely.”
“For goodness sakes, it’s still daylight,” she argued, but Cody merely stood resolutely waiting. “Fine. I won’t be long.”
She grabbed a couple of pizzas and sodas, finding Cody exactly where she’d left him, his eyes scanning the area as she arrived back. “What?” she asked.
“Nothing, just being careful.” He inhaled, humming. “That smells good.”
“No, you’re not getting any . . . go get your own.” She laughed up at him.
“I’m being your bodyguard and you won’t give me a slice?” he pouted as they walked back toward the bakery.
“Don’t do that, it doesn’t suit the whole bodyguard persona.” She giggled and that’s when Cody’s body tightened, his muscles rippling and his arm shooting out to tug her behind him.
“What the hell, Cody?”
And that’s when Rocky appeared out of nowhere . . . his eyes wide and shining brightly with a golden tinge as a growl rumbled in his chest. He stopped right in front of Cody, toe to toe and she saw just how big he was. Damn! She’d always thought Cody was huge but Rocky towered a good foot over him, his face tight and as she peeked around the side of her friend she saw Rocky’s hands balled into fists as he snarled.
“Don’t touch her, Cody.” Rocky’s voice was hard as steel and just as damn cold, his lips snarling back as he carried on. “Back away from her, now.”
Connie looked up in shock, both at Rocky’s sudden appearance and his words but also at Cody’s response because he didn’t back down to anyone. Hell, he barely bowed to Chad, their Alpha. It was why Cody stayed in town and had little to do with the Pack, but right now she watched as Cody tilted his head, staring at Rocky for a moment before giving a brief nod.
“I’m no threat to her, Rocky. I’m her friend and I was just looking out for her . . . she can explain why later.” Cody held his hands up in front of him, palms up as he side-stepped. “Look, I’m backing up, you’ve nothing to worry about. Okay?”
Connie was flabbergasted. Utterly stunned as she watched, her eyes flicking between Cody and Rocky who was taking great gulps of air as he eyed Cody before he finally gave him a curt nod. “Fine. But just don’t touch her.”
Again Cody complied. “I won’t. I promise. But she shouldn’t be out alone right now . . . again, she can tell you why. I’ll get on my way now. Take care, Connie, and remember what I said and be careful.”
She couldn’t answer because she was still in shock, her heart thudding wildly at the show of aggression . . . of what? What was it that Rocky had done? It was almost like he was . . . no. It couldn’t be that. Absolutely not. Connie focused back on Cody, managing to give him a weak smile and nod as he disappeared, Rocky’s arm sliding around her waist.
“Are you all right?” he asked quickly, worriedly.
“I’m fine . . . I think.” She looked up at him, saw him looking down at her with a torrent of emotion rolling over his face. “What the hell was that all about? Cody is my friend. He wasn’t doing anything wrong and you were ready to tear him apart, Rocky. Why?”
Rocky reached over with his free hand, taking the pizza boxes. “Here, let me take those . . . and we really need to talk, Connie. Let’s go.”
She felt his hand tighten on her waist, her body reacting to his touch in ways she’d never felt before, and allowed him to lead the way, muttering as they walked, “Damn straight we do, because I’ve no idea what the hell just happened.”