Three
Rylee couldn’t believe it. The only luck she usually had was the kind she created for herself. It was what had seen her rise from homelessness to the woman she was today, self-sufficient and independent. That, and the fact that she was damned good at what she did. She may only be human, but she was better at retrieving than most wolves. People tended to pay well for the best when they wanted something bad enough. This time, Lady Luck had seen fit to land her right in the hands of the tracker she needed to pair up with. Add to that the fact that the man was sex on legs, and life couldn’t get much better.
“Let’s get out of here. We can go over the details while we eat dinner,” Niko suggested.
Her stomach growled at the mention of food. When had she eaten last? Had she had lunch today? Her gaze automatically flitted to her bike. She didn’t leave Ursula alone in a strange land. Ever.
Niko followed her gaze. “I have room in my trailer. Give me a sec to pull it up, and we’ll get it loaded.”
Her heart fluttered. Could the man be any more perfect?
He disappeared through the same door he’d gone to deal with the vamp, and a minute later, gravel crunched just outside. Another minute went by, then the garage door lifted.
“Get into the cab of the truck, and get down. If the vampire comes back, I don’t want him seeing you,” he instructed.
Her heart raced a little faster. The man was gorgeous, but that wasn’t happening. “No one handles Ursula but me,” she blurted out.
His lips twitched as he fought—and lost—against the grin creeping onto his face. “Ursula?”
She shook her head and grinned back at him. Damn him for being so good-looking. “Yes, that’s her name. And I’m the only one who handles her. Ever.”
His chest shook, and a chuckle broke free. “Why Ursula?”
“Because she’s pretty and pink, and she’s a badass that will chew you up and spit you out if she doesn’t like the looks of you,” she told him, repressing a chuckle trying to break free.
“What if that person has great respect for fine machinery and will handle her with the utmost care?”
“Not even then.”
He sighed and looked both ways down the street. “Okay, let’s load Ursula up. I’m warning you, though, you put a scratch on Boris, and we’ll have trouble.”
Now, she really couldn’t hold her laughter back. “Boris? Really?”
Niko grinned and shook his head. “No, not really, but my Scout was feeling left out being the only one with no name.”
She smacked his arm before going back for her bike while he lowered the ramp. It only took a couple of minutes to secure Ursula. Niko hadn’t moved more than two feet away from her the entire time, and she was beginning to suspect he had a sniffing fetish. Each time she was close enough, he breathed deep and his nostrils flared. Once, she thought she heard him moan.
She’d looked at him, and he’d shrugged like he hadn’t a care in the world and didn’t mind that she’d caught him smelling her. Realization hit.
“You’re a wolf, aren’t you?” she asked, her heart pounding against her ribs.
Niko tilted his head to the side, assessing her. “Is that going to be a problem?”
Shit. A problem? No. At least, not in the way that he might think. The truth was, she was a bit obsessed. She’d never been with a shifter, but it was a recurring theme in her fantasies. But not just any shifter. A strong wolf shifter always played the starring role.
***
The faint smell of Rylee’s arousal spiked, driving Niko—and his wolf—crazy. Had they been at a scenting ceremony, he’d have fallen to his knees and buried his face in her leather-clad crotch by now. Hell, he’d have gotten past that point and had her naked so he could scent her properly even though the smell of his woman and leather was intoxicating. His cock jerked at the idea, making his jeans uncomfortably tight.
His woman. He never thought he’d find a mate. He wasn’t opposed to having one, but his job took him away for weeks at a time. Most often, he couldn’t tell anyone where he was going, much less what he’d be doing. It made keeping a woman happy a little tricky.
She licked her lips and shook her head. “No, not at all.”
In the distance, a rumble too deep to be thunder reached his sensitive ears. “We have to leave. Now,” he told her as he rushed out of the trailer, taking her with him.
“Get in the truck and hide,” he ordered. The bike was too far to know for sure if it was the vampire, but it was heading this way, and in the sleepy town of Dexter, there weren’t that many motorcycles around—much less out after dusk. If they hurried, they’d be gone before whoever that was showed up.
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t question him as she bounded around the truck. A second later, the door shut behind her. He gave the bikes one last look, making sure they were properly secured, then made quick work of raising the ramp and locking it down.
He took a second to close the shop before getting in the truck. There wasn’t anything in there that he didn’t have in the barn at home, but that didn’t mean he wanted to have to explain to the others why their equipment had gone missing.
By the time he slipped behind the wheel, Rylee had squished herself between the dash and the seat and sat facing him. Perfect. He yanked his cell out of his back pocket, dialed, and then hit speaker before putting it in the cup holder.
It rang twice.
“Yeah,” Luca’s voice came over the line.
“I need you to do something for me,” Niko said without missing a beat.
“What else is new,” his brother grumbled.
“There’s a vampire in town, and I need you to get a hold of Jaxon and tell him. Patrols need to be increased. I have a feeling the bastard will be around for a bit.”
“What the fuck?” Luca’s voice rose. “What’s it doing on our land? We have no beef with the vampires.”
“It followed my mate here. It’s riding a black and chrome bike. BMW K1200S.”
He heard both Rylee’s and Luca’s gasps. Shit. Maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned that just yet.
He glanced at Rylee, who stared at him. Her lips parted as the silence lengthened over the line.
“Luca, it’s after her. You still with me, bro?” He’d already said the words. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—take them back. She was his mate. It was only fair that she knew because he’d fight every vampire out there to keep her.
“Yeah, you lucky fucking bastard. I’ve already messaged Jaxon and Emmet. Where are you? Do you need backup?”
Niko grinned. Luca was the quietest of them all, but he was nothing if not loyal to a fault.
“Nah, I’m okay. We’re heading to the farm. Are you home now? I’m parking the truck and trailer in the barn when we get there.”
“It’ll be open. I’ll stay with Emmet tonight,” he added after a slight pause.
“Thanks, man. You don’t have to do that, though.” If he knew his brother, and he did, he’d already packed his bag and was heading out with his phone still glued to his ear.
As if on cue, a slamming door sounded over the line.
“I don’t mind. It’ll give me a chance to knock some sense into Emmet again. It’s been a while since we’ve harped on him. Besides, you need some alone time with your mate.”
Unable to keep from looking at her again, he glanced at Rylee, still curled up on the floor. “Thanks, Luca,” she said loud enough for his brother to hear. Her grin wobbled a little, but she kept her eyes on him, making his heart race a little faster. At least she hadn’t freaked out at his declaration. She squinted her eyes at him, then her lips parted, and her tongue slid across her bottom lip. It wasn’t a deliberately sexy move, but damn if it didn’t make his heart rate spike just a little.
His cock surged to life again, and he had to shift in his seat to ease the pressure.