Chapter One
“Oohhh, look what I’ve found.”
Hunching her shoulders, Cassie continued wiping down the shelves.
Don’t look. Do not look.
Whatever Dusty had found had her practically crowing in delight. That could not be good.
For Cassie.
“Cassie,” Dusty called out in a singsong voice.
Ignore her.
If Cassie ignored her, surely—please, God—she’d lose interest and give up.
“Come on, Cassie, I know you can hear me. You can’t ignore me forever. Answer one simple question, and I’ll go away.”
If only.
Dusty had only arrived five minutes ago, and already Cassie had had enough of her. Hell, she’d had enough of her five minutes after first meeting her months ago. Cassie’s tolerance level for the aggravating werewolf was dropping. Fast.
“What’s the ‘B’ stand for, Ms. B.C. Callington?”
Biting back a groan, Cassie took a deep, fortifying breath before glancing over her shoulder at Dusty. Looking like a lush pinup girl from the fifties with her flowing dark-red hair, curvy figure, and strikingly beautiful face, Dusty was lounging back on a wide counter, an envelope clutched in her hand.
Shit. Dusty was waving the envelope around as if it were a winning lottery ticket. Instead, it was probably a bill or junk mail. In a rush, Cassie had shoved her mail in her handbag without looking through it this morning.
But, honestly, who searched through someone else’s handbag?
Dusty, that’s who.
“That envelope was in my bag, Dusty. Did you go through my private stuff?” Cassie used her sternest voice, not surprised when Dusty didn’t look the least bit intimidated. Why should she? Dusty could grow furry and develop fangs at will.
Cassie could, well, she could ban people from borrowing books.
Ooh, scary.
Except, she couldn’t even do that anymore. Having just quit her job, she was currently unemployed.
But not for long.
“Let’s see, you must have something in here with your name on it.”
Dusty picked up Cassie’s red handbag, searching through it.
“Give that back.” Cassie strode forward and snatched it from Dusty’s hands. She stomped back to where she’d been working, her bag slung over her shoulder.
“Party pooper,” Dusty muttered.
Cassie gave her a stern look. Not that it worked, the other woman just grinned. Taking a deep breath, Cassie tried to distract herself. Losing her temper wouldn’t solve anything. This wasn’t her. She was always calm. Always composed.
Always boring.
She gritted her teeth at the thought, glancing around the large, cavernous room. The exposed brick and wooden book shelves combined with high ceilings and exposed beams gave it an industrial look.
She still couldn’t believe she owned a bookstore. Well, half a bookstore technically, as she and Laney were equal partners. And the bookstore wasn’t actually operational yet. But they’d be opening their doors within the next month.
They were an unlikely pairing. The beautiful werewolf and the frumpy librarian. She’d met Laney a few months ago, at the library where Cassie had worked. Seeing the other woman’s crestfallen expression when she’d told her they didn’t have the latest Nalini Singh, Cassie had taken pity and offered Laney her own copy. They’d quickly become friends, surprising Cassie, who never made friends easily.
Over a few glasses of wine one night, the idea of opening their own bookstore had been born. For Cassie, the store had been a wish she figured she’d never fulfill. But she hadn’t factored in Laney.
“Oh, Cassie,” Dusty called. Gritting her teeth, Cassie kept dusting.
She praised herself for not strangling the other woman—but then she knew who’d come out second best.
With a great deal of relief, Cassie heard the door open. She glanced over her shoulder, aiming a smile at her new business partner. But her gaze never met Laney’s. Instead, all her attention was stolen by the werewolf walking in behind her.
Cassie’s libido kicked in with a vicious intensity, her lungs suddenly bereft of air. Her stomach clenched and her body temperature rose as moisture pooled between her thighs. All noise faded except for the intense beating of her heart, which she swore was so loud it echoed around the room.
Her hormones sizzled and snapped. It was always the same around him, a reaction she simply could not control. And damn it, she had tried.
“You all right there, Cassie?” Dusty’s wide mouth turned up into a devilish grin. Cassie blushed, embarrassed to realize she’d been staring at Jay for too long, the delightfully delicious, very sexy, out-of-her-reach, enforcer of the Shadowpeak pack. He also happened to be Laney’s brother.
“Dusty,” Laney scolded lightly, but there was a twinkle in her eyes. For some reason, Laney actually liked Dusty. Dusty relished in causing torment, chaos, and trouble. She was stubborn, argumentative, occasionally mean—and Cassie was so incredibly envious of her it made her sick. She knew she’d never have the other woman’s height or glorious dark-red hair and creamy complexion, but she wished she could have just a fraction of Dusty’s attitude.
“Come on, Cassie, we’re buddies now, right? What’s the ‘B’ stand for? It must be pretty bad if you go by another name.”
“What’s all this?” The low tone of Jay’s voice sent whispers of desire through her body, making her shiver from head to toe. God, she wished she could get over this. Each time she saw him it was the same—she was like a silly schoolgirl with a crush at twenty-seven.
She really needed to get laid. Find someone fuck so she could rid herself of this overwhelming urge to shove Jay to the ground and have her wicked way with him.
Cassie sighed. “Dusty decided to go through my bag, and she found a private letter with my initials on it.” Jay and Laney stared at her, looking confused.
“My initials are B.C., and for some reason, she finds that fascinating.”
Laney rolled her eyes.
Dusty swung her legs back and forth. Cassie took another deep breath, drawing on her restraint. She would not raise her voice. If she could deal tolerantly with groups of cheeky teenagers giggling over books with dirty words or elderly patrons asking her to find the “blue book” they’d borrowed last year, then she could deal with Dusty.
Maybe.
“Hey, Cassie!” Dusty clapped her hands suddenly.
She glared at Dusty, who merely grinned back at her, unperturbed.
“You’re daydreaming. Focus, human. What does the ‘B’ stand for?”
“Why do you even care? You must have more interesting things to worry about.” She caught Dusty’s satisfied smile and realized the werewolf didn’t care, not really. What she actually wanted was to pick at Cassie until she got a reaction.
“Why didn’t I legally change my name?” she muttered under her breath. She hated her first name. It was weird, unusual, and attention-grabbing. It didn’t reflect who she was at all.
“What was that, Baby Ruth?” Dusty called out. Damn werewolf hearing.
Maybe she should just tell Dusty her name, but that would cause questions that she didn’t feel like answering.
“Baby Ruth is a chocolate bar, not a name.” Cassie rubbed at her forehead tiredly. “And my name is Brianna.”
“No, it’s not, and shame on you for lying.”
“Jeez, you’re like a dog with a bone.”
Dusty made her want to scream and yell as if she were a two-year-old.
Patience. Breathe in and out.
“Wrong, human. I’m a wolf, remember?” Dusty widened her smile, showing her sharp canines. Cassie gulped.
“Enough, Dusty. Leave Cassie alone.” Laney spoke firmly, backing up the order with a stern look when Dusty started to speak again. The redhead closed her mouth with a sigh, then shrugged and winked at Cassie.
“Now come and help me carry in some more boxes,” Laney bossed.
Dusty leapt gracefully off the counter before sauntering out of the room after Laney.
“Don’t let Dusty get to you.”
“Eek!” An embarrassing squeal escaped her lips as Jay spoke from beside her. Man, he could move quietly. The scent of amberwood danced around her, tantalizing, and teasing her senses. She breathed in deeply, thankful that the initial sucker-punch reaction to his presence had given way to a slower throb of desire.
“Oh, I’m, ah, getting used to her.” She wasn’t lying—she didn’t like Dusty any better, but she was growing used to her. However, she wouldn’t feel at all sad if Dusty were to move to, say, Tasmania.
Dusty kind of reminded Cassie of a Tasmanian devil. She was loud, ferocious, and probably had a nasty bite.
“She just uses the attitude as a way to keep people at arm’s length. Don’t take what she says personally.”
Cassie nodded, studying him surreptitiously, not really trusting her tongue to form comprehensible words. At over six feet, he had long, lean limbs. His face was strong, not classically handsome—it was a bit too square, his mouth a tad too wide. Deeply tanned, he had smooth, clear skin that she longed to run her hands over.
“You like her, don’t you?” Cassie asked bravely, startled by her own daring.
Thankfully, he didn’t snap back at her, tell her it was none of her business. Instead a pale red tinge his tanned cheeks. He let out a choked laugh.
“That obvious, huh?”
Cassie smiled a little sadly. “I don’t think Dusty’s noticed.”
He snorted. “Exactly. That’s the problem. She doesn’t notice me at all. Now, if Cain was here, then she would notice.”
Cassie gave an exaggerated shiver. “Well, I for one am glad you’re here and not Cain. He scares the curl out of my hair.” The quiet enforcer terrified her. She couldn’t even look him in the face, let alone speak to him.
Jay’s lips quirked. “You don’t have any curl in your hair.” His bright blue gaze ran over her long, very straight hair.
“I know,” she replied. “I met Cain, and he scared the curl right out of it. I used to have a full head of ringlets.” She felt a surge of happiness as he chuckled. Fool, fool, fool… Did she want to end up like her mother? Falling in love with any man who paid her attention, only to be left heartbroken and alone?
She had to stop doing this to herself. Even if he weren’t blatantly lusting after someone else, Jay was a werewolf, and she was a human. She couldn’t fit into his world. Her fantasy relationship was doomed on every side.
“Cassie, you okay?”
“Sorry, I was, umm, thinking about how you could catch Dusty’s attention.”
Fool.
“You could just ask her out.”
For God’s sake, stop being so damn helpful!
She wished she were brave enough to make a play for him. She nearly snorted. She wasn’t brave, though was she? She was a big ole coward.
The humiliation of his rejection just wasn’t worth the risk.
Once he was with Dusty, her attraction would fizzle out.
Right?
Jay peered down at her curiously. She hoped he hadn’t picked up on her lie. Laney had told her that werewolves could often sense an untruth using certain unconscious cues—a widening of the pupils, a quickening of the heartbeat. She hoped he hadn’t been paying close attention because she was a terrible liar.
He shook his head before he spoke. “Naw, I don’t think so.”
“Whew, I think that’s the last of them. For today, anyway.” Laney laughed as she stepped inside carrying a box that was almost as big as she was. Her friend’s size was deceptive—she was far stronger than a normal human.
“Bonnie!” Laney, Jay, and Cassie all looked over at Dusty in confusion. She shrugged.
“Just trying to see if I got a reaction. I know, it’s Barbara, right? You kind of look like a Barb.”
Cassie wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or not. What the hell did a Barb look like? “My name is not Bonnie or Barb.”
Jay frowned over at Dusty. “Leave Cassie alone. She doesn’t have to tell us.” He peered down at her, raising one eyebrow in query. Cassie shook her head then sighed, feeling she should explain.
“My mother loved old movies. She used them to escape her own life. Both my first and middle names came from her favorite characters. Unfortunately, she didn’t give much thought to practicality.”
Dusty clicked her fingers. “I’ve got it, Bambi!”
Cassie shook her head. “Bambi was a deer, not a person.”
The tall redhead shrugged, unconcerned. “Semantics. Beatrix then.”
“Where did Cassie come from?” Laney asked as she and Dusty began unpacking a box of books. Before Cassie could answer, Dusty held up a book with a half-naked man on the cover. A beautiful woman, scantily clad, sat at his feet, her arms tangled through his legs as she gazed rapturously up into his face.
“Jeez, you running a porn store here, Cassie?”
Cassie snatched the book from the other woman’s hand. She placed the book down on a shelf before she gave into the temptation to smack Dusty around the head with it.
It’s not the book’s fault. The book hasn’t done anything wrong.
“Cassie is short for Cassidy, as in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
“Good Lord, your name’s not Butch, is it?” Jay stared over at her in horror, and she giggled, her frustration temporarily forgotten.
“No, my name is not Butch or Bambi or Bonnie or Barb.”
“Hey, I was thinking of having a barbecue this weekend, a thank you to everyone who has been helping us. Do you all want to come?”
Cassie smiled at Laney gratefully for the change in topic.
“Yeah, sounds good, kid.” Jay grinned at his sister.
“Food that I don’t have to cook? I’m there,” Dusty replied.
“Cassie?” Laney asked. The others stared at her silently, waiting for her reply.
A barbecue with a bunch of werewolves? Sounded like the beginning of a horror movie. But they were just normal people. Well, besides the growing furry thing. And their superhuman strength. Oh, and their claws. Yep, nothing normal about having claws.
Still, she had nothing else to do. And really, what could go wrong?
Right?
“Thanks. I’d love to.”
* * * * *
“Crap. Crap!!” Cassie searched around frantically for something to help her stop the water exploding from the broken kitchen faucet. Cold water engulfed her, making her squeal with outrage. Damn, stupid ancient tap should have been replaced years ago. Only each time she’d brought it up with her landlord, he’d managed to weasel his way out of replacing it. This time, he was going to fix it, or she was leaving.
Just see if she didn’t!
“Cassie? Cassie!”
Oh, great. Just great. This was like a bad comedy.
“Somebody has got it in for me,” she muttered. “I’m in the kitchen,” she called out louder.
Since Laney called her that morning to tell her Jay would bring her to the barbeque, she’d been a mess of nerves. She’d spent hours choosing an outfit from a wardrobe that was filled mainly with boring black pants and white shirts. She’d even put on some make-up. This was the most time she’d ever spent on her appearance.
And now it was all for nothing.
“Shit.” Jay quickly took in the situation. “Where’s the mains?”
“Outside, near the letterbox.”
He raced off, and within a minute the water stopped. Cassie stood there for a moment, just trying to breathe. She was completely soaked. Her hair was plastered against her, her clothing molded to her body.
“Cassie? You okay?” Jay walked towards her.
She let out a burst of laughter. “Yep, never better.”
He ran his gaze over her, lingering on her breasts and she folded her arms over herself, embarrassed. Stupid white shirt.
“Where do you keep your towels?”
“W-what?” she asked, her teeth chattering despite the warm day.
“Towels. You’re soaked.”
Yep. She was. And not just from the water. Oh jeez, where had that thought come from? What was wrong with her? Why did she find him so damn irresistible?
“Umm, in the closet down the passage.”
He disappeared again. She stared at the water pooled on the floor and the countertop. What a mess.
Jay walked in carrying a mop in one hand and some towels in the other. He leaned the mop against the wall before placing the towels on the small, eat-in table. Instead of just throwing her a towel, he grabbed one off the top and tugged it open. He stepped towards her, wrapping the towel around her. His arms engulfed her briefly, and she barely resisted leaning into him.
He was off limits. He wanted someone else. She had to keep reminding herself of that. She couldn’t let him know how much she wanted him.
“T-thanks,” she said, grabbing hold of the towel.
She squealed as he placed his hands around her waist and lifted her over the large puddle, placing her down by the doorway.
“Stay there. I don’t want you slipping over.”
Cassie watched in amazement as he set about cleaning up the water. “You don’t have to do that.”
She took a step towards him, and he looked over his shoulder at her with a growl. “Didn’t I tell you to stay there?”
“But Jay—”
“Why don’t you go grab a quick shower while I tidy this up?”
Warmth filled her. When was the last time someone had looked after her? She couldn’t remember. Damn, it felt nice though.
“You need to warm up and get changed.”
“Okay, if you’re sure?”
He just gave her a look.
“I won’t take long.”
“No rush,” he told her. “We’re early. We have plenty of time.”
Fifteen minutes later, she walked into the kitchen to find it completely cleaned up.
“All tidied up, but you’ll need a new faucet, this one is stuffed.”
“I’ll get onto the landlord. Thanks. I’m really sorry to cause such problems.”
He frowned slightly. “No problem. I’m glad I arrived when I did. You all warmed up?”
She stared at him, studying his gorgeous face, his strong body. Yes, yes, she certainly was warm. Very warm. She cleared her throat as she realized she’d gone too long without replying.
Get it together, Cassie.
“Yes. Thanks. I, umm, made a salad. I’ll just grab it from the fridge, and we can go.” She moved to the fridge and grabbed the bowl of salad.
He peered down at the salad. “That looks great.”
She blushed slightly. “It’s just a potato salad. I wasn’t sure what to bring.”
“You’re going to a barbeque filled with werewolves. We’re always hunger. We eat anything.”
“So I shouldn’t worry if it tastes like crap?” she teased.
“Nope, we’ll eat it no matter what,” he drawled.
He took the bowl from her and followed her out, waiting while she locked the door. She fumbled slightly, nervous at having him so close, but eventually, she managed to lock the door.
When he pulled his truck out from the curb, she peered over at him, trying to study him without seeming to. “Thanks for picking me up.”
“No problem, Laney said you don’t have a car.”
“I never learned to drive.” No one had ever offered to teach her.
“No? You want to learn?”
“What?”
“If you want to learn to drive, I could teach you.”
“Really? Thanks but I couldn’t take you up on that.” He was just being nice. The idea of being trapped in a small space with him…no, it wasn’t a good idea. She’d find it impossible to concentrate.
“Why not? I’d be happy to teach you.”
“I don’t have a car.”
He grinned. “I do.”
“I might crash it.”
“I’ve got insurance. Got any other excuses to throw at me?”
She frowned. “They’re not excuses.”
“If you don’t want to do it then all you have to do is say no.”
Cassie straightened her shoulders. “Thank you. I’d be grateful if you’d teach me to drive.”
He pulled over. “Great, we’ll have the first lesson now.”
“Wait. What?”
Oh crap.
Jay looked over at Cassie sitting beside him, her hands clenched so tightly on the steering wheel that her knuckles were white. His wolf stirred, growling at him for making her do something that obviously made her extremely nervous. He’d noticed his control on the wolf slipping when he was around Cassie. The wolf liked her.
And perhaps the man did as well.
He’d certainly been stirred by the sight of her earlier, her clothing plastered to her body, her tight nipples pressing against the wet, white shirt, her curves clearly displayed. The wolf stirred again. The beast wanted her. He didn’t care that she was human. Didn’t care that Jay had sworn to never get involved with another human female again.
“Jay? Have you changed your mind?”
He shook his head, trying to clear it. While he’d been sitting here, thinking, she’d been growing increasingly more nervous.
“No. Don’t be so scared.”
She bit her lip, drawing his attention to her mouth. All he had to do was lean a little bit closer…
“Jay? Are you okay?”
“What? Yeah, of course.” Shit, he needed to get himself under control. This was his sister’s friend. His sister’s human friend. She wasn’t for him. The wolf snarled at him, and he shoved it down, closing off communication between them.
“Your eyes went golden for a moment.” She gave him a worried glance.
“Sorry. The wolf is in a grumpy mood today,” he joked.
“Oh. Okay. The wolf? You talk like it’s separate from you.”
“It is. In a way.” He’d stopped listening to the wolf after Lia. “Enough procrastinating, we’re doing this.”
“All right. But if I crash your car, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“You’re not going to crash, Cassie. We’ll take it nice and slow. It will be fine.”