it.
She couldn’t afford to think that way, though. She was here for business, and he’d agreed to get started this morning. She heard soft movement in the apartment outside her door, and she caught a faint whiff of the divine smell of coffee.
She got up, pulled on jeans, and zipped up a hoodie sweatshirt over the t-shirt. She tied her hair back in a ponytail and opened her door.
The apartment was quiet, peaceful in the morning light. Coffee brewed in the kitchen, and Anna spied a fresh loaf of bread, some fruit, some hard boiled eggs on a plate. The coffeemaker rumbled as it did its thing.
“You’re up.”
She turned to see Ian sitting on the sill of the big window in the living room. He had been looking out of it, down over the street, but now he was looking at her. He wore a black t-shirt and a black pair of cotton drawstring pants. His feet were bare, and one long, muscled leg was propped up on the sill, his muscled arm slung over the knee. She could see the edge of his wolf tattoo emerging from the sleeve of the shirt. His hair was mussed, and the scruff on his jaw was a dark shadow, the short beard framing his mouth. His green eyes looked steadily at her, unreadable. He was relaxed and tousled and so utterly gorgeous she couldn’t say anything for a minute.
I saw him naked yesterday, she thought, the memory of what he’d looked like coming unbidden into her mind. I watched him turn into a wolf.
She swallowed. “I see coffee brewing.”
“Help yourself.”
“Do werewolves drink coffee?”
That made him smile, the picture heart-stopping. “Sometimes. This morning, we do. When we’ve just gotten out of prison.”
Right. She’d actually forgotten that for a minute. “How was your first night?”
“In my own bed? In my own place? Without a hundred other guys shouting and smelling the place up?” He smiled again. “Pretty good.”
“I’m glad,” she said. She walked to the kitchen and pulled out two mugs, since he wasn’t holding one. “It looks like Nolan’s wife made good on her promise and stocked your kitchen.”
“She takes good care of me,” Ian said. “Not that I deserve it.”
“I don’t know about that,” Anna said. The coffee smelled like heaven. “People seem to like you in Shifter Falls. You led me to believe otherwise.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “You have a way with drunk grizzly bears, at least.”
“You haven’t met my brothers,” Ian said.
“Are they anything like you?” Anna asked, crossing the room and handing him his steaming coffee cup.
“Sure,” Ian said. “They’re exactly like me.” He flashed her a look. “Just not as good-looking.”
“You’re flirting,” she said, her throat dry. “You’re not supposed to do that, remember?”
“I told you, I don’t flirt, I observe,” Ian replied. “My brothers really aren’t as good-looking as me. You’ll see.”
She took a sip from her own cup. “You think I’m going to meet them?”
“I guarantee it,” he said. “All three of them know I’m here by now. At least one of them will come find me. Maybe all of them.”
“Do you think they’ll try something?”
“To kill me, you mean?” He sipped his coffee and frowned, as if pondering this question was something he did every day. “Probably not today. But soon.”
“Why not today?”
He blinked at her. “You feeling bloodthirsty or something?”
“I’ve never had three of my brothers out to kill me before. I guess I just don’t know the protocol.”
Ian turned and looked back out the window, staring over the street. “They’ll want to scare me first, see if one of them can turn my loyalty. I’m still a Donovan brother, and I’ve never shown an interest in becoming alpha. If I throw my lot in behind one of the others, then I’m more use alive than dead.”
It all sounded so primitive, Anna could hardly believe she was still in modern Colorado, with the human world just a few hours away. “Would you do that?”
She couldn’t afford to think that way, though. She was here for business, and he’d agreed to get started this morning. She heard soft movement in the apartment outside her door, and she caught a faint whiff of the divine smell of coffee.
She got up, pulled on jeans, and zipped up a hoodie sweatshirt over the t-shirt. She tied her hair back in a ponytail and opened her door.
The apartment was quiet, peaceful in the morning light. Coffee brewed in the kitchen, and Anna spied a fresh loaf of bread, some fruit, some hard boiled eggs on a plate. The coffeemaker rumbled as it did its thing.
“You’re up.”
She turned to see Ian sitting on the sill of the big window in the living room. He had been looking out of it, down over the street, but now he was looking at her. He wore a black t-shirt and a black pair of cotton drawstring pants. His feet were bare, and one long, muscled leg was propped up on the sill, his muscled arm slung over the knee. She could see the edge of his wolf tattoo emerging from the sleeve of the shirt. His hair was mussed, and the scruff on his jaw was a dark shadow, the short beard framing his mouth. His green eyes looked steadily at her, unreadable. He was relaxed and tousled and so utterly gorgeous she couldn’t say anything for a minute.
I saw him naked yesterday, she thought, the memory of what he’d looked like coming unbidden into her mind. I watched him turn into a wolf.
She swallowed. “I see coffee brewing.”
“Help yourself.”
“Do werewolves drink coffee?”
That made him smile, the picture heart-stopping. “Sometimes. This morning, we do. When we’ve just gotten out of prison.”
Right. She’d actually forgotten that for a minute. “How was your first night?”
“In my own bed? In my own place? Without a hundred other guys shouting and smelling the place up?” He smiled again. “Pretty good.”
“I’m glad,” she said. She walked to the kitchen and pulled out two mugs, since he wasn’t holding one. “It looks like Nolan’s wife made good on her promise and stocked your kitchen.”
“She takes good care of me,” Ian said. “Not that I deserve it.”
“I don’t know about that,” Anna said. The coffee smelled like heaven. “People seem to like you in Shifter Falls. You led me to believe otherwise.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “You have a way with drunk grizzly bears, at least.”
“You haven’t met my brothers,” Ian said.
“Are they anything like you?” Anna asked, crossing the room and handing him his steaming coffee cup.
“Sure,” Ian said. “They’re exactly like me.” He flashed her a look. “Just not as good-looking.”
“You’re flirting,” she said, her throat dry. “You’re not supposed to do that, remember?”
“I told you, I don’t flirt, I observe,” Ian replied. “My brothers really aren’t as good-looking as me. You’ll see.”
She took a sip from her own cup. “You think I’m going to meet them?”
“I guarantee it,” he said. “All three of them know I’m here by now. At least one of them will come find me. Maybe all of them.”
“Do you think they’ll try something?”
“To kill me, you mean?” He sipped his coffee and frowned, as if pondering this question was something he did every day. “Probably not today. But soon.”
“Why not today?”
He blinked at her. “You feeling bloodthirsty or something?”
“I’ve never had three of my brothers out to kill me before. I guess I just don’t know the protocol.”
Ian turned and looked back out the window, staring over the street. “They’ll want to scare me first, see if one of them can turn my loyalty. I’m still a Donovan brother, and I’ve never shown an interest in becoming alpha. If I throw my lot in behind one of the others, then I’m more use alive than dead.”
It all sounded so primitive, Anna could hardly believe she was still in modern Colorado, with the human world just a few hours away. “Would you do that?”
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