When Lori drove up, he went outside to help her carry the groceries up the steps.
âThe Cooper brothers were here,â he said, as if she didnât know it, and as soon as he said it, he realized he sounded accusatory.
He couldnât help it. She and Rose didnât have a pack to watch out for them. Packs served a purposeâin the wild, as protection for their members, and for lupus garous , to keep them safe from humans and from other wolves.
Still, the annoyed look Lori gave him made him think that if sheâd had that broom in her hand, she would have bashed him with it again.
Chapter 5
âDonât look at me like that, Paul,â Lori growled, setting the groceries on the counter. âLike Rose and I committed the crime of the century. The brothers wanted to visit us and go swimming in the lake. And why am I explaining myself to you? I donât owe you any explanation!â It was her decision, her mistake, but hers to deal with. And sheâd dealt with it. Not fully to her satisfaction, but the best she could have at the moment.
Paul eyed her warily. âYou asked them to go swimming with you? And you smack me in the head with a broom?â
It did sound kind of funny. Lucky for him, he said it with a teasing light in his eyes, or she would have been totally pissed off.
â They were invited to the cabin. You werenât expected at Catherineâs house. What would you do if you were talking to the guys, just having a normal conversation, and I snuck into the house wearing all black clothes and black face paint, carrying a gun, and suddenly appeared out of the dark in a totally alarming way?â
He smiled, albeit a little evilly. âI wouldnât have hesitated to tackle you, take you down to the floor, disarm you, andâ¦well, no telling what else.â
Kissed her, she was certain after what happened the last time. She still couldnât believe sheâd caught him so off guard and taken him down instead. Then again, he probably hadnât even considered she might do that to him. Now she was thinking of how it would have been if the roles were reversed, and yeah, she could see him doing it too.
âI know martial arts.â As if that would have prevented him from getting the upper hand. Though at that point, sheâd had no plan to spar with him, instead deciding to just enjoy the sensual moment.
âYeah, you do a good job at it. So I might have had a bit of a struggle when I tackled you, but in the endâ¦â He shrugged and grinned so roguishly that she fought smiling back.
She was still irritated with his attitude about the Cooper brothers having been there. Rose and she had their reason. She would have told him why, if he hadnât badgered her so about it.
âDid Emma know you allowed the ranch hands to come here?â
Loriâs jaw dropped. She couldnât believe Paulâs gall. âI can bring anyone here that I like. My grandma hasnât visited the place in over a year. She doesnât care what I do as long as I take care of things.â
Paul snorted. âI can guarantee she wouldnât like you and Rose having those wolves up here. And neither would Catherine or Allan.â
âOr you , apparently.â She hastily put the groceries away. âThey just came up here to swim and visit for a while.â
âRight. The way they were strutting onstage, they would have wanted more than that from two pretty wolves.â
She paused, appreciating the compliment, even though he was annoying her with the conversation. She didnât remember ever hearing him call her or Rose pretty. âMaybe they did, but we didnât have anything else in mind. Besides, if we had wanted to do something else with them, that would have been our business. Not yours . And if you go sniffing around the place looking for their scents in the bedrooms, you can walk right out the door. Iâll paint and do whatever needs
Richard Mabry
Kory M. Shrum
Diane Hoh
Roy Glenn
Leo Mark
Jaycee Clark
Alison Hughes
Dina Chapel
Lisa Kleypas
Lesley Pearse