It stung. Even though he’d expected it, it still hurt. His chest ached so badly that he almost glanced down to make sure he hadn’t sustained an injury in the altercation with Michael, even though he knew he hadn’t. He resisted the urge to rub the area over his heart.
She continued, seemingly oblivious to the pain she was causing him, each word hammering at his body and soul, injuring him worse than any hunter or rogue ever had.
“This shouldn’t have happened. We both know it.” She raked her fingers through her long, tangled hair. “You’re a stranger passing through town and I…” She took a moment to find the word she wanted. “I was vulnerable.”
“Are you saying I took advantage of you?” She might as well stab him through the heart with a silver-bladed dagger. He was many things—a cold-blooded killer among them—but never in his life had he done anything that could be construed as harming a woman. That went against every code of honor he lived by. He protected. It was who he was.
“No! No,” she repeated more softly. The fact that she seemed as horrified as he did by the thought appeased him somewhat.
“I’m saying I let my hormones rule my good sense. I invited you into my bed last night. You gave me a choice. Now I have to live with the consequences.”
“It’s not all bad—”
“Not for you. You’re leaving Chicago and going back to wherever it is you come from.”
“North Carolina,” he interjected. He wanted her to know more about him even as the security-minded part of his brain argued against it. The less she knew, the safer she was.
“Wherever. My point is that this is my home. This is my pack and I’ve put them all in danger by bringing a stranger into our home. Into my bed.”
Isaiah frowned. He understood caution. That was only smart, and Meredith was a very intelligent woman. But he’d been hanging around for days now. She’d trusted him enough to sleep with him. Surely she knew he wouldn’t betray them to bounty hunters. What was she hiding?
“I need to get a shower and you need to leave.” She sidled past him on her way to the bathroom. She was so close he could feel the heat from her body. He could also smell himself on her and it made him hard.
He ignored his erection as he tracked her path to the bathroom.
“This can’t happen again.” She shut the door quietly and he heard the snick of the lock. They both knew he could easily break down the door. The lock was more symbolic than a physical barrier.
“The hell this is over,” he muttered as he snagged his jeans from the floor and tugged them on. He winced as he tucked his dick to one side and carefully pulled up the zipper. Swearing, he sat down on the edge of the bed, ignoring the inviting pillows and the cozy comforter that was half on and half off the mattress. He pulled his socks and sneakers over and put them on, his mind working as he tied the laces.
He picked up his shirt and pulled it over his head, not bothering to tuck it in. As he stood, his gaze went to the bathroom. The shower came on and he closed his eyes. His entire body tightened as the memory of a naked, wet Meredith filled his mind. Her pale skin glistening, her dark hair slicked over her back like a sleek pelt. He wanted to see her in her wolf form. Felt cheated that he hadn’t. She’d be lean and her fur would be the color of her hair. He just knew it.
His feet moved of their own volition, leading him to the bathroom door. He placed his fingers against the wood, wanting more than anything to be in there with her.
Swearing, he whirled away and stalked from the room. This wasn’t his problem. He’d had a great night of sex. Why couldn’t he leave it at that? Why was he worried about what was going to happen with Meredith and her family? And what secret was she hiding from him about her pack?
He paused in the living room and stared at the window latch. There was no way he could leave here with it still broken. Muttering to himself, he went into her kitchen area and tugged open all the drawers until he found a screwdriver. It wasn’t much of a fix, but he reattached the latch from where he’d popped it off the night before.
When he was done, he dropped the screwdriver onto the counter next to a notepad that was sitting by her phone. He grabbed a pen and wrote a quick to-the-point note that told her to get better locks for her windows.
He stalked back to the window and went out the way he’d come in only hours before. Such a short time, but he felt as though the experience had changed him in ways he couldn’t even comprehend.
“Whatever,” he grumbled as he pulled it partially shut behind him. He didn’t close it all the way because he wanted her to notice it and lock it behind him.
He went down the fire escape, landing lightly on his feet as he hit the ground. He should go. He had work to do. It was already past the time where he should be watching Riley’s Garage. He was neglecting his responsibilities to his own pack. And that just wasn’t like him. His brothers were his family. Nothing came before them and he was here to help his brother and sister-in-law, not to have hot sex with some sexy she-wolf.
Still, he eased back into the shadows on the far side of the neighboring building. He couldn’t leave, not until he knew her apartment was secure.
His patience was rewarded some fifteen minutes later when Meredith appeared in the window. She closed and latched the window. Pausing, she stared out the glass right at the area where he was standing. He couldn’t be sure if she saw him. Not that it mattered. A second later she turned and left.
Isaiah shoved away from the brick wall and headed down the alleyway to the sidewalk. He wondered what was going to happen between her and her pack.
“None of your business,” he told himself. Problem was it very much felt like his business.
What he needed was a shower and a hot breakfast. He was already running behind so he flagged down a passing cab and climbed in. Giving directions to his motel, he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.
“You okay, buddy?” the cabby asked.
“No, but I will be,” he responded. He had to be. He was here to do a job and leave. Nothing more. Nothing less.
But he suspected it was way too late for that now. It had been too late from the moment he’d first heard Meredith’s voice.
Chapter Nine
Meredith’s hands shook as she closed the living room window and latched it. So that was how Isaiah had gotten in. She’d been so caught in the web of her sexual needs last night she hadn’t thought to question how he’d gotten into her apartment.
He had to be angry with her after the way she’d dismissed him and put her family ahead of him. Not that she could do anything else, she told herself. Yet he’d fixed her window latch before leaving, taking the time to ensure her safety.
He was like no male she’d ever met before. The calm, matter-of-fact way he’d handled her son, controlling him without hurting more than his pride was an indication of just how powerful and dangerous he was. The way he fixed her window before leaving told her he had a deep sense of responsibility.
She sensed him standing in the shadows. Watching. Making certain she closed and locked the window before she left her apartment, as per his instructions. It was both infuriating and seductive. She’d never known a male, other than her sons, to make her feel protected and special. And this was totally different. Lying in his arms this morning, she’d felt safe, wanted to burrow closer instead of running away. A first for her.
Turning from the window, she strode across the room. There was no space in her life for a male, especially not one who had a life elsewhere. It was one night and one night only. She’d known that going in. And if her heart ached and her wolf howled in protest, she’d ignore both.