Leave it to Chloe to start a new trend.
Although she approached the counter with a confident stride, a pang of fear rattled inside her chest. This wasn’t home—this was wolf country. She was in the den of beasts. She shrugged the notion aside in an instant, relying on anger and worry. Chloe needed her. If not, she never would have contacted Rachel so early in the morning. She needed to find out where Chloe was and make sure her friend was safe.
“Damn it,” a deep, masculine voice yelled from the back. “We’re not open. Come back during business hours.”
Displaying more bravado than she felt, she screamed back, “The open sign is on and the door wasn’t locked. I need to speak to a member of management.”
Curses rang from the back of the building and she heard a chair scrape against the floor. She braced herself, pulse racing, her breath coming out in stilted gasps. No one could make her do anything she didn’t want to do. Mortal police were weaker than preternatural law enforcement but they didn’t back down. Not when it came to their people. She relied on that fact, even as her fight or flight instincts kicked in.
Be strong.
A figure appeared at the end of the hall and stomped in her direction. She didn’t look away, lifting her head, keeping her shoulders straight. She hadn’t traveled into his neck of the woods to be turned away. As a female mechanic, she dealt with her fair share of dickheads. Men always assumed she would be gullible or stupid, something she was quick to nip in the bud. This asshole—even if he wasn’t entirely human—couldn’t bully her unless she let him.
“What the hell do you want?” he snapped, approaching fast. “I told you that we’re not…”
He stopped halfway down the hall, nostrils flaring. His dark hair was clipped short, a few strands ruffled around his ears. His features were more arresting than she could ever have imagined—full lips surrounded by a slight covering of shadow, a nose in perfect proportion to his face and a squared jaw with a steady tic that made him seem dangerous.
His brown eyes turned gold, his irises striking in the dark.
Trying to shake off his presence, she responded, “Chloe Bryant sent me.”
That seemed to reach him. He shook his head and took another step. From her vantage point she could see his arms. The black T-shirt didn’t fully cover the intricate, ink sleeves that covered his skin. The tribal designs contained what appeared to be wolves within the layers.
“And you are?”
“Rachel,” she answered quickly, meeting his gaze.
“Rachel…?” he prodded, obviously wanting her last name, and stopped in front of her. This close—standing just inches away from him from the counter—she could smell him. Like a touch of the woods, forest and earth. Were werewolves supposed to smell this good?
Who cares? You’re not here to get warm and cozy with a man who changes into a dog and hikes his leg at trees to mark his territory. Get a grip!
“Just Rachel,” she retorted hotly, getting her hormones under control.
“What can I do for you, Just Rachel?” he asked, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. If he meant to break the ice, he’d fucked up big-time. He was teasing her, and she hated being teased.
“I’ve come to pick up Chloe.” When he didn’t react one way or another and just stood there watching her, she asked between gritted teeth, “Are you hard of hearing? Do I need to break out in sign?”
“Actually my hearing is better than most.” The man across from her lost his playfulness and leaned against the counter, the muscles in his chest flexing with the motion. “As you can see, you made a trip for nothing. Chloe isn’t here.”
“Don’t even. I’m not in the mood for games.” She smirked and moved closer. “You don’t want me to call the police, do you? I’m sure they’d love to hear that a human woman entered your parlor and vanished. You might even make the evening news.”
Instead of taking her threat at face value, he grinned. Her insides wilted and burned white-hot. The air seemed to thicken, making it difficult to breathe. When she drew a deep breath the scent in the air increased, swarming her mind, making her sway on her feet.
“You wouldn’t do that,” he rasped, still looking her in the eye. “Not to me.”
The hell I wouldn’t.
“Oh yes I would.” She ground out the words, forcing her increased libido aside, remembering why she’d come here. Chloe needed her. An attractive man with what appeared to be a gorgeous body wasn’t going to catch her off guard. “In fact, I called them before I came here.”
His irises flashed, becoming gold. “You’re lying,” he stated with total conviction, watching her with eyes that saw more than she wanted them to.
Anger replaced desire. True, she hadn’t called the police, but there was no way he could possibly know that.
“Wanna bet?”
He paused as though he was trying to read her. Then his attention shifted to the door. She heard a car pull up to the parlor and his golden eyes narrowed. In a split second the annoying man moved, standing in front of her one moment and beside her the next. The teasing glint in his gaze was gone, replaced with an anger that sent her heart thundering in alarm.
“Son of a bitch.” He reached out, snagged her arm and tugged her around the counter. “I don’t have time for this shit.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” She tried to yank away and winced when his grip increased, his fingers biting into her jacket. “Hey! Let go, asshole!”
If he heard he didn’t listen, literally dragging her down the hallway. Terrified and unable to do anything else, she tried to drop to the ground. To her shock, he seemed to know what she was going to do before she did it. He caught her, slipping his arms beneath her legs and back. She squirmed as he carried her into a room and slammed the door closed with the heel of his boot. He thrust her into a tattoo chair, knocking the air from her lungs, and took a step back. He looked intimidating, folding his massive arms over his chest.
“All right, Just Rachel. Listen up. I’m only going to say this once. Keep your sweet little ass parked in that chair until I get back. If you piss me off you won’t like what happens.”
Her heart skipped a beat before it started to race. “Are you threatening me?” A part of her actually hoped he was threatening her, that he wasn’t all bluff.
What the hell?
“Nope, threats are a waste of time.” He glanced at the door, cursed and returned his attention to her. “Keep quiet. We’ll talk about Chloe after I take care of business.”
With that he spun on his heel to exit the room.
“Wait,” she called out, wondering if he’d ignore the request.
He took a deep breath and glanced over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“You didn’t tell me your name.” She wanted to wince as soon as she said it, wishing she could take the words back.
Now you’ve gone and done it, dummy.
It was a stupid, girly thing to say. And she knew it.
She should be asking about Chloe or scrambling out of the chair. Instead she felt an odd tug in her chest, some part of her wanting to know at least something about the man standing imposingly across from her.
The amused grin on his face made her tingly in all the wrong places. “I didn’t, did I?”
Even though she was hoping for more, he left her guessing.
The door closed behind him with a soft snick. She gasped for air, realizing it was difficult to breathe. This wasn’t the woman she’d trained herself to be—strong, unbreakable and unwilling to bend to another’s will. The pride she took in her self-assurance cracked, leaving her shaken.