Marie Harte: Right Wolf, Right Time

A glance at him made her jumpy. The dang man made her feel like prey. If he’d try to kiss her or be a bit clearer about his intentions, she’d find it easier to be open about what she wanted.

Gabby had flat-out told her she’d never reel in a male as strong as Monty if she couldn’t talk about her needs, a problem the feline had recently gone through when dealing with Grady, her new mate.

Sophie was good at learning from other people’s mistakes. She herself didn’t have an exciting social life, and she had next to zero sexual experience. One kiss in her entire twenty-six years. And that by a man she’d then—

Inwardly, she cringed. She wouldn’t think about that now. Like Theo had repeatedly told her, she had to stop blaming herself for the past and look to the future. One she very much wanted to share with Monty.

She took a deep breath and resolved to let him know how she felt. She could do it. Many of the men in town called her pretty. The gray wolves were constantly coming by the grocery store. She’d been asked out on more dates than she knew what to do with, but she’d been holding out for a particular wolf, one with an icy blue-gray stare that for some reason made her hot whenever he turned it on her.

“What’s that look?” Monty asked, his gaze narrowed.

To her excited surprise, he lingered on her mouth before pulling that mask back over his face.

She parted her lips to speak, to tell him what she wanted—for him to make her a woman. To show her what loving could be like. To finally take that step and end the naughty fantasies she’d never before experienced outside of her secret movie stash.

He took a step closer. “Sophie?” His voice sounded low, growly, as if his wolf had taken a step with him.

And then a familiar song sounded from outside her house, and the moment was lost. More references to a cartoon dog and his mystery-solving friends sung by cats sadly out of tune.

She should have been angrier about the interruption, but the cowardly woman inside her knew relief. She could once again hide from the predator waiting to pounce. That and she felt a nervous laugh coming out at the astonished, then resigned, look on his face.

“And before you ask, no, I didn’t do this. Wooing you with a cartoon character had never been my plan.” Monty pinched the bridge of his nose and headed for the front door. Over his shoulder, he muttered, “I’ll be right back,” and left, closing the door quietly in his wake.

Wooing her? Did he mean it, or was he referring to the pride’s many pranks at his expense? She heard snarls and hisses and much laughter from voices she recognized as belonging to Monty’s pridemates. A wolf among cats. It still sounded funny every time she considered his home. She shook her head and listened to the three of them growling at each other. Grady and Dean always treated her with respect and a wary distance she appreciated. Unlike Monty, she imagined they saw the killer in her eyes. They knew not to underestimate her.

But Monty only saw what he wanted to see. She hoped like hell she could keep that veil between her life now and the one she’d escaped. Because if anyone here knew what she’d once done, her safe haven in Cougar Falls would disappear. And then she’d be right back where she’d started—on the run and facing sure death at the hands of Hunters.

Monty returned shortly. His hair looked a little mussed and his shirt had come untucked. He never looked better to her than he did when rumpled.

Unable to help herself, Sophie stepped close and ran her fingers over his forehead. A bold move, but he didn’t push her away. She tucked his long black-and-gray bangs behind his ears. His shaggy, shoulder-length hair always looked in need of a cut, but she liked it that way. Oh my God, I’m touching Monty GrayClaw.

He caught her hand in his and cupped it against his cheek. Then he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them, she saw his wolf staring at her for a split second before he disappeared. Her wolf inwardly whined to join him, but Sophie wouldn’t go where she hadn’t been invited. She simply wasn’t made that way.

When Monty released her hand, she dropped it to her side.

He blew out a breath. “How about that steak you promised me? I worked up an appetite.”

“Kicking cat butt can do that.”

He laughed. “Yeah, it can.”

They settled into dinner at her table, where she’d dithered for an hour before he’d arrived. Afraid he might get the right idea and know how much she desired to increase the intimacy between them, she’d stashed the candles. Instead, she used a vase as the centerpiece, where she’d put the flowers he’d brought her.

The raggedly things looked right between them. A gesture of Monty’s affection…and not just politeness, she hoped.

“This is the best meal I’ve had in months. Don’t tell Rachel this, but the woman isn’t the best cook. Maggie’s not bad.” Joel’s—the bear’s—wife. “But dessert’s her thing.”

“What about the other cats?”

“Dean and Grady act like they’re all thumbs anytime anyone mentions cooking, and their mates are just as bad. The foxes help if asked, but Rachel’s pretty territorial. She doesn’t want Burke screwing up her kitchen, so it’s pretty much just her and Maggie. The Miami cats are hopeless.” He meant the other female cats that had recently joined the pride. Their brother had apparently left, according to town gossip.

“What’s it like with so many cats there now? It used to just be the Chastells. Now you have four more women.” Females living close to Monty. She didn’t like that. Not one bit.

“Three, actually. Joy is still down in Miami.” He frowned. “But none of her sisters have heard from her in a while. I think there’s more trouble brewing than we know about.”

She paused. Trouble and Monty seemed to go hand in hand. “Will they need your help?” From what she knew about Monty, he could track anything anywhere. Even the gray wolf alpha turned to him when real trouble hit close to home.

“Maybe. I’m pride. Whatever’s needed, I’ll do. Even if the Miami cats are slow to settle in, they’re family.”

“Oh, right.” Being an outsider, she wasn’t used to belonging. The order allowed her latitude because she still had issues with other wolves. But she knew the time was coming when they’d insist she start looking for a mate. With the low number of she-wolves in town, Sophie brought more than just another Shifter to Cougar Falls. She brought the possibility of a new generation of wolves with her.

Her gaze caught Monty’s. What would it be like to belong to someone who had that sense of loyalty? Who would always have her back and make sure she never wanted for anything?

“Can I help you clear the table?” Monty was moving before she could answer.

She refused to let him do any dishes. Instead, she sliced him up a plate of his favorite dessert—New York-style cheesecake with cherries on top.

“Man, Sophie. You are the absolute best.”

Monty ate up half the pie, and she wrapped the rest for him to take home. They adjourned to the living room and shared the couch, though he took one end and she the other. They watched a few sitcoms as the evening turned into night.

She had hopes, though his gaze continued to stray toward the clock in her living room. The silence between them grew strained while her need to kiss him grew stronger. Her wolf badgered her to take what she wanted, telling her that she’d waited for him long enough.

But when she tried to breach the distance between them, Monty shot off the couch as if he’d been prodded with a branding iron.

“Damn. It’s getting late. I’d best be going.”