Dance on the Wilde Side: Cannon Pack, Book 2 Read online

  “Believe me. Bambi could hurt you if he wanted to. But you’ll get used to hunting. In fact, as soon as you shift the first time, you’ll find you’ll have a real appetite for tracking down your own food.” He rose up, bending over her to nip her on the shoulder.

  Tala laughed and pushed him back. “If you say so. But I’d still prefer a four-star hotel with room service.” But would she ever shift? Hadn’t she tried to morph many times during their self-imposed seclusion and had failed every time?

  Devlin noted her turned-down mouth and cleared his throat so she’d pay closer attention to him. “I know what you’re thinking.”

  “Oh, you do, do you?” She playfully slapped his shoulder. “Think you know me so well, huh?”

  “Yeah, I do.” His palm slid over her cheek, a loving, cherishing gesture. “Don’t worry. You’ll change when you’re ready. So quit worrying about it.”

  She blew out an aggravated sigh and concentrated on the sexy body next to hers. “Okay. I’ll try.” She traced a path over his hard pecs, down the firm hills and valley of his six-pack abs and stopped just short of the curly mass below. Devlin had remarkable recuperative powers, but she didn’t think even he would be ready to romp again this soon. Wow, how her life had changed since Devlin’s appearance! “You know I’ve got to go into work tomorrow, right?”

  Devlin grumbled and flipped onto his side to face her. “Don’t. Stay with me instead.” His eyes grew darker with worry. “Besides, the hunters I told you about may still be around. I want you here, safe in my arms.”

  “I can’t believe there’s this whole other world filled with shifters and people who hunt them.” She shook her head, more concerned for him than for herself. “Besides, why would they care about me? I’m not a shifter. At least, not yet.”

  He tightened his hold on her as if he’d never let her go. Which, she thought, was not a bad way to live.

  “They might use you to get to me.”

  She envisioned Devlin’s bloodied body, cold and lifeless, and a chill passed over her. “I’d never let them use me to hurt you. Or your family.”

  “You might not have a choice.” He dove into her, pulling her down into his dark depths.

  Running her fingertip over his full lips, he surprised and thrilled her when he sucked her finger into his mouth. He ran his tongue around the length and a flash of pleasure erupted in her belly. “You’re so bad for me, Devlin.”

  “Yeah, but I’m a good kind of bad.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, mimicking Groucho Marx. “And you love being bad with me.”

  “True. But someone’s got to pay the rent. And I like the idea of having a kept man.”

  He nuzzled her neck, nipping at the hollow between her collarbones. “You can keep me any way you want.”

  “And you’d be worth every penny.”

  He growled, a seriousness replacing his lighthearted manner. “Let me pay. Let me take care of everything.”

  “No way. I’m an independent woman.” With regret, she pulled her finger away from his mouth and studied his face, trying to determine if he’d meant it and saw that he had. “Just how do you get money, anyway? I mean, you said you’re in the import-export industry, but you never talk about your business.” Like him, she edged up on her elbow and poked him in the chest. “What are you, connected to the Mafia? Don’t tell me there’s a shifter Mafioso.”

  He puffed out his cheeks, Marlon Brando style, mimicking the actor in his Godfather portrayal. “People do favors for me. I make them an offer they can’t refuse. Capiche?”

  She squealed when he hoisted her body on top of his. Gliding his hands down her torso, he clamped onto her ass. “See, woman? You’d better behave or you could end up with a horse’s head in your bed.”

  “Better the head of a horse than the asshole of a wolf.”

  “Why, you little—” He went in for the attack, tickling her just under the ribs.

  “Argh! Quit it!” Tala pinched his nipples, making him yelp in feigned pain. As if she could ever truly hurt him. At last, he stopped tickling her. “No, seriously, Devlin. Tell me the truth. Are you independently wealthy or what?”

  “Okay, okay. No need to get violent.” He tilted his head, moving one hand through the hair falling forward over her face. “Actually, I have many lucrative investments making very substantial profits. And, due to my incredible business savvy—” he wiggled his eyebrows at her, “—I’ve got good people who oversee the daily operations so I don’t have to. You’ve heard me on the phone with my friend Conrad, right? He’s my right-hand man.”

  She leaned forward to playfully bite his nipple. “Don’t you mean right-paw man?”

  “Hey, watch the teeth or I’ll have to use mine on you. And mine are bigger.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Promises, promises.”

  He chuckled and raked his finger along her arm. The simple gesture wetted the cleft between her legs. Devlin only has to touch me to touch me.

  “Working to earn money isn’t a necessity. It’s not for me and it won’t be for you.”

  Her mouth fell open. “Are you saying you really are independently wealthy?”

  Clutching a bunch of her hair, he ran a thumb along the top of her ear, looking at it as though he’d never seen an ear as beautiful as hers. “Let’s just say, money will never be a problem.”

  “Holy shit, Devlin. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Should I have?” His dark eyes grew grave. “Why? Is money that important to you?”

  She tweaked his nipple again for good measure. “I’m not a gold digger, if that’s what you’re asking. But now that I know you’re loaded, I’ll definitely let you pay half the frickin’ rent.”

  For a second she was afraid he’d not understood her joke. Then he let loose with a deep, rolling laugh and pulled her to him.

  ƒ

  George followed Tala across the street and through the entrance of the zoo. As he was about to approach her, however, a box-shaped man slid out from behind a vendor’s stall, placing himself behind her. Two other men joined him, keeping their distance from each other and Tala. But George could see they were together by the unspoken signals they sent each other.

  Hmm, seems sweet Tala has more admirers. George slacked off his pace so they wouldn’t notice him. What’s going on?

  He trailed the men at a greater distance as they followed Tala. When she entered the building housing her office, they stopped and took up different positions outside. Sliding onto a bench, George picked up a discarded zoo map and pretended to study it.

  Why were these men following Tala? He checked them out and noted their similar nondescript beige clothing. They were trying to appear to be typical zoo visitors, but they kept glancing at the door. They’d tracked her for a reason. But why? He got comfortable on the bench and waited.

  George checked his watch. Thirty minutes had passed since they’d taken up their various positions. Come on, guys. Make a move. She’s not coming out anytime soon.

  As if on command, the chunky man signaled to the others and walked away, scooting around the corner of the building housing the restrooms. His companions, however, remained at their posts.

  Oh, sure. Go take a leak. Don’t worry about keeping your watch. George frowned and squirmed in place. He wasn’t the only one needing a break. But he’d be damned if he’d leave and miss anything.

  When one of the men glanced in his direction, George whipped the map back in front of his face and ducked his head. Don’t get stupid. Stay alert.

  I wonder what she has that they want. Curiosity made him peek over the edge of the map again. “Five bucks say these guys have something to do with your freaky boyfriend.”

  “Now there’s a bet you’d win.”

  A smelly rag clamped over his mouth and nose. An arm snaked around his chest, dragging him behind the bushes. Struggling against the unseen attacker, he squealed but the rag muffled the sound. Seconds later, a terrifying darkness swept over him.

  Ch
apter Ten

  George struggled against the giant man pinning his arms behind him. “Who the fuck are you guys?”

  The squat man who stood in front of him crossed his arms, obviously not in a pleasant mood. “I was gonna ask you the same thing.” A long scar, the type of scar a person got after a battle for his life, ran down the side of the man’s neck.

  “None of your damn business.” George scanned the inside of the work shed. Dim light filtered through the cracks in the small wood building and he contemplated shouting for help. Until a strong hand throttled his neck, choking off his air supply.

  “Watch how you talk, little man.” His tormentor pressed his nose close to his. “I don’t take shit from a nobody like you.”

  The monster of a man let go of George’s throat, giving much-needed oxygen to his brain. Once the fuzziness left him, he tried a different approach. Maybe he wasn’t a brave man, but he wasn’t an idiot, either. He coughed and sputtered out the words. “S-sorry. Didn’t know you were so touchy.”

  The satisfied smirk his captor sported held no warmth. “Like I said. Who are you?”

  He rolled his head around, trying to ease some of the pain throbbing at the base of his skull and buying himself time to think. “Name’s George. And you?”

  “His name’s Skanland and I’m Carl.”

  Skanland struck out in his direction and George braced for the blow. But the blow zipped by him, instead whacking the brute holding his arms. At least the hit hadn’t been meant for him.

  “Shut up. I’ll do the talking, dumbass.”

  Carl didn’t budge and tightened the grip on George’s arms. “Hey, not so rough.”

  “Why were you watching us?” Skanland fingered a toothpick out of his pocket and propped it in the side of his mouth.

  Should he tell them? George studied the man before him. Granted, Skanland didn’t appear to be the brightest brick in the wall, but just how stupid was he? Still, he had nothing to gain by telling a lie—especially when the truth might serve his purpose better. “Doing like you. Following the bitch.”

  Interest popped into Skanland’s eyes. “Is that so? You know the pretty lady?”

  George nodded, thinking too much honesty might be hazardous to his health. “Sure do. Intimately.”

  “Intimately?” Carl’s sour breath slid over George’s shoulder. He swallowed the bad taste and hoped he wouldn’t hurl.

  “He means he’s fucked her, asshole.” Skanland chuckled and grabbed his crotch for emphasis. “And I bet she’s hot in bed, huh?”

  Happy that Skanland had bought his story, George winked, enjoying the opportunity to embellish his fib. “You don’t know the half of it. She can suck the lid off a beer bottle. Of course, you gotta slap her around a little first. As an incentive, you know.”

  Skanland’s interest jumped up ten degrees. “So she likes getting slapped around, huh?”

  “Doesn’t matter what she likes.” George recognized a man who liked to beat up women. After all, it took one to know one.

  The three men shared a laugh. Skanland abruptly stopped, scrutinized him, and waved his hand at Carl. “Let him go.”

  “Aw, do I have to? He’s so…soft.”

  Huh?

  Carl’s fingers swept down George’s arms to squeeze his elbows. With a grunt of displeasure, Carl reluctantly released him.

  “Ugh.” George stumbled forward a few inches before gaining his stability. Rolling his shoulders around and shaking his arms to loosen up the soreness, he glanced furtively around the enclosure for any possible escape route. “I told you my little secret.” Fixing his gaze on Skanland, he added, “Now tell me yours.”

  But Skanland wasn’t ready yet. He walked over to the side of the building and peered through a slot in the wall. “I bet you ain’t too cozy with the female any longer.” Turning back to him, he took out the toothpick and grinned. “Are you?”

  Female? George swallowed the wad of spit he wanted to aim directly at the man’s wide, flat forehead. Instead, he played along with the assumptions since they happened to be true. “Naw. The uh, female, has a little ego problem. She fired me and thinks she won’t get punished for it. Nobody fires a man like me.”

  Skanland snorted. “Everybody fires a dick like you.”

  Rankled, George started to object, but Carl’s wink caught him by surprise. Did the big lug just flirt with me? Argh.

  “And what about her friend? She throw you over for him?” Skanland popped the toothpick back into his mouth.

  George scowled, unhappy to be put in a position of ridicule. “The freak? He won’t last long.”

  Skanland threw away the toothpick and stepped closer. The body odor from the man almost brought George to his knees. Shit. Metrosexual he’s not.

  “I think we have a mutual interest in those two. You want to pay her back? You lookin’ to get rid of him? If so, I think we could do business. Whaddya say?”

  Forgetting about the foul smell, George cocked his head. “I’d say…tell me what you’ve got in mind.”

  “We don’t give a shit about your bitch. What we want is her boyfriend and his buddy. But I’m thinking once he’s out of the way, you can move in on her.”

  “His buddy?” Crap. Was there another one like Freak Man? George darted his attention between the two men and knew they weren’t lying.

  “Yeah. The one in the parking lot.”

  George scowled at the squat man. “I don’t know anything about a parking lot. So there’s another one like the—like him?”

  “And he’s a big one, too.”

  George studied Carl and took a moment to let the news sink in. Shit. If this big ape thinks the other one’s big, then he must be really big. Yet he knew an opportunity when he saw one. “Here’s the deal. If you guys want to get both of the freaks, then listen up.”

  Skanland and Carl shut up, their interest leveled on him. Power unlike he’d ever experienced before rushed through him, and he smiled in delight. Neither one moved, waiting for him to lay out his plan.

  George took a moment to bask in their attention, crossed his arms and adopted the stance Skanland had used earlier. “Okay, so here’s what we’re going to do.”

  ƒ

  The hairs on the back of Tala’s neck stood on end all the way home from the zoo. Glancing in her rearview mirror, she couldn’t shake the uneasy sensation crawling through her. In fact, she’d had the same feeling all day long.

  Is that car following me? As she’d done many times during the drive, she whipped her head around to stare at the headlights behind her. I’m probably just being silly. After all, who’d want to come after me? Her reasoning made sense, but Devlin’s warning still echoed in her mind. She shook her head and grumbled under her breath, “Great, Tala. Don’t let Devlin make you paranoid.”

  When the car made a signal and exited onto a side street, she relaxed a little and blew out a puff of air. She wiped her palms on her jeans, consciously realizing for the first time how nervous she was. Damn, I need to calm down. “See? The car turned off. You’re jumping to stupid conclusions, girl.” She caught her worried expression and mirthlessly clucked at her mirror self. Sheesh. Now you’re talking to yourself full time. Not good, Tala. Not good. But her feigned levity couldn’t get rid of the uneasy feeling making her tense and edgy.

  Tala drove on and tried to ignore the cars behind her. After what seemed like the longest drive home in history, she swerved into her apartment complex and pulled into her reserved spot. Gathering her purse, she checked the area around her, left the car quickly and jogged up the stairs to her apartment. Her breathing slowed only when she finally neared her front door. She fought the urge to call for Devlin, praying he hadn’t gone anywhere.

  Take it easy. If you don’t, he’ll think you’re some kind of clingy girl. Or worse, a dick-whipped female. A tight high-pitched titter escaped her. Hurriedly, she pushed her key into the lock and twisted the doorknob.

  Tala burst into the apartment. Stumbling over an
empty pizza box, she fell forward and reached out for the nearby side table to keep from falling. “Shit!”

  Devlin dropped his phone and sprang off the couch to catch her but rammed into her instead, sticking a slice of pepperoni pizza on the front of her shirt. Thick sauce smeared over her chest, and pepperoni dropped down the vee neck front, lodging between her heaving breasts.

  “Oh, yuck.” Tala peeled the pizza off her shirt and handed it to Devlin. She counted six pizza boxes scattered on top of the table, couch, and carpet, including the one that had tripped her. “I guess I don’t have to ask what you’ve been doing all day.”

  The skin around Devlin’s big velvet eyes crinkled with his smile. “What can I say? Except maybe ‘Hi. My name’s Devlin and I’m a pizza addict’.”

  She retrieved another chunk of pepperoni from inside her shirt and popped it into her mouth. “No shit. But couldn’t you have put down the pizza long enough to say hello?” She giggled when he threw the other piece he was holding onto the floor and hauled her to him. “Devlin!”

  His tongue licked across the swell of her breasts. Glancing up at her with sauce all over his mouth, he quipped, “Yum. You’re the best piece in town.” Another lick across her boobs had her squirming and giggling from the raspy texture of his tongue.

  “Should I come back later after you’ve finished eating your female?”

  Devlin and Tala jumped at the sound of the amused voice and together faced the speaker.

  Devlin swung Tala to his right and away from Conrad. “What are you doing here?”

  “I thought I’d better check in.” Conrad waved a manila folder at Devlin. “I’ve got a couple of questions regarding the latest contract for the Chinese imports.” His eyes glittered as he walked into the apartment, his gaze latching onto Tala’s saucy breasts.

  Devlin snatched the folder and flipped it open. Conrad had highlighted portions of the contract so it was easy to find the areas needing attention. “Tala, this is Conrad Vilmar.”

  Tala grabbed a dish towel from the kitchen counter to wipe off the sauce. “Oh, so you’re Conrad.”