Can't Touch This by J. Hali Steele Read Free Book Online Page A

on
Harlow’s ass instead of jerking off. He contemplated how she’d feel about
touching a man while he fucked her.
    “By the way, seems the pups did hook up with another young
bunch that arrived early this morning.”
    “Let’s find them.”
    “What are you going to do about Harlow?”
    “She thinks she’s a freak.” Something else bothered Castle.
Harlow seemed extremely upset about the money. Men who have it . It also
brought to mind the incident at The Moat when she accused him of paying for her
dinner. Then there was the time she’d asked if he was a wealthy jackass. What
had happened to make her use those words and what would her reaction be to just
how much he did have? He pushed it to the back of his mind for now, yet he
began to wonder how he’d handle telling her. Hatch pulled him from the
distressing thought.
    “She’ll blow off steam cleaning them out as she put it.
She’ll be fine, Cass.”
    His lips twitched into a grin. “You’re right, I just have to
give her time to digest this whole business. Come on. Sikes won’t let anything
happen.” Cass had stripped off his clothes and laid them in a neat pile on the
steps. Rolling his shoulders, he signaled his wolf to the surface.
    Black hair grew so thick on his face he could see it
bristling out through eyes he knew would be all yellow now. He could change on
the fly but occasionally he enjoyed watching his beast emerge limb by limb.
Slamming hands to the ground, he let his bones pop and stretch, forming sinewy
legs. His back arched as his spine lengthened to fit his long, heavy body.
Castle was the largest wolf in the area and he reveled in watching paws the
size of softballs populate with razor-sharp claws. Muscular, sleek and fully
emerged, he sent a vocal message to every creature on the mountain.
    Castle Briggs was home.
    Raising his head, he opened his mouth and howled so loud it
shook nearby trees, sending a spray of leaves to surround his feet. Castle
watched as the door slammed open and Harlow stepped onto the porch. He gazed at
her, tongue lolling, and salivated before following Hatch’s smaller wolf to the
edge of the forest. His animal spun around and stood on hind legs, emitting
another heart-rending howl before vanishing inside the trees.
    That one was for Harlow.
    Mine!
    * * * * *
    Harlow shivered at the eerie, lonely-as-hell sound Castle’s
wolf made. His animal was spectacular. Still, as she waited on the porch, residual
anger bubbled over at how crass the man had treated her earlier.
    Sikes finally came to get her. “Come on in, they’ll be an
hour or so.”
    “How do you know?”
    “He was born here.” He shrugged. “Been awhile since Castle
visited this neck of the woods. He’s become a desert rat.”
    “Don’t call him names.”
    “Don’t be so damn defensive. I’m trying to help.”
    “Sorry.” She followed him in and took a seat at the small
bar. “Gin, straight up.”
    “Not the usual lady’s drink.”
    “What did you expect? A freaking grasshopper or a…” She was
doing it again. “Sikes, I’m not usually like this.”
    “I get it and I think you’re handling this pretty well.”
Scratching his head, he added, “There’s nothing usual about a human
taking a wolf as a mate.”
    “What?”
    “Shit, you don’t know.”
    “Know what?”
    “You smell like him.”
    “He put his scent on me.”
    “When did you put yours on him?”
    “Huh?”
    “You don’t have much of a vocabulary, do you?”
    “Smart-ass.”
    “You’re right, sorry.” He poured their drinks, came around
the bar and sat beside her. “The only reason he’d take on your scent is because
you’re mated.”
    “What in hell does that mean?”
    “You belong to him.”
    She shook her head. “No one owns me.” The words brought to
mind her very recent declaration not to tie herself to one man. “Guess I
haven’t broken my vow.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Just a promise I made to myself.” A long sigh whistled
through her lips.