Wolf on Board (Wolves of Willow Bend Book 14) by Heather Long Read Free Book Online Page A

you.” Then, taking a risk with his balls, he narrowed the distance between them. “I also know you’re interested, whether you want to be or not. It’s okay to not want me, it’s okay to tell me no. I promise,” he added, putting a hand over his heart. “If you really want me to piss off and go away, tell me and I’ll stop. I really hope you don’t. You’re the best damn woman I’ve met, and your badass attitude is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
    He gave her a beat and, for a split second, a time so brief he could have imagined it, her gaze softened.
    “Mimi,” he loved the shape of her name on his lips. “Will you put me out of my misery?”
    The she-wolf shook her head slowly, and his stomach plummeted. Damn . “What is it with you? I’m no one special.”
    Wait. That wasn’t rejection.
    “Pfft. We’re all special, sweetheart.”
    “Then, by that logic, none of us are.” God, who beat her with a practical stick? He’d like to knock them out with it.
    “If you want to argue logic, I will have to yield.” He took a step back and shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts. Maybe she didn’t like his baggy clothes or the way he wore his hair. Who knew?
    Surprise filtered through her gentling gaze, and confusion chipped through her expressionless façade. “You’re giving up?”
    “On a war with logic? A competition? Sure…I won’t fight you to see you.” Anyone else was fair game. “Desire is an emotion. Interest…attraction…lust? These are all emotions. I’m not going to quantify or defend them.”
    “You are a strange man, Jake Danes.” Well, point in his favor, she didn’t make it sound like a bad thing.
    “Strange. Cute. Fun. Sounds like a winning combination, doesn’t it?”
    “You know…it does.” She couldn’t have shocked him more if she’d leaned over to kiss him. “That said, I’m not eating in that diner. I’ve got a cottage down off Moyer and a very nice rack of lamb I can put in the crockpot or we could throw some steaks on the grill. So, let’s move our conversation there and you can continue to convince me.”
    Seriously? It took him a full minute to register the invitation.
    A smile began to curve her generous mouth and all the oxygen seemed to squeeze out of his lungs. With a light hand, she patted his cheek.
    “What do you know? I found a way to shut you up.”
    Yes. Yes she had. Catching her hand in his, he turned her palm so he could press a kiss to the soft skin and took a deep breath of the vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon mingling with the deeper rich brew of coffee. “Thank you,” he murmured against her flesh as she met his gaze.
    “I’m inviting you over for food only.” The stern manner rebuffed the intimacy of the offer.
    “But you still invited me.” He could work with that.
    Tugging her hand from his, she pivoted. “Let’s go, surfer boy. I can’t wait to hear what you come up with next.”
    Following her eagerly, he fought the urge to whistle because he had no idea what he would manage next, but at the moment? The sheer fact she was taking him to her place for food was a lot like winning a gold medal. He’d ride on that high and let the surf carry him the rest of the way. Damn, she could move. The gentle gait of her stroll had her hips swaying.
    “Stop staring at my ass,” she warned.
    “Not gonna happen,” he said with a laugh then grinned wider when she glanced at him over her shoulder. “It’s a nice ass.”
    Yep. He really couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

    W hy did she invite him back to her place? The question plagued her as she navigated through traffic toward the coast highway. Her rental cottage was her favorite part of living in California. It was located on a small bluff overlooking the water, and it came with its own private stretch of beach. She hadn’t taken advantage of it much, though she did like the path along the rock down to the sand. The sharp inclines were good for exercising. The sliver