Whiskey and Wolves: Book One: Shifters and Sins Page 5

  She bent to set another bag in the trunk and cracked her back as soon as she straightened. No rest for the wicked, or the single mom. She’d been on the go since that morning, with her recess break spent groveling to her boss. Principal McKenzie still harbored displeasure with her amount of absences. Her solution for the missed hours—volun-telling Noelle to help oversee a bake sale fundraiser the next month.

  Over the roof of her car, Noelle spotted someone straddling a motorcycle and watching her.

  She stilled, hands pressing against the small of her back. One second ticked into another, but the man didn’t move his head. Noelle felt pinned in place by his gaze.

  Finally, he revved his engine to life and started forward, circling around her lane in the parking lot before zipping away.

  The hair on the back of her neck lifted as Noelle watched him turn the corner.

  Nothing. It meant nothing.

  The racing of her heart said otherwise.

  The town was filled with bikers. Shifters, too, Jensen confirmed. As if she’d missed the glowing eyes the afternoon she went to the bar searching for help.

  Why they were watching her, she had no idea. She’d lived in Redwater long enough. She kept her head down. Heck, she even taught at the school where at least some of the older students had to be shifters.

  The supernatural secret was out, but the shifters of Redwater wanted to pretend otherwise. They blocked her from their knowledge and sidelined her everywhere else, but she was still a fixture in the town. Never a threat. Never a problem. She only wanted to do right by her daughter.

  The watcher bothered her the entire drive home. Something about the intensity of the man’s eyes wouldn’t let her put the incident aside, despite trying to convince herself it was just happenstance. He might have stopped for a snack or to send a text message, and just met her gaze accidentally.

  Jensen waited on the front porch when she pulled into her driveway. A fraction of tension eased at the sight of him snapping to attention. His slow smile took her in from head to toe when she stepped out of the car.

  Sienna raced up the steps as soon as she was released from the backseat, then paused at the very top. Fingers twisting up in the straps of her backpack, she turned. “Can I play with Mr. Jensen? Please?”

  Noelle ducked her face to hide her smile of pride. Polite wolf. She’d been remembering her manners more since Jensen started his lessons. Her outbursts were down to a minimum, too. She hadn’t needed to miss a single day of school all week.

  Jensen ruffled her hair. “Inside and things away first, little pup.”

  Noelle wasn’t sure what melted her heart more—Jensen’s actions or the smile Sienna beamed at him.

  “Mr. Jensen is right,” she added as she brushed past the man to open the door for the wiggling girl. The momentary touch felt like lighting her nerves on fire and dragged a shiver down her spine.

  Noelle backed away as soon as the door swung open, meeting Jensen’s eyes. Heat and hunger flared to life, slowly churning with bright gold of his inner animal. Her heart tripped at the slow smile hitching up his lips.

  Between them, Sienna rushed past to set her school things down and change into a loose shirt and shorts. Those had been one of Jensen’s requests. The size-too-large clothes were easier to slip in and out of during any unexpected shifts.

  Noelle blinked and dropped her eyes. Shaking her head clear of the spell the man placed on her, she backtracked to the car and popped the trunk.

  Jensen was a mystery. One night of adult fun and a handful of afternoons didn’t mean she knew him, but she was beginning to trust him. Lust after him, too. He was a walking temptation with the growly, broody way he carried himself.

  Heat washed over her. She glanced over her shoulder and found Jensen standing close enough to lean into.

  “Let me help,” he rumbled, voice deep and full of gravel.

  Noelle shook her head in protest. “You don’t need—I can get all this.”

  Jensen grunted and looped the remaining bags around his wrists like they weighed nothing.

  She closed the trunk and trailed inside after him, definitely not eyeing the way his back flexed.

  Noelle shook herself out of those traitorous thoughts. She liked seeing him on her porch and carrying groceries into her home. She dreaded the day he wouldn’t show.

  That was just the type of man he was. Wanderer. Vagabond. Wolf spirit in a man. He was made for trouble on the back of a Harley, not the daily kind of parenthood.

  They were two very different people. She had schedules and lesson plans. Pickups and drop-offs. Crafts and toys without choking hazards. Did he even wake up before noon?

  Jensen dropped the load of groceries on the counter and turned to her. “Everything okay?”

  And that was the danger, wasn’t it? She wanted a little family for Sienna. She wanted to be more than a mother to someone else. Opening her heart to a man that could disappear at any moment asked for trouble.

  Noelle stopped herself from telling him about the incident in the parking lot. She’d taken care of Sienna for so long. And while, yes, she needed help with her daughter, relying on anyone else for her own comfort and reassurance didn’t feel right.

  “Ready!” Sienna yelled as she skidded to a stop, clutching her stuffed animal to her chest. She grinned widely and held it aloft. “Mr. Wolf looks like us!”

  Jensen hesitated a second, then crouched down in front of her and gently took the toy. He touched a white patch on the wolf’s chest. “He does. Did your mom buy you this?”

  “Nuh-uh. Santa.” Sienna skipped to the back door and turned back to him. “Let’s go!”

  “Go on.” Noelle waved them out the door with the biggest smile she could manage. “Can’t keep your admirer waiting.”

  Jensen fixed her with a lingering look, then slipped quietly into the backyard.

  Noelle cocked her head at the peals of laughter from Sienna and the rumbling response from Jensen. No matter how temporary he was, she couldn’t deny he was good for her girl. Their girl.

  Noelle shelved the groceries, then started throwing together ingredients for a ziti dinner. Between glances out the window, she realized the mozzarella had disappeared. She checked the backyard again. Jensen and Sienna stared at one another, him sternly and her with a defiant set to her jaw. The silent battle lasted only a second more before Sienna squeezed her eyes shut with an exaggerated sigh.

  They were fine while she searched the trunk for the missing cheese. She slipped out the front door quickly.

  For the second time that day, Noelle felt watched. The prickling between her shoulder blades didn’t stop even when she opened her trunk and found the missing mozzarella wedged between a box and a towel.

  The scuff of a shoe turned her apprehension up well past heightened senses from the bar fight or worry from the parking lot. Noelle straightened slowly, cheese in her hand. She turned her head slightly and swept a surreptitious inspection down the street.

  A man walked her way, dressed head to toe in black. Jacket, shirt, pants, boots, she couldn’t spot a single stitch of color.

  Until he shot a silver-eyed glare in her direction.

  Noelle gasped. The man stopped, stared for a second more, then spun and stalked off in the opposite direction.

  Her heart pounded in her chest as she rushed up her porch and slammed the door behind her. Adrenaline pumped through her and her hands shook as she twisted the locks firmly in place. Noelle backed away hurriedly, then ran to the backyard, remembering at the last second to toss the mozzarella to the counter.

  “Sien—”

  Jensen’s attention snapped to her as soon as she stepped outside. “What happened?”

  Noelle jumped. “Nothing,” she denied. “No need to worry.”

  But Jensen shoved to his feet and strode across the yard, eyes picking up with gold at each step. His hand snapped out and cupped the back of her neck, drawing her closer.

  Noelle shivered when he dra
gged his nose up the column of her neck. How long had it been since she’d been touched so intimately? Since they parted ways. He’d laid a claim on her body that night, and that simple touch reignited the hold he had over her.

  “You smell scared,” he said darkly.

  More than he knew. More than eyes watching on the street could cause. She wanted to sink into his chest and let those powerful arms wrap around her. Disaster in the making.

  Oh, his eyes were bright when he pulled back. Brighter than she’d ever seen. Stars in the sky, even the sun, couldn’t compete with the shine in his eyes. Her heart beat against her breastbone at his pure focus on her.

  “Tell me why,” he ordered.

  “Someone was outside watching the house. He turned away as soon as I noticed him.” She chewed on her lower lip, debating adding anything about the grocery store, when his fingers caught her chin and turned her face to his.

  “What else?”

  Demand clear in his tone, she told him everything. What she’d been doing, the man’s description, even the time she noted on the car clock when she twisted the key in the ignition. Her tongue had hold of her and left out nothing.

  A growl rumbled in Jensen’s chest and his eyes took on a dangerous light. “Take Sienna inside and lock the doors. Don’t come out until I say so.”

  Noelle didn’t argue. Even Sienna didn’t protest the lesson being cut short. The air felt heavy as they stepped inside.

  Noelle peeked at Jensen through the windows. He let himself out of the backyard and marched right to the end of the driveway. His hands clenched at his sides as he turned his head this way and that.

  After a long moment, he stomped back up the porch steps and rapped on the door. Fury whipped off him when she threw it open.

  “I don’t recognize the scent. Probably one of the Slayers.” His voice dipped into another growl. Anger tightened his jaw. “I’ll stay here tonight to make sure they don’t come back.”

  “Excuse me?” That was not her voice. She was stronger than that reedy sound.

  “No refusing, Noelle. I won’t have them sniffing around you.” He shot a look over his shoulder. “I’ll stay on the porch. You won’t even know I’m here.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. That’s my pup in there. I will protect her.” With that, he reached for the doorknob and shut himself outside.

  Noelle stared at the closed door. She didn’t know what to do. Accept the protection of a shifter determined to give it and let her ovaries explode in the process? Call the cops and have him escorted away? He wasn’t causing any problems. He just... took a seat on the front porch, ankles crossed in front of him and hands laced behind his neck. He rocked slowly, head swiveling whenever a dog barked or some other noise reached his ears.

  On autopilot, Noelle ushered Sienna away from the door and finished putting together dinner. Stalkers and biological fathers could come and go, but her child’s hunger was a constant.

  Keeping her hands busy gave her more time to think and prepare questions to fire at Jensen. The hows and whys needed answers, and she was dang sure he had some.

  She peeked out the front porch window a dozen times between steps.

  Probably ten more while she waited for the ziti to bake.

  Noelle checked again after she called Sienna to the table.

  He hadn’t left. He changed spots, occasionally. She found him at one side of the porch or the other, sitting in different chairs. Once she even spotted him pacing between the edge of the street and her car. But he never abandoned them.

  He said he’d protect his pup, and he’d kept his word all through dinner prep. A small amount of time, but those minutes added up with the ones he’d spent with Sienna, teaching her all the things Noelle knew nothing about.

  A small hand tugged at her shirt. “Mommy, is he staying for dinner?”

  Noelle twitched back the curtain. He’d chosen to stand guard. She owed him for diving headfirst into helping Sienna.

  And she wouldn’t get any of her answers with a door and walls between them.

  “Why don’t we ask, sweetie?”

  Sienna burst through the door as soon as it opened a crack. She ran right to Jensen and tugged him until he knelt by her side. Her small hand cupped his ear, and she whispered a question.

  “Dinner?” Jensen rocked back and shot Noelle a look. “Tonight? Now?”

  “It’s ready. And you don’t have anywhere else to be,” she said lightly. Not like the last invitation. That gruff rejection had stung, even knowing they were still feeling out how their lives fit together.

  He didn’t say anything and Noelle frowned. Maybe it’d been a bad idea. Maybe he wasn’t interested in doing more than the occasional shifter lesson and standing silent guard over the house. “I can bring you a plate out here, if you’d like.”

  “I’d be happy to join you.”

  Sienna howled and danced around him.

  Thrill sparked in Noelle’s middle and spread up and out until she couldn’t hold back her smile. Nothing made her happier than to see her daughter happy. But the heated look simmering in Jensen’s gaze was a close second.

  He was guarding his pup, but he was staying the night in her house.

  Noelle swallowed hard and turned back inside to add another plate to the dinner table.

  Sienna took her spot in the middle and Noelle set Jensen at the opposite end from herself. She met his eyes over the table. He looked out of place and exactly in place, big man crowding into such a normal setting. She bet he ate most of his meals on the go or standing upright, finding them at fast-food joints or ordered at a bar.

  He shoveled three bites into his mouth and crunched down a slice of garlic bread. “This is good.”

  “Is Mr. Jensen going to be my daddy?” Sienna asked her fork.

  Noelle and Jensen coughed at the same time. His eyes went as round as saucers over the rim of his glass. She probably looked the same, covering her mouth with her hand and trying to get her breathing under control.

  Noelle recognized the dumb look on Jensen’s face. Kids said the damnedest things. Mispronounced words, things picked up from others, those were easy to handle and correct. She’d grown used to keeping a stoic face instead of showing outright panic or laughter.

  Still. Asking for a father? Oh boy. That was a new one. “I’m not sure, sweetie. I think he’ll always be your friend, though.”

  The answer seemed to satisfy her. Sienna nodded once. “I hope so. My wolf likes him.”

  Yeah. So do I.

  Noelle caught his eyes again. The pretty hazel churned with a hint of gold as his shock relaxed. One side of his mouth hitched up, a sinful smile playing across his face. None of the fathers at school looked like him. The man was too sexy to be a dad.

  She liked the idea of Jensen being around. She found herself looking forward to seeing him on the porch when they arrived home in the afternoon. He was good with Sienna. A little rough and uncertain, but that was to be expected. He’d had a five-year-old daughter dumped in his lap without warning. Anyone would need time to adjust.

  What really troubled her was the future. Him in it, or out, brought up more emotions than she could handle. She didn’t know all the details, but she knew his type. Bad boy biker probably had a rap sheet a mile long and an enemies list to match.

  He wanted to protect Sienna? So did she. And if that meant he was a danger, then he had to go.

  He toyed with their hearts by just existing at her dinner table. Hers, she could protect. But that of a little girl who saw her family look different than those of her friends at school? That little heart would hurt. Noelle didn’t want Sienna’s hopes raised, only to have them dashed when Mr. Jensen disappeared.

  Chapter 8

  Jensen peeked at the little pup snuggled against his side. Sienna’s eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell with the ease of sleep. He shut the book he’d been reading at her request and simply watched her.

  The first time he’d ste
pped into the room, he’d been focused on bringing her out from under the bed. She’d shocked him to his core when she flung her arms around his neck, but the moment changed him. Better or worse, he wasn’t sure. His wolf demanded he care for her, but letting others in was a problem. A weakness. Bryce and the others saw it and called him out immediately.

  The smart decision should have been to never visit Redwater. But then, he hadn’t known what he’d find in the town. He’d just wanted to drown the pain of broken bonds with enough whiskey to knock him out. Maybe throw his fists into someone’s face. Typical bad wolf bullshit. The Slayers had been down for a brawl. The night should have ended with that, and seen the wolves riding out of town the next day.

  Noelle and Sienna wrecked that balance. They called to his inner animal. He felt stuck in cement. The worst part was not knowing how that made him feel.

  Shit. He’d been dropped into this thing without any understanding of what made a good father. He took his lessons from the early years of his life and the glimpses of parents on television he’d fallen asleep to in dingy motel rooms. He was too rough, too wild, had too much of a wandering spirit to settle in one place. He had never amounted to anything, just like his old man predicted. Those facts and traits didn’t make him a candidate for fatherhood.

  But the little girl curled against him with a stuffed wolf in her arms tugged at his heart.

  He hadn’t lied when he told Noelle he’d stay to protect them. That instinct was massive. His wolf pressed against every inch of his mind with the need to keep them safe. One was his pup and the other was his—

  Jensen stopped the thought in its tracks. He couldn’t afford to feel anything long-lasting with Noelle. Not when she was so good and he was, well, him.

  Wolf. Biker. Enforcer. He had a list of sins a mile long and blood on his hands. He didn’t want to get Noelle dirty.

  He glanced up and found Noelle watching him from the doorway. Her big heart sparkled in the eyes she roved up and down his body. The tiny smile lifting her lips filled him with bad thoughts.

  Scratch that. He wanted her filthy.

  Jensen carefully edged off the bed. Sienna rolled over, hair falling over her eyes. He froze, but she just muttered something incoherent and tightened her arms around her stuffed wolf.