Last Wolf Watching. Rhyannon Byrd
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porch.
Michaela konked her forehead against the cool glass of her window once, then twice, and turned to send him her best glare. âI may be a lot of things, but Iâm not a liar. There is no boyfriend.â
He jerked his chin toward the waiting man. âThen who the hell is he?â
âNobody. Heâs a big olâ nobody,â she muttered, undoing her seat belt.
âIâm still waiting for a straight answer.â His eyes narrowed as his face became etched with some unnamed emotion that was fierce and dark.
âHeâs my ex,â she sighed, wondering how she could have ever been so stupid as to believe herself in love with a jerk like Ross Holland.
âEx-what?â he grunted, his shock evident in his expression. âHusband?â
âThank God, no,â she supplied with a low, husky laugh. âEx-boyfriend. But itâs been over forâ¦too long to count.â
âCount it anyway.â
The look she slanted him was equal parts surprise and exasperation. âLast year, okay?â
âAnd heâs still coming around?â He shifted that dark stare back to Ross. âHasnât he gotten the hint?â
âNo,â she replied dryly. âHe doesnât seem to grasp the concept that he canât have his old girlfriend and his new wife at the same time.â
He absorbed that for a moment, taking his eyes from Ross and watching her again with that deep green stare, making her feel as though he could see beneath her skin, beneath her guard, and take an intimate stroll through her mind. âHeâs married?â
It was obvious he wanted the story, and wasnât going to let it drop until he had it. âYouâre going to make me spill all the gory details, huh? Fine, here goes. Itâs not like this day could get any worse, so what do I have to lose? Weâd been dating for about six months, when little Miss Sunshine Socialite made it clear she was available. His family loved her, and she had the pedigree and prestige theyâd been looking for, while I was something he was ashamed of, like a secret from the carnival freak show. Ross is one of those whom I canât read, but once I saw him for what he really was, I told him never to come near me again. He married little Miss Sunshine, but wonât give up on the fact that he canât have her and me.â
After delivering the embarrassing account of her colossal stupidity, she reached to open the door, but Brody grabbed hold of her arm, his fingers fever warm against her skin, reminding her that he was so much more than human. As a Lycan, his core body temperature ran much higher than normal, even hotter when it was closer to a full moon. âWhere do you think youâre going?â he rasped, immediately releasing her arm, and as she held his stare, she noticed a warm glow beginning to seep through the deep, dark green of his eyes, as if backlit by the searing flames of a fire.
She wet her bottom lip, wishing she could get a read on him, but as always, whenever she threw out the soft, diaphanous net of her power, she met the hard resistance of his will, catching nothing. Taking a deep breath, she explained, âIâm just going to tell Mr. Nobody that he needs to get lost.â
He shook his head, that oddly lit gaze cutting from her back to Rossâs distant figure on her porch, and she was aware of his right hand clenching into a tight fist against his hard-muscled thigh. âIâll tell him,â he said silkily. âYou stay here.â
Oh, no. Not in this lifetime. The last thing she was up to dealing with tonight was a fight between those two, and she knew from the hard cast of Brodyâs expression that he was looking forward to it. For a fleeting moment, Michaela actually wondered if he was jealous, before reminding herself that he couldnât care less about her personal life. No, he probably just needed to work off the frustration of getting stuck with her until Maxâs training was complete and her life could get back to some kind of semblance of normalcy. Brody didnât care anything about her personally. He was just a good guy who didnât want to see another innocent person get hurt.
But if thatâs the case, then why did he sound so possessive at the clearing?
To be honest, she didnât know, and wasnât even sure that she wanted to. After having her heart trampled, she didnât think she was up for another round, no matter how incredible her hormones thought he was. At worst, he just felt sorry for her. At best, he probably figured they could have some fun between the sheets while he was stuck with her. Michaela knew better than to think that anything more than that could come from something between themâjust as she knew she couldnât risk it. No, something told her that the damage Brody could inflict on her would be devastating compared to the stupidity she felt at allowing herself to get used by Ross Holland.
She now viewed her involvement with Ross as an attempt to grasp at something she was worried sheâd been missing, but Brodyâ¦God, this strange, unsettling interest searing through her system felt more like a necessity. Something that pulled on her, drawing her in, and that made him more dangerous to her sanity than her ex could ever be.
In the end, Ross had left her feeling usedâbut Brody Carter could leave her in pieces.
âLook, Brody, I appreciate what you did tonight. I know you only did it because youâre friends with Torrance and Mason, and because you probably feel bad for me, after what happened to Max, and I appreciate it. Really, I do. But I donât need you to worry about Ross. A sleazy lowlife like him I can deal with. If anyone comes at me with claws and fangs, howling at the moon, then by all means, theyâre yours. I promise.â
Despite the hot burn of frustration in his gut, Brody found himself biting the inside of his cheek as he fought the urge to grin at her words, thinking she was a lippy little package. She tried to hold his stare, until succumbing to an adorable yawn, ruining the âI can handle everything on my ownâ image she was going for. He admired her spunk, but there was no denying that he liked the fact she needed him.
What he didnât like was liking it.
Youâre not making any sense, you jackass. Sheâs screwing with your head.
He wanted to deny it, but there was no point. Every part of him, every cell, every thought, had centered on her since heâd first seen her at the clearing earlier that night. And if he were honest, even before that.
âCome on,â he murmured, reaching for the door handle. âYouâre all but dead on your feet. Letâs get rid of pretty boy there so you can get some rest.â
âThis isnât what you signed up for,â she argued, her gaze narrowed on her ex through the windshield. âReally, Brody, I can deal with this.â
It was on the tip of his tongue to point out the obvious fact that if that was true, the prick wouldnât still be bothering her. But he kept quiet. She looked exhausted. So beautiful that it hurt a part of him deep inside to even look at her, but weary. Gray smudges darkened her big eyes, her mouth tight, skin pale. And the slow, melodic drawl of her accent had grown thicker, which, heâd noticed, happened when she was upset. Sheâd been to hell and back tonight, and he had no intention of letting some jackass give her a hard time. âMy job is to keep you safe, so thereâs no point in arguing about it. Letâs just get this over with,â he muttered, opening his door.
Reaching across the cab, she latched on to his forearm, the touch of her hands on his body sending a tremor of shock through his system. âDamn it, Brody. What do you think youâre doing?â
âCalm down, Doucet. Iâm not doing anything. Just gonna walk you to your door. You can tell him to get lost all on your own,â he told her, trying to sound relaxed while