Bayou Wolf. Debbie Herbert
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land. His pulse raced as he imagined the two of them in some hidden forest glade, naked and wet, making love under a full moon as rain caressed their bodies.
He blinked, coming out of his hormonal trance. Damn, if she didn’t do the weirdest things to his mind. Tallulah was already at the end of the drive and stepping out onto the road. Payton ran a hand through his soaked hair and dug the truck keys out of his pocket. Quickly, he jumped in the truck, cranked up the engine and eased out of the tangle of vehicles.
Tallulah never even turned around as he pulled up beside her on the road. He unrolled the passenger side window.
“Get in,” he barked.
She kept her face forward, her angular profile set in stone. “No, thank you.”
Son of a bitch. Payton shifted to Park, scrambled from the truck and marched in front of Tallulah, blocking her direct path. Just as she had blocked him this morning on the skidder. “C’mon, Tallulah. This is ridiculous.”
It wasn’t just a matter of getting wet. It was dark, and a member of the pack had violated house rules by roaming in wolf form, so who knew if others were doing the same, and damn it, he couldn’t stand seeing a woman walk the streets alone at night. Even one as strong and stubborn as Tallulah.
A sudden thought floored him. “You aren’t afraid of getting in the truck with me, are you?”
“’Course not.” Her chin lifted.
Payton hid his smile and opened the passenger door. “Well then,” he said, gesturing her to enter. If he guessed correctly, she wasn’t one to back down from a challenge.
“I guess I could use a lift,” she said ungraciously, her mouth twisting. “If you’re sure.”
Tallulah climbed in the old Chevy and he shut the door, hurrying to the driver’s side and getting out of the pouring rain.
She sat as far from him as possible, her body jammed against the door. “Does the entire timber crew live out here?” she asked with a nod toward the farmhouse.
Payton shot her a sideways glance as he shifted into Drive and pulled away. Evidently, he wasn’t the only one fishing for more information. “We do. It’s more convenient that way. What about you? Do you live alone?”
“Yes.”
“No, Mister Silver?” he asked.
“Only my twin brother. No husband and no father.” She faced him, direct as usual. “You married?”
“Nope.” He could be as circumspect as she could.
They came to a stop sign. “Right or left?” he asked. “I need directions.”
“Take a right. I live about seven miles down this road.”
“Pretty long walk you took tonight,” he observed. And she was willing to walk that distance alone in the rain? Just to spite him?
“I’m in excellent health,” she said icily.
He surreptitiously glanced at the shirt clinging to her full breasts, the toned biceps of her arms, her long, lean legs. What he wouldn’t give to see her without clothing, to explore every inch of her fit, golden body. Something about her drove him wild, made him as sex-obsessed as a teenager hyped up on testosterone.
The windshield wipers beat out a steady rhythm, emphasizing the charged silence between them. Tallulah didn’t speak again for several minutes, and when she did, it was a curt instruction. “This is it. Slow down and turn on the next dirt road to your right.”
The unpaved road twisted and curved for at least a quarter mile. A wooden cabin appeared, surrounded by magnolias and oaks. Small, but not too rustic.
“Nice place.”
Her mouth curved into a genuine smile, the first one he’d seen. It transformed her into a radiant beauty. “Thanks. Tombi, my brother, built it. He’s a carpenter.”
One of her hands was already on the handle. She was ready to jump out and slip away into the dark night.
“Can I see you sometime?” he asked quickly, before Tallulah could make her escape. For all her bravery, she was on the skittish side. Somehow, he needed to earn her trust, discover if she harbored secrets, as he did.
She gave him a considering look. “It’s a small town. We can’t help but run in to each other again.”
Ruefully, he watched as she slammed the door shut, strode purposefully to the cabin and never once looked back. So much for making headway by acting charming and gallant. At least he knew where she lived, and that was a start.
Payton turned the truck around and went back down the driveway. You betcha I’ll run in to you, Miss Tallulah Silver. We have unfinished business.
Tallulah scrambled out of her vehicle, clutching her coffee cup, and joined her brother and over a dozen of their friends—mostly fellow shadow hunters—where they gathered by the timber site.
Dawn had barely broken, but the logging crew would be arriving soon. She approached her twin. “What did you find out about this property?” she asked with no preamble.
“It belongs to Hank and Sashy Potts. Rumor is that they’re hoping to sell it to developers interested in building a strip mall and a storage warehouse on the outskirts of the bayou. They’re making it more attractive to them by clearing the land. And in the process, the couple are making a huge profit selling the timber.”
“This is Hank’s doing,” she said darkly. “Always was one to sell out for a quick buck.”
“You’re right about that. Sashy’s a decent sort of person, though.” Tombi raked a hand through his long black hair. “We might make more headway putting pressure on them than harassing the timber crew. Whether we like it or not, they’re just doing their job.”
She sipped her coffee and gazed at the gashed landscape. “No reason we can’t attack it from both ends.”
“Can’t be out here every day protesting,” Chulah said. “We all have jobs, including you.”
“There’s always the weekends,” she muttered.
Several vehicles pulled onto the side of the road, including a faded red Chevy truck. Payton and the other workers had arrived.
She watched as he jumped out of his truck and sauntered over their way, along with Matt, the crew supervisor. Her stomach gave an eager, betraying little lurch. If she’d hoped seeing Payton again in the broad light of day would make her come to her senses, she was dead wrong. If anything, the dawn’s light shining on his ash-blond hair and the hard flint of gunmetal-gray eyes made her toes curl. None of last night’s good humor or desire showed in his face today. In fact, he didn’t look at all pleased to see her. Had she really kissed this foreboding man last night? Felt his desire pressing against her abdomen?
Matt spoke first. “What are you all doing here?”
“Protesting the desecration of our land,” she said quickly. “I told you I’d be back with more people.”
“You got a permit for this demonstration?” Matt scowled, ignoring her as he stared at Tombi.
Two natural-born leaders seemed to recognize each other on some primitive level. Must be some testosterone signals in the air.
“Don’t need one,” Tombi said levelly. “This strip of land we’re standing on is public property. We’re not on your work site.”
“Make sure it stays that way,” Matt said with a growl. “We don’t take kindly to intruders on our property.” He pinned her with a direct stare.
Tallulah’s gaze flew to Payton. So he’d told Matt she’d