“You’re staying then,” I commented.
He turned to look at me, as if he didn’t need to stare at the road to drive.
“Those words mean you’re staying, that you’re not picking up and heading off to the next competition.”
He nodded, then looked away. “I hadn’t said it aloud, that I was retiring. That this was where I now belonged. I told you I wanted a reason to stay. That it was you. You’re mine, Audrey Ames. I’ve told you that from the start. As for being a wolf, as for being a member of the pack, I have a purpose here. If it’s to finish Jett Markle, then so be it.”
I stole a glance at Boyd’s profile. His jaw was set with new determination. He appeared far more serious than usual, although our conversation was pretty hefty. While I missed the boyish grin, I also admired this Boyd. He wasn’t just a playboy. He was a leader. He handled crisis situations with confidence and ease. Better than some doctors I’d been in surgery with.
Boyd pulled up in the circle drive in front of the ranch house. The memories of my first trip here, how he’d seduced me in his barn in about five minutes flat came flooding back but mingled with so much more pleasure now. I was sore between my legs, a constant reminder of what we’d done. Of how he’d ensured I would never forget he’d pretty much ruined me for anyone else.
Because now I knew what he was. We shared a secret. Trust. This wasn’t a quickie. It wasn’t just sex.
“Audrey, stay in the truck, darlin’. I’m just gonna deliver James to Rob, and then I’ll drive you home. I want to stay with you.” He looked at me with a gaze so fierce it made me hold my breath. “But if I do, I won’t let you sleep, and you need your rest.”
“I need to up my vitamins if I’m to keep up with you… and your wolf.”
21
BOYD
A lot of shit went down, and I knew Rob was going to blow a gasket. My brother was grouchy at best. With what I suspected was moon madness starting to plague him, he was even less patient with people, specifically me.
I hadn’t exactly caught him up to speed on the Audrey situation, so that was going to add fuel to the fire. I didn’t want to leave her side, not just in the truck while she waited but tonight. Her work was important. She helped people. Saved lives. Brought babies into the world. I couldn’t be totally selfish and fuck her all night long, no matter how much I wanted to. But I sure as fuck would be waiting for her after her office closed tomorrow.
James shuffled down the drive beside me with the blanket around his waist. I could offer him a pair of jeans, but I let him suffer a little. He definitely deserved it. Dumb teens and their hormones. Although, I knew just how he was feeling.
I put my fingers between my teeth and whistled loudly. Yeah, we used cell phones and all, but some old-fashioned methods still worked just as well on a ranch. If Rob heard my signal, he’d come out to find out what was going on. He did, not a minute later.
Rob stalked out of the house, characteristic annoyance in his expression. He set his hat on his head as he took the steps down from the porch. When he got an eyeful of James in nothing but a blanket, then Audrey sitting in the passenger seat of my truck, he scowled even deeper. Crossed his arms over his broad chest.
“You wanna tell me what the fuck is going on?”
Because I could be as dickish as my brother, I nudged James. He also had to own up to his shit. “You tell him what happened.”
The teen swallowed, his gaze not reaching Rob’s face. “I was out runnin’,” he said.
“Elaborate,” Rob ordered.
“I was visiting my girlfriend, so I ran down the mountain in wolf form because, well… we were sneaking out together. I cut through Shefield’s property on my way home. Jett Markle shot me.”
“What?” Rob roared, turning his furious gaze to me.
I nodded my confirmation. “He fell into Shefield’s swimming hole. Audrey had to resuscitate him.”
Rob’s eyes narrowed. His neck grew red, and his fingers clenched into fists. “What about Markle?” he gritted, clearly not concerned about a gunshot wound.
“He saw the shot hit its mark, then the fall from the top. Nothing else,” I answered. “As Audrey tended to James, I found Markle and read him the riot act. Told him he shot my dog, and he’d better keep away from me and our property, or I’d shove that gun up his nose and fire.”
“What were you doing at the pool?”
“I was with Audrey, doing what you asked.” I threw that in his face, since he did tell me to stick close to her. What I needed to do was come clean with Rob about my relationship with her. That I wanted to mate her and make her mine. That I’d had the urge to mark her.