Just One Bite: Dances With Werewolves Book One Read online

  “He’s a car mechanic.” Eva’s pout said it all.

  “Well at least he has a job.” Rosie tried to cheer Eva up. “And you could use a good mechanic with that clunker of yours.”

  “Yeah, I could use a good mechanic, but I sure as hell don’t want to date one.”

  “But if he’s nice and you like the guy…”

  “No thanks.” Eva turned to go back downstairs to reception. “In fact, if you like him so much I’ll give you his phone number.”

  “I’ll pass.” Rosie quickly added, “But not because he’s a mechanic. He’s just not my type.”

  “From what I’ve seen, you don’t have a type, unless it’s the Invisible man type,” Eva called back from the elevator.

  “Ha-ha.”

  Rosie plowed her way through the morning drudgery, even fishing the dreaded designer out of her bin to set up the appointment. At noon her desk was clear and she grabbed her lunch before buzzing her boss. “I’ll be out for lunch. The proofs are ready and on my desk. I’ll be back at 1:30.”

  “Bon appétit.” Peter’s disembodied voice carried over the intercom.

  Outside her office building, Rosie found the perfect spot. The cement structures doubled as benches and flower containers and she sat on one with a view of the popular concourse. She scarfed her sandwich and apple and then leaned back to let the sun gently kiss her face. Her mind drifted to the night before and the handsome stranger. She could almost smell that luscious scent again…

  Her eyes snapped open and she scanned the wandering crowd, but he was nowhere to be seen. Someone else must be wearing that incredible cologne. Or she was hallucinating? She sniffed again but could detect no trace of the elusive scent. Wishful thinking? Maybe. Men that gorgeous never came onto her, only Eva.

  She’d only met him briefly, but in that short time he’d dredged a response from her that no man had been capable of in over a year. Okay, forever, if she was being honest with herself.

  She’d actually licked his throat. Her. Queen of the Repressed. And it had been amazing. She sighed, recalling his gentle kiss on her temple. Not to mention the feel of his erection pressing against her. He was turned on by her. And he hadn’t been drunk or sleazy. And now she would never see her mystery man again.

  Forcing herself back to reality, Rosie gathered up the remnants of her lunch and returned to the office.

  The afternoon was busy with a couple of new T.V. pilots casting and a music video. It was certainly more fun phoning the actors with directions to auditions instead of consoling them on the lack of opportunities. By five o’clock, she was tired and her throat hurt from talking. She packed up, grabbed her purse and ran for the door. If you dawdled at all, the clients would drag you back into working until your night was shot.

  The drive home was harrowing with her little Chevy stalling at, not one, but two stop lights. Relieved to finally be in the safety of her apartment, she threw a frozen dinner into the microwave and plunked herself in front of the television. After a couple of goofy sitcoms, she found herself getting wired and anxious.

  At nine, fully on edge, she pulled on her running gear.

  For the first block, with Jim Byrnes singing on her iPod, her arms pumping purposefully at her sides, she felt good. But the night encroached as it never had before. She jumped at every rustle of bushes, every car that brushed too close. What was wrong with her?

  A strange clicking noise came from behind her.

  She caught her breath then whirled.

  The dog from the other night? She blinked at it, certain she was seeing things. No, his coat was the same, distinctively marked. He stopped as well. It must’ve been his claws on the pavement she’d heard.

  She let out her breath. “Hey, buddy, what are you doing so far from home?”

  He trotted up to her as if he’d been waiting for an invitation. She started off again and they jogged in companionable silence for a few blocks.

  “You know, buddy. It doesn’t seem fair. Every time I go out with Eva, she ends up going home with some guy. So last night I finally meet a man but do I go home with him? No. Instead I end up with some mangy mutt. No offence.” She bent over and patted him midstride. “Still at least I don’t have to worry about STDs.”

  “Hey,” she continued after a while. “You could be my psychoanalyst. You’re almost as talkative. Maybe you could just throw in a, Hmm, and what do you think about that?, occasionally.”

  The dog made a sound—a sneeze or something.

  “Gezhundheit.”

  She finished her five mile route faster than usual and realized it was more fun jogging with company, even of the silent sort. She wondered if she’d have to figure out where the dog belonged, but when they got back to her apartment he disappeared as quietly as he’d appeared.

  ****

  Trotting back to his house, Lucas felt both exhilarated and disappointed. He was glad he’d caught up with her for the jog and her scent still lingered in his brain, but every time he saw her he wanted more.

  What the hell was happening to him? Last night he’d just gone into the nightclub for a quick drink. Then as soon as he’d walked in, all his senses had instantly honed in on her. It was as if everything else in the club had been muted grays and there she was in vibrant colors. He’d circled her, knowing he couldn’t have her, but unable to resist the longing she evoked in him. Just one dance, he’d told himself, sure that afterward he’d be able to dismiss her into the background where she belonged. She’d felt so perfect in his arms, it’d almost been his undoing.

  He’d left the club quickly before he became more emotionally entangled. Still he couldn’t help watching from a distance until she’d left, too. If it hadn’t been for that drunken playboy, he would’ve made a clean escape. Then he’d had to see her safely to her car and noted her license plate. His friends at the DMV had provided her address. This was crazy. He couldn’t see her again. It was against all the rules. He would forget where she lived, he would not lurk outside her building, and he would forget he’d ever seen her. Final answer.

  He turned the corner and loped up the driveway into the garage behind his Lexus. As he stretched into his downward dog position – ironically he’d discovered it was the most comfortable position to transition in – Lucas grumbled to himself about his neighbor’s blaring music. Shouldn’t certain districts be zoned as Manilow-free?

  Concentrate.

  He always felt it first in his haunches, the stretching and cracking as his bones and muscles elongated, his back creaking as he straightened. His paws were a much more contained transition; the bones and claws melding, separating and then reforming. His face and head compressed and tightened as the cranial bones shifted. The final movement – so to speak – was the disappearance of his fur. He often felt vulnerable after the shift to human form. From such a luxurious coat of fur it was hard not to feel especially naked in bare skin.

  Lucas reached under the front of his car and pulled out the clothes he’d stashed there earlier. He entered his house and froze in his tracks. His nose and ears frantically trying to detect what his eyes could not see. Then he relaxed.

  “Robert. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “Hey, little brother.” Robert stepped out from behind the doorway. “Mom was worried about you. You missed Sunday dinner.”

  “She’s worried because I missed her obvious set up with Laura. I wish she’d stop trying to find me a mate.” Mate. His mind immediately shifted to the woman he’d left moments before.

  “Well it is time and you‘re not settling down on your own.”

  “Et tu, Robert?” Lucas chuckled. “I thought you’d understand.”

  “I do. But the clan’s getting restless. Dad’s ready to retire and as the next leader, you must have a wife. What about Annabelle?”

  “But you love her.” Lucas shook his head in disbelief. Robert had loved Annabelle for forever.

  “I can’t give her children. You can.” Robert looked out the window, hi
s placid expression negated by his clenched fists.

  Lucas felt a twinge of guilt as he remembered his last encounter with Annabelle. “I can’t commit to a mate I don’t love just for the pack.”

  And maybe that was part of the lure of the mystery woman. She came without obligations. She was free of entrapment. Running alongside her, he’d felt more connection in silence than he had in speaking to the dozens of women his mother had set him up with.

  “That stupid hope of finding your perfect woman is childish, Lucas. You dreamt up that ideal woman when you still thought marriage meant just eating cookies together in bed. Choose a good mate, work on the relationship, and you’ll grow to love her. Mom and Dad had an arranged marriage to bring two feuding packs together and they’re happy.”

  “I know, I know.”

  “There isn’t someone else you’re attracted to, is there?”

  “No.” Well, not that he could have, Lucas thought grimly. If he concentrated he could still faintly recall the sweet scent of her hair and the feel of her soft skin pressed close against his body during their one dance and the touch of her hand when she petted him as a wolf.

  “Lucas?” Robert looked at him strangely.

  “There’s no one else.”

  There was no point dreaming about a human. Even if she wanted to convert, the pack would never accept her. Years ago rogue werewolves would bite unsuspecting humans to bring them into the fold, but it was too risky now. It would never be allowed.

  CHAPTER 2

  “It’s the weirdest thing.” Rosie hoped to distract Eva from her painful rehashing of every no-good bum she’d ever dated. Dave the pilot had apparently joined the infamous list. “This dog has been jogging with me every night. I mean, I didn’t jog last night because I was too tired, but for a week every time I went out, there he was. And I don’t go at the same time either. It’s so odd.”

  “Wow, a dog runs with you. Let’s call the newspaper.” Eva locked her deadened gaze on Rosie before continuing her litany of woe. “You know, I wonder if he’s even got a learner’s license for the friggin’ planes. Why can’t I meet a successful guy for a change? I’m a great catch. I’m fit, gorgeous, and intelligent. Why do I always get stuck with losers?”

  Rosie picked up the chips and dip and put them on the counter separating the kitchen from the living room. One day she’d love to have an apartment with a dining room. Still, her small one bedroom was a huge step up from the basement bachelor she’d rented before. And it was clean and in a nice neighborhood. She sat down and straightened the magazines on the coffee table.

  “Maybe you should try meeting guys in places where there isn’t drinking.”

  “Oh right, like I could meet them at a church social. Or how about at a soup kitchen serving the poor?”

  “Maybe, or you could take a class.”

  “And this advice from the woman who the only new male she’s met for ages is an ugly, old mutt.”

  “True,” Rosie admitted. She still hadn’t told Eva about the man at the club. And really what was there to tell? They’d danced, he was incredibly hot then she’d never seen him again. But she did keep smelling him. How bizarre was that? At first she’d kept looking around hopefully. Finally she realized it must be someone else with the same cologne. Rosie had even gone to a fancy cologne store hoping to buy the scent, but couldn’t find it.

  “And then this woman calls and says, like she’s his wife.” Eva rolled her eyes and continued, “I say, You’re welcome to him. He wasn’t even any good in bed. You know, where they just pound away like some kinda jackhammer?”

  “Too much information.” Rosie stood up quickly then had to grab the edge of the couch to balance herself. One wine too many… “Whoa, I think I need some sleep. If you wanna stay over, you’re welcome to the couch.”

  “But I didn’t tell you about—”

  “Write it down and tell me tomorrow. We’ve got to be up for work in four hours. There’ll be coffee in the morning.” Rosie slid off to bed before Eva could start up again.

  ****

  By lunch time, Rosie was falling asleep at her desk. Thank God it was Friday and she could sleep in tomorrow. She decided to vary her routine and go for a walk at lunch to see if that would revitalize her. She definitely had to learn to say no to Eva’s all night binges. Or at least limit them to the weekends.

  The now ubiquitous scent followed her as she walked through the concourse. Annoyed, Rosie disregarded it and shoved her dark glasses up over her eyes.

  This was getting ridiculous and she was not in the mood for fancy.

  She turned a corner and almost tripped over her feet. Shocked, she stared. It was him. Although he was dressed more formally in a tailored suit, his drop-dead gorgeous face was unmistakable.

  Too damned perfect to be the man who’d invaded her thoughts for days.

  “Have you been following me?” she demanded before thinking.

  Something flashed across his face. “Yes,” he answered simply.

  “Oh.” Damn. She hadn’t expected him to admit it. Now what? She should probably just walk away. The guy was obviously weird. Something held her back.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to alarm you.” He smiled and Rosie felt a rush of conflicting emotions. “I didn’t think you’d notice.”

  “Um, yeah…” Shit. Did I really lick this guy’s neck? And does he think I’m someone who normally goes around licking strange men on the neck? He probably thinks I’m whacko.

  “Can we start again?” He held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Lucas Colbert and I’ll be your stalker for the day.”

  She burst out laughing. “Um, hi. I’m Rosie.”

  “Hi Rosie. Would you like to go to dinner tonight?”

  “What?”

  “Dinner, you know, they put a bunch of food in front of you then you put it in your mouth. It’s really fun.”

  “Hmm, sounds like an interesting concept, but I think I’ll have to pass.” Rosie glanced at her watch. “Oh gosh, I’m late. I’d better run.”

  She left quickly before he could say anything else. What the heck? She should’ve said yes. Here was the most attractive man ever to ask her out and she turned him down. If a guy looked and smelled that good, what did it matter if he was crazy? Oh c’mon. You didn’t say no because he might be nuts. You said it because you were afraid you’d fall for him and then he’d reject you. Guys that perfect, even crazy ones, couldn’t really want you. It had to be a set-up, or something.

  The rest of the afternoon, Rosie tried to justify her behavior. If Eva had dated a known stalker, Rosie would’ve blasted into her like a grandma on cocaine. It was one thing to find out a guy was weird after you dated him for a while, but why would you date one that started out crazy? And yet something about him seemed to call out to her. Yes, he was gorgeous, but his lure was something more primal. Almost as if he was meant for her. God she was the crazy one. Lust was rotting her brain cells. It was good she’d said no.

  ****

  Rosie left the office a little later than usual. She’d felt so guilty about wasting time thinking about Lucas instead of working, at the last minute she’d taken on a huge filing mission. At five-forty she decided she’d made up for her inattention and dragged herself out of work. As she pushed through the rotating glass door she immediately saw him standing there.

  “Hi Rosie. I thought maybe we could go to Piétor’s Steakhouse down on Main Street. That way we could get to know each other better on the walk there.” He stopped suddenly. “You’re not a vegetarian, are you?”

  “No, but I… I said I wasn’t available tonight.”

  “No. You said you’d pass. That’s different. I figured maybe I could get you to change your mind.” His sweet smile made his words seem less pushy. “I’m actually a normal guy,” he continued. “I work at Colbert Enterprises, a couple of blocks down on Grant Street. No pets, but I like animals. And I’m not really a stalker.” He looked at her questioningly. “Is it working? Will you go o
ut with me? Please?”

  “I really should…” She looked at his hopeful expression. Damn it, why not? “Okay, but only because you said the magic word.”

  “Great.” He started walking.

  “So what’s Colbert Enterprises?”

  “We import and export designer furniture. We sell to a lot of the high end home décor stores and interior designers.”

  “Oh! Were you on that TV decorating show, where the stagers revamp penthouse apartments for resale?”

  “Not me personally, that was my brother, Robert. We did it for two years. Then the producers got greedy and wanted us to pay for promotions when we were already donating more than the advertising paid for.”

  “So what do you do?” Rosie shifted to the other side of the sidewalk to let a guy talking loudly to himself walk between them, the telltale Bluetooth barely visible under his hair. She glanced back at Lucas.

  “I’m the buyer. Robert does promotions and marketing. My father handles the North American sales and my sister Anna works in accounts receivable.”

  “Any family members not working for the company?”

  “Just Mom. She worked when Dad was starting the company, but now she says she’s done enough.” Lucas turned to look at Rosie. “What does your family do?”

  “Um, there’s just me. I work at the Mann Agency as a P.A.”

  “Your parents?”

  “They died several years ago in a car crash.” Rosie looked in a store window. She hated people pitying her, but she never knew what to say to avoid it.

  “I’m sorry.”

  They walked in silence until they came to a stop at the crosswalk. That was when she noticed his amazing scent again.

  “What is that cologne you wear?”

  “Pardon me?” He looked puzzled. “I don’t wear cologne, but maybe my soap? Um… Sandalwood from Chinatown?”

  “No. It doesn’t…” Rosie’s cheeks burned. She wasn’t going to let on she’d been haunted by his aroma now for a week. Even now the scent beckoned her to move closer to him. He seemed to be holding back, too. She’d noticed he’d almost touched her after she’d mentioned her parents. Instead he’d jammed his fists into his pockets. The light changed and they stepped off the curb.