Then he realized: she was terrified of him. And she should be. Meeting a strange wolf in the forest was dangerous for anyone, but especially a young female wolf. Some packs stole their mates, claiming the unmated females before they could be rescued. And unless the Senator himself was secretly a wolf, he doubted this girl had a pack—which left her even more vulnerable.
As he drew closer, her eyes went wide. They were a magical blue surrounded by all that white fur, making her seem almost otherworldly—an angel wolf, shining bright in the moonlight. But those beautiful eyes were zipping between him and the edge of the forest, as if she was contemplating making a run for it, but she was too terrified to move. The meadow grasses around her trembled with the breeze, but she was frozen.
He raised his head, hopefully showing that he was bringing her clothes, then dropped them in the grass a dozen feet from her. He yipped and backed away another dozen, finally planting his butt in the grass and waiting to see if she would take his offering.
There was a long stretch of seconds while she studied him, scenting the air.
He waited, still as a statue, but she didn’t move. Maybe he would be less intimidating in human form? He shifted, still sitting in the grass. This took her by surprise, and she jolted again. But when he remained seated, she tremulously advanced toward her clothes, snatched them in her jaws, then backed away again.
He didn’t move.
Once she was about twenty feet away, she shifted human. That glimpse he’d had before of her naked in her bedroom was on full display for him again—perky little breasts with nipples tightly puckered against the night’s cool air; lithe body slender to the point of ridiculousness, but with a curvy little behind that made his cock sit up and pay attention; and that gorgeous hair, falling long all around her, almost hiding her nakedness. He felt like he should look away—he could see her furious blush even at this distance—but her hurried attempt to shove her clothes on kept him transfixed. Not to mention that his cock hadn’t paid attention to anything in so long, he’d thought it was as dead as the rest of him. It made him feel strangely… unbalanced. As if he stood up, he might actually topple over.
Once her clothes were on, she asked, “Who are you?” Her bare feet crunched the grass as she backed away, clearly afraid of him.
Which she should be.
He stood up to talk to her, but his erection sprang out, and that suddenly embarrassed him. He covered it his hands clasped in front of him. That strange sense of unbalance threatened to actually tip him over, making the whole thing even more awkward.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” His voice came out gruff, harsher than he wanted. He was a big man—he knew that—intimidating to most men, even shifters, not to mention girls whose waists were smaller than one of his thighs. It was the shifter gene, his time in the Marines, keeping in shape for his job at Riverwise—plus he’d been running himself to exhaustion with combat drills and training. They were the only things that let him sleep at night, but they also had the effect of keeping his body in top condition.
“How did you find me?” she asked, but she’d stopped looking for an escape at the edge of the forest.
“Followed you.” Probably best not to mention he was about to kill her father before he followed her into the forest on a whim.
She narrowed her eyes. “Followed me from where? I came from my bedroom.”
“I know. I was watching you.” Well, that sounded pretty creepy. “I promise I’m not going to hurt you.”
Her hands were wringing now, and a new look of anxiety blossomed on her face. “Are you… did my father hire you to watch me?” Her body was one big ball of tension.
He couldn’t help it—he had to move closer to her. He took a couple, slow steps. “No, I promise. I don’t work for your father. You have to know that’s true—I’m a shifter.” He let that hang in the air, because obviously she was a shifter, too.
Her eyes went wide, but her thin shoulders dropped, and her face relaxed. “You’re from one of those shifters gangs my father’s always talking about. You’re spying on him.”
“Something like that.” He took another step toward her. She seemed less afraid of shifter gangs than her own father. Interesting. “I promise, I won’t tell anyone your secret, including your father.”
He could see the relief washing through her body, draining all the tension from it. “Thank you.” The sincerity of it was so strong, so innocently grateful, even before she knew what he was all about… it moved something inside him. Something that wanted to feel, but the frozen cavern of his chest was hardened against any such thing.