The Mating Game: Big Bad Wolf(16)

“I’m Carlotta, Walt’s wife,” said a pretty woman in her early thirties, a good ten years younger than Walt, sticking out her hand. Carlotta was human. She was dressed to the nines in a pink silk Chanel suit, with ropes of pearls around her slender neck and a huge rock glittering on her finger. “Honestly, these people may seem a little…enthusiastic, but they’re the best family you’ll ever meet.” She gazed up at Walt fondly.

“So you’ll be able to move everything back tonight?” Daisy said to Harriet.

“Back?” Harriet clutched at her ample chest and looked stricken.

Daisy didn’t want to reveal the plan to fool the investors if Ryker hadn’t told his parents. “Look, I think Ryker is a great guy and all, but I…uh…this is moving very fast,” she said carefully. “Where I come from, we take things a little more slowly. Ryker and I need more time to get to know each other before we make any kind of final decision.”

Walt looked nervous. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” he said to her and Ryker.

He took her by the arm and led Ryker aside, with Carlotta following. “I might have told our investors about your new mate,” he said in a low voice, glancing back at the rest of his family to make sure they hadn’t heard. “So if suddenly she doesn’t want to live with you, that’s going to look pretty bad.”

“But…my stuff.” And they actually wanted Daisy to move in with Ryker? Would that mean sleeping in the same bed with him? Would he be naked when that happened? Daisy felt her cheeks heating up again, and looked away.

Walt glanced at her pleadingly. “Couldn’t you just at least move in to pack property for the next few weeks until the investors’ meeting?”

“What would I tell my roommates?” she protested.

“It’s not forever. And we’ll pre-pay the rent and utilities for all of you guys for the next six months,” Walt said.

Daisy bit her lip. That would be a huge help to her roommates; they could save a ton of money.

“What would happen when we’re done?” she asked.

“You guys can just say that you broke up.”

“Or maybe it will work out!” Carlotta said brightly. “Harrison men are simply divine.” She stroked her husband’s arm and looked at him adoringly, and Walt practically simpered in return.

“Or we could just donate the money to the rec center,” Ryker said to Walt. “I don’t want to force her to do anything she doesn’t want to.” He glanced at Daisy. “But I still owe you dinner after what my family put you through.”

Daisy felt an odd little thrill run through her at that. So he still wanted to spend time with her, did he?

Walt grabbed Ryker by the arm and dragged him away. Daisy, who was nosy by nature, especially when it involved her, strained to listen. Wolf shifters had excellent hearing, even in human form.

“We can’t afford to donate to the rec center unless we get that investment,” Walt growled. “All of our money is going into keeping the business going. If you didn’t have so many people on your payroll…”

“This business is all about creating jobs for the pack, and for our neighborhood,” Ryker snapped. “You’re putting way too much pressure on this girl. It’s not fair.”

“They won’t have jobs if we can’t expand. We’re heavily mortgaged. Do you want to lose our pack land?”

“You’re more worried about losing your fancy arm candy,” Ryker said in a low, angry voice. Daisy shot a look at Carlotta, but she didn’t have shifter-sensitive hearing, so she didn’t have a clue what they were saying.

Walter let out a snarl, and then Ryker and his uncle were growling and bristling at each other with their snouts extended and their fangs out, and Carlotta ran over to step between them and stroke her husband’s arm.

Daisy thought about it. Despite all those grant applications she’d written, there was no guarantee that any of them would be approved, and even if they did get a grant it would take a long time. A rec center would provide a safe, supportive place for kids to go after school and on weekends. They’d have help with homework, they could play basketball and shoot pool, they’d get free dinner, they’d have art classes… It could make the difference between the kids ending up in juvie or staying on the straight and narrow. And even if Ryker’s family was crazy, and even if Ryker was a smug, swaggering playboy, he was basically a good guy, and so sexy he made her panties melt. Spending time in his company wouldn’t exactly be painful.

“I’ll do it!” she called out to Walt and Ryker. “I’ll come stay on pack property.”