Wilde About Her (Wilde Pack Series)(13)

"I came to talk," she said, breaking into his thoughts. "Daddy is still  very upset. He's practically forcing me to marry an alpha from another  pack!" she screeched and looked clearly appalled. Troy had always been a  drama queen.         

     



 

"And what do you expect me to do about it?" Jax asked and didn't wait  for an answer. Instead he reached for a rag and started wiping bug juice  from his windshield.

"I expect you to marry me, just like we've always planned."

Jax chuckled, torn between amusement and exasperation. "Not happening, Troy."

"And why not?" she demanded.

Their eyes met and held. "Answer one question … do you love me?"

Troy looked faintly amused. "What's love have to do with anything? This is business, baby."

Laughing, he replied, "And that's exactly why I can't marry you."

"Our marriage would increase our families' worth, but because we're not  in love you won't marry me? I'm confused," she replied snobbishly.

"There is nothing confusing about it. I'm not interested in a business  arrangement. And I can't understand why you can't get that in your thick  skull. Chayton's the first son and the future pack leader, so he can  unite the packs. Me …  I'm waiting for the right woman," Jax replied  although he was confident he'd already met her.

Troy swirled around and crossed her arms before she spat, "Who? That bitch you've been spending time with?"

Something deep within howled. "You were there …  at the party. And it's  not a question. I smelled you," he barked and waited for her to deny it.

She released a high-pitched laugh, making his pulse leap. "So what? Yes, I followed you. I was dying to see my competition."

Jax shook his head. There was no talking any sense into her. "There's no  competition. You and I are over and done. I wish you and your brothers  would get that in your thick skulls."

The shock on her face made Troy look almost comical. "That's where you  are wrong. There's no way we're going to allow you to make a fool of us.  If I can't have you, no one will!" Troy declared, on a breathless gasp.

That threat alone set his blood on fire. The crazy chick had scared off  women before, and she wouldn't hesitate to do it again. No. Not this  time. Not with Denim. He would see to that.

He faked a yawn. "Troy, I'm really not in the mood for your bullshit."

She sent him something of a smirk, then replied, "We'll see about that."

He watched as she stormed off in white five-inch heels and hopped into a  red convertible he hadn't noticed parked at the side of the house.  While she peeled away, something nasty curled through his gut.

The trouble was just beginning.

As soon as she was gone, Jax went inside. His father, the Wilde pack  alpha, and Aidan were shooting a competitive game of pool. As usual they  were trash-talking.

"Troy was here," he announced.

"What?" Aidan said and missed his shot.

Jax swallowed heavily. "She was outside waiting for me when I pulled up."

His brother gave a shit-eating grin. "Well, she didn't try to shoot you, so that's a good sign."

"Not yet, anyway."

Jackson Wilde, Sr. lowered the pool stick, with his brow furrowed. "I  spoke with Chad this afternoon. We have a meeting scheduled at the end  of the month." Thomas Chadwick was the alpha leader of the Chadwick pack  and Troy's father.

"Why so long?" Jax barked with frustration.

His father dragged a hand across his head. "He's in Germany in negotiations. His corporation is expanding."

With or without us.

Jax didn't miss the frustration in his father's eyes. Hopefully Mr.  Chadwick would resume exporting their horses, otherwise they were going  to have to seriously consider working with a distributor who wasn't a  Were. Which would suck. Weres preferred to keep their wealth within the  pack families as much as possible.

As he lowered onto an armchair, Jax thought about Troy's threat. The  smart thing to do was to stay as far away from Denim until the pack  leaders had a chance to meet, but there was no way he could do that,  especially now that Troy knew about her. Jax drew a long breath, hating  what he had to do next. "Denim knows about us."

Aidan's head whipped around. "What?"

"She saw me shifting out in the field," he admitted with a scowl. His  actions were stupid and reckless. Once she'd told him she heard the  horses from the treehouse, he should have known the chances. Instead, he  risked the entire pack at being exposed.

His father came around the table, raking his hand through his hair. "Who is this Denim?"

"She's Pappy's granddaughter," he replied and wasn't surprised when his eyes widened.         

     



 

"And a human," Aidan added, as if he didn't already know. His father was  fully aware of Pappy's claims of seeing a werewolf lurking in the  forest because they were true. He'd spotted a careless member of their  pack who'd been lurking in the forest near his property.

His father came around and took a seat on the couch. "I hope you spoke to her."

Jax settled back in the chair and crossed his arms. "Yes, and she promised not to say anything."

"And you believe her?" Chayton barked, as he stepped into the game room  in a black t-shirt, biceps bulging his arms. "You can't possibly be that  naïve."

Jax looked from him to the concerned expression on his father's face.  "Yes, actually I do," he replied with confidence. "What does she have to  gain from exposing us?"

"More than you think," Chayton snarled, as he took a seat beside his  father. "What in the world were you thinking? We agreed no more shifting  outside until she was gone!"

Even though he was right, irritation rippled through him. "I know, I  know. I smelled Troy in the forest, lost my head and shifted out in the  open. But Denim won't be a problem. I'm certain of it."

"You'd better be." Chayton's lips curled back from his teeth.

His father nodded. "Jax, I know you're a man of your word. I expect you  to keep your eye on Denim while she's in Justice." It was a clear order,  delivered in a controlled authoritative voice.

"The entire pack's future depends on you, bro," Chayton added. There was that note in his voice. A warning.

Talk about added pressure. "Yes. I'm well aware of the risks." His  family's uneasiness was why he immediately made the decision not to  reveal Denim's ability to read his mind. If they knew she had that kind  of power there was no telling what his father might do. His cousin  Kyle's wife had no idea she was going to be under constant surveillance  once she had agreed to marry a Were, and he couldn't stomach what Denim  would have to endure. She had the power to know their secrets and  destroy the Wildes. If a rival pack ever found out, they could possibly  use her ability to their advantage.

Leave it to Aidan to run his mouth. "Keeping an eye on Denim should be  easy. Junior here still has the hots for her." He clapped his hands and  made a barking sound.

His father gave him a pointed look. "Is that true?"

Without hesitation, Jax nodded and confirmed what he had known all  along. "Yes, she's mine." Denim had awakened his instinct to mate.





10



For obvious reasons, Denim couldn't sleep that night. Instead, she kept  rewinding the evening in her head. First the party and the instant  attraction between her and Jax, and then there was that mind-boggling  kiss that they had shared, but what had her staring up at the ceiling  was discovering Jax was a shape-shifter.

She had seen countless movies and even read some of the popular books,  but all that time she'd believed the stories had just been a product of  an author's imagination. But now she knew the truth.

Werewolves were real.

Every time she thought about it, her heart skipped a beat and her breath  came out in a rush. She should have been scared, terrified, knowing  there were Weres out there lurking the forests of Justice, and yet  instead of being frightened she was fascinated. Intrigued even.

Maybe she really was a little bit cray-cray or maybe it was because she  already knew Jackson Wilde and his brothers and nothing about their  behavior frightened her. Instead, they acted like ordinary men who just  happened to be shifters desired by almost every woman in town.

Oh, if they only knew.

Especially Jax who had a Texas charm about him that kept her panting for  more. The attraction was explosive. Nothing at all like her  relationship had been with Asher. There was simply no comparison. Jax  had her thinking of holding hands, late night walks and toe-curling sex.  He had her wanting everything he had to offer.

She released a long shaky breath. There was a magnetic pull she couldn't  shake and hearing his thoughts in Were or human form only solidified  their connection. There could be no other explanation, because the only  thoughts she had ever heard were his.