Page 5 of Gabe's Lone Wolf

“Rebbie was ready for me to get out from under her feet,” Taylor admitted with a shake of his head. His expression said he couldn’t understand what his mate meant, but I had no problem understanding. The man took possessive to a whole new level.

“She’s joining Cici over at Bee’s house,” Simon added. “Han said he might join us.” Cici was Simon’s mate and Han’s stepsister. She was a tiny little thing and all human, though she definitely had the courage of a wolf. She was hell on wheels and kept Simon on his toes. He definitely seemed to enjoy it.

Her brother, Hannibal, was slowly becoming the fourth to our group. Taylor and I teased Simon that he was taking Bee’s mate under his wing just as he’d once taken care of Bee. Of course, there was also the fact Simon’s mate was Hannibal’s little sister.

“Speak of the devil,” I murmured as Han walked in and ambled toward our table. I grinned at the irritation that crossed his face when one of the ogling women made the mistake of approaching him. The scowl he sent her way had her quickly changing her mind and scampering in the other direction.

“Real charmer, aren’t you?” Taylor teased.

“She’s lucky Bee wasn’t here to see her,” Han growled as he took the only remaining chair at our table. “My mate would have done more than glare.”

We all chuckled at that. Belinda James, now Belinda Craig, made Taylor’s possessiveness seem mild. No one messed with Bee’s man. It was funny at times. Han was easily twice his mate’s size, and I’d seen him scoop her up and carry her away before she could kick someone’s ass. They might think he was protecting her, but we knew he was protecting others from her.

He was a lucky bastard. Hell, they all were.

I took another sip of my beer and did my best to shake off the melancholy trying to settle over me again. Sometimes, it really sucked being the only single member of our group. Especially when they all knew what lucky bastards they were and had no problem gloating about the fact.

“Are Cici and Rebbie at your house?” Simon asked Han.

The big guy nodded. “They were already opening a second bottle of wine before I left. Not sure how they got there, but I’m guessing you’ll both want to pick them up at the end of the night.”

“Guy’s night,” I reminded them. “Which means no talking about your mates.”

“Or your lack of one,” Han stated before taking the beer the passing waitressed offered him. I’d seen him signal her as he took his seat. She quickly set out fresh ones out for the rest of us then was off and moving again.

“Direct hit,” Taylor murmured while Simon chuckled.

“Ha-ha. You guys are so funny.”

We settled in and talked shop for a bit after that. Hannibal had made a decent fortune hunting down shifters. Some because they’d committed crimes and some because they’d disappeared and their families were concerned. After he’d joined our pack, it had become a pack business. We all pitched in, going in twos and threes. We didn’t take every job that came our way. Some people disappeared for good reasons. It was best to let them stay gone. But the evil bastards who preyed on weaker wolves or abused our females, those we had no problem hunting down.

I was half-listening to Simon and Han talk about Cici. One minute, I was thinking how envious I was. The next, my gaze moved toward the door as my senses went on alert. Taylor was the first to notice. Then one by one, the others turned to watch the entrance also.

“What are we…” Simon’s question died off as she walked through the door.

I noticed her hair first. Long, dark brown waves fell below her shoulders. Her skin was bronzed under the lights. Then her gaze seemed to meet mine across the space, and I was lost in a pair of luminous blue eyes.

She scanned our table, seeming to size us up. We must have satisfied whatever she’d been looking for. She locked onto me and headed our way. She moved with confidence, ignoring and stepping around those who tried to engage her on her way over.

“Do you know her?” Taylor whispered, and I shook my head.

Not yet but I intended to. I hoped to know every inch of her before the night was over. My wolf was ready to howl so any others would be warned off. She stopped beside me, putting her hand on the back of my chair as she cocked a hip and took us all in. The scent of her wolf called to me, and I was hard pressed not to toss her over my shoulder and take her someplace private. I knew she felt the interest of my wolf. I had no intention of hiding it.

“Any chance you boys are with the James Pack?”

Her voice was liquid sex. At least, to me.

“Who wants to know?” Han asked, reaching to take another sip of his beer.

She opened her mouth then paused, inhaling deeply. Next thing I knew, she’d dropped onto my lap, one hand playing with my hair while the other reached for my beer.

“Act natural,” she ordered, and I finally tore my gaze from her to glance at the guys and found them sitting at attention, as if they were preparing to attack whatever was around the corner.

“Why do you need the James Pack?” I asked, wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her closer so I could run my nose up her neck, breathing in the arousing scent of her skin.

A shiver went through her, and I watched her nipples grow taut and press against the fabric of her shirt. She dropped her head to my shoulder, snuggling into me.

“I’m out of options,” she murmured.

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