Page 48 of Wolf Desired
“Stop guessing and just say what you came here to say.”
He dragged his hand through his hair, wondering how to help her. “You misread the situation between us,” he lied. The last thing she needed right now was another shifter making passes at her. Especially him. “I’m a loner, Artemis. Which means I shouldn’t be wasting time having this conversation.”
She grabbed a sweatshirt from her pack and shoved it over her head. “Then why are you?”
“Because I don’t like you being on this level alone. It’s too dark down here for a human. Too isolated.”
“For a female, you mean.”
“You read minds now?”
“All humans do. Don’t shifters?”
He studied her. Fine, delicate features displayed a determination as if she meant to prove a point, but her scent carried a lightness right now, which was preferable to the heaviness of moments before. The female was full of contradictions he had yet to understand. She intrigued and angered him at the same time. Refusing help, ignoring advice. . . She’d get hurt, and that scared the hell out of him.
“Oh, God, I’m in high school again, aren’t I? I’ve screwed things up with Tiernan and Rafe, and now you.”
He laughed. “White Wolves don’t get insulted easily. And when they do, the other shifter regrets it.”
“So you’re not going to proposition me or try to tie my hands?”
“Oh, angel, I’d be happy to tie you up if that’s what you’re into.”
She bit her lip again, this time suppressing a laugh.
“Go ahead, angel. Laugh if you’d like. I think you need to right about now. And I won’t take it the wrong way. As long as you don’t laugh when you see me naked. That can seriously damage a shifter’s confidence.”
“I’ve already seen you naked. That first day.”
Maddox waggled his brows. “Liked what you saw?”
“No comment,” she said with a straight face, though he thought he saw the corner of her mouth kick slightly.
“That’s like a bullet to a shifter’s heart, angel.”
“Maddox, I’m an open book compared to you. A little give and take is required in this supposed friendship. At least until I can figure you out.”
Supposed? He’d have to work on that, then. From her stance, though, he could see how guarded she was.
“Ah, I was worried I was getting predictable. I prefer being spontaneous, to keep my enemies from figuring out my next step before I do.”
“Not everything is life or death.”
“Maybe not for you humans,” he said, regretting the slight the moment he said it, but he wouldn’t apologize for who he was.
Her smile faded. “Am I really that different? I mean, I spent my entire life being told things about shifters, most of which I’m sure were lies. I’m guessing shifters just want to live in peace like humans. To have relationships, to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”
Innocent. His angel had an innocence about her. Or maybe just an unrealistic optimism. He shouldn’t destroy that by telling her how the world worked. He should protect her from learning the hard truths, so she could use that optimistic outlook to achieve all that she wanted.
“You’d fit nicely into a pack. Better than me,” he said, trying to lighten his tone for her.
“That’s an odd statement considering you’reina pack.”
“I wish I weren’t. At least not my present pack. My pack has. . . issues.”
“Such as?”
“Let’s just say we’re known for a lot of things, but compassion isn’t one of them. So while you say everything isn’t life or death, it just tells me you’ve had an easy life.”
