Page 35 of Nanny for the Wolf Daddy

Nox had his arm wrapped around Kelli, then lowered it, giving her ass a light tap. She looked up at him, giving him a genuine look of excitement.

The joke landed with Archie flawlessly, who howled and cackled as if he had never heard anything so funny in his life. Nox gazed down at Kelli, who widened her eyes with amusement.

“Oh, ain’t that the truth,” Archie said, wiping a tear from his eye.

What disturbed Nox the most was the way Archie changed from a harmless countryman to a focused and apathetic businessman. It was like a mask or a veil had fallen over his face.

“Time to get working, missy,” he said, motioning to Kelli with a jerk of his neck.

She began walking toward him when Nox took hold of her jeans by the pocket.

“I wanted to speak with you first, good sir,” Nox said, his twang thickening. “If I could accompany my sweet lady along today, maybe tomorrow. I sure do love to watch her work.”

Nox lifted his palm slightly, giving Kelli’s bum a light spank. Archie didn’t seem to get it.

“Absolutely not,” he said, shaking his head. “What your woman does is top secret, and I ain’t paying you to stand around and watch her ass sway.”

Nox tilted his head to the side, doing his best to appear slightly timid.

“You know, it’s just about missing her?” he said, his eyes softening. “It’s been some time since we were together, is all.”

Archie wasn’t having any of his smitten, good-old-boy attempts. He stepped forward and faced Nox, the look of Nox towering over him surely amusing to the observer.

“If you need yourself some help to manage with the little one, I’m sure you can find someone in town. But your woman has a job to do. She signed a contract, didn’t she?”

He looked at Kelli, who nodded obediently.

Nox wasn’t getting anywhere with Archie, so he changed the subject before it bit him in the ass.

“It’s no problem, sir. Just feeling greedy, I suppose.”

Archie smirked, then rolled his tongue over his teeth. “I don’t blame you none,” he said, looking Kelli up and down. “If that were my candy bar, I’d want a taste on the daily.”

Nox’s wolf nearly leaped forward and tore the man’s voice box out. He felt Kelli suppress a cringe by simply noticing the faintest movement of her body.

“Ain’t that the truth” was all Nox could muster.

They kissed each other lightly, then Kelli was led on her way, with her blindfold, into the van, and down the trail. Nox waved. When the van was out of sight, he grunted to himself and gave Roland a call.

“Did you get to the mine?”

“No,” Nox said. “But I was able to pick up something. I’ll come to you.”

Roland and the pack were camped out again on the edge of the woods, watching the first cabin they had originally seen Archie enter. Nox was feeling more confident about everything since he had been able to press his lips against Kelli’s. She rejuvenated him from head to toe.

“What do you have for me?” Roland said.

They were sitting around a fire, cooking rabbit they had recently hunted. Since it was only the two of them and the Mafia pack, there was food aplenty. Nox sat, staring into the flames.

“He’s still too paranoid,” Nox said. Roland nodded, spinning the spit of raw meat. “I got a scent of something, though,” Nox said. “I don’t know what it is, but it reeked of death or something dying even.”

Roland looked up from the fire, his gray eyes burning. “Something dying?”

Nox shrugged, then settled in, moving closer to the fire. He was finally able to get control of himself, knowing he would be able to save his family.

“You don’t seem bothered,” Roland said.

He cocked an eyebrow at his friend. “That must seem strange to you.”

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