TOL2 Kiss of the Werewolf Read online

  He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and released it. His blood raced through his veins like liquid fire. He worked hard to keep his breathing normal, though the wild beat of his heart crashed in his ears. Every nerve ending of his body crackled. He’d found her. In the very first place he’d looked.

  He’d found his mate.

  Chapter Five

  Meg stared at him. The ghost of his touch lingered on her hand, long after he’d stopped touching her. She fought to keep her breathing steady. His strange words and actions should have alarmed her, made her ask him to leave, but they didn’t. This gentle doctor, with his intriguing combination of rugged handsomeness and refinement, had awakened something inside her, something deep and resonant, a sense of life and mystery. She wished he would take her hand again and caress it.

  He furrowed his brow. “Did I frighten you? I’m so sorry.”

  She shook her head. “No ... you didn’t. Not at all.” She craved to ask him why he wanted to know her hair and eye color, and why he’d caressed the back of her hand, but instinctively sensed that when he was ready to tell her why, he would. She was simply glad he was here with her and that he didn’t seem to want to leave.

  He smiled, his brown eyes flooding with obvious relief. “I’m glad. I certainly didn’t mean to.”

  The telephone on the counter rang then and Meg rose to answer it. “Chen’s Market. May I help you?”

  “Miss Phillips?”

  “Speaking.” She tensed, already recognizing the voice on the other end.

  “Rodney Turnbull here, from Boston Development Corporation.”

  Megan sighed and rolled her eyes. She leaned her elbow on the counter. “Mr. Turnbull, I’ve already told you, I’m not going to sell.” She hated to speak rudely to anyone, but this man was always aggressive with her and plied her with letters and phone calls asking her to sell the building, which had been in her family since the establishment of Chinatown in the 1890s. “I can’t do it. This is an historically registered landmark of the community and provides an important service, especially to the inner city children. We do give summer programs here for them.”

  “Oh, I thought you’d suspended those in the wake of your grandfather’s death. I saw the sign in the window.”

  She held the phone away from her face and made a frustrated, angry face. This guy was low and dirty to say such a thing to her. She glanced at Jie.

  He was watching her, a questioning expression on his handsome face.

  Sighing, she put the phone back to her ear. “I simply forgot to take that sign down. Lessons have resumed. You can call the community center and ask them. Laurel Chow is the director.”

  Laurel certainly supported Meg’s decision not to sell and had already offered several times to fib for her about the lessons.

  Turnbull cleared his throat. “No need. If you say it, it’s true. However, Miss Phillips, you won’t be able to hold out forever. The sum we’re prepared to offer you would make it so you’d never have to work. Your family would be well provided for for a very long time.”

  A sliver of anger passed through her. The community was her family as far as she was concerned, and she wasn’t going to let them down. And she couldn’t let go of her grandfather’s store. It was her last connection to him. “I’m sorry, I have customers. I must go.”

  “Thank you for your time, Miss Phillips.”

  Meg hung up without another word. She took a deep breath and went back to the table.

  Jie was watching her sympathetically. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded, basking in the kindness of his expression and sank into her chair. “A development corporation,” she said. “They’re buying up buildings all around here. I refuse to sell.” She looked down, feeling embarrassed, though she wasn’t sure why. “I told them about the tai chi lessons resuming to try and keep them away. It’s not exactly true, but I fully intend to continue with them ... I just haven’t been able to. There’s been too much work to do alone.”

  She stopped herself, feeling like she was burdening him. “There I go again, telling you all these things you didn’t ask.”

  “I’ll give the lessons for you, Megan, if it will help.”

  His quiet voice cut through her embarrassment. She looked up at him, shocked at the kind offer. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

  He smiled. “You didn’t ask. I’m offering. I see that you have so much to do. I’d like to help. I’ve been practicing tai chi since I was seven years old.”

  The room had begun to tilt again. In one morning, this man had come in and helped her beloved Auntie Yee with her headaches and had offered to relieve much of her burden for her. The issue of having suspended the martial arts instruction, even temporarily, was upsetting for her and he’d just offered her relief. Her stomach fluttered. “Are you sure about this? I mean, you may not even have meant to stay here. You’d be stuck.”

  “I mean to stay here,” he said softly. “It would be an honor.”

  To her embarrassment, hot tears crowded her eyes. She looked down and nodded. “I gratefully accept your offer.” When she’d gotten control of her impending tears, she raised her gaze to his. “But you must let me do something for you in return. You should stay here in our home. Grandfather would have wanted you to. He would have said you’re an honored guest.” She knew she was babbling now but couldn’t stop herself. “That is, if you don’t already have somewhere to stay.” She realized she’d just used the pronoun “our” as if Grandfather were still alive.

  “I don’t, actually. I came here from the airport.”

  She looked at him, wide-eyed. “You must be exhausted! How rude of me! Perhaps you’d like to go upstairs and rest. Shower. Whatever you’d like.”

  His brown eyes glowed with a strange combination of humor and something deeper she couldn’t quite identify, but it made heat simmer deep in her belly and lower. Her sex tightened and pulsed. She shifted in her seat.

  “I’m not tired,” he said. “I flew west. You always gain time in that direction.”

  She nodded, not trusting her voice not to tremble now.

  “I would be honored to stay in your home, as long as it doesn’t put you to any trouble.”

  She shook her head. “No trouble at all. You’re welcome to go upstairs now, if you’d like. I’m sure Mei wouldn’t mind. She’s my cat.”

  A flicker of a shadow passed over his face. “No, I will stay down here with you until closing. No need to go upstairs. Is that all right?”

  Again, she felt ridiculously happy that he wanted to stay here with her. She even had the sense that he wanted to protect her somehow. She could live with that. It felt nice to have someone want to be in her company so much, especially since Danny had met Dave and spent less time with her. Before that, she and Danny had been nearly inseparable since seventh grade. “Of course it’s all right.”

  “If there’s anything you need help with, just ask me.”

  “Thank you, Jie. I can’t thank you enough.” She fought back another threatening onslaught of tears. “It’s so strange. It’s like you’re an angel or something like that.”

  At her comment, his dark eyes clouded slightly. “I’m not an angel, Megan, but I do want to help you if I can.”

  She looked at him, taking in the full sight of his strong lean form, his masculine face with its hint of shadow on his jaw and upper lip, and his large almond-shaped eyes, the color of them like melting chocolate. A frisson of energy passed through her, causing her to tingle inside, especially in her sex.

  No, he wasn’t an angel. He was a flesh and blood man. A man, she realized, she was wildly attracted to and whom she’d just invited to stay with her.

  And, to her joy, he’d accepted.

  Chapter Six

  Jie spent the rest of the day helping Megan in the store. A shipment of boxes came in, and Megan gratefully accepted his offer to stack the things in the storeroom and put whatever was needed out onto the shelves, freeing her to help customers
.

  Around lunchtime, the woman she called Auntie Yee returned, laden down with homemade dumplings, lo mein, and bean curd that she’d made just for him and Megan, her way of repaying him for his help.

  At seven o’clock, he swept the floor and then helped her bring in the produce carts from outside. When they were finished, he retrieved his bag and jacket from the office so she could lock up the room and then followed her through the back and up the stairs to the apartment where she lived. The closer they came to the top of the steps, the more his heart pounded. Aside from the female patients he’d treated, he hadn’t been alone with a woman since Su Lin. Now, here he was with this woman, Megan, who was beautiful and sweet and who seemed to like him very much.

  And who was his mate and didn’t know it yet.

  “Welcome to my home, Jie.” Megan unlocked the door and held it open for him.

  He gestured for her to go in first and followed her. The first thing he saw was a big fluffy white cat standing by the door, mewing loudly and circling as if chasing her tail.

  Megan chuckled. “This is Mei. Mei, be nice to our new friend,” she said to the cat in Chinese.

  Mei stopped circling and looked at him. Her large feline eyes widened into yellow circles and she meowed loudly.

  Megan furrowed her brow. “That’s not very polite, Mei.” She looked at Jie. “I’m sorry about that. She’s probably just hungry.”

  He glanced at the cat, understanding perfectly well why the animal seemed afraid of him. No doubt Mei detected the canine scent about him that a human nose couldn’t. “Don’t worry. I’m not offended.”

  Mei mewed again and raced off, disappearing into what must have been the kitchen.

  Megan sighed, her pretty eyes clouded. “Even so, she’s not usually so rude.”

  “Really, don’t worry.”

  “May I take your bag for you?”

  “Please, don’t worry about me. I know you need to feed Mei.”

  She regarded him sheepishly. “You’re so nice. I just want you to feel welcome.”

  He smiled at her. “I do.”

  Megan sighed. “All right. I won’t be long.” She looked down and made a clucking sound to the cat. “Come on, Mei. Suppertime. Maybe you’ll be nicer to our guest on a full stomach.”

  Mei mewed again and followed Megan into the kitchen.

  Jie set his bag and jacket down on the front hall rug and moved further into the small apartment. The main room was simply furnished, with a few silk hangings and cozy lived-in looking sofa and chairs on Oriental rugs. Ferns hung in pots around the windows and many photographs sat in frames on the fireplace mantle and on the bookcases flanking either side of it.

  He went over to look at them while Megan’s voice carried to him in the background, speaking incessantly to the cat, who answered her with tiny mewing sounds. He smiled at the conversation between human and feline, which gave him the distinct feeling that Megan spent a good deal of time by herself.

  There were many pictures of Megan with her grandfather and others of her as a little girl with the people who must have been her parents. In one picture, the man and woman were holding Megan between them. The man had the same light-colored hair as Megan. The woman bore a strong resemblance to Chen. Jie stared at Megan. She’d been an adorable little girl, laughing and smiling. Sudden grief twisted his heart at the horror she must have suffered, losing her parents the way she had.

  He stopped in front of another photo and frowned. In it, Megan was older, wearing a beautiful gown, standing arm in arm with a young Chinese man. He was thin and a bit gawky-looking, but Megan was leaning in toward him, smiling. Her hair was loose and flowing about her shoulders. Jie was captivated by the sight. Next to that photograph was another one of Megan and the same young man. He appeared several years older than in the other photograph and had lost his gawky appearance. In fact, he’d obviously matured into a handsome man, as good-looking as any movie actor in Hong Kong. The young man had his arm around Megan and had his cheek pressed to hers. The picture had been taken outside, obviously in very cold weather, for they were both wearing heavy sweaters and Megan’s cheeks looked flushed.

  Jie was unprepared for the searing jealousy that gripped him. He could barely move from his spot. His heart began to pound and his blood ran icy in his veins. Perhaps Li had been wrong after all. If the man in the photographs was Megan’s boyfriend, then Jie obviously had been wrong about her being his mate.

  “Jie, are you hungry?” Megan’s voice cut through his suffering.

  He turned to find her a few feet away.

  She frowned. “Is something the matter?”

  He shook his head, fighting to remain calm. After all, she didn’t belong to him yet and he had no reason to feel the way he did. “No. I was just looking at your photographs.” He pointed to the one of her and the young man cheek to cheek.

  She nodded and looked down, smiling at the one to which he pointed. “That’s Danny Wong,” she said. “He’s been my best friend since middle school.”

  Her answer confused him. Megan and this Danny Wong looked so happy together, so intimate. If this was so, why had she invited another man to come and stay in her home? “Megan, won’t he be angry about my staying here with you?”

  Megan’s face clouded. “No. I can’t imagine why.” But then understanding lit her features. “Oh, you think that Danny and I ...?” She smiled again and she shook her head. “No. You misunderstand. Danny is my dear friend. It’s not like that.” Her smile faded and she reached out, putting a hand on his arm. She leaned in, as if afraid of being overheard. “Danny is gay.” She turned to the bookcase and picked up a picture he hadn’t seen, holding it out to him. “That’s Danny with Dave. They met last February.”

  Jie stared at the picture. Danny was sitting on the sofa next to a large, brawny white man. The man Megan called Dave had an arm across Danny’s shoulders, and they both looked radiantly happy.

  He nodded. Relief flooded through him with such force that he almost laughed from the release of tension. “I see.”

  “Danny was finishing his doctorate at MIT and one night he was leaving the campus when a guy pulled a knife on him. Dave was a police officer on campus and tried to arrest the guy, but Danny wouldn’t let him. He told Dave the man was just hungry.” She chuckled, a mischievous twinkle in her pretty eyes. “Danny had had a secret crush on Dave for months before that. It was a bad start, but that night, he found out that his crush had been mutual, all that time.”

  Jie smiled, his body tingling with relief. “Well, it’s good they are so happy.”

  Her brow furrowed. “It doesn’t bother you, does it? Because I do hope you’ll meet Danny. He’s really a wonderful friend and person.”

  “I’d be happy to meet your friend, Megan.”

  Megan sighed in obvious relief. “Thank you. They are very happy.”

  The note of wistfulness in her voice did not escape him. “It was a big change for you, wasn’t it?” he asked softly.

  She looked at him, obviously taken aback by his question. “Yes. Danny and I were together almost all the time. Except when he went away on computer consulting jobs. He spent last summer in Hong Kong.” She fell silent a moment. “I’m happy for them, and they do spend time with me, but yes, it’s been an adjustment.”

  Then she looked down at her hand on his arm, as if suddenly becoming aware that she was touching him. Her hand was warm and soft, and her touch heated his entire body. He was both relieved and disappointed when she lifted it away.

  “I’m sorry, Jie. I tend to babble. You probably noticed that.”

  He smiled. The sound of her voice was a healing balm to him, and he enjoyed listening to her. “I like to hear you talk. You have a kind voice.”

  In the soft lighting of the room, he saw her cheeks darken and realized she was blushing. “I actually came in to see if you wanted some dinner. I’d like to make you something.”

  “I don’t want you to go to any trouble. You worked a
ll day.”

  She smiled. “Well, usually I’m more tired at the end of the day, but you helped me so much, I’m not so tired. I make great fried rice.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Great. Let me show you your room first. This way.”

  Jie went and picked up his things, then followed her into the hallway. She opened the first door, revealing a small bedroom. “This was Grandfather’s room. I know he’d have wanted you to stay here.”

  He nodded, bowing his head. “Thank you.”

  “The bathroom is between our rooms.” She went to a closet in the hallway and pulled out some towels. She carried the towels back into the bedroom and laid them on the bed. When she turned around, a shy expression came over her pretty features. “I hope you’ll be comfortable here. Please make yourself at home. I’ll have supper ready when you’re finished showering and all.”

  Her apparent eagerness to make him feel welcome and at home touched him. “Thank you very much,” he said. “I’m already comfortable.”

  The smile that lit up her face was so beautiful, he had to fight back the overpowering desire to pull her into his arms. His heightened senses not only registered her scent, which made him wild enough, but her emotions. He sensed her loneliness and her sadness, as well as her kindness and her mutual desire for him.

  She cleared her throat. “Well, I guess I should give you some privacy.”

  He bowed his head again, his calm demeanor belying the raging need she stirred deep inside him. “Thank you, Megan.”

  She hesitated a moment longer, then went out of the room, softly closing his door behind her.

  * * * * *

  Jie showered, using a spray of cold water to help cool the fire that burned inside him. Megan’s scent filled the apartment, stirring his hunger for her in places even deeper inside him than his loins.

  Thankfully, however, when he turned off the water and began to towel himself off, the smell of food cooking, wonderful smells of garlic and soy sauce, blended with Megan’s heady aroma, keeping his overpowering urges to mate with her at bay. As much as the attraction seemed mutual, he didn’t want to frighten her by taking her wildly as his body was demanding of him.