Page 20 of His Undercover Wolf

“I would much rather help children and animals than indulge in ostentatious buildings and things I don’t need.”

“What about Cillian?”

“His place was built in the 1950s and is about two streets away from mine. Also like mine, it has three bedrooms, one bathroom, and a double garage with a home gym and lap pool in the basement. He’s not one for things but he does enjoy fine dining with friends, mainly women, and the past three years we have spent our three weeks of Christmas holidays in Saint John. Cillian spends his time there bedding women while I prefer lying by the pool with a book or swimming at the beach.”

I grinned. “You never bed women?”

“Of course, now and again. I’m certainly no saint. They are always one and done and the women understand that before I take them to bed. They sign a legal document stating they had sex willingly with no threat or coercion. I don’t give them money because I won’t have them feeling like whores, so I usually gift them a piece of jewelry. I keep a few pieces in my safe at home and usually slip one into my pocket if I intend casting my eye wide. I never take them to my home, and do not go to theirs. I have a room at The Leaf Hotel for such purposes.”

“Your actions seem almost robotic. I don’t blame you though for being cautious. Having the kind of money you do makes you a prime target for false accusations.”

Our desserts—sticky date pudding and handmade vanilla ice-cream with strawberries on the side were placed on the table. The simple sight, along with the delicious aroma, had my mouth watering. I indulged in a bite and didn’t feel any shame when I moaned.

Xavier laughed and I shrugged before taking another bite.

“What about you, Otsana? Are you up for a one and done?”

“I haven’t been for the past year and a half. However, I could be persuaded to break my vow of celibacy for you. I believe we could work out this obvious attraction we have with a fuck.”

Xavier’s eyes narrowed but I’d caught the lust in them before they did.

“You don’t think there’s a conflict of interest?” There was a definite note of hope in his voice that I would say no.

“Not at all. My captain, the team and I have dismissed both you and Cillian as suspects for several reasons. We have no idea at this stage who the perpetrator may be but we know for certain it’s neither of you two. I wouldn’t advertise the fact we’ve fucked and once won’t hurt.”

Xavier nodded and seemed preoccupied as he finished his pudding, washing it down with the last of his red wine. I devoured every bite of mine but left the remainder of the wine so as to keep a clear head. The wolf in me was affected by even the smallest amount of alcohol.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” I asked while we waited for coffee. I pondered the fact I would need a run later tonight or early the following morning to work off the high of my over-indulgence.”

“I want you.”

“Well, that’s direct and to the point.”

“I believe honesty is best. People know where they stand and what is expected of them. I cannot abide lies and deceit.”

A cold chill danced down my spine. I was keeping the mother of all secrets from the man—lying by omission was still lying no matter which angle it was viewed from.

Still, Xavier had said himself, it would be a one and done so there was no need for him to know.

***

I slid into the passengerseat of Xavier’s car, he closed the door he’d held open, and I fastened my seatbelt while waiting for him to climb in behind the wheel.

Butterflies cavorted in my stomach, having a celebration party and I resisted the urge to allow my inner wolf to surface and growl in disgust at my weakness. Since when did the prospect of having sex with a man, and there was no doubt sex was what was on both our minds, cause me to react like a virtuous schoolgirl? I’d had a few…well, not a few, but a couple…okay…I’d only consented to one previous one-night stand with someone I’d only just met.

The realization hit me with the force of a freight train—I’d never been fucked by a human before! I’d been careful to ensure my instincts warned me of any man who wasn’t a wolf. How would my parents react if they found out I’d crossed that line and mixed outside the world of hybrids? More importantly, how would the pack react? I didn’t think they wouldn’t take it well, excepting for Zarina who couldn’t have cared less who she or anyone else fucked, even when the pack threatened to ex-communicate her.

The secrets of our other worldly lives had been closely guarded for thousands of years and it was drummed into us from very young that humans were not to be allowed to penetrate our pack and weaken our gene pool like they had with other packs. Our previous pack leaders also felt that humans could not be trusted, and if our true selves were revealed, they would do everything in their power to exterminate every one of us. Yet no other pack in the world had banned humans from marrying or partnering with our species, and there had never been any incident that we’d heard about. Pure hybrid wolves remained a long way from extinction and were in fact thriving and growing in numbers as most preferred to stick with their own kind regardless of having approval to do otherwise.

I sighed as Xavier eased the car onto the road and peeled away from the restaurant parking lot.

“Second thoughts? I’m happy to take you home. I would never force you to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable,” Xavier offered.

I peered through the windscreen at the cloudless sky above, stars twinkled and winked, and I resisted the urge to howl at the almost full moon.

“Do you ever feel compelled to do something that is outside your comfort zone and to hell with the consequences?”

Xavier flipped on the indicator and turned into a street on his right. “Often, but isn’t taking risks, regardless of internal warning signals insisting you take the safe route, part of what keeps life from being routine and humdrum? Being safe in everything we do doesn’t guarantee a happy and fulfilling life. When I considered starting Worlds Apart with the money grandfather left me, my parents, and many of my friends warned it was a gamble and could result in me losing a lot of money if the product failed to generate interest.”

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