Page 4 of The Werewolf Cowboy
Chapter 2
Two weeks later
The scent of a woman swirled in his nostrils, tempting, sweet as honeysuckle and deadly as hemlock.
Deadly, because he knew it was too dangerous to unleash his raging desire. This woman—no, thiswolf—Katy Thomas, lived one fencepost away from his spread, but she might as well have lived on Mars. She was a Mitchell Ranch Lupine, adored by her Lupine pack.
Even if they had no idea exactly what she was.
Even ifshehad no idea exactly what she was.
Katy, a lovely Lupine, laughing green eyes and a mane of tangled curls who was a terrific rider. Not as pretty as some females in the Mitchell pack, but striking in her own way. She could tempt a celibate Lupine male, if there ever were such a creature.
Always careful to keep his desires at bay, Grayson curled his calloused fingers around the frosted mug of amber beer. The rich fragrance of Katy tightened his body with hard need. It evoked an image of her naked on all fours in the traditional Lupine mating position, a sultry look in her eyes as he gripped her hips and sank deep inside her.
Stop it.Thoughts were dangerous in a crowded bar. They could dance around and slip into unknown heads.
He tipped the rim of his black Stetson, dragged in a deep breath and more scent, and stared at the mirror in front of him, the rows of whiskey and liquor lined on dusty glass shelves.
What the hell was Katy doing here? He stole a glance over his shoulder, saw her with her two girlfriends at a corner table. Dust motes swirled in the air like fairies as muted light from the grimy overhead lamps glinted in the mass of long, dark curls spilling down her back.
Holly and Sherry, her two good friends, were with her. Katy was legal now, fully legal to drink, and do other things.
The other things a Lupine enjoyed in the dark of night, with a woman whose crimson mouth was made for sin, hot kisses and passion…
Grayson shoved aside the beer, signaled the bartender. When the shot of amber whiskey arrived, he downed it neat. He’d never been a heavy drinker, but with the delectable Katy in his scent range, he needed a crutch.
She was the coziness of pack, family, and settling down.
He was a lone wolf who’d vowed to never join a pack here.
They would never let her go. She would have to leave on her own, and judging from her woebegone look and that remark about pack during the roundup, she wasn’t ready to abandon her people.
Yet.
Grayson wiped his mouth with the back of one hand and tried to ignore the gnawing need in his gut. He ordered another shot of whiskey. Tonight it would do little more than warm him, he was so cranked up with sexual need.
The Bar was frequented by grizzled Lupine cowhands and tough trolls, Fae and bear shifters. Her pack enjoyed the more refined digs at Spuds Saloon, especially now that Aiden Mitchell, pack alpha, had purchased it as a gift for his mate, Nia.
Grayson preferred The Bar because of the slim odds of running into anyone from the Mitchell pack. The toughest Skins—the word Lupines used for humans—wouldn’t venture close to The Bar. They sensed the otherworldly aura about the place, and the air of danger. Hell, the place didn’t even have a name. Grayson liked that. The Bar was like himself—isolated and alone, with dark corners one didn’t dare peer into too closely.
The outside door opened, and he felt a draft that had nothing to do with the chilly air. Grayson froze, keeping his gaze centered on the drink before him. He didn’t need the mirror to see who was behind him. He knew these three, knew their scents. It had been ten years since he’d last seen them.
Someone clapped him on the back, a friendly cuff. “Hey, cowboy.”
“Mad Dog,” he murmured.
“Dude, is this where you hang your hat? I’ve seen prettier mugs in prison.”
“Go to hell, Chase,” Grayson told him in an amiable tone. Chase, his best friend. He missed the guy.
“We came to check on you,” a silver-haired male told him. Cedric. The alpha.
Grayson considered. “Now, after all this time? Why?”
“Because it has been ten years since you last checked in with us, son,” the alpha said.
Out of the corner of his eye, Grayson saw the alpha slowly climb onto the barstool on his right, as if his body pained him.
