The skirt of her dress was wide enough to allow her to get into the truck with little problem. Once she was settled inside, James went around the front and climbed into the driver’s seat. He quickly started the vehicle, put it into gear and eased it out of the lot and onto the highway. She glanced over her shoulder and watched the diner disappear before facing forward to whatever lay ahead.
James stared at the woman sitting silently next to him. It wasn’t just that she was quiet. There was a stillness about her that bespoke of someone used to fading into the background, not wanting to bring any unwanted attention her way. He’d given her space and time, but an hour had passed and she’d yet to speak. It was time to get some answers.
“Where are you from?”
Even though he’d kept his voice low and as unthreatening as possible, she jerked at the sound. She shrugged and stared out the window.
“You had to come from somewhere,” he continued patiently. “You said you’d only been working at the diner for about a few months.”
“About six.”
She was the least chatty woman he’d ever come across in his life. But he wasn’t worried. He knew he’d eventually get her entire story. She had to have family somewhere, and if she didn’t many packs would be glad to take her in. “Where were you before then?”
She stiffened and her breathing became shallower. “Here and there.”
He could smell the fear rolling off her. Reaching out his right hand, he captured her left one, which was lying limply by her side. He felt her flinch, but she didn’t pull away when he laced his fingers lightly though hers, not restraining her movement in any way, but just trying to reassure her. “Whatever or whoever it was, they can’t hurt you now.”
She gave a bark of bitter laughter as she rubbed her free hand across her forehead. “I’m not so sure about that.” She sighed and shifted her body so she was turned more toward him. “What does it matter to you where I was or what happened in my past? You’ve got no responsibility for me. You can just drop me off at the next decent-sized town and drive away.”
Everything inside him rebelled at the mere thought of leaving Shelley. Instincts he’d thought long dead, sprang instantly to life, and for the first time in decades, he felt the male wolf within him sit up and take interest. Not since Leda, his mate who’d died decades ago, had he felt this way.
No! He shook his head. He didn’t need that kind of pain again. But there was no way he was letting Shelley go off on her own. Just the fact that she was a female of his species meant he had to protect her.
“You know I can’t do that, Shelley. There’s no way I can abandon a female.”
She shook her head and sighed again as she continued to rub her forehead. “Of course you can. I want to go to a town. No, a city. It’s the least you can do considering you’re the reason I don’t have a home or a job.”
He ignored her accusation. It was true, but he wouldn’t change anything he’d done so it was a moot point. “Why don’t you let your hair down out of that tight bun? It might help your headache.”
She seemed surprised he’d even noticed she had one. But he’d seen the way she rubbed her forehead, the slight squint of pain around her eyes. She hesitated, but then a moment later she slid her hand from his, reached behind her head and began plucking out pins. She tucked them safely in her dress pocket and then ran her fingers through her hair.
It was thicker than James had expected and fell to just below her shoulders. The sun caught it, making the light brown strands shimmer. She gave him a tiny smile. She looked younger now and very, very beautiful. James swallowed and squirmed in his seat, trying to get comfortable. His jeans were suddenly very tight. For a man who’d had no problem with self-control for almost half a century, to say it was unsettling was an understatement.
Fortunately, the woman seemed to have no sense of her own appeal. His gut clenched. As soon as word got out of her existence, the males would be circling, fighting over her.
He didn’t like to think of what would happen to her if a decent sort of werewolf didn’t claim her. His culture was no different than humans in that respect. There were good males and bad ones, and these days too many of the males were desperate for a mate and had forgotten they needed to honor their females.
The wolf within him began to growl and the fine hair at his nape rose at the mere thought of another male touching her. Her skin was so fine he longed to reach out and stroke it. But his fingers were rough and calloused after years of hard labor. He was too harsh for such a soft, delicate creature.
He barely kept from jerking when her small hand slipped beneath his and, this time, it was she who joined their fingers together. Pleasure hummed within him, making his wolf settle.
James clenched his jaw to keep from swearing as he stared almost blindly out the front windshield. The asphalt was a slender ribbon that he followed automatically.
At his age and with his experience, he knew better than to fight his instincts. They’d saved his life too many times and had never led him astray. And at this moment, they were all clamoring that this female was special, that she belonged to him, with him. He might be a great believer in listening to his instincts, but he wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t about to do anything rash. He still needed answers.
“Where were you born?” James figured if he kept asking questions he might eventually get some answers.
This time there was no mistaking her fear. She jerked her hand away from his and all but huddled against the door, getting as far away from him as possible. Well hell. What could be so bad about asking her that?
“It’s a simple question, Shelley.” He kept glancing over at her, keeping one eye on the road. Her face had lost every bit of color. Not that she’d had much to begin with. But now, she looked positively ill. “Do you need me to stop?”
“No!” she shouted. She was trembling now, her entire body shaking.
“Talk to me, honey, or I’m going to pull this truck off the road and we’re not going anywhere until I get some answers.”
“Bully,” she muttered.
“Whatever it takes.” He really didn’t care what she thought of him at this point. His only concern was for her well-being. He was pleased that her slight show of temper had brought some of the color back to her cheeks. They were flushed now, her eyes glaring at him. “Come on, Shelley. I won’t stop asking until you tell me.”
He eased his foot off the fuel pedal and the vehicle began to slow.
“I don’t know,” she cried. Burying her face in her hands, she hunched her shoulders forward as if to protect herself. “I don’t remember. I don’t remember.” She was sobbing now, her entire body heaving. “I don’t remember.” Her voice was little more than a tortured whisper and James quickly pulled the truck off onto the shoulder of the road.
Undoing his own seatbelt and then hers, he slid to the center of the seat, gently lifted her into his arms and cradled her close against his body. Her tears shook him to the core. He hated them. Hated to see her cry.
“Shh,” he crooned. “It’s all right. Whatever it is, it’s all right.” She weighed little more than a child, but it certainly wasn’t a child’s body resting against him. It was all woman. From her soft, slight curves to the pliant mound of her full breast as it pressed against him.
His erection pushed tight against the front of his jeans, but he ignored his discomfort. He held her until she was cried out, until her breathing had leveled out again and only the occasional hiccup shook her as she slowly calmed. Tilting her head back against his arm, he pushed a lock of hair out of her face, tucking it behind the shell of her ear. “Better?”