Bad Wolf (Wild Men 4)

llen a little bit more for him.

If I take a step back and think about this, I have to admit I like this boy. I want him. I crave his company, his touch. I love talking with him.

And that only serves to drive the point home… Holy crap, this isn’t just a crush. I’ve fallen in love with him. When did this happen?

Probably from the very beginning, I realize, reeling a little. With every word he said, every gesture he made.

Like his arm around me now.

A tall, blond guy with the shoulders of a quarterback and two little boys by his side arrives to take Tessa’s hand. Dylan, I think, trying to recall everyone’s names. And his little brothers. He’s Tessa’s boyfriend.

Then applause rises from the gathering as Asher leads his radiant bride and their baby son to the simple altar. Their friends gather around, clapping them on the back and talking.

Jesse starts moving in their direction, tugging me along, and I don’t resist. He’s pulling me gently, slowly, toward the small crowd, and although I can feel panic welling inside me, a rising storm, it doesn’t break.

He’s got me, like he said. He’s with me, around me, a buffer, a warm place where I can hide.

But he’ll let go, I think, when we reach the others. Surely he’s only doing this until he thinks I’m over my initial discomfort, and then I’ll be on my own.

We walk between the pots of flowers and the milling guests who have to be family and friends, until we reach the tight core crowded around the couple. Ev spots me and rushes over to kiss my cheek. Her eyes widen when she sees who I’m with and notices his arm around me, but snaps her mouth shut and sends me a look that says we’ll talk later.

Oh boy, looking forward to that one.

Kayla ambles my way, nods at Jesse and tucks a strand of blond hair behind her ear. “Nice place, huh?”

Jesse’s friends wander by to say hi—Shane, Seth, Ocean, Tyler, along with his pixie-like girl, Erin, and their four-year-old son. Cute as hell, that kid, and he looks just like his gorgeous dad.

The thought of kids—specifically of having kids with Jesse—sends heat through me. I glance up at him and find him making faces at the little boy.

I clap a hand over my mouth, stifling laughter.

Zane comes to greet us with his girlfriend, Dakota, and his shrewd dark gaze takes us in.

“Jesse,” he says gravely, then his face breaks into a grin so wide I’m afraid his face might split in two. “And Amber. What a surprise.”

I have a feeling it’s not a surprise for him at all. Did Jesse talk to him about me? I glance at the man cuddling me to his side, but he’s waving at a tall blond guy who’s attached like a limpet to a pretty girl with skin like caramel.

Rafe and Megan, Jesse’s coworker at the café.

So many hotties, but the cutest one is by my side.

“Hey, guys.” Megan does a double take when she notices how close Jesse and I are standing, how interlocked we are, and I want to laugh.

Because he’s right, his presence warm and real, shoring me up. I’ve never felt so relaxed around people before. I bet he can sense it.

But still he doesn’t let go.

Before I know it, we’re moving again, this time away from the altar. I guess we’ll talk to Asher and Audrey later. Looks like the ceremony’s about to start.

In the gathering dusk, the spotlights illuminate the pair. Audrey’s hair is loose on her back, red curls tumbling like a waterfall. It’s as if she stepped right out of a medieval castle, in her long white dress. She’s cradling the baby in her arms, her bunch of flowers clasped underneath, and Asher has his arm around her waist.

Like Jesse has his around mine.

The best maid and best man take their places at the sides of the couple—Tessa and Zane, the latter standing out with his Mohawk and the colorful ink sleeves running down his arms.

I glance at Jesse’s tattooed arm, remember the scars and the terrifying story behind them. I somehow don’t think he’s told me everything that happened to him that night. Not that such an attack isn’t enough to give anyone nightmares.

The Justice of the Peace, a tiny woman in a gray suit, clears her throat, and the whispers fade. A sultry breeze blows from the lake, and I shiver.