The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf 2)

“I was driving us to your place, and I lost control of my truck.”

He blinked at me a few times and then gingerly nodded his head.

“We rolled into a ravine,” he said, moaning as I handed him a glass of water. I had Dr. Patterson’s number, but I held off on calling him back to the clinic just yet. Nick sipped the water and carefully tilted his head back to the pillow. “You OK?”

“I’m fine.” I nodded. “And you hit your head on the window.”

“No. You hit your head,” he said, squinting at me. “I had to keep you awake. Kissed you. And when I woke up, you’d changed. I woke up, and you were a wolf.”

“You must have hit your head pretty hard, huh?” I said, forcing myself to give him a sympathetic smile.

He blinked at me, frowning. “What?”

“You hit your head in the accident. You must have had some crazy dream.”

“It wasn’t a dream. You were there. We spent all night talking. And Cooper was there, eventually. And Samson.”

“And the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, too?” I asked, struggling to keep the wry smile on my face. This hurt. It hurt so much to make him feel crazy, stupid, anything less than the sweet, brilliant man who kept me awake to prevent my brain from leaking out my ears.

“Don’t try to play this off, Maggie. You’re a werewolf.”

I burst out laughing. “No, Mo’s the werewolf. Oh, wait, no, it’s me. I’m the werewolf. Or maybe it’s my mom or Great-aunt Tilda.” I sighed, fighting to keep my expression placid.

Of course, Great-aunt Tilda was one of the most intimidating specimens of geriatric wolfdom you could ever come across. But that was beside the point.

“Nick, this whole thing with werewolves has just gone too far. I humored you at first, because it was kind of quirky and charming, but it’s just weird now.”

“You’re telling me that I didn’t wake up next to a little black wolf this morning, and that wolf didn’t phase into a very human you?”

“I’m telling you that we were in a car accident, and you have a pretty severe concussion. Beyond that, I don’t have one clue what’s going on in your head.”

“I know what I saw. You don’t have to worry. I’m not—I won’t tell anyone.”

Oh, how I wished I could believe that.

I frowned at him. “There’s nothing to tell.”

“No, look, I remember. We were at my house. We were watching Star Trek. I kissed you. And you ran away.”

“I ran away from your house because I was upset. Because I have a boyfriend.”

Nick sank back against the mattress, recoiling as if the wind had been knocked out of him.

I twisted my hands together, trying desperately to look like a guilt-ridden girlfriend, the kind you couldn’t trust to go on spring break with her girlfriends. “I started dating Clay a little while ago. He’s good for me. He’s a close friend of the family. Part of the reason I came to see you was to tell you that I can’t accept things like pie from you. I’m a oneman sort of woman. I don’t play around like that. Between that and the wolf thing, I don’t think we should see each other anymore. Don’t come by my house. Stay away from my family. You’re creeping me out.”

“I thought . . . I thought we were . . .”

“It’s not like that, Nick. You just misunderstood.”

Oh, God, this was making my chest hurt.

“Then tell me what it’s like!” Nick shouted. “You know, I don’t know what pisses me off more, you denying that there’s anything between us or you denying what you are. Do you know how much people would give to be able to do what you do? To be special? To be able to escape?”

“Oh my God, are you like one of those weird guys who post sexy sketches of half-animals/half-ladies online?”

“The term is ‘furry,’ and no, I’m not. I don’t like you because you’re a wolf. I like you because you’re strong and funny and loyal and smart. You’re special in a lot of ways. Being able to morph into a wolf is just one of them. And certainly not the one I will tell my friends about.”

“Why do you know the term for people who are sexually attracted to—You know what? Never mind. None of this matters, because it’s all in your head.”