hackles raised, lips pulled back to reveal razor-sharp teeth.
Come between him and his lover? Tyler didn’t think so. He lifted a paw in the air to bat the annoyance aside when Caroline darted forward and caught the wolf by the ear.
“Evan Stone. You stop this instant.” She raised a hand toward Tyler, palm open, calming him. “It’s okay. This is…a friend.”
Tyler lowered his paw and sat back warily.
The wolf stopped snarling and whimpered instead as Caroline gave an extra hard twist to the ear she’d captured. “You
She released Evan’s ear then stepped to Tyler’s side, laying a hand on his shoulder. Tyler grinned as the wolf stared, head lowering in frustration.
She’d taken his side, Tyler’s. He wanted to gloat—well as much as a bear could gloat. Her fingers in his fur made him wriggle in pleasure, and he nuzzled her.
The wolf shifted back to human, becoming a dark-haired male who glared furiously at him.
Tyler debated stepping forward and biting Evan’s arm, just to see how the man felt about human/shifter chewing incidents when the teeth were applied in the opposite direction, but since Caroline had supported him, he didn’t need to rub it in.
“What kind of explanation do you need for me to protect you? He was attacking. He was all over you.” Evan took a deep breath and jerked to a halt. He dragged a hand through his hair. “Oh shit. You’re turned on.”
Tyler shifted back to human as Caroline shook her head in disgust. “Dammit, Evan. Jump to conclusions much?”
“Well, what was I supposed to think? Shaun is picking up your special-duty detail team, so I put myself on guard watch. Took me a bit to catch up to the jeep, and when I saw you… Well, it’s not your typical place for fucking around.” Evan crossed his arms. “I can’t win this conversation, can I? No matter what I say I’m going to come off like an interfering idiot.”
“Pretty much, yes.” Caroline sighed. “Tyler Harrison, I guess you may as well officially meet Evan Stone, head of the Takhini pack.”
Tyler held out a hand. “I’m not pleased to meet you.”
Evan’s grin flashed. “Likewise, asshole.”
There was none of the stupid “attempt to squeeze each other’s hands into bloody pulps” Tyler expected. Of course, that was because he took the opportunity of having Evan’s hand to jerk the man off his feet. Only when Tyler expected to be able to drive an elbow down on his opponent’s back to finish the punishment, Evan surprised him by twisting in midair and wrapping his leg around Tyler’s, tumbling them both to the ground.
Nice. Tyler kept the roll going and squashed Evan under him.
“Guys?” Caroline attempted to cut in, but it really wasn’t the moment for a distraction. Not when the wolf’s grunt of pain was followed immediately by a violent punch to Tyler’s kidneys. He retaliated by spinning and catching Evan in a headlock.
It was always enjoyable to have a sparring partner who was fairly evenly matched in skill.
“Guys.”
They grappled a little longer before fingers tapped his forearm three times in the universal code to be released. Tyler set Evan free and looked around for Caroline.
She was gone.
“Fuck.” Maybe ignoring her hadn’t been the smartest move.
Evan chuckled. “That’s what I figured. Damn woman is probably pissed off at both of us. You might want to hurry and catch her before she decides you need to grovel for a few days.”
They separated and brushed the dirt off. Tyler reached for his jeans then found his shoes. “Think I can make it to the jeep before she leaves me behind for good?”
“With some luck—I’ll show you a short cut.” Evan handed over the backpack. “Sorry about the interruption.”
Tyler grinned. “She’s a bit of a wild child, isn’t she?”
“More than I imagined.” Evan eyed him. “You’ll take good care of her, right? I won’t need to track you down and kill you in the future?”
Interesting. How much trouble was the wolf going to be? It was a good opportunity to sound out if Caroline and Evan truly were over, as well as possible alliances. “She’s not your concern anymore.”
“She’s my friend, she’s pack, and she’ll always be my concern.” Evan’s pleasant expression vanished.
Tyler nodded. “Good. I hoped you’d say that, because things are moving faster than I thought. Not with me and Caroline—that’s just starting, even though the relationship looks promising. No, you will not need to kill me, but I’d appreciate knowing you have my back. There’s potential trouble in the next few days. Will Takhini stand with me?”
Evan stared him over, analyzing. Judging.
Then the wolf shrugged. “Damn it all, I want to hate your guts. But if Caroline likes you and trusts you enough to play fucked-up games in the great outdoors, who am I to say otherwise? Takhini has your back.”
Tyler adjusted his load. “Thank you.”
The wolf flicked a hand down the trail. “Take the steep cut to the right and you half your distance to the bridge. You might want to go get her before you have major begging to do.”
The idea of being on his knees in front of Caroline wasn’t a hardship to imagine. Not if that meant feasting on her delectable body.
Evan flicked a finger in a mock salute then shifted back to wolf, trotting easily long the narrow ledge, ignoring the mind-boggling cliff to his left.
Strange helpmates Tyler had acquired. A pack of wolves, and one very intriguing human.
Tyler caught up before the bridge, wrapping an arm around her waist and twirling her toward him. She laughed, cupping his face with her palms and moving in for a kiss that made his head spin. She clung to him, legs around his hips, mouths connected as he caressed her back and hips.
When she finally slipped to the ground, he kept hold of her fingers, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. “Didn’t want to stick around for the fight?”
Caroline shook her head. “You boys seemed pretty involved in each other. I didn’t want to interrupt a tender moment.”
He laughed as he caught her hand to his lips. “Forget Evan. We’re good. Now back to more important things. Like the fact that bit of sightseeing was fairly spectacular. Thank you.”
Her pupils were wide and dark in her blue eyes. “I found it rather invigorating as well.”
“Any other must-see things in the area?” He caressed the line of skin visible long the edge of her T-shirt neckline. “I’m ready for anything you suggest.”
Her breathing picked up, chest rising and falling rapidly. “All kinds of suggestions come to mind, but first let’s show you an actual sight. You want to see the city from the mountaintop? Great views.”
He tugged her forward, their bodies barely brushing. A soft kiss on her cheek, tender as he could. He spoke against her lips. “That sounds marvelous. This afternoon we have to spend in town, hobnobbing with any bears we come across. And then I’ll take you back to your apartment, and we can work on the plan for tomorrow.”
She smiled, lips curving against his. “My sister will be back by tonight, so we’d better make that your hotel room. Because somehow I think you mean something dirtier than
Tyler tugged her toward the bridge, keeping her hand trapped in his. “I do my best planning while naked.”
Caroline nodded. “That would explain the anticipation in your eyes.”
“Deal?”
She grinned. “Oh, you have yourself a deal.”
Chapter Fifteen
