knowing glance as he opened the freezer door.
Instead of looking guilty, she laughed. “I do. I searched your kitchen for anything strange and only came up with a wolf’s-head bottle opener.”
“I bought that in Anchorage as an inside joke.” He took the wrapping off the steaks and put them on a plate in the microwave. “Speaking of the bottle opener, what would you say to opening a couple of bottles of Spruce Tip ale?”
“I can do that.” She went straight to the right drawer and took out the opener.
He took a couple of bottles from the door in the refrigerator and handed them to her. “Even though you’ve been through all the drawers and cupboards, I’m impressed that you remember where the bottle opener was.”
“Good memory.” She popped the top from a bottle and gave it back to him.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“It doesn’t mean I blurt out everything I remember, though. Just so you know.” After opening her bottle, she raised it in his direction. “Here’s to solutions.”
“I’ll drink to that.” The ale tasted good shared with Rachel. He thought about his dinner with Giselle. The air hadn’t crackled when he and Giselle were together, but it certainly crackled now.
Rachel opened the utensil drawer and gathered up what they’d need for the meal. “Are you sure you trust me to go out on the deck by myself? What if I try to escape?”
He’d been crouched in front of the bottom bin of the refrigerator while he chose a couple of potatoes to bake in the microwave after he’d thawed the steaks. He glanced up at her. “You wouldn’t get far.”
She met his gaze. “I might. I’m pretty fast.”
“Not as fast as I am.” Holding two potatoes in one hand, he stood.
“What, you have some sort of Were speed?”
“Something like that.”
She shrugged. “I wouldn’t try it, anyway. You’d just call that Were Council and I’d have Were police on my trail.”
“And then the entire Were community would be involved. I’d rather keep this to ourselves if we can.”
“Contain the damage?”
“Exactly.”
“I’m good with that. I won’t try to run away.” Her hands full of utensils, place mats, and napkins, she left the kitchen.
But shortly she was back to retrieve her bottle of ale. He put her to work scrubbing carrots and was mesmerized by the way her breasts shifted beneath her T-shirt as she did that chore. So he looked away, but he couldn’t block out her scent, her body heat, or her soft breathing. Everything about her called to him.
Because he was attuned to her breathing, he noticed that it picked up whenever he came close. That could be because she now knew he was a werewolf, but he thought it was more than that. She wanted him, too. That knowledge was good for his ego but bad for their chances of keeping the evening from getting out of hand.
After about ten minutes of effort, the potatoes were in the microwave and the carrots steaming away in a saucepan. They’d moved on to their second bottle of ale apiece, and Rachel carried those out to the deck while Jake brought the platter of steaks, a long-handled fork, and his basket of spices.
“You’re obviously used to cooking.” She set both bottles on the elevated patio table and climbed up onto one of four tall swivel chairs grouped around it.
“I like doing it.” He adjusted the heat on the gas grill. “When I take groups out on the trail, it’s a fun challenge to prepare them a decent meal in the middle of nowhere. It’s one of my selling points.”
“Do you ever . . . cook for other werewolves?”
“Sometimes.” He put on the steaks and came over to join her at the table. “Look, it’d be better if you don’t ask questions. As I said before, the less you know—”
“I disagree. What you want from me is loyalty and trustworthiness, right?”
What he really wanted from her was something he wasn’t supposed to have. He tipped his bottle and drank some ale before he answered the question. “Ignorance would be preferable.”
“Too late. I know you’re a werewolf and that there’s a werewolf council out there somewhere. You threatened me with werewolves who would hunt me down if I tried to run away from you. I’m envisioning an entire shadow community living alongside the human population. Am I right?”
“I’m taking the Fifth on that.”
She blew out an impatient breath. “Look, I’m pretty smart, Jake, and I’ll probably figure a lot of this out on my own.”
“You’re certainly free to do that, but I don’t have to supply any more details.”
She sipped her ale and gazed at the mountains in the half-light of an Alaskan summer evening. A breeze ruffled Polecat Lake, causing small ripples to lap against the shore.
Through all that, he could almost hear Rachel thinking. Almost. They’d had a mental connection for a brief time after he’d shifted into wolf form, but he wasn’t as psychic in human form.
He could certainly feel lust in the air, though. The aroma of grilled steak teased his nostrils. That smell, combined with the tang of the ale he’d consumed and the almond scent of a female he wanted, aroused him to a level he hadn’t reached in a long time. Considering the trouble he was in, he shouldn’t allow himself to enjoy this sensually rich moment with Rachel. But he couldn’t seem to help himself. She was potent.
At last she spoke again. “I’ve been thinking.”
“I’m sure.” He wondered if any of her thoughts had to do with the sexual tension building between them.
“I mean, does it matter whether I know a few details or a lot of details? In a case like this, there’s no such thing as a small leak.”
He had to admit she had a point.
She tilted her bottle, took a drink, and swallowed, her delicate throat moving seductively, making him long to nip that slender column. Then she looked over at him. “I’m just glad you’re not planning to have me rubbed out.”
He had a mouthful of ale when she said that. Because he didn’t want to spew it all over her, he choked instead. She left her chair to pound him on the back, which was of no help.
Finally he was able to breathe again.
“You okay, sport?” She resumed her seat and peered at him.
“Yeah.” He grinned and shook his head. “
“I watch a lot of movies. I love the world of the imagination. And FYI, now that I know werewolves exist, I think it’s plain mean for you not to tell me all the juicy details. Like I said, a leak is a leak.”
“I’m only thinking that you can’t blab what you don’t know.”
“You say that like somebody’s going to put thumb screws on me and force me to talk. They’re not, Jake. We live a fairly isolated existence up here, and when I travel for work, I guarantee nobody will ask me what I know about werewolves. If I keep my mouth shut—and I will—the subject won’t come up.”
He studied her. “I want to believe that you can keep your mouth shut.” He shouldn’t be discussing her mouth, though, because it made him think of what fun he could have exploring it.
“I can absolutely do that. I understand the issues. I may understand them better than most because I have such an active imagination. But I have to ask, are werewolves planning to take over the world?”
“It’s a fair question. In the movies, the nonhuman creatures usually take over the world and enslave the humans. Why wouldn’t werewolves want to do that?”
“Because it’s not our nature to be aggressive.” He almost added that Weres were lovers, not fighters, but thought better of it.
“But you’re organized enough to have a council, and apparently you look out for each other, even if you don’t always agree, like in the case of you and Duncan MacDowell. In his book, Duncan referred to extensive business interests. Do werewolves have a lot of money?”
Jake put down his empty bottle and stood. “I need to check the steak.”
