Mr. Red Riding Hoode

That was Steve? The blond god with the bright eyes and sparkling laugh was the well-to-do architect Ben always bragged about?

She’d heard a lot about Ben’s friend, but no one had said he looked like that. His tousled hair was almost golden, his blue eyes bright with laughter. His shoulders were almost as broad as Ben’s. He wore a bright red, hooded coat that wasn’t anywhere near enough to keep him warm in the Poconos in winter. She’d have to direct him to the ski shop, where he could pick up something that wouldn’t cause that fine ass to freeze to death. He’d obviously dressed for the warmer winters they’d been having around this time of year, but the temperature had dropped in the last couple of days. He wasn’t the only guest who’d come with lighter gear than needed.

He was the hottest thing she’d ever seen walk through the lodge’s front doors, and that was saying something. She’d heard he’d grown up in the area, but she would have remembered someone that studlicious, wouldn’t she?

Then again, he was the same age as Ben, making him about five years older than her. He would have run around in a different crowd than she had. Add in the way the old Alpha had isolated them all and…

Whoa. The back view was just as good as the front.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Belle grinning. How someone so evil could look so innocent was beyond her. Chela held up her hands. “Oh, no. No, you don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Do whatever it is that put that look on your face.” Chela shuddered. She could only imagine what Belle might do knowing that Chela had finally shown an interest in someone. Chela had no real interest in any of the Pack men, and she’d been so busy since she’d become Omega that she hadn’t even looked at the opposite sex.

Ben’s friend might be seriously hot, but Belle was seriously crazy. Chela had more than enough crazy in her life, thank you very much. She didn’t need her Luna deciding she was going to help Chela get laid or something.

“So you don’t want me to introduce you?”

Her gaze drifted over to Steve and found he was watching her as well. Damn it. She did want to meet Mr. Hunky. “I didn’t say that.” But when Belle looked like that, trouble was sure to follow. She shrugged, hoping she didn’t look nearly as frightened as she was. “He has a nice laugh.”

Belle’s brows rose as she threaded her arm through Chela’s. As much as Belle denied it, the cold weather bothered her hip more than she wanted known. The inner circle had taken it upon themselves to always make sure their Luna appeared strong, even on days when she wasn’t. “Okay. C’mon, Ms. Mendoza. Let’s go meet Ben’s friend Steve.”

She swallowed hard, her heart suddenly racing. There was something wickedly decadent about him that had her wolf panting in expectation of what he’d do, how he’d move next. She needed to hear if his voice was as rich as his laugh, see if his hair was as soft as it seemed. His cheeks were still rosy from the cold, and his mouth was full, the lines around it more from laughter than frowns. This was a man you wanted to walk up to and lean on, one you hoped lived up to the promise of his appearance.

She allowed Belle to tug her toward Ben and Steve, wondering why she had such a fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was so nervous she thought she might throw up. She fought to keep her eyes from changing the closer she and Belle came to the man in the hooded red jacket.

Come on. He’s hot, but he’s not that hot.

A couple came in from the cold, laughing and shaking snow from their hair. The breeze that followed them blew past Ben and Steve, causing the blond to shiver dramatically.

The most delicious scent assaulted her senses, causing her wolf to whine in need. The scent was warm, musky and male, with a touch of cold and sunshine. She wanted to roll in that scent, be covered in it until she couldn’t tell where she began and he ended.

Sapphire-blue eyes locked on her, warming her from the inside out.

Chela came to a dead halt, stumbling only when Belle continued forward. She swallowed, hoping no one could tell how dizzy she’d suddenly become. “Belle?”

“Yes?”

She knew what this meant, what her future now held. She only hoped he’d be able to accept who she was and everything that went with it. “He’s my mate.”

Belle’s answering grin would have made the devil run and hide in fear. “I thought he might be.”

She shot Belle a look, part horrified, part resigned. “He’s human.”

“Yes, he is. Did I mention the Halle Curana, Emma, was human before she was mated by Max? Don’t worry. It will all work out just fine.”

For someone in pain, her Luna sure was strong. Belle literally dragged Chela across the lobby to where Ben stood with Steve, watching their progress. Ben looked ready to bolt, but Steve’s expression was full of mischief and a touch of heat that sent a wave of flame to her cheeks.

Belle smiled, waving vaguely between Steve and Chela. “Steve, let me introduce Graciela Mendoza to you. Chela, this is Ben’s friend Steven Hoode.”

Chela looked into the eyes of her mate and felt the world around her come to a halt. “Hi.”

When he lifted her hand to his lips she thought she might melt on the spot. “Hello to you too, Graciela.”

That roguish grin of his should have been registered as a lethal weapon. “You can call me Chela. Everyone does.”

One golden eyebrow flew upward. “I’m not everyone.”

She shook her head, taking in his scent. She wanted to purr like one of the cats did, curl up in his lap and let him pet her all over. She bet those big hands of his would feel absolutely marvelous. “No. You’re not.”

From the way he held her hand, maybe he knew it too.

Chapter Two

“Steve?”

She opened the door of their cabin, his scent filling her senses with its warmth. He was in her home, his scent mingling with hers, his shoes resting by the front door. She shivered, hard, at the knowledge that her mate was finally hers.

She could hardly wait to pounce on him.

The snap of wood in the fireplace distracted her for a moment. It was night outside, the fire a welcome warmth as the snow fell in the darkness. She took off her jacket, hanging it in the closet before toeing off her own boots.

She tiptoed toward the bedroom, where her mate’s scent was strongest. If he was asleep she didn’t want to disturb him.

He lifted his gaze from the book he’d been reading. He held out his arms, his expression warm, welcoming. “Graciela.”

She smiled, fully aware that if Belle could see her expression, Chela would never hear the end of it. She loved that Steve called her Graciela. Only her family called her that, and even if her parents didn’t get along, she knew deep in her bones that all three of them adored her. A rare mating even among wolves, her father had two female mates. Neither woman was mated to the other, however, and when they’d tried living together it had been a disaster. After much discussion, some of it at volume, her father had chosen to live with his second mate and visit his first, Chela’s mother, on a monthly basis. It was an arrangement that surprisingly suited everyone involved, including Chela.

She could hear that adoration in his voice, knew he felt the same toward her as her father felt toward his mates. She’d craved that more than she’d realized, that neediness to be near her one special person. It thrilled her to know that Steve felt the same pull.

She crawled onto the bed and into his arms, snuggling as close as she could. She didn’t even realize how cold she’d been until his arms were wrapped around her. “Hi.”

He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. “Hi.”