“How did she get your number?” He shifted his body closer, rolling up his sleeves.
I gasped at the marks on his right arm. “Your arm. What happened?” There was a long scratch that looked red and angry.
“Minor incident. It’s fine.” He didn’t sound at all concerned. “I heal quickly. Tell me about Charlotte Rowe.”
I gave his arm one last look, my gaze lingering on the bulging veins in both of his arms. I blinked and shook off the shudder that ran through me. What was it about men’s forearm veins?
I shifted on the couch, squeezing my thighs together. “Um,” I started and told him about the call with Charlotte. I’d meant to mention it before but kept forgetting.
“You didn’t tell her anything else?”
I shook my head.
“Good.” He dropped his hand to my knee, and my body temperature increased so much that I had to put down my cocoa.
“Did you find anything outside my place?” I gestured toward the window, needing to talk to distract my thoughts from his hand on my knee. “No, right? Whoever heard of wolves in this part of Texas anyway?” I snorted at how silly I felt. “It was likely an owl or something like that.”
“They were wolves. I smelled them,” Chael said casually.
“Smelled them? How do you know what wolves smell like?”
His eyes widened before his expression relaxed. “There are a lot of wolves in the mountains where I… grew up.”
“Was that in West Texas?”
“Somewhat.” He nodded and leaned in, his hand starting to make circles around my knee.
My breathing became slightly labored. It wasn’t right to feel so intrigued by a man I hardly knew. The desire to learn more about him took over, though.
“My p—family is from different parts of the country. I’ve spent time in Colorado, where my mother was from, and West Texas, where my father’s family resided. Wolves are pretty common in those regions.”
I nodded, trying to understand. “I thought wolves were extinct in Texas.”
“A lot of people think so.”
“What?”
He shook his head. “Wolves have a pretty distinct smell.”
“If you say so. I have limited experience around them. And truthfully, I don’t want to get to know them up close.” I laughed, but then I noticed Chael gave me an odd look.
“Why is that?”
My eyes bulged. “Are you kidding me? They’re vicious, killing machines.”
Something emotion I couldn’t name passed through Chael’s gaze. He blinked, and it was gone.
“That’s not true. For the most part, wolves are peaceful animals.”
I snorted. “Peaceful animals that can rip your throat out.”
“Only when someone or something fucks with them or their family.” He sounded as if he had firsthand knowledge of this.
“You must know a lot about wolves.”
“A few things.”
Why that sounded cryptic to me, I couldn’t fully understand. “Tell me about your name,” I asked.
