I dusted off a dress hanging from a rack. As I did so, I couldn’t strip my eyes away from the way Dutch’s fingers deftly unfastened each button on the back of the blouse. He took his time, and the way he did it was so sensual that I could almost imagine that mannequin was me. He probably took his time seducing women the same way.
Dutch circled the mannequin, his fingertips tracing around her narrow hips, until he faced her. Unable to look away, I watched as he brushed his hand down her shoulders, the delicate straps sliding away and the garment falling to the floor. He stroked one of the smooth breasts with the tips of his fingers.
I swallowed hard, my throat parched.
“Will you look at that,” he said, gazing upon her alabaster chest. “I’ve never seen breasts like these before. Why don’t they make them more… realistic?”
When he snapped his gaze in my direction, the shirt slipped out of my hand. “I guess they don’t want to sexualize them.”
Dutch smiled and circled the box to pick up the shirt I’d dropped. When he stood up, we were a breath apart. His cologne filled my nose, inviting me to lean in. “You might attract more male shoppers. A breast is lovely, but nothing is more titillating than the sight of a woman aroused.”
His gaze slipped down to my white T-shirt, and he stared at my overalls as if he had X-ray vision.
“Thanks for helping out,” I said, feeling fire in my cheeks. “After I sweep and mop the floors, I plan to go home and rest.”
His brow arched, and he glanced at his expensive-looking watch. “Why don’t I pick you up at five? We can discuss security and come up with a plan to protect our businesses. We don’t need senseless violence in our neighborhood. I’d stay and chat with you longer, but I’m on a short lunch break and need to get back to my store.”
“I won’t be here that late.”
He canted his head and regarded me for a moment. “Let’s meet somewhere then. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Howlers?”
“That’ll do. We’ll talk shop over a glass of wine.”
It wouldn’t hurt to share a little information. Most owners in the neighborhood didn’t like people knowing their business, so they kept to themselves. “Okay. You’ve talked me into it. Five o’clock at Howlers.”
Coins jingled when he put his hands in his pockets and headed toward the door. “If you need anything, do you know where to find me?”
“Two streets over, right? Thank you again.”
When he opened the door, his musky cologne wafted across the room. “My name’s Dutch, just in case you forgot. See you this evening, Hope.”
Once alone, I stared at the hand-carved wolf, completely dumbfounded by the turn of events in just one day. Two complete strangers had entered my life for reasons not yet known—men who couldn’t be more opposite. That, combined with the mystery behind the property damage, gave me a strong premonition that the perfect storm was brewing, and I was caught in the eye.
Chapter 11
After Tak finished drying off from a quick shower, he tossed the white towel on the motel room floor. “What the hell were you thinking?” he asked his reflection. “You have no business hitting on a woman like that.”
Not just because of her lush beauty, but high-ranking women in his tribe were off-limits to that kind of invitation—especially from him. Though Tak was an alpha, he would never attain the rank of a Packmaster within his tribe. That made him less of a catch, but it didn’t stop a few of the wild ones from knowing him intimately. He enjoyed the companionship of a woman in bed, but nothing more. Anyhow, Tak didn’t know how to impress a woman like Hope. Leaving her shop with his tail between his legs only proved that point.
He grabbed a clean pair of black cargos from his bag and a grey cotton shirt that fit him snugly. While he hadn’t bothered to wash his hair, he’d removed the rubber band so that he could braid it again the right way.
“You should have never stuck around,” he said, chastising himself. “See what you get? You’re lucky her father didn’t walk in and see you in that dress.” Tak pulled the shirt over his head, wondering why it mattered what her father thought of him.
The more he stopped trying to think about her, the more she invaded his thoughts. Hope’s duality fascinated him, as did her independence. Did a woman like her even require a man in her life? She had her own source of income, and not everyone could be business savvy. Tak had learned by watching his father that it required intelligence, motivation, and a certain kind of decisiveness that not everyone possessed.
Just as she’d been decisive about having the good sense to reject his offer. When he implied she had a lot in common with her jewelry, her befuddled reaction left him wondering if she’d taken it as a compliment or an insult. Her pieces were beautiful, rare, and deserving of a worthy owner. That was the meaning behind his remark, but an explanation would have embarrassed him since it was on the heels of a rejection.
“Jackass,” he muttered, relaxing on the edge of the bed.
And worst of all, he liked her. She was the whole package. Her thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and family loyalty were qualities he most admired. There was something about her face that made it difficult to look away. Not overly feminine or traditionally beautiful, but soulful and expressive. Her lips were plump and inviting, and damn if she didn’t have the prettiest eyelashes. Hope was the kind of woman he imagined himself with in another life. She made him feel protective. She brought out the warrior in him.
Tak put on his pants and stood up. He lifted his black comb from the nightstand and ran it through his long hair, which was tangled from the night before and still carried a wave. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach when he thought about their interaction in the store.
Did he really believe that Hope would have accepted his offer? No respectable woman would go against the wishes of her blood, and he respected that. Tak wanted resolution with Lakota—he needed to find out how much of that friendship had been genuine. Lakota didn’t know about Tak’s past, and that made their bond special. It wasn’t that Tak didn’t have friends; he got along fine with the men in his tribe. But tension existed beneath the surface. In most nontribal packs, one alpha lived under the roof and led the pack. However, the Iwa tribe expanded territories and formed small subpacks. While each Packmaster headed his own group, they worked together as a sort of Council with Shikoba as their leader.
Even though Tak had the power and entitlement of an alpha, he held no rank.
