Chapter One
“He’s one of the meanestsons of bitches you’ll ever meet.”
“I heard he eats humans for breakfast.”
“He’s pure evil.”
Astrid Sinclair tried to ignore the rumors and warnings as she made her way down the long driveway of Lord’s Ranch.
Living in No Wolves Road since she was born, she was used to wolves and the superstition.She recalled the first time she encountered Lord.She was about sixteen years old and was so focused on the book she’d been reading, that she hadn’t watched where she was going.
If it hadn’t been for Lord, she would probably already be dead.She hadn’t seen the truck heading her way, and she had stepped out on the road, and well, Lord had pulled her right out of the way.Banded an arm across her waist.Being on the larger side, and having most of the kids—both human and wolf—make fun of her at school, she was convinced no one would ever be able to lift her.Lord had done so easily.
Of course, he had then berated her, calling her a fucking idiot moron human, and a lot of other colorful words.Her family didn’t care what he called her, though.They’d been delightfully happy that he’d pulled her out of the way of oncoming traffic.
She’d never forgotten him.
Over the years, she had tried to learn as much about him as possible.So far, she had learned very little.He was a lonely wolf.No pack to speak of.No one had ever seen him with a woman.He’d not attended many functions in No Wolves Road, and he often kept his distance when he was in town.
There was nothing social about him, and that made everyone more suspicious.She didn’t mind him at all.In fact, ever since he had rescued her ten years ago, she had found herself falling, little by little, in love with Lord.It was a recipe for disaster.
He was a wolf.
She was a human.
There had been a few romances flare up in No Wolves Road, but they didn’t come without difficulty.
This had to be one of the biggest mistakes she had ever made, but at twenty-six years old, she had seen the job application and decided to sign up for it.Ever since she finished high school at eighteen and decided not to go to college, she’d worked at the local library.The only problem was, it didn’t pay a lot, and she still lived at home with her parents.This was a live-in position Lord was advertising, and she wanted it so badly she could taste it.
She loved her parents, but she was the only one living at home.Her two brothers were away, enjoying themselves.They had gone to college, one was some kind of investment banker, and another worked in advertising for a big firm.They kept their lives at No Wolves Road a secret.That was part of the rules.
Astrid never wanted to leave town.She loved it here.Sure, the wolves were mean, but then, so were people.No matter where she went, she would encounter the same kind of personalities but in different bodies.At least here was home, and she loved it.She loved being near the country and breathing in the fresh air.Also, the wolves that surrounded the town had vowed to protect it.
Humans and wolves lived in harmony, which was why she approached the fine-looking ranch house.
A lot of people in town had said he’d fixed the place up real nice, and the outside was beautiful.The outside was a nice cream color, and the window frames a dark brown.The roof no longer had any holes in it.Lord had spent a lot of time on the house.
“What the fuck are you doing on my property?”
She would recognize that voice anywhere.That day, ten years ago, when he berated her for being fucking stupid, his voice had been seared into her brain.
Glancing up at the porch, she saw him wiping his hands on a towel.
“Uh, I have an appointment.”She quickly cleared her throat because it sounded like she had a frog in her throat.She offered him a smile.“I’m Astrid Sinclair, we talked on the phone.You advertised a position for a live-in housekeeper.”
She hoped this was not some kind of prank.There was no one to tell she had a large crush on this man.
Astrid didn’t make friends easily, which is why she always had her head in a book, mainly romance books, because they were the best.As she got older, some of those books were more erotic in nature.Not that anyone would ever know that.She could read whatever the hell she liked using an e-reader, and no one would know, unless they read over her shoulder, which was just rude.
Lord stared at her, and she started to feel a little sick.
“That’s today?”he asked.
She quickly glanced down at the text on her phone.“Yeah, that’s today.”
He rubbed the back of his head.“Shit, okay, come on in,” he said.
Astrid wondered if he had a lot of people lined up inquiring for this job.She followed him up the porch steps and quickly grabbed the door before it shut on her, as she let herself inside.
