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  Chapter Two

  Cain sat on the bench in the holding cell, waiting to hear what his fate would be. It had been several hours already, and he was sure all of the judges would be asleep by now. He was probably stuck until morning, if not later. This wasn’t the first time he’d been arrested, just the first time in Ashton Grove. He wasn’t a hardened criminal, but he’d had a crazy childhood, and his teen years… He shook his head. He knew those juvie records were sealed but, if anyone found out about his past, no way would he get away without doing some time. And more than likely, when he got out, he’d be asked to leave the pack.

  Still. He wouldn’t take back what he’d done. That man should have kept his hands to himself. Cain couldn’t really say why it bothered him so much. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen a customer get handsy with one of the girls at Lagoona’s, but it was the first time he’d felt his tiger rise to the surface, ready to rip out the offender’s throat. He had no doubt that Allie could take care of herself but, for some reason, he’d wanted to take care of her. Ridiculous! He was surprised she hadn’t torn into him for overstepping his bounds. If ever there was an independent, headstrong woman, it would be Allie. Maybe it was the rarity of her kind that made him act. Female wolves weren’t very common. For some reason, most female children born to a mated pair either took after the mother’s species, or they didn’t shift at all.

  Someone came and unlocked his cell, sliding the door open. The officer motioned for him to step out, and he did, cautiously. He didn’t know these officers, but the fact he was being released seemed a little odd. Unless, of course, they were merely going to process him and put him in a cell with the general population. That would make more sense. He had no doubt that the man he’d accosted had pressed charges.

  When he was led up to the front and saw Connor waiting, hands in his pockets, he frowned. Why was the alpha here? He’d almost prefer jail time to being in trouble with the alpha. Not that it mattered much. Either way, he had a feeling he was about to get booted. He’d broken the rule about drawing attention to the pack. The fact he felt no remorse for his actions, didn’t bode well for his future in Ashton Grove.

  The officer slipped behind the counter and pulled out Cain’s personal belongings, making him sign a slip before handing them over. He stuffed his wallet into his back pocket and put his watch back on before walking over to the alpha. Connor didn’t look angry, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. He’d screwed up and he knew it. Maybe he should just apologize and get it over with? Not that apologizing would save him an ass chewing.

  “You ready to head home?” Connor asked. “Or did you make more friends tonight?”

  “I’m ready to go home.”

  Connor nodded. “In case you’re wondering, Allie is all right. She’s without employment though. That little stunt you pulled cost her a decent job.”

  Cain snorted. “There wasn’t anything decent about that job. Asshole was groping her like she was some two dollar hooker. He’d been warned once to keep his hands to himself. It’s his own fault he got his ass handed to him.”

  They slid into Connor’s truck and the alpha started the engine.

  “And Allie? She has no way to pay her bills now. Do you know how hard it was for her to get that job? No one else around town would hire her. It wasn’t like it was the first place she went to. She was so damn dejected, telling me how she’d have to go over to the strip joint tomorrow to apply for a job.”

  “Like hell!”

  “I don’t like it any more than you do, but there’s nothing we can do about it, Cain. I can’t order her not to seek employment.” Connor sighed. “If you were truly mated to her, it would be different. And yes, I heard all about you claiming her. But I know Allie, and you saying it’s so doesn’t mean it is. Unless I hear it from her lips, I won’t believe it.”

  “I only claimed her so that asswipe would leave her alone. I wasn’t really thinking about the pack being present when I did it. Sawyer didn’t think much of it, but I’m thinking the other guys did.”

  Connor chuckled. “Allie wasn’t too pleased that you’d taken her off the market without her consideration. I believe she mentioned something about gaining a tiger skin rug if she couldn’t get a date this weekend.”

  For some reason, the thought of Allie going on a date bothered him. Not that he would admit it to anyone. He’d noticed the little wolf on more than one occasion. He’d have to be dead not to realize how sexy she was. Curved in all the right places, she was still a tiny thing, compared to him. He could probably lift her with one hand.

  “Can’t you offer Allie a job at the construction site? Surely Aislinn needs help with filing or something.” Cain really didn’t like the idea of her being naked in front of a bunch of men.

  “Do you honestly think she’d accept a job from me? Especially one that put her in direct contact with you on a regular basis?” Connor snorted. “Not hardly. She’d probably laugh her ass off.”

  Cain grumbled under his breath.

  “What?”

  “I said she’s too independent for her own good. What she needs is a man to take care of her.”

  Connor looked at him, both eyebrows raised. “Please tell me you didn’t express that opinion to her.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “And you’re still in one piece? You have no clue what that woman has been through to get where she is today. She didn’t do it by relying on other people to help her out. Don’t expect her to roll over and let you take care of her. It isn’t in her nature.”

  “What if…” He slammed his mouth shut. No, he wasn’t going there.

  “What if what?”

  He shook his head.

  “No, you started to say something and I want to hear it.”

  “What if you forced her to mate with someone? It would ensure that she’s protected.”

  “Allie would take off for another pack before she’d let me put her in a corner like that.”

  “Well, we can’t just sit here and let her take her clothes off for a living!”

  Connor assessed him. “Why does it bother you so much?”

  “I don’t think any woman should do that for a living.”

  “Yeah, I get that, but it seems to bother you more than it should that Allie is going to be doing it. I think there’s more to the story. Do you like her?”

  Cain snorted. “What is this, grade school? Check yes or no?”

  “Cut the shit. I’m being serious. Do you have a thing for Allie Jenson?”

  “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “I just know she gets under my skin. I didn’t like her working at Lagoona’s and I sure as shit don’t like the idea of her stripping. She should be at home, where she can be taken care of. She deserves to have someone wait on her, not the other way around.”

  “Holy fuck!” Connor laughed. “You’re in love with her.”

  “What?! Don’t be ridiculous.” Cain scowled.

  “Well, this is rich. I knew you hadn’t dated much since she joined the pack, but I never put two and two together. Or if I did, I was coming up with three instead of four. Does she know?”

  “No, she doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way. She’s wrong for me. I want a docile woman. She’s so damn headstrong I think she’s part bull.”

  “Uh-huh. You just think you want someone docile but, let me tell you, you’d be bored to death inside a week. Now that I think about it, I can see you and Allie together. You’d make a cute couple.”

  “Whatever.”

  Connor pulled into a parking space at the wolf dorms and let Cain out. “Just remember, if you chase her, she’s going to run. You have to make her want to come to you.”

  Cain wasn’t sure how he was supposed to make Allie come to him, and he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to. Yeah, the alpha had a point, he was half in love with her, had been since she’d stepped out of her SUV that first day at the construction site, looking for Connor. He’d seen those long, lean legs
and he’d wondered what they would feel like wrapped around his waist. She’d had on some sexy barely-there shorts and a tank that left little to the imagination. He’d fought back the urge to grab her and hide her away before the other guys got a good look at her.

  Then he’d heard her talking to Connor and had listened to that smart mouth of hers and realized she wasn’t what he was looking for at all. Not that it had stopped him from fantasizing about her every night as he wrapped his hand around his cock. He’d tried to date a few times since she had shownup, but the datesall fizzled out after dinner and he dropped them back by their place. They weren’t who he wanted and his cock just wasn’t interested. It wanted a feisty wolf babe.

  He might not know much about her story, but he wanted to. There were rumblings in the pack that she was a drifter, looking for a place to settle down. He hoped she’d found her home in Ashton Grove, but what if she hadn’t? He’d kick his own ass every day for the rest of his life if he let her slip through his fingers and she moved away before he told her how he felt. Connor was right though, if he chased her, she’d run.

  What could he do to make her come to him? For starters, he was going to call the strip joint and threaten to flay them alive if they hired her. He’d just have to take a chance on her running from Ashton Grove if she didn’t get hired there, but the thought of all those men seeing her naked was enough to make his blood boil. She was his, even if she didn’t know it, and no one was going to see her naked but him. Maybe when he’d claimed her today, he’d meant it on some level.

  He did have that going for him. Connor might not have believed him, but the rest of the pack assumed they were together now. Which meant, no dates for Allie. He grinned. Already a plan was forming in his mind. She’d go to the strip joint when they opened most likely, which meant she’d be home, dejected, around the time he got off work. If he rushed home and showered, he should have enough time to pick up a pizza and a case of beer to take to her place. Might not be the fanciest dinner ever, but he’d heard she had a fascination with pizza. Even better, she loved everything on it, just like him.

  The fact that he was even considering a long-term relationship should have scared the shit out of him. He’d always been a bed hopper, never sticking with one woman more than a few nights. Other than his dependable job, he supposed he didn’t really have a lot recommending him as a mate. He didn’t have a house of his own, just a place in the wolf dorms, which didn’t allow females. He’d have to contact Matt and Cassie if he was serious about pursuing Allie. A man intent on having mate should have his own place.

  Cain might not have wanted a mate anytime soon, but he had been preparing for one, ever since he was sixteen and old enough to work. No less than one hundred dollars of every paycheck had gone into a savings account, starting with his first check. When he was able, he put in more. He had over forty thousand dollars put aside. He could easily afford a house payment if he put at least a forth of that down on something small. He wouldn’t be purchasing a large Victorian like Gabriel had, but he could get something comfortable. He just hoped comfortable was good enough for Allie. He really didn’t know much about her.

  As far as he knew, she hadn’t really bonded with anyone in the pack. He didn’t see her hanging out with a particular set of females, and the males she’d dated were nothing alike. If she had a type, he had no clue what it was. Maybe she liked overbearing kitties. If she gave him a chance, he’d treat her right. He’d been brought up to respect women, which he knew he took to the extreme sometimes. Like last night, when he’d made the comment about his mate not working. He’d always assumed a woman would prefer to stay home rather than work. Who wanted to bust their ass eight to five if they didn’t have to? He considered it part of his duties as a mate to provide for his woman, and any kids they might have. Good lord, was he seriously considering becoming a daddy?

  What the hell was he thinking? He hadn’t even claimed his mate yet! Assuming he could hang onto the woman. Something told him grabbing hold of Allie and holding tight would be like lassoing the wind. Impossible. If she valued her independence so much, he’d have to come up with a pretty damn convincing reason for her to mate with him. Obviously, she didn’t want to be taken care of, so that wasn’t it. There had to be something she wanted, something she desired that he could give her. He just had to figure out what the hell it was.

  Chapter Three

  Allie straightened her miniskirt before pulling open the door to the local strip club. She couldn’t believe she was about to do this, to actually ask for employment that required removing her clothes for strange men. Not that there was anything wrong with what these women did for a living, she was certain they made good money, but it just wasn’t in her comfort zone. Getting manhandled at Lagoona’s was bad enough. Could she really give some balding, fat guy a lap dance? She wasn’t sure she wouldn’t feed him his hands if he touched her.

  She’d called several restaurants before coming here, in hopes someone was hiring, but she’d been told time and again that they didn’t have any opportunities for her. Getting work in a small town sucked sometimes. It really did depend more on who you knew and less on what you could do. She had no doubt that Gabriel or Connor would hire her, if they had room for her. Matt had already hired Chloe to work for him, so he didn’t have space either. Honestly, you’d think a pack the size of Ashton Grove would have more job opportunities for its pack members. Maybe she’d have to say something to Connor. What was the point of coming to join their pack if you couldn’t put a roof over your head?

  Allie tried not to shiver in revulsion as the bouncer eye fucked her. He was a big burly guy, who seemed to be missing a few teeth. Classy. It didn’t give her a positive outlook on her possible venue of employment. She’d only seen a few of the girls who worked here. Were the rest circus freaks like big, dumb and ugly at the front door? The smells that assaulted her nose were enough to make her want to retch. Stale beer, piss, and sweat. What a combination.

  There was a dancer on stage, performing for an audience of three. It seemed men like to get their freak on regardless the time of day. She hadn’t expected people, other than the workers, to actually be here this early . She would have thought a place like this wouldn’t get going until after the lunch hour. She almost felt sorry for the woman on stage, who clearly wasn’t going to get much in the way of tips. Maybe she’d made a mistake in coming here?

  An oily looking man in a half-opened Hawaiian print shirt came forward, gold chains glinting under the colored lights. “May I help you, doll?”

  “Um, yes. I was looking for the owner?”

  He held out a hand. “Lou Phelps. I own this place. What can I do for you? You looking to dance?” His gaze raked her from head to toe. “You don’t have many curves, but I bet you could still make a decent living stripping. Ever done it before?”

  She shook her head.

  “Why don’t you hop up on stage and show us what you’ve got?”

  She glanced toward the stage and saw one of the men sliding his hand up the dancer’s leg before stuffing a dollar in her g-string. Nope. No matter how badly she needed a roof over her head, no way could she do that.

  “I think I’ve made a mistake,” she mumbled, turning and hurrying out the door, the man’s braying laugh following her.

  When she reached the outside, she sucked in lung fulls of fresh air. She couldn’t believe she’d almost become a stripper! What the hell had she been thinking? If she couldn’t get work in Ashton Grove, she’d just have to move on. Maybe join a pack in a larger city, like Atlanta. There had to be jobs available there. It made her heart ache to think of leaving Ashton Grove behind. She hadn’t really made any friends, but the place still felt like home. She’d had high hopes that this would be it, the place where she firmly planted her roots and stuck it out.

  She needed to talk to Connor.

  Getting in her SUV, she headed toward his latest jobsite, hoping he would be there. If not, she’d just have to track him down.
She wanted him to see the serious look on her face when she brought up the job issue; otherwise, she’d just call him. She ground her back teeth together. Seeing Connor meant seeing Cain. She’d heard that Connor had sprung him from jail, for which she’d been thankful, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to see the big kitty just yet. For some reason, he seemed to rub her the wrong way. Not that she’d mind him rubbing her the right way. She’d have to be dead not to fantasize about those large hands doing yummy things to her. The man was sex personified. And he damn well knew it, too. Ass.

  Allie parked between two trucks at the construction site and got out, locking her SUV. She approached the single-wide, where she knew Connor would have his temporary office. A few pack mates saw her and waved. So far, no sign of the tiger, but she knew he was around. She could practically feel him.

  Knocking on the office door briskly, she pushed it open and stepped inside, hoping like hell Aislinn wasn’t around and frolicking in the office with Connor. She’d heard about someone walking in on them once. What would it be like to have a man who couldn’t keep his hands off you? Who wanted you no matter where you were? She wanted that one day. Hell, if she thought she would be staying in Ashton Grove, she’d want it now. No sense finding a mate in a town that left her jobless though.

  Connor looked up from his desk and smiled at her. “What brings you by here, Allie?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about something. If that’s all right?”

  “Sure, sure. Have a seat,” he said, motioning to the chair across from him.

  She sat on the edge of the seat, her hands clasped in her lap. Now that she was here, she wasn’t quite sure where to start.

  “As you know, I’m unemployed as of last night. I went to the strip club today to get a job, but…I just couldn’t do it. The thought of those men touching me left a vile taste in my mouth.”