His demand and dismissal should have bothered her, but they didn’t. What annoyed her were her own actions, or rather inactions. She listened to the shower turn on and his shoes drop on the floor. If she joined him, he’d be one satisfied wolf mate, but she couldn’t do it. It would be like sacrificing him to the devil wolf, Volan. She couldn’t stomach the idea that the pack leader would kill him.

When Bella didn’t join Devlyn in the bathroom, he knew he’d have a hell of a time convincing her that he was the only one for her, but he wasn’t giving up. Then it occurred to him. What had she been doing the whole time he’d been gone?

He finished his shower, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around his waist.

With a quick stride, he returned to her office and checked her email. He read through the messages she’d sent in response to her red wolf invitation, not believing she’d invited half of the world to a dance club that night. More worrisome was Argos’s cryptic message to her.

The old pack leader wouldn’t return for her unless something terrible had happened, but he would have said if Volan had been killed.

He turned when Bella’s light footsteps entered the office.

“Your bloody steak is ready.” She glanced down at his towel. “Going to dress, or eat like that?”

He rose from the chair and crossed the floor to her. Taking her shoulders in his hands, he massaged them lightly. “Which do you prefer?”

Her gaze took in his bare chest. “Men don’t come to the dining table half-dressed.”

“Just the answer I was waiting for.” Yanking off the towel, he dropped it on the floor. “Ready?”

She glanced down at the towel and then back at his eyes, ignoring his full-blown erection. “I hope you intend to pick up after yourself.” She turned and headed down the hallway.

Following her, he enjoyed the wiggle of her cute little butt covered in the tight black denims. “Is that what you’re wearing tonight to meet all of your suitors?”

“Something a little sexier.”

“Don’t see anything unsexy about the jeans.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Did you practice your smooth words on human females for all of those years?”

“Did it have the right effect on you?”

She gave a half grunt. “No. So what do you think about my plan?”

“Sounds like it could be a circus.” Sitting down at the head of the table, he smelled the rich blood of the fresh meat, warm and rare like he preferred.

She sat down opposite him. “Yeah, I thought maybe the more possible candidates we could draw out — “

“Fou could draw out.” He still couldn’t curb his anger with the notion of her acting as the killer’s live bait.

“I thought if a red acted aggressively about my seeing others — “

He pointed his steak knife at her. “What if that’s the problem? What if he can’t deal with other reds and because of that is having a difficult time finding a female to mate with him? What if the only ones he’s able to interest are human, but when he changes into the wolf, they’re terrified of him? As a wolf, he could bite her and still change her, but it’s not the same as having a mate who is willing. Most males nowadays wouldn’t want a female who has to be forced to accept him.”

“You’re right.” She sliced off a piece of meat. “So then we find one who cowers or is angered when others are interested in me.”

“Might work.” He guzzled down a glass of water. When she raised her brows, he said, “Run took a lot out of me.”

“From what I saw, it didn’t take much out of you at all.” She licked her lips. “Chrissie was drooling over you. I could have beamed her for thinking she could have... “ She quit speaking.

“Could have me, when you already want me?” A healthy appetite for sex quickly displaced the anger and anxiety he felt.

“Why would anyone not want you? I mean, you’re so... so... “

“Untameable?”

She bit her lower lip, her gaze drifting down to his naked chest.

“Say it, Bella. You want me. It’s really easy. Just say it. I won’t bite... too hard.”

She shook her head and changed the subject. “You know, when I tried to decide whether to buy a wooden table or a more modernistic glass-topped one, I chose wood because it reminded me of the great outdoors. Only now, if I had glass, it would give me a better view.”

He grinned. “Bad Bella.”

She chuckled, never having enjoyed her home so much as she did now with the big gray wolf sharing the space. “I sure could get used to having you around.”

“I’m all yours.”

But would he agree to stay with her? Here? Away from Volan?

“What do you think is up with Argos?” she asked. “Do you think Volan could be dead?”

With the serrated edge of his knife, Devlyn sawed at his meat. “No. Argos would have said. I don’t like it that someone’s following him. He’s not as agile as he used to be. Not as wary either.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t go tonight.” Poking her fork into her meat, she considered Devlyn.

“What? And disappoint all of those panting suitors?” He couldn’t help the sarcasm that laced his words. He didn’t want her seeing red lupus garou, damn it, and he didn’t want them catching sight of her or thinking that they had a chance with her either. He carved off another slice of meat. “We’ll go. I’m not delaying our return home to the pack any longer than I have to.”

“You shouldn’t have left the house earlier like you did,” she scolded, her brows knit together in a cute little frown.

“Did you worry about me?”

“What do you think? Here I’d have these dates I couldn’t break, and you’d be sitting in jail downtown. Who would protect me?”

“Are you sure you weren’t worried you wouldn’t have me to snuggle up to tonight?”

She gave a small growl.

He grinned. Yeah, she worried about him and wanted him, if she’d only allow herself to commit to him. He was wearing her down, bit by bit. Maybe, after the dance club, he could encourage her to say yes.

She took another bite of meat and then licked her lips.

Preferably before the dance club.

Bella turned from Devlyn, unable to stand his attentions any longer — the way he watched her lick the steak blood off her lips, the hungry look in his eyes, daring her to say she didn’t love him or to say she did, the smile that stirred when she considered his bare chest.

He was so quiet that she glanced up from her meal to see if he was still there. Looking satiated, he leaned back in his chair. “So what do we do until tonight? Want to take a nap? We barely got any sleep. You must have been up before the sun rose.”

“You won’t want to sleep.”

He winked, his lips curving up. “You’re right. But we’ll have a long night ahead of us, and you know how we are... lovers of the night. We won’t do well without an afternoon nap. Game?”

“I’ve got to do the dishes.”

He stood, and her eyes riveted to his erection. Heat pooled between her legs and her gaze returned to his. He grinned. “Really, just sleep. I can’t help it if every time you lick the salt and blood off your lips, it gives me ideas.” He grabbed his plate and walked to her end of the table. After planting a kiss on the top of her head, he seized her plate and carried the dishes into the kitchen. “I’ll take care of these while you get into bed. Be there in a few minutes.”

He was right. The lupus part of them required a long afternoon nap. Then they’d enjoy the night. Well, maybe not so much enjoy it tonight, but they’d be better prepared, more alert. If they slept.

“All right. But,” she said, pointing down the hallway, “remember to pick up your bathroom towel.”

“Gotcha. Don’t you love domestic life?”

She snorted. “Right.”

Life with Devlyn would be anything but domestic.

Before she retired to the bedroom, she entered her office, planning to check her email and then shut down her computer.

Twenty-two more messages. She blinked. Most had to be humans, looking for what they must have thought was a wild woman. Well, she was a little on the wild side.

She scanned through the messages, but one in particular caught her attention.

Hey, Rosa! Why did you say you wanted to see me at the club but had already told Alfred you were meeting him? Even Nicol said you invited him. I don’t want to make this some kind of a group mating scene. What’s up? Ross

Ross must have been the other at the zoo. Bella’s heart fluttered at high speed. Jeez, was he the killer? Oh hell, she never thought there’d truly be several from the same lupus garou pack that would contact her.

She turned when Devlyn walked into the room. He lifted his towel off the floor. “I thought you’d be in bed already.”

“We have a problem.”

He joined her at the monitor and read the message.

“Damn.”

“What do I do now?”

The look that flashed across his face startled her. It was as warm as a breath of sunshine and there was something more that she couldn’t read. He touched her hair and then kissed her cheek. “We’ll figure something out.”

He reread the message. “Okay, how about, ‘Sorry, Ross, but I don’t know any reds in the area. This is as much a selection process for me as anything. It’s a female’s choice, too. If you don’t want to come tonight, we can make another date. I won’t make a choice until afterward.’”

She nodded, typed in the message, and sent it.

When no one responded, Devlyn nudged her arm. “Let’s lie down. He’s probably not at the computer. After we nap, we can see if he replied.”

“Just sleep, Devlyn.”

“Of course. I want you alert and ready tonight.”