Chapter 2

“Argh, this sucker weighs a ton.” Konrad’s muscles ached as he struggled under the weight of the freezer. “Shouldn’t have had that chocolate cake.”

He had propped open the back door of the restaurant using the tall, cylindrical desert case. All that remained of the third shelf were crumbs and his stomach hurt.

As he managed the few steps that led to the alley, he muttered. “Damn Nicholas. Why can’t he take a turn once in a while? Just because he’s a cop—”

“Hey, you! What are you doing?”

He froze. “Fuck.” Konrad tipped the freezer back enough to see who had called out. He lost his precarious balance and the huge chest slid out of his grasp. Falling backward, he hit the curb with his hip. Ow, damn it! A second later, the freezer hit the street with such force, it may have cracked the pavement.

Konrad rolled to the side as quickly as he could, but the heavy ice chest pinned his leg to the ground. It held him just long enough for the witness, who looked like a homeless guy, to yell for the cops.

“Shit. I should have checked the boxes and crates in this damned alley first.”

If only the guy would move out of view, Konrad could shift and reappear as a big dog limping away. But the shift would take a couple of minutes and who knew how fast the cops would get there. An unreliable witnesses might be dismissed or might not. To expose his shapeshifter capabilities might be worse than getting caught. His muscles vibrated as he tried to lift the dead weight off his leg.

Unfortunately, he had to remain in human form or risk exposure—the very worst thing that could happen to a werewolf. To expose the existence of one would lead to witch-hunts for others. Maybe government experiments. Ugh. Being dissected would really suck.

By the time he pushed the freezer aside enough to free himself, a uniformed cop on a horse came charging down the alley.

He shook his head and mumbled. “Too late. Caught by the damn Mounties.”

As Konrad waited in his cell, he reflected on his life with a good dose of self-pity. In nineteen-twenty-two, he and his brother had been running away from home, and while making their way through the woods at night, they happened upon a werewolf council meeting taking place. They were turned and taken into the pack to prevent exposure—even back then it was a werewolf’s greatest fear. As long as humans didn’t believe they existed, they were safe.

Then he had worked his way up to the Alpha leader of the Newton pack. Yes, Newton, Massachusetts. He was proud of how completely they had been able to blend in, even in a pricey neighborhood. He helped found a private school for troubled boys and subsequently became the dean of students.

Life was good—until he took in a lone wolf named Petroski. He’d used Konrad’s tendency toward kindness to oust him. The newcomer managed to poison the pack’s opinion of him. Petroski challenged him for Alpha status, and by cheating, won.

Now Konrad sat in a jail cell for the first time in his life—without the support of his pack—without the help of his brother. He wanted to howl at the sun.

“Wolfensen, you’ve got a visitor.”

The guard startled him out of his pity party. Konrad stood and groaned, still sore from the night’s activities. He stretched as he waited for his cell door to open. He could easily overpower the guard and escape, but curiosity got the better of him. No one knew where he was, so who’d come to see him? Did Nick hear about it?

He followed the guard past the long row of occupied jail cells. It had obviously been a busy night for the Boston PD. They stopped at the end of the corridor in front of a door with a small window. The guard opened the door and told him to go ahead inside and sit on the far side of the wooden table. A woman wearing a gray suit with her brown hair twisted into a bun sat in the seat closer to the door.

“Ah, you must be the lawyer they promised me.”

She turned her head enough to see his face. And he saw her.

“Roz?” Holy crap! Way to make a good impression…

“Good morning, Konrad.” She opened the folder on the table and said, “I’d hoped there were two people with the same name. I never expected to see you here.” She waved him over to the seat on the opposite side.

Konrad gulped. He slowly made his way to the other side of the table and sat down gingerly.

“Would you prefer another attorney? Not that there are a lot of us, but if you’re uncomfortable…”

“No, I want you—um, to represent me, I mean.” Oh, God. Of all the public defenders! But, maybe… “I really need your help, Roz. And I trust you to do your best, since I’m that rare innocent victim of the system you spoke of.”

Roz nodded to the guard, and he left them alone.

It figures I’d be attracted to another loser. Damn. Just my freakin’ luck. Why can’t I find a great guy like Merry did? Roz cursed her terrible taste in men. Just one more thing to blame on her stepfather.

“So, you’re being charged with breaking and entering and attempted grand theft. Are you aware of the process?”

“Process?”

“The legal proceedings?”

“No. This is the first time I’ve been arrested.” He hung his head.

She saw tears welling up in his eyes and her heart automatically constricted. What should she do? Show sympathy? Try to face it like an impartial attorney? She sighed. Until she knew the whole story, she’d have to put on her best poker face.

“Well, that should help. Give me a minute to look over the police report.” She tried to maintain a professional distance and demeanor. Then details of what she was reading sounded so ridiculous, she wanted to laugh. Either that or reach out and squeeze his hand, telling him everything would be all right. The charge was preposterous. He couldn’t have done what the witness said he did. And what a witness! A street person? He was probably drunk or hallucinating, or both. She doubted they’d even be able to find him if the case went to trial. Which it wouldn’t. She’d get it dismissed if it was the last thing she did.

“So, what were you doing in that alley late at night?”

Konrad shrugged. “Just taking a walk. Some people like long walks on the beach, I like long walks around the city.”

“I like long walks too, but not at three a.m. and certainly not in back alleys.”

“There’s less traffic. I can think better when it’s quiet. And who would mug me?”

Did she imagine it, or did he just flex his pecs? Either way, she had to look down and not at the hot guy in front of her. Christ, I’d better take some deep breaths and clear my head.

“Okay, so let’s say you were just out for a walk, and then what happened?”

He shrugged.

“Come on. Are you telling me a five-hundred-pound freezer fell out of the sky and hit you? Because the police report said there was no heavy equipment nearby. No way to lift it, yet the witness said he saw you carrying it out of a restaurant on your back.”

“Konrad laughed. I was passing by and wondered what it was doing there. I tried to lift it, to at least get it out of the street, but it toppled over. Fortunately, it was only my pants leg that got pinned.”

Roz took a deep breath. “Well, first is the arraignment. That will happen today. If they feel there’s a case, the judge will set bail.”

“Bail? How much do you think that’ll be?”

“Well, nothing if I can get the charges dropped, and that’s what I intend to do.”

“Really? Do you think you can?”

Roz leaned back in her chair. “You never know what will happen, but the witness claims he saw you carrying the freezer, fully loaded with frozen meats, on your back. Hang on a minute.”

Roz opened her laptop and typed in Commercial freezers. She found one about the same size as the one Konrad had allegedly picked up and carried. “Okay, this size and type of restaurant freezer weighs about five-hundred pounds, empty, and holds 57 cubic feet of frozen food. And the police report states it was filled with frozen beef, fish and chicken.”

“How much weight do you think that would add?”

“Maybe I can guess since I do my own shopping and cooking. Let’s see, by my estimate, a cubic foot of equal amounts of those items weighs about twenty-five pounds. That’s fourteen hundred and twenty-five pounds. Combined with the weight of the freezer itself, you would have had to pick up and carry about one ton. Is that even humanly possible?”

Konrad laughed. “It sure isn’t. No human could possibly accomplish that. I think the world record for weightlifting is about half of that.”

Roz nodded. “Let me double check that.” She typed in weightlifting world records. What she read confirmed it. “Perfect. So, between that and a less than credible witness, I think there’s a good chance of getting you off.” Getting him off? What is wrong with me? She felt her cheeks heat.

Konrad simply smiled.

Damn, my Freudian slip is showing, and he noticed. Roz ruffled the papers in front of her and jotted down some notes. It had obviously been too long since she’d had sex. She noticed her panties dampening.

When she glanced up, he was still smiling at her. Maybe planting the seed of that idea isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever done.

After the arraignment Konrad asked Roz to join him for lunch. Fortunately, she had no more cases, so they decided to grab takeout and enjoy a long walk home. The sunny sky held the promise of a warm, spring day.

“You were brilliant.” Konrad hoped he hadn’t blown his chances with his sexy attorney and neighbor.

“Aw shucks. I’ll bet you say that to all the public defenders.”

His smile faded and his gaze dropped to the sidewalk. “It really was my first and only arrest, but I know how you feel about the guys you defend. I guess you aren’t interested in me now. I was hoping to ask you out.”

She touched his arm and the spot tingled. “This is different. You were innocent.”

If only…Konrad hated to deceive her, but there was no way he could explain his abilities without exposing what he was, and therefore, the existence of his kind. Not to mention that he needed time to discover if she could be his mate. He had the sneaking suspicion that the beautiful lawyer might just be the one—and he had to check out that theory. If he didn’t, he could spend his whole life wondering.

She smiled up at him. “So, where do you want to eat lunch? Indoors or out?”

He contemplated her soft expression and glanced up just in time to witness a child drop his mother’s hand and dart out into traffic. The mother screamed and Konrad dropped their bag of take-out, rushing after him without a thought. He scooped up the little boy seconds before a car’s brakes squealed.

The car hit Konrad, but as he staggered, he held the boy steady. The tot was untouched.

The mother cried out, “Oh, thank God!”

Even though Konrad limped to the sidewalk, it was mostly an act. The car’s bumper was slightly dented, so he had to make it look good.

As he passed the boy to his relieved mother, he winced.

She hugged her son close and stared at Konrad. “Oh, my goodness. Are you hurt?”

“I’ll be fine. Probably just a bruise. Nothing broken.”

The driver of the car rolled down his window and yelled, “Hey, lady. Keep your friggin’ kid out of the street.”

Konrad turned to him and said, “We’re fine. Thanks for asking.”

The driver flipped him the bird and sped off.

“If you hadn’t been there…” Tears welled up in the mother’s eyes and she bit her lower lip.

“I’m just glad I was able to help, ma’am.”

He glanced at Roz for the first time since he’d bolted into the street. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide with awe.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Roz asked. “I mean, you took a pretty hard hit.”

“Nah, I’m made of strong stuff. I drink lots of milk—rich in calcium.”

The woman grappled for her purse. “Sir, let me give you a reward.”

“Aw, heck no. I’m just glad I saw what was happening in time to stop it.”

“I insist.”

“Tell you what. Take the money and buy one of those child harnesses.” He ruffled the boy’s hair. “Some precocious children need to be protected from themselves.”

She smiled and nodded. “Thank you, I will. I’m truly grateful.” Then she squinted at the kid and said, “You’re in the doghouse, young man. And just for that, I’m getting you a leash!”

“I can’t believe you saved that child without getting killed.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I wasn’t thinking at all—just reacting to the situation.”

“You were so brave and so selfless.” And so amazing and so…hot!

He smiled and placed a finger under her chin. Tipping her face up, he bent low, hovering just over her lips. “Can I have a kiss as my reward?”

“I’m sure the boy’s mother would have kissed you if you’d asked.” She was teasing, but also trying to keep her distance. After all, he had just been in trouble with the law.

“I didn’t want to kiss her. I’m asking you.”

Aw, I’m melting. Roz slipped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. He held her in a surprisingly gentle embrace and closed the short gap between their lips.

The pressure was just right. Firm, but not bruising. He opened his mouth slightly and slanted his head, allowing her to deepen the kiss if she wanted to. She answered by slipping her tongue past his teeth, but something sharp pricked her.

She almost pulled away, but his big paw of a hand cradled her head and kept her mouth fused to his. He slipped his tongue past her lips and lapped at the sore spot. Suddenly, the pain faded and disappeared.

Roz let her body mold to his and felt petite in his arms. Now, that’s a first.

The hot, drugging kiss continued, right there on the sidewalk heedless of passersby and traffic. The world fell away and soon the only thing she could name that existed outside herself was his arousal nudging her stomach.

She even wanted to incorporate the hard length inside her body and join with him completely. Whoa, where did that thought come from?

“It came from us, darling.”

Roz snapped out of her trance. Pulling away, she mumbled, “Wha… What just happened?”

Konrad kissed her forehead and smiled. “I think it’s called telepathy.”

“You heard me too?”

“Yes, as if you were speaking inside my head.”

Shocked, Roz lost the power to communicate—or breathe.

Konrad stroked her cheek with his thumb. “It’s never happened to me before, but I’ve heard of it. Certain members of my family can do it with their m… Uh, people they’re very close to.”

She inhaled deeply and tried to steady herself. “Well, I’ve never heard of it happening to anyone, at all.” Suddenly she remembered what he’d heard,and heat rose to her cheeks. “To tell you the truth, I’m a little embarrassed you overheard what I was thinking. I’m not sure I want anyone listening to my warped mind.”

Konrad wrapped an arm around her and gave a side squeeze. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell a soul how warped you are.”

“Hey!”

He laughed. “I was just messing with you. I think you’re beautiful. Inside and out.”

She gazed at him as if mesmerized. No man had ever said she was beautiful, at least not convincingly. But his eyes were telling the truth. He really thinks I’m beautiful!

“Inside and out.”

“Now cut that out. I just said I don’t want you listening to me while I’m thinking.”

“Then don’t think so loud.”

“Don’t think so…what?”

“I doubt I hear all of your thoughts. Just the ones that come across clearly.”

Roz crossed her arms and pouted. “Oh, that’s just great. So, now I’ll have to keep my mind a jumble in order to have any privacy?”

Konrad shrugged. “This is new to me too. I guess we’ll have to figure it out together. Let’s go home.” He kept his arm around her and guided her to walk beside him. She wanted to slip her arm around his waist too, but regardless of what just happened, it seemed too soon.

“Maybe I can talk to my brother about it. He might know if there’s a shut off button.”

“Has he experienced telepathy?”

“No, but he… Well, he’s closer to the rest of the family than I am. He can probably ask them for me.”

“Oh, so you’ve had a falling out with your family?”

“You could say that.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without my mother and brother.” My stepdad can go to hell, though.

“What did your stepfather do?”

“Oh, damn. Did I think that out loud?”

He smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul. But I’d like to know so I don’t do the same thing.”

She snorted. “If you did, the circumstances would be totally different.” Like, mutually consensual.

“Oh, no! You mean he…”

“Get the fuck out of my head, will you?”

Konrad stopped walking and leaned over to give her a warm, tender hug. Then he whispered in her ear. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

She gently pushed him away. “It wasn’t when I was a kid or anything. I was in high school, and it only happened once. He came home from a party drunk. My mother went right to bed. He—he came into my room uninvited and tried to kiss me a little too amorously. He put his hand on my breast, and I shoved him off.”

“Crap. That must have been frightening.”

“Yeah, not to mention disgusting.”

“Did your mother ever find out?”

“Yeah, I told her, even though he told me not to. He said it was my word against his and he’d deny it. But I figured she deserved to know.”

“That was brave of you. A lot of girls would have kept it bottled up inside and acted out in some other way. Did she protect you?”

“She booted his ass soon after I told her. Then we both went to counseling.”

He squeezed her shoulder and continued walking. “Thank God for that. Some mothers don’t believe their own daughters. I saw some of that as a teacher. That’s when the kids act out to get the attention of someone—anyone who might help.”

“Yeah, in that way I was fortunate.”

“How old were you?”

“Seventeen. Too old to call anything that might have happened statutory rape, but too young to be a legal adult.”

“Damn. If he’d pushed it, I hope you’d sue his ass off.”

“That would have been difficult. My stepfather was a lawyer. He said he’d make me look like I was totally crazy if I tried to ruin his reputation.” She looked up at him with a sad smile. “And what teenager hasn’t acted totally crazy from time to time?”

Konrad shook his head. “Well, at least you got counseling to help you put it in perspective. Is your mother okay?”

“My mom is strong. She put us kids first. Like I said, she threw him out and threatened to take him for everything he owned if he contested the divorce.”

“Did anything happen to your brother?”

“No, except he wanted to kill my stepfather when he found out. He was always my protector.”

“Well, now you have me.”

Surprised, Roz stiffened momentarily, then offered him a weak smile. “Thanks, that’s sweet of you, but we just met.”

“So?”

Roz chuckled. “Seems like I’ve picked up another protector whether I like it or not.”

“Oh, you’ll like it, all right.”

She halted and her eyes widened.

“Oh, no. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Please don’t worry. I’ll never pressure you.” A second later, the thought, “I hope” popped into his mind.

Roz took a couple of steps away from him. “You hope? What the hell does that mean?”

“I—I would never… It’s just that I’m so attracted to you, it’s like… I can’t explain it. Just know that I’ll never hurt you—or let anyone else hurt you, either.” He shook his head vigorously. “Never, ever.” He enveloped her in a tender hug. “I promise.”

His mate. He’d found her! At last. Telepathic communication didn’t just happen. He had only heard of it in mated couples. Even then, not every couple was lucky enough to experience it.

His canine accidentally scraped her tongue. Her blood must have triggered the telepathy. Now he was burning to find out if they were compatible in bed. But if he rushed her, he could scare her off. Especially with her history.

She interrupted his thoughts. “What’s so special about my history?”

“Huh?”

“You were saying…or rather thinking, something about my history. Something special?”

“Oh. It was nothing.” Damn, this telepathy is going to be a pain in the ass.

“Tell me about it.”

“Shit. You heard that too?”

Roz giggled. “This is really weird. Kind of fun, but totally bizarro.”

Konrad took a deep breath. “Let’s go home and try not to think until we get there. Are you up for a jog?”

“Sure. If I get tired, I’ll walk and meet you there.”

“Or I can carry you.”

Roz burst out laughing. “Yeah right. I may not weigh as much as a ton of frozen food, but I’m no lightweight.”

“Sure, you are.” He turned his back to her and squatted slightly. “Hop on.”

“What? Are you nuts? You want to give me a piggyback?”

“Why not? We’re going to the same place, and we want to get there quickly.”

“I’ll slow you to a crawl.”

“Try me.”

Roz folded her arms. “I’m not getting on your back.”

“Why not?”

“Because I weigh too much. And I don’t want you to know how much too much.”

“Suit yourself.” Konrad turned back toward her and scooped her up in his arms.

She shrieked.

As he strode off in the direction of their building, only a few more blocks away, she wriggled in his grasp. “Put me down!”

“If you don’t stay still, I might drop you.”

“Fuckin’ caveman.”

“Did you know that contrary to popular opinion, the cavemen were neither slovenly nor dimwitted? That by their survival alone, regardless of having no manuals, no education, no knowledge of science or mathematics at all, they managed to live beyond puberty to raise the next generation. That points to intelligence.”

“What are you Mr. Wikipedia? Did you just Google ‘cavemen’?”

“No, I’m trying to impress you. It’s also agreed that language has been around for a million years or more. They developed language in order to communicate with each other. In order to do that, they must have been extremely intelligent.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re a freakin’ rocket scientist. Now put me down! I’m too old to be carried like a baby.”

“I’ve got a better idea.” He set her on her feet.

“Whew, finally. I—”

Konrad dipped down and came up with Roz draped over his shoulder.

She gasped.

“If you’re going to accuse me of being a caveman, I might as well act like one.”

Roz thumped him on his back. “Put me down this minute!”

“Just relax and enjoy the ride.”

“I don’t usually hear that until I make it to the bedroom.”

Konrad laughed, but ignored her plea and strode off in the direction of their building as if she weighed no more than a sac of tennis balls. Then he added to her embarrassment by whistling.

“Oh, very nice. What if I have to fart while I’m up here?”

“Then fart. We’re traveling downwind.”

Roz giggled and bounced along with Konrad’s long strides. “I give up.”

“Good.”

“It’s your hernia.”

“You’re not as heavy as you think you are. So many women have negative self-images. You think you have to be bony to be beautiful, when it’s the opposite for most guys.”

“Oh, really?”

“Well, I guess I can’t speak for the entire male population, but most guys I know like a little meat on their women.” He patted her ass.

A passing couple laughed.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake. Do you have to embarrass me completely and totally?”

“If that’s what it takes to convince you that you’re ravishing…”

She sighed. “Ravage me when we get back to your place and I might believe you.”

Konrad slowed his march. “Did you mean for me to hear that?”

“Put me down and I’ll tell you.”

He quickly set her on her feet and grasped her shoulders to steady her.

She looked up into his serious face and took a risk. “Yeah, I meant it.”

He straightened and his eyes widened. “I’ll race you.”

They grinned at each other, then took off running the final block to their building.