Her Wild Magic Read Free Page B

pants.”
    Caleb didn’t even try to keep the grin off his face. She knew what he was, but werewolf or no werewolf, she wanted to kick his butt if he’d taken advantage of her. Damn, this woman pleased him, and seeing her in her pretty little granny panties made him want to strip her naked and spend hours buried in her sweet fire.
    He’d always had a strong sexual appetite, but what he felt for this woman was more than lust. Mother Nature might have put a biological lock on his hormones, but she couldn’t control his emotions. This woman was the mate of his heart and the better half of his soul. Of that, he had no doubt.
    “Baby—Max,” he amended when her eyes narrowed. “I know you think I’m a monster, but I did protect you from the blast, and if I’d wanted to harm you, I’ve had ample opportunity to do so. I won’t force you to get back in bed, but why not sit down? I’ll sit over there.” He nodded at the small kitchen table off the center of the room.
    Max acted as if she hadn’t heard him, but Caleb saw her glance at the door. She was thinking of making a run for it, and Caleb opened his mouth to tell her not to bother, when it dawned on him that while he was worried about explaining things to her, she had a little explaining of her own to do.
    “Max,” he said softly. “When you woke up, you didn’t ask me what I was. You accused me of being a werewolf. And that strikes me as odd, because most people don’t believe werewolves exist. Even if they saw one of my kind, they’d think they were hallucinating. But you didn’t doubt your sanity. You didn’t doubt what you’d seen. The moment you saw my face, you knew what I was. You knew exactly what I was. Now, how could that be?”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just before I blacked out, I saw your face change. You transformed right before my eyes, and I really don’t know if I fainted in reaction or lost consciousness because of the blast.”
    Caleb closed the distance between them, not crowding her but letting her know he would get an honest answer from her one way or the other. “To save our lives, I had no choice but to shift. The man who attacked meant to kill us. He would have, too, if I’d remained in my human form. Shifting allowed me to absorb the force of the blast and prevent it from shredding you to bits. But I’d bet the family farm that you already knew of my kind before you saw me change.”
    He could see she wanted to deny it, and several long seconds passed before she finally sighed and looked at him with resignation in her eyes.
    “Okay, you win. I’ll tell you what I know,” she murmured in a defeated tone. “But I want to get dressed first. I’m not having this conversation in my underwear.”
    Caleb pulled a blanket from the bed and tossed it to her, making it clear he wasn’t going to wait for her to get dressed. Max caught it and wrapped it toga style around her body before sitting down on the edge of the bed.
    “Okay, baby,” Caleb said, settling into one of the kitchen chairs and folding his arms across his chest. “Out with it. And don’t spare me the details. When it comes to you, I’ll decide what’s relevant.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
Chapter Three
     
     
     
    Max didn’t want to reveal any of her secrets, but she didn’t see where she had much choice in the matter. She needed to find out what was happening to her and put an end to it.
    “I’ll tell you what I know, but first you’ll have to answer a few of my questions.”
    Caleb’s eyelids lowered, concealing his eyes, abut Max caught a glimpse of the predator lurking just below the good old boy demeanor. The sheriff didn’t like the idea of her questioning him not only because he was hiding something, but because he was Alpha. Alphas gave orders; they didn’t take them. Which was another reason she had to get away from him. He had plans for her, and he didn’t look the type to take no for an