Wolf Kissed

1 C A I T Boobs and abs. They were all I saw while wading in the waves on the Sydney beach. I’d been in Australia for a few months and admired their lack of give-a-damn. I hadn’t jumped on thetopless beach train, but those who did seemed to live carefree lives that had me slightly envious. Taking the nanny gig here was something I had done on a whim in hopes of finding myself again after having spent the last couple of years traveling around the world without a plan. Well, other than to forget the pain I felt at losing a piece of me. So far, Australia had been mostly screaming twins and showers three times a day, six days a week. The three-year-olds I cared for liked to throw their food at every meal. Their parents laughed while I grimaced at the evil beings disguised as toddlers. It was nearing dinner time, and I needed to head back. The water was warm, and the bright sun had been warming my exposed skin for several hours already, so I didn’t have much to complain about other than my fingers and toes beginning to turn into prunes. I pushed my arms through the surf, making my way back to the sandy shore. “Ouch.” I yanked my hand out of the water, expecting to find blood with how badly my skin suddenly ached. Instead, all I saw was a red mark on my inner left wrist that looked like something had bitten me. “What the hell?” I muttered. I kept my arms out of the ocean as I swiftly got back to the beach. I silently hoped the bite wasn’t anything to worry about. It hadn’t broken skin, and nothing was swelling. Yet. The burning intensified as I got to my things on the sand. I searched for my phone, fully intending to Google what might have stung me, but was interrupted by warm droplets landing on my shoulder. A shadow cast over me, and I glanced up from my crouched position. “Can I help you?” I asked, trying not to be rude in my haste to leave. Australians were some of the nicest people I’d met in all my travels. His arm came up in a jerky motion as he ran his fingers through wet hair, getting even more water on me. I tried to focus on his face, but the sun was guarding it. Glancing down, I got an eye full of defined abs and black board shorts that hung just low enough to show off the muscled V leading south of his stomach. “Who are you?” he demanded. His accent was American, taking me by surprise. “I don’t think that’s any of your business,” I retorted, matching his attitude and standing up to get a better look at him. Holy hell, I should have stayed on the ground. The man before me was tanned and muscled, but not bulging like he worked out three times a day in a gym. No, these well-rounded and defined muscles spoke of hard work. His shaggy dark hair had golden highlights under the beating sun, and the scruff along his jaw added to the rugged vibe he was throwing off. He barked out an angry laugh. “Who is your alpha?” “The hell? Is that Aussie lingo for boss?” My brows furrowed, but he didn’t respond. “Again, that’s none of your business. Why don’t you leave before I call the cops?” My iPhone was gripped in my hand, and I knew if I rapidly clicked the lock button five times, it would call emergency services. Well, at least, back home it would. Hopefully, it was an international feature. I was trying not to overreact, but I wasn’t dumb, either. Human trafficking was a real thing. My heart was racing as he stepped closer, his breath brushing across my forehead as he looked down on me. I couldn’t tell if my increased pulse was from fear or desire, because while I didn’t want to end up as a prisoner, I wouldn’t deny this man was attractive. His dark blue eyes narrowed at me, and he sniffed the air around us. No, that couldn’t have been right, could it? He did it again, taking a big old whiff above my hair, not at all trying to hide his actions. This was getting much too weird for me. “I’m going to walk away now, and you’re going to stay right here. Do you understand?” I used my serious voice that was normally reserved for the kids I cared for, all while trying to mask my underlying curiosity in him. He shook his head, once again spraying water on me. Before he could respond to my previous question, I couldn’t help snapping at him again. “Will you quit acting like a dog and getting me wet?” He smirked this time, some of his anger falling away as he lowered himself to my eye level. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I don’t have time for witch games.” “You’re insane, you know that? Seriously, though. I’m going to go.” I bent down to grab my bag, my injury completely forgotten as I focused on keeping my hands to myself. It didn’t matter that my fingers had wanted to trail over his well-defined stomach muscles as soon as I’d laid eyes on them. The dude was out of his mind, and I needed to make a quick escape. “No, you’ll stay here until I know what you’re up to,” the guy said, voice deep and commanding. A tingling sensation settled over my skin that made my stomach tighten. I hid the true emotions he was eliciting from me and laughed while holding my bag and towel tightly in my grasp. “You, Mr. Stranger, don’t get to tell me what to do. Take your brooding attitude and piss off.” He gaped at me, surprised when I took a step back. Apparently, he wasn’t used to people disobeying him. Well, too damned bad. It was my only day off for the week, and I wasn’t going to let the hot asshole ruin it. At least not all of it. I turned around, and he grabbed my wrist to pull me back but let go quickly as the ache above my hand turned to fire. I winced, trying to fight back tears. “What is your problem, dude?” His previously tanned face paled as he shook his head, staring at his palm. The guy was speechless, and I was done. Taking his shock as my chance to leave, I ran for the bus stop, sighing in relief as one was just coming down the street. My feet moved rapidly, even though I couldn’t stop myself from looking back at the stranger. He was still standing on the beach, face slack and body unmoving. I had to force myself toward the bus and not to turn around a second time to make sure he was okay. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with me. The guy had been a jerk, and whatever had happened when he touched me changed something—something that scared the hell out of me. Remembering I needed my bus pass, I stopped trying to decipher what had transpired and dug into my bag. Just as the doors opened, I took one last peek at the beach, but the guy was gone. I sighed. Though, as long as he wasn’t getting on the bus with me, it was probably a good thing. I scanned my card and sat in the middle where I could see both doors. I shifted my eyes between the two until the driver closed them and pulled forward. No sexy stranger boarded after me. The disappointment that rolled through me was ridiculous, and I distracted myself with my wrist. Lifting it up, I was confused to see the red was gone even though the pain had flared just moments before.