Page 15 of Diners, Damsels & Wolves

Fifteen

Thomas

S itting in his car, Tom stared at Donna’s Diner, a bouquet of flowers on his passenger seat. He felt like an idiot. It was just after four in the afternoon. She started work so early she might be home by now. Huffing, he got out of the car. He wouldn’t know unless he heard her talking to someone inside or he bucked up and went in there.

Pausing, he went back to the car and retrieved the flowers. He took four steps before stopping again. He went back to the car and tossed them back inside. Slamming the door, he scowled at the stupid bouquet in his stupid car.

Everything was going to hell in a handbasket. The elders called him into an emergency meeting to discuss Dan. If he had to listen to one more pearl-clutching speech about how ‘your grandfather would never’ he was going to lose it.

On top of all that, James kept hounding him for details , and Maria kept texting him to see if he’d invited Clarissa to the picnic yet while not-so-subtly indicating he should tell her about the supernatural underground. Despite all that, here he was, standing in a diner parking lot, contemplating flowers.

Grumbling under his breath, he turned back to the diner. He froze. In the back window were six of the pack’s pups, all of them watching him. They even had the audacity to smile and wave.

“What the fuck?” he growled.

With them being so young, their wolf senses wouldn’t be keen enough to hear him through the wall. Right now, he didn’t care if they did.

He’d told the idiots to be discreet! One or two at a time sitting at a booth doing homework or reading. Not six of them! And they sure as hell should not be waving at him.

Snarling, he let his eyes phase. Hot tingles rolled over his skin. Vision sharpening, colors muted as his peripherals widened. He saw the group of pups as if he were standing nose to nose with them.

Their smiles vanished. Pulling their hands from the air, they suddenly became busy with their table.

“Shit,” May said, “I think he’s mad.”

“What did we do?” Luna asked.

“I don’t think we were supposed to wave at him,” Michael hissed. “Sorry, boss!”

Another voice cut through their sniveling.

“Hi, Jordan.” It was Clarissa.

Releasing his wolf, the tingling stopped, his vision returning to normal.

“Hi, Claire,” Jordan said. “That table of kids back again?”

“Yeah, they’re back.”

Thomas had to take several deep breaths from his nose. The pups had been so obvious, the diner workers were keeping tabs on them. He was going to kill the lot of them.

“But they’ve been pretty well behaved so I’m not complaining.” Clarissa sounded tired. “They have three Monte Cristos on order, and then the old ladies’ book club is almost done.”

“Great, thanks for letting me know, have a good night!”

“You too.”

Crap! Tom’s mind went into panic mode. He had less than a minute until she was out in the parking lot. He didn’t want to look like he was loitering, waiting for her. That was creepy. Should he be holding the bouquet? Should he get back in his car? No, that might look forced.

He rushed to retrieve the battered flowers from his passenger seat.

“Thomas.”

His stomach dropped. Straightening up, he pulled out the flowers and shut the car door.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d still be here.” Staring at his hands, he felt pathetic. The bouquet was a wreck. He’d bent some of the stems when he tossed it back in the car. Looking up from the pitiful blooms, his breath caught.

Why’d she always have to look so stunning? He idly wondered if he’d ever get used to it. Heart stumbling, he realized even if he saw her every day, woke up next to her every morning, he’d never get used to watching her. Her beauty was too much for him to become accustomed to. He didn’t mind that. He’d be willing to let his every breath be taken away if it was taken by her.

Mind drifting to her in his arms, her bare skin illuminated in the waxing moonlight pouring in from her window. He’d spent countless hours running in the night, marveling at the moon’s wonder. It paled in comparison to her beauty. Her skin on his, her hot breath in his ear.

Clearing his throat, he jerked his thoughts back to the present. “I know you didn’t want to go to the park tonight, but I, I just …” His words trailed off; he hadn’t thought this through.

“I’m happy you came.” Her voice sounded stressed, distraught almost. It was only then he noticed the red lining her puffy eyes. “I’m sorry. I-I-I feel terrible about this morning. You’ve been wonderful to me and I, well, I guess I just panicked.”

Relief flooded him. He wanted to go to her, console her, assure her all was forgiven, but he held fast. Something in the set of her face told him she wasn’t done talking.

“You see, I hadn’t, before, I mean I …” Flushing, she looked at her feet. Her shoulders pulled in on herself.

The blood drained from his face. Oh no. What had he done?

“I’d always been drunk, or at least almost drunk before … I just … I don’t like people touching me, I didn’t feel safe.” She covered her burned arm.

It was the same reaction she’d had last night when he’d taken her sweater off. Remembering how she cried when he’d kissed her burns. It made sense now. She had been embarrassed, but not for the reasons he’d thought.

Internally, he cursed himself. He should have talked to her more first. This all could have been avoided if he’d kept his composure and hadn’t thought with his dick. Admittedly, a herculean task when he had a raging hard-on, but it was no excuse.

“You see, when I was in school,” she continued. He wanted to stop her, to tell her it wasn’t necessary for her to relive whatever this memory was, but he couldn’t make himself move. “The issues I mentioned … well, there were these girls in my gym class and they made my life a living hell. The showers were the worst. My scars, you see, they were an easy target for them.

“One day they got bored of tormenting me alone, so they let a group of boys in while I was changing. They roughed me up a bit, and … well, since then … well, I usually prefer to be drunk when I’m with someone. The realization of what’d happened hit me and I panicked. I shouldn’t have treated you like that. I’m sorry, Thomas, you didn’t deserve that.”

His face fell. There it was again, her terrible habit of saying something depressing and earth-shattering so painfully casual. All he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and keep her safe.

Stepping closer, he was in her space. Near enough to feel the soft warmth of her human body, but not touching. “Please, you have nothing to apologize for. I should have just left last night. I’m sorry, for everything. I can’t believe that happened to you.”

“There’s no way you could have known.” Her face brightened. “And I’m not sorry you stayed, so you shouldn’t be either. It’s not like that with you. You can’t imagine how wonderful last night was for me. I am sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

“Oh, Clarissa.” He sighed. “You don’t have to apologize. I would do anything for you, to make you feel safe, to be properly loved.”

She beamed up at him.

Heart squeezing, he felt lighter. Simultaneously, his wolf growled with rage. He fought the urge to demand the names of the tormentors from her past. The gutless bastards who dared to harm the woman most precious to him. Even if he didn’t ask, her aunt mentioned her going to the public school. It would be too easy to pull the records, a list of names of her classmates. He could visit every last one until he found them …

Fury coursed through him. Control over his instincts was slipping. He needed to change the subject.

“I came here to invite you to something,” he said. “A picnic. Every year my family holds a picnic, distant relations, friends, employees from the company, they’re all invited to my parents’ home. It’s this Sunday, it’ll be after your shift is over. I’d like you to join me.”

“Oh, tomorrow? At your parents’ house, the one you live in with your cousins?”

“Yes.” He was flattered she’d remembered that detail. “I could pick you up around eleven-thirty?”

“I—” She chewed on her lip. “Okay, sure.”

An easy grin spread across his face. Lifting her chin, peonies mixed with her sweet musk filled his senses as he gazed into her eyes. Warm hazel, they were hesitant yet adoring. He could spend forever getting lost in them.

Stooping his head, he pressed his lips to hers, gentle and chaste, tasting her. She reacted instantly, lifting her head up to meet his touch, pressing herself closer. A soft moan vibrated in the back of her throat. She opened her mouth.

Warm shivers shot through him, going straight to his groin. His hand slid across her jawline, resting on her neck. Whimpering, she gripped the front of his shirt, pushing herself into him. Smirking to himself, he filed that knowledge away for later use.

Breaking the kiss, he settled his forehead against hers. She panted against his neck.

“I brought you flowers,” he murmured.

“I saw.” Her voice was husky. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Definitely.”

Taking her hand, he walked her to her car and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips before helping her in and closing the door.

Back in his 4Runner, he pulled out his cell phone. Pulling up his texts, he messaged Maria.

She’s coming to the picnic. If anyone says anything to her, I’m holding you personally responsible.

She responded immediately.

Drama ??

Are you telling her after the picnic? You know you should.

Rolling his eyes, he put his phone away and drove off. It was his decision when and how to tell her, not Maria’s—even if she had a good argument. But that wasn’t important right now. He was relieved things were fixed with Clarissa, but it had come at a heavy cost.

He appreciated her trust in him with revealing her past, but now he was boiling with bloodlust. He wanted to tear the perpetrators apart. Keeping a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel, his jaw locked, forcing himself to focus on driving.

He fantasized about finding the grubby, perverted girls and boys, his wolf stalking them until he could taste their fear in the air. Fantasizing about raking his claws up their bellies until they cried, but it was no good. It wouldn’t fix the pain she’d already endured. Concentrating on keeping his breath even, he recognized the need for an outlet, or his nerves were going to make him crazy.

Taking a deep breath, he repeated to himself: You are not your grandfather.

Townspeople would not go missing, they would not be found mauled to death by a ‘wild animal’ just because they vexed him. Just because he could. His hands shook.

He. Was. Not. His. Grandfather.

The wolf was raging. He could either shift and go for a run, or stay human and toss some trees around the lumberyard. If he phased, his wolf instincts would heighten. Although he usually had excellent control over them, as far as Clarissa was concerned, he had a rabid beast in his chest, chomping at the bit to protect her. Or in this case, exact a very bloody revenge.

Steering his car further into the woods, he sped off to the lumberyard. Getting his human form exhausted and sweaty was in order. Tossing trees around was the perfect way to do that.