A Howl for a Highlander (7 page)

“It’s okay. I got a surprise roommate.” Shelley opened the back door, walked out, and then shut the door and crossed the patio to the sandy beach.

She had to tell Wendy about Duncan, and Shelley was sure her friend wasn’t going to approve.

Too bad Wendy couldn’t have come along. Shelley figured she and Wendy could have shared the twin beds, and Duncan could have had the master bedroom. His paying for half of the rent would help with expenses, and having two she-wolves working as a unified force against one Highland hunk would help ensure that she kept this strictly a business proposition.

“I don’t understand what happened with the grant money,” Shelley said, avoiding any mention of Duncan for the moment.

“A guy named Salisbury Silverman happened,” Wendy said. “He wasn’t just after your grant, but several others, too. He also got into money set aside for salaries. You know… the swindler who stole funds from so many individuals and corporations? It was in the local newspaper, only I didn’t read it until I got home from work just now.”

“Salisbury Silverman?” Shelley said, not believing that he was the same crook Duncan was after and that she’d been hearing so much about. How could the man be a wolf and risk such exposure?

The sun had set a couple of hours earlier, and the sky was clear. The temperature had dropped from the mid 80s to the high 70s, and one of the cooler, prevailing trade winds swept the beach, ruffling particles of sand in its wake. Trying to feel more serene despite her friend’s unsettling news, Shelley took a deep breath of the fresh, salty sea air and loved it.

“Listen, I’m going to be okay.” No way could she tell Wendy that the swindler might be here on Grand Cayman, or that she was going to offer any help she could to aid Duncan in getting the money out of Silverman. Wendy would tell Shelley’s mother, and her mother would call Uncle Ethan, and he, being the alpha of their family pack, would charge out to the island to return her home pronto. “I got a roommate so I’m pretty well set.”

“A roommate? Wow, how did you manage that?” Wendy sounded both surprised and warily pleased.

“Long story. He came here on a business trip but his reservation wasn’t any good. He’d been really sweet in giving me a ride to the villa from the airport, so I’d offered him a drink later. Instead, he’s staying here, subletting the guest room.” Shelley slid her toes through the sand, loving the silky, warm feel of it.

“
He?
Not that I’m all that surprised. I wouldn’t think you’d find an unaccompanied woman on the island looking to sublease a room. But wow, Shelley. You’re a fast mover. You’ll have to send me a picture. Is he cute? He’d have to be if you offered to buy him a drink. But be careful about needy guys. They’re your downfall. Next thing you know, he’ll be moving in with you in your house in Texas because he was evicted from his own place.” Wendy paused in creating her gloom-and-doom scenario, then asked, “What does he do?”

Before Shelley could respond, Wendy was figuring out the situation on her own. “He must have some money to go on vacation in the islands and be able to afford the rent.”

“I agree.” Shelley skipped saying what he worked at because she didn’t have a clue, except that he’d been an extra in a movie. Was he the spoiled younger brother of a laird who didn’t have to do anything but live off his older brother’s generosity? Maybe that’s why he was here trying to get the clan’s money back. Maybe if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to live a life of luxury any longer and would actually have to work for a living.

“First, you took in that professor whose wife kept kicking him out of the house.”

“That was different. His relationship with me is completely platonic. He’s strictly a chemistry kind of guy, but not in the physical sense. Which might have something to do with the problem he and his wife have—not enough physical contact. Besides, I do have an extra couple of rooms. So why should he have had to get a hotel room?”

“Yeah, and when they make the final split?”

“He’s on his own.”

“What about taking in that woman’s standard poodle? And your student’s cat because her mother refused to allow it to live in the house anymore?”

“The woman had had a heart attack and needed a home for her dog. So she keeps Misty company. As for the cat, I found a cat lady who had lost two of her own and loved Trixie.” Shelley spied a seashell poking out of the sand and bent down to pick it up. “For your information, my new roommate
is
cute. But he’s not moving to Texas with me.” She paused as she looked at the dark water, wondering if a stray shark or two
were
lurking in the depths. A
lupus
garou
would be no match in either human or wolf form against a hungry shark.

“I’m going swimming.” The ruffle of the breeze and the sound of the waves slapping against the beach added to the ambience of the island paradise as Shelley made her way to the water. “Thanks for offering to pay half of the money, Wendy. I really appreciate it. Everything’s fine for now. I need to swim before it gets too late. You know—the sharks come out to feed at night. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Hey, Shelley!” Duncan called after her.

A prickle of apprehension slithered through her as she whipped around to see Duncan stalking after her. She wondered what he’d heard her say—and what she’d said about him. When she saw the way he was looking her over with predatory interest, she recalled in a flash that she was wearing her bikini and wished she’d worn her one-piece instead.

“Wait up, lass. The least I can do is wrestle the shark off you if one decides to grab some delectable part of you.”

He hadn’t really said that, had he?

Shelley stared at Duncan, who was now wearing a pair of black Bermuda shorts, the rest of him bare. His toned biceps made her envision him wearing a kilt and swinging a sword, fighting the bad guys in the movie, sweeping up the fair maiden in his arms, and carrying her off to his castle. If women saw him like that in the movie, they’d be all over him when they caught sight of him outside his castle walls.

He didn’t say anything more, and Shelley was too stunned to speak. Wendy broke in, dying to know all about him. “That’s him? A Scottish hunk? Who sounds like he’s already way too intrigued with you? Don’t tell me you’re wearing that string bikini of yours,” she said. Knowing Wendy, she’d want to forget her manufacturing crisis and fly to the island to check him out. She’d let him stay at the villa for free, too. Probably pay for all his meals, excursions, everything. She could certainly afford it.

Forget Shelley taking in needy strays. She figured Wendy would be the one offering a free room stateside for him. Until she learned he was a wolf. Wolves lived by different rules, and they had to be cautious about stepping over the lines.

“Yeah, he’s my new roommate.” Shelley didn’t want to tell Wendy she
was
wearing the bikini, and the Highlander’s tongue was practically hanging out of his mouth. He acted like he’d just shifted into the wolf and come back from a fast-paced run, heartbeat accelerated, adrenaline whipped up, and ready for a lot more exercise—this time one-on-one with a she-wolf. “Got to go, Wendy, and again, thanks for the generous offer. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Shelley knew she’d get the third degree from her friend, especially when Wendy learned he was a Highland
wolf
, not just human.

Shelley had never dated a wolf, and for the first time, she wondered why the hell not. Because they could be serious trouble, like a commitment forever? And what if she made a wrong choice? Their forever could last centuries.

She clicked off the phone and waved her towel at Duncan. “Didn’t bring a towel?”

His sexy mouth lifted slightly, his dark eyes nearly black and the skin beneath them crinkling with good humor. “Do you mind if I share yours?”

Feeling much better about her finances, she cast him a smug smile. “It’ll cost you.”

***

Duncan had been looking out the guest bedroom window, watching the waves roll in and the breeze toss the palm fronds like fluttering, dark green fans while he’d been telling his oldest brother, Ian, what he’d learned so far—about the woman he’d met in the bar and her ties to a man who worked for Silverman, the trouble he’d had with his hotel reservation, and his having to pay so much to share a villa with a wolf—when he saw Shelley wearing a shimmering, blue string bikini as she crossed the patio.

Ian asked him more about the she-wolf than about how far he was getting with the investigation. Ian’s focus on the female wolf rankled Duncan. Ian had to know a wolf wouldn’t sidetrack him. He didn’t think that staying with a female wolf should be of any consequence. Until he saw her leave the house wearing barely anything—an iridescent royal blue thong and a barely there halter top that together highlighted the swell of her breasts and her firm ass. He swore when she turned and leaned over to pick up a shell on the beach, and as she spoke to someone on the phone, she nearly fell out of the top.

“Duncan?” Ian said, breaking into Duncan’s spell-binding vision of the mermaid headed for the water.

“Uh, I’ve got to go. My roommate insists on being shark bait, and I need to make sure she isn’t food for the fish. We’d never be able to afford the whole cost of this villa if she didn’t survive her swim. Talk to you when I have more news.”

“Duncan—”

Recognizing the laird’s warning tone of voice that would be followed by a stern reminder of duty, Duncan ended the call, unzipped his bag, and dug around in it until he could find the only pair of Bermuda shorts he’d brought on the trip. Now he wished he’d brought both pairs. He didn’t own a swimsuit, but he was rethinking that also.

He stripped down in record time, and after yanking on the shorts, he raced down the stairs to reach Shelley before she got into the water. He could imagine one little wave removing the tiny bit of cloth between her legs and the one barely covering her breasts. He smiled at the thought. He’d be there to rescue her. To hell with the bikini.

He tried not to look as anxious as he was to catch up to her, but when she waved her towel at him, he realized he should have thought to grab one from the upstairs bathroom.

When she told him it would cost him to share her towel, he asked, “How much?”

He wasn’t sure if she was teasing, but he was willing to pay anything to stay with her while she swam, whether his clan could afford it or not.

Smiling, she shook her head, the breeze seductively sweeping her auburn hair across her face. “You won’t even need it. Too many sharks out there. You won’t get wet.” She grabbed her hair and held it in abeyance, winked, turned, and continued to make her way through the sand to the water.

He smiled at her sassiness. She paused briefly to lay out her towel, bending over and making him growl low with desire. She didn’t look back at him—although she had to have figured out what her body was doing to his—and continued to the water.

When she was only a few feet from the surf, she suddenly dashed into it until she was wading waist deep in the water, her back to him.

He jogged to the water’s edge, felt how warm the waves were that caressed his bare toes, not anything like the Irish or North Seas, and ran in after her. Maybe if he got close to her and a wave snatched her bikini away, he’d be able to capture it. Nah, he really wouldn’t want to return it to her. Instead, he’d protectively cover her body from prying eyes—not that anyone could see them in the dark like this, except another wolf.

He was within arm’s length of her when she was up to her shoulders in water, and she squealed.

“Shelley,” he shouted, his heart thudding and adrenaline shooting through his veins at hyperspeed. He grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him, ready to punch the shark in the nose. He’d heard that was a way to keep the sharks from coming back for more.

She laughed but didn’t squirm to get loose from him. “Just a school of colorful fish. They nibbled on my legs and startled me.”

He relaxed and meant to let her go, but the waves were pushing her soft body against his, and he liked the feel of her curves, the way her breeze-tossed hair caressed his shoulder, the way she smelled so sweet and feminine and wolflike.

He wanted to wrap his arms around her and pull her close, hug all that sweet tanned flesh against him, rub his face in her hair, cup her glorious breasts, and…

He gritted his teeth. He couldn’t do any of that and had to satisfy himself with just holding her arm as the waves slowly lifted her off her feet and threatened to pull her away with the current. He remained her steadfast pillar, immovable in the sand beneath the waves.

“You make a great anchor,” she said, rising on tiptoes with each swell of a wave.

“If I don’t keep you close, how will I get to you fast enough if another colorful school of fish attacks you?”

She chuckled. “If it had been a shark, what would you have done?”

“Socked him in the nose. I’d heard they have sensitive noses.”

She laughed and he loved the sound, so airy and light. But he could tell she was very impressed with his plan of attack and rescue.

“So, were you telling your brother about staying with me?”

“Aye. Ian. He wanted to know all about you.” Duncan looked down at her. “I think he believed I might be sidetracked, which I never am.”