Most Eligible Wolf, Julie Steimle [important of reading books .TXT] 📗

Several in Daisy’s crew eyed the newcomer. It was a weird look, like they suspected something about him, though Audry had no clue what. It was critical and kind of with a feel of judging an outsider that was not entirely welcome.

Rick’s eyes turned desperately to his friend, his eyes nearly crying for help for them to escape now as if he were unable to do it himself. But his friend did not see it yet. He was still staring at the posters, then looking around for the person who was running the booth. He was mentally sorting out the various people there as the booth had been nearly swallowed up by the crowd of them.

“Seriously,” Rick’s friend said again, stepping into the group while latching an arm around Rick’s shoulders as if to steer him away. But he only pointed at the tee shirts. “Did you see this?”

Rick was looking dazed, almost lost. Audry would have said something, but Daisy’s arm was uncomfortably heavy around the back of her shoulders, keeping her from moving. Rick turned his eyes from his friend to Audry now, a flicker of panic in his grays that nearly begged ‘please save me’. For a flicker of a second, she thought she was staring at the face of her wolf.

“Hey, you like wolves,” his dark-haired friend declared, steering him now out of the grasp of Farkas and his buddies. “Do you want a shirt?”

Rick turned his eye on his friend like he wanted to kill him—familiar and almost brutal. “Now is not the time, cat.”

He did seem like a cat, too, in a way. The guy’s stare was one which could make your eyes water in a staring contest. But the guy only asked loudly, “Who’s selling these? I want one.”

“Randon!” Rick protested in exasperation. He stepped entirely out of the group as if he would storm away, getting back into the main aisle. It was an escape move, though. Audry could feel it.

Audry raised her hand, extracting herself out from under Daisy’s arm as escape was a great idea. “I do. It’s my picture.”

Daisy had to let go. There was no way she could keep hold without looking suspicious. The southern gal stepped toward her group, frowning a little as her scheme was not panning out as she had liked. Rick had hardly paid her any notice.

Looking to Audry with begging exasperation, Rick hung his shoulders. He moaned. “Audry…”

Hearing him say Audry’s name, Daisy seemed to growl. The southern gal’s eyes fixed sharply on her.

But Audry promptly went to get a shirt for Randon. It gave her freedom to move that did not look like she was running away. “Do you want a medium or large?” She tried to keep her voice steady.

“Can I try it on?” Randon asked, laughing. It was like he could not even feel the tension around the booth. Yet, Rick’s old friends from wherever were grinning at him and chuckling at Randon—but they were also watching him with suspicion. Seriously, he was really inobservant—or he was used to tense circumstances. Audry had a feeling it was the latter.

“Why did you make all these?” Rick asked her, not exactly ignoring the others but getting so utterly exasperated about the tee-shirts now, for some stupid reason.

Lifting her eyes to meet Rick’s rattled gaze, Audry darkly replied, “Unlike you, I’m not rich.”

Rick groaned, muttering, “You’ve got a grandfather who—”

“I am an independent woman,” Audry snapped at him, not happy he reminded her that he knew one side of her family was just as wealthy as his—the side she constantly tried to distance herself from. “I have to fundraise to work on my PhD, thank you very much. That is how the real world works.”

But he hardly looked dented by her remark. He still had this plaintive, distressed hang to his shoulders as he nearly whined. “Yeah, but why the wolf?” Rick gestured to the pictures again.

“I think he’s sexy,” Daisy replied, her voice sounding gently annoyed that she had been ignored. After all, she was what had drawn him there—or so she had thought. “Kind of like a pinup.”

Coloring, Rick shook his head at her, his panic returning as he looked at her. “Don’t you start.”

Surprised at his brisk words, Daisy leaned back from him. Apparently he had never given her that kind of lip before.

He looked to Audry again. “I mean, don’t you take a lot of other wildlife photos? Why that wolf?”

Oh. That was his complaint. It was still annoying.

“Does it bother you that much?” Audry bit back, hands on hips.

“Yes!” Rick snapped, his face coloring with exasperation. “I mean, come on! You’ve got great pictures of lions and cheetahs. Why not use them?”

Of course. He had seen all of her wildlife pics. She had known he was following her blog as he had told her two years back that he was—mostly curious about her Master’s research he had said. It was flattering that he was still looking at her work. But really, what was wrong with using that picture of the wolf? It was her favorite.

Audry bore down on him. “You know, for a wolf preservationist, you don’t seem to care about spreading awareness over the brutality against that species. That wolf is the perfect example of an endangered species. I dug a bullet out of that wolf’s leg.”

Randon raised his eyebrows, showing he also knew about that. But of course he did. He was there when she had confronted Rick initially about the incident at the lodge, when she had first thought the Deacons had made the bullet. Big mistake of course on her part. She had learned better since.

But the others with Daisy gasped. It was news to them. They stared at her.

“I know,” Rick snapped, coloring as if he were utterly embarrassed. “For which I am forever grateful. But why does he have to be part of your publicity scheme?”

Daisy’s pack smirked at him. They were finding this intensely interesting. So was her crew, who never really knew how much Audry was involved with H. Richard Deacon III. Randon also listened intently, kindly intrigued.

“It’s a bestseller,” Jandra retorted in Audry’s defense, feeling Rick was being too harsh. The others who worked the booth nodded. “Honestly, look at it. It is a really cool wolf.”

He hardly even glanced at it.

“I’m flattered,” Rick muttered, turning away from the pictures.

The entire group with Daisy broke into snickers. It had to have been some kind of private joke. Even Randon smirked.

But it made no sense to Audry. Rick’s private mutterings rarely did.

“What’s so funny?” Jandra asked, looking at them. Her booth-mates agreed. They didn’t get it either.

Audry shrugged, realizing that Rick had always been weird about that wolf. Protective and at the same time, he kind of seemed to resent it—like he wished it would go away.

“Look, I just want to protect the wolf,” Rick explained with a little more patience, gesturing to the posters. “And you are making this wolf the most identifiable wolf on the planet.”

Around them the sound seemed to hush. Others were listening.

“I don’t want people to know what he looks like,” he said. “Can’t you just leave this one alone?”

Audry’s ears kind of tingled. Now she understood. Shivers went over her skin. He really cared about this one wolf. He almost looked desperate.

“Oh,” Randon murmured, gazing at the posters again. “I see what you are saying.”

Rick nodded to him, his eyes begging.

The others didn’t quite yet, including Daisy’s pack. They were still gazing at them with Daisy’s pin-up POV in their heads.

Randon nodded to Audry, explaining. “That wolf has already had a lot of trouble. With that poster, someone might buy one for target practice.”

Her booth-mates exchanged looks.

Jandra drew in a breath, shooting Audry a glance while Audry herself flustered. After all, someone had already tried to buy one with that intent, earlier that day.

Audry looked to her friends. “Maybe we should take the posters down at least.”

“Thank you,” Rick mouthed to Randon, who nodded back. They both backed out of the booth together, heading on their way. They were going to leave.

Audry was glad.

But Daisy strolled up to Rick before he could get past the table, resting her hand on his arm. “Are you not even going to say hi?”

He lurched to a halt, his eyes latching on her. Audry realized then that he had been trying to avoid looking at Daisy the entire time. Now he couldn’t.

“Hi.” Rick was breathless. His eyes fixed and dilated on Daisy’s face. And he started to look dazed again. It was weird.

Daisy smiled at him, caressing up his arm with her long, nimble fingers. “Now that’s better.”

He nodded dumbly. His breathing seemed to deepen as if he were breathing her in like a drug. It was insane. He seemed hypnotized. Addicted almost. Audry had never seen him like that, ever. Maybe there was something to that balm after all.

“Can we go somewhere private to talk?” Daisy softly asked, stroking up his arm to his shoulder. Her hand crept towards his neck, gently tickling along the hairs there, sending hormonal shiver through him.    

For a moment, Rick started to nod in complete submission, but then he closed his eyes and shook his head. “No. I… I… I am actually busy right now. Maybe another time.”

Smart man.

Audry could see Daisy faintly bristle at his resistance. However, the woman moved too fast and smoothly for anyone to interfere in their private conversation or to allow him to pull away just yet.

“Can I get your phone number?” Daisy asked, her eyes doe and wide on him. She was good.

A shiver rippled through Rick. He swayed as if he could be toppled over by a word from that woman. It was like he was using all his energy to resist giving in to that woman’s seduction. “I… you know I’m not allowed. Daisy, you should know that’s why I haven’t called.”

Audry was surprised to overhear that. And dismayed. Here was proof that Daisy had not lied to her about Rick at all. All of it had been true. He looked totally whipped. And yet, he said in protest, “Look, what are you doing here? I thought—”

Daisy was about to answer him—but with a jerk, she recoiled from Rick’s friend Randon who had peered in between them like a cat who believed that he belonged everywhere at the center of every business.

“Excuse me!” she protested.

“Hi.” Randon waved at Daisy. Then he slipped in between her and Rick, grinning.

Audry also had to hide a grin. She was beginning to like Rick’s friend, Randon. The guy acted like he was harmless, but Audry got a feeling he was nothing like that at all.

Rolling her eyes, Daisy asked tersely, looking over Randon to Rick, “Who is this guy?”

Waking up a little out of his daze from the tone of her voice, Rick drew in a more natural breath. “This is my good friend Randon Spade. He’s a student in veterinary medicine. We went to school together in New York for a while. And, wait—I think I told you about him once.”

“You told her about me?” Randon looked flattered, puffing out his chest. He was grinning a bit like a Cheshire cat. Audry definitely liked him.

“We were talking about this book she was reading,” Rick explained. “My Family and Other Animals. Have you ever read it?”

Randon shook his head, chuckling. “No.”

Audry wanted to raise her hand and say she did, but she resisted the urge. It wasn’t her conversation.

But then Randon deflated as he continued, “But you didn’t tell me about her?”

Rick colored quickly, ducking his head. “Uh….”

Audry rolled her eyes, folding her arms tightly. If he hadn’t told this guy, who apparently was a trusted friend, had he told anyone?

“You didn’t tell your friends about me?” Daisy pretended to be surprised her hand to her chest, which just drew Rick’s eyes to her ample breasts. Rick stared for a moment, unaware he was being creepy. The boys could not see it, but