In the Heat of the Night

  In the Heat of the Night

  Judy Mays

  Chapter 1

  A bead of sweat trickled down Serena’s nose, dangled momentarily from the tip, and then splattered onto the musty floor of the den. Groaning, she wiped her forehead on her dirty shirt sleeve in a futile effort to keep more salty perspiration out of her eyes. She inched forward a bit, growling when her knee landed on a particularly sharp rock.

  “Damn, Summer, couldn’t you have dug out a bigger den?” she grumbled. “You’re lucky I’m not claustrophobic.”

  The wolf simply whimpered as her third cub was born.

  Serena sucked in dust with the stale air, coughed, then mumbled under her breath. A protruding root gouged her hip. Shifting, she tried to find a more comfortable position. She’d been belly down in Summer’s burrow for the last six hours, and her muscles, the ones she could still feel, were screaming for movement. The wolf whined again and gave the young woman’s cheek a wet swipe with her tongue. Then the new mother turned to her whimpering babies.

  Serena waited for a few moments more to make sure all three pups were nursing well. After a last caress for their mother’s head, she pushed herself backwards and wiggled out of the den, a process that took twenty minutes. Once outside, she rested a moment on her hands and knees and gulped fresh, rain-washed air. Groaning as her stiff muscles protested, she pushed herself to her feet. Straightening, she rose on her toes and stretched her arms into the air. Settling back on her feet, she rolled first her neck then her shoulders. Placing her hands on her hips, she arched. Her back cracked. “Ahhhhh.”

  Once her muscles were looser, Serena looked at the dark gray wolf pacing back and forth in front of the den. Grinning at the nervous father, she said, “Three, Shadow, all of them healthy. And Summer’s fine. You can relax now.”

  After a quick lick on her hand, the wolf stuck his head in the den. His soft whine was followed by his mate’s low growl. He backed out so fast he flopped down on his rump.

  Laughing at the amazement and confusion on his face, Serena squatted down and placed her arm around his powerful shoulders. “It’s not personal, Shadow. She’s tired and needs to rest. You should do the same. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

  Whining, the wolf lay down, nose pointed towards the den.

  Goosebumps tickled Serena’s arms when a fresh, spring breeze wrapped itself around her. Shivering, she rubbed her arms and sank onto a log that lay near the den. Smiling, she inhaled more fresh air and closed her eyes. Gods, how she loved her job. She’d really lucked out meeting the guy in town who’d just quit working here. The preserve had been too isolated, he’d complained. Not enough social life. Well, isolation and no social life suited her just fine, so she’d hitched a ride to the preserve’s entrance and hiked down the mile long dirt road to the main buildings to find the preserve’s owner Dr. Kearnan Gray at his wit’s end. He was leaving for Canada and had no one to care for the two wolves already on the preserve.

  Dr. Gray had been leery about hiring her, she’d only been nineteen at the time, but he’d been in a bind. After a quick test to see what she knew about wolves and an even quicker introduction to the mated pair already on the preserve to see how they reacted to her, Dr. Gray had hired her and left within the hour. When he’d returned a week later with two more wolves, he’d hired her permanently. She’d been here ever since.

  Serena chuckled mentally. Before he left, Dr. Gray had introduced her to Rajah and Beryl to gauge her reactions to the wolves. Rajah, especially, was intimidating, quite large with only one eye and an ugly scar where his other eye should be. Much to Dr. Gray’s surprise, Rajah had butted his head against her hand and demanded a pat. Dr. Gray had been even more surprised by her reaction. She’d gotten down on her knees and hugged the wolf.

  Serena chuckled to herself again. As if she and the wolves would ever have any trouble getting along.

  Rolling her shoulders some more, Serena thought back to that first meeting with Kearnan Gray. It had been—uncanny. When she’d gotten close enough to stick out her hand and introduce herself, a startled look had appeared in his eyes and his nostrils had flared, almost as if he were taking in her scent. An intense look had appeared on his face, and he’d seemed ready to say something. But then, Rajah had whined, and Gray’s attention had returned to the wolf.

  Serena shivered. That first meeting had left her with an eerie feeling. There was something about Kearnan Gray, something she just couldn’t put her finger on, but she’d shrugged it off as nervousness on her part about getting the job. After Dr. Gray had returned from Canada and she’d gotten to know him better, gotten to see how he cared for the wolves, her interest in him had blossomed. Sometimes she’d caught him staring at her with a puzzled or speculative look on his face, but he always pulled his gaze away. And she certainly didn’t want him interested in her, did she?

  A cloud of gnats descended on Serena and jolted her from her memories. She waved her arms impotently for a minute then rose to her feet. Her forehead itched. When she reached up to scratch it, bits of caked mud dribbled into her hand. She lifted her hand to rub the back on her neck and got a whiff of her own stench.

  “Gods, but I need a shower,” she muttered.

  Serena wiped her dirty hands on her butt. What was a little more dirt on her jeans anyway? She tucked a loose strand of her black hair back behind her ears and pulled two twigs from what was left of her French braid. When she rubbed her cheek, more dirt fell onto her fingers. She looked back at the gray wolf. “I’m really a mess, aren’t I, Shadow?”

  He ignored her.

  After one last grin for the worried father, Serena grabbed the small bag of supplies she’d brought with her, turned, and hiked through the pathless forest. Shadow and Summer’s enclosure was roughly five square miles, and she was grateful Summer had decided the perfect place for her den was so close to the gate. It saved a lot of walking. The fact that it was after dark didn’t bother her. She had no trouble seeing in the dark. Besides, the moon was almost full. She had all the light she needed to see where she was going.

  Once outside the gate, Serena dusted off her behind as best she could then slid into the golf cart, a smile curving her lips. Considering this was Summer’s first litter, the birthing had gone very well. Now, once she got all the details entered in the log, she could go to her snug, little cabin for some much needed sleep. Tired but happy, she headed back to the preserve’s main buildings. Three more beautiful wolf pups had entered the world, and, here on the private preserve, they were safe from humans who didn’t understand them. Life didn’t get any better than this.

  Stopping in front of the sanctuary’s clinic, Serena slid out of the cart and gathered up her equipment. Pushing open the door, she flipped the light switch and headed for her office. She was busy recording the information about the new wolf pups when a slight noise caught her attention. Her nostrils flared as the scent of spicy cologne wafted into the room. Before she could stop herself, she inhaled deeply. The woodsy aroma invaded her senses, and she shuddered. Damn, she hadn’t wanted to see him tonight. Thank all the gods she was leaving right away in the morning. This was not a good time to be fantasizing about her boss.

  The office door opened. Glancing up, Serena looked into the face of Dr. Kearnan Gray . She remained perfectly still, but her senses snapped to full alert. Something about him was different. His scent had changed; he smelled—eager. Yes, that’s what was different, the anticipation. Why? What did he want? Was that a question in his eyes? Swallowing nervously, she jerked her eyes back to her ledger.

  She felt rather than saw him lean against the doorjamb. Glancing up from beneath her eyelashes, Serena focused on the man who, lately, spent entirely too much time in her drea
ms.

  Barely six feet tall, lithe and lean rather than bulky with muscles, Kearnan Gray’s form still seemed to fill the doorway.

  A small smile tickled the corners of his mouth as he stared at her.

  Serena avoided eye contact and let her gaze wander down his body. Gods help her, but she never got tired of looking at him.

  Wide shoulders, a broad chest, but not too broad, her boss was definitely not barrel chested. No, he was not bulky with muscles but rather muscular with a well-toned body. His stomach was flat and his hips slim.

  Deliberately skipping over the bulge between his thighs, Serena’s gaze continued to drift down his body. Concentrating on that most interesting part of his anatomy would fluster her even more. Instead, she admired how his jeans clung to his muscular thighs.

  Serena sighed mentally. Too bad he didn’t turn around. He had a great ass. More than once she’d watched his taut buttocks flexing underneath tight fitting jeans as she climbed hills behind him.

  His voice was amused. “Like what you see?”

  Jerking her eyes back to the book in front of her, Serena pretended interest in her ledger, but she didn’t see a word written there. Sighing she closed her eyes. She didn’t need to have them open to see his face. She had every detail memorized.

  Her boss was too good-looking for his own good. Rather, her own good. Some women might be put off by the sharp angles of his face and prematurely gray, no—silvery-gray, hair—but she wasn’t. As far as she was concerned, his hair was perfect. So were his lips, not too thin, not too full, and the bump on his nose from when he broke it last winter was sexy. Not even that small scar high on his left cheek marred his good looks.

  But it was Kearnan Gray’s eyes that fascinated Serena more than any other feature on his face, his gray eyes. Eyes that were the color of a soft gray mist on a summer day when he was happy, the color of dark, stormy gray of thunderclouds when he was puzzled or unhappy, or the hard iron gray color of tempered steel when he was angry. What color gray would they be when he was lost in passion?

  Lost in passion? Down, girl, Serena admonished herself as she struggled to fill in the information about the birth and ignore her boss at the same time. Get your mind back on your business—the wolf cubs. Maybe it would be better if I forget about sleeping and leave as soon as I get finished here. Dr. Gray is becoming entirely too enticing, especially with the full moon tomorrow night. Besides, there’s no way anything but a business relationship between the two of us will ever work. Every one of my relationships sucked.

  Gray’s husky voice pulled her back to the present. “Everything went well?”

  She misspelled a word.

  “Yes,” she answered without looking up. “Three new pups, two males, one female, all healthy.”

  “Great.” He stepped further into the small room, and Serena had to force herself not to shiver with anticipation. He was so—masculine, and tonight was not a good time for her to be anywhere near him. Three steps inside the door, he stopped.

  Her stomach lurched and she swallowed. Did he sense how nervous he made her? How tense? How horny? Get a hold of yourself, Serena. It’s not full moon yet, thank God. She sighed with relief at that thought. He would not be amused if she attacked him.

  Clasping his hands behind his back, he smiled at her, white teeth gleaming. “When you finish here, I’d like you to come up to the house. I have a new breeding program I’d like to discuss.”

  She glanced down at her watch. “Could it wait until tomorrow? It’s almost 9:30, and I’ve been up since three A.M. I could really use some sleep.” She glanced up.

  His smile was amused. “But you’re leaving early in the morning. The long weekend you requested, remember? You won’t have time to talk then. So, I’m afraid I really must insist since I’ll be otherwise engaged for the next week. Tonight is the only time I have to talk to you.”

  Tensing slightly, Serena didn’t try to hide the annoyance in her voice. “ I’ll be up as soon as I finish this entry.”

  Still smiling, he nodded. “Good. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Pivoting, he sauntered out of the building. The enticing scent of his cologne remained behind.

  Serena glared at the empty doorway. Damn! Damn! Damn! She did not need this hassle tonight. And why did he always wear that freaking cologne? He smelled good enough to eat. How was she supposed to keep her mind on her work when he smelled that good?

  Groaning, Serena laid her pen down and stared at the now empty doorway. Why did he have to show up tonight of all nights? She needed to sleep a little, and then she had to get out of here. The full moon was tomorrow night. With a sigh she leaned back in her chair and stared at the empty doorway. He was so handsome, so appealing, so sexy! It wasn’t fair! She was finally attracted to a male, but he was completely unsuitable. Why couldn’t he be like her?

  Serena’s lips twitched, and she sniffed sardonically to herself. Yeah, just what this world needed, more werewolves running around.

  With a muttered oath, she wrenched her thoughts back to the new wolf pups. They were her first priority. Her fantasy life could wait until later. Besides, a man like Kearnan Gray , even if he did love wolves, would never be interested in someone like her, someone he would consider a freak or monster. He’d run screaming if he knew the truth.

  After finishing the entry, Serena put the ledger back on the shelf. Yawning once—she really needed to get some sleep—she lifted her arms over her head and stretched. The sudden, aching stab in her groin made her gasp, and she dropped her hand to the apex of her thighs and rubbed herself. An expectant shiver raced up her spine to battle the dismay in her mind. It was starting already. Damn! Maybe she should forget about sleeping and get away from here while she could.

  Maybe it was time she left altogether. She’d been here longer than she’d stayed in one place since she ran away from her pack. Staying in one place this long would make it easier for Alex to find her.

  “But it’s been over three years,” Serena mumbled to the empty room. “Surely if Alex were still looking for me, he’d have found me. He’s not stupid. He must have finally accepted that I won’t mate him.”

  A twitching stab shot through her groin. “Oh gods, not now!”

  Leaning back against the desk, Serena jerked the buttons on her jeans open and shoved her hand down her pants. When her fingers brushed her tender lips, her hips bucked involuntarily. Even as she spread her legs farther apart, she breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t swollen yet. There was still time for her to get away before her yearly wolf heat manifested itself. Bad enough the werewolf in her made her hornier at her human fertile time. The yearly wolf heat was worse, and this year it coincided with a full moon. There were only three ways to satisfy the urges that bombarded her body during heat: the hard, almost violent ‘heat’ sex between two werewolves, the hot blood that pumped from the severed jugular of captured prey after a grueling, exhausting hunt, or holding her wolf shape and finding a male wolf to mate with her.

  Tomorrow night Serena would hunt and sate the lust in her soul with hot, rich blood. Mating with a wolf was out of the question. All the males on the preserve were mated; and, while in her case the females would bow to Serena’s extenuating circumstances, she was still uncomfortable taking other female’s mates.

  Serena grimaced. No way would she ever use one of the male wolves again, even if the female wolves brushed off her apprehension as a ridiculous human morality.

  They knew she didn’t want to take their mates, Beryl had explained. Serena was in pain. Using one of the males to relieve that pain was only common sense.

  Serena shook her head. The wolves may view human moralities as peculiar and strange, but she was human. Using a mated wolf to ease herself was like sleeping with another woman’s husband. She simply couldn’t do it.

  Nor were there any male werewolves around to satisfy her. Even if one magically appeared, there was no way she’d put herself in position to be dominated by one. They were just too damn pos
sessive, especially the Alphas. She’d learned her lesson with Alex. Have sex with them once, and they thought they owned you.

  Another lancet of heat speared her. Moaning, Serena braced her other hand on the edge of the desk and arched her back. Her fingers became wetter as she caressed herself, paying special attention to her aching nub hidden between her slick lips. Throwing back her head, she visualized her boss, naked, his cock thick and long. In her mind, he grabbed her hips and slid that hard, hard cock into her, thrusting and swiveling as he pounded against her.

  Serena jerked then began to pump, matching the rhythm of her stroking fingers. Tingling aches danced around her nipples, nipples she knew were distended and aching. But she didn’t have time. She rubbed harder.

  Once, twice, there, the third caress pushed her over the edge, and she shuddered to her climax. Panting, she pulled her hand from her pants, turned and braced both hands on her desk. Not the most earth shattering climax she’d ever given herself, but it would do for now. Surely, her boss wouldn’t keep her more than half an hour at the most. She could function normally that long.

  Straightening, she buttoned her jeans. Flipping off the light switch, she left her office, stopping only long enough to wash her hands and face in the clinic’s sink. One quick glance around the room told her everything was in place. With a sigh, she strode to the door. She’d best get up to the house. The sooner she got there, the sooner Dr. Gray would be done explaining his new breeding program, and the sooner she could leave.

  Chapter 2

  Hands clasped behind his back, Dr. Kearnan Gray stared out the window at the almost full moon. One more night and Serena Wilde would get the surprise of her life.

  A picture of Serena the first time he’d seen her appeared in his mind. Wearing faded blue jeans and an old flannel shirt with a bright orange backpack hanging from her shoulders, she stomped into the clinic and informed him she was here for the job taking care of wolves. She’d had no resume, no references, no qualifications for the job that he could see. She’d looked all of sixteen. But, he was leaving for Canada in half an hour, Jeff Miller had quit not four hours earlier, and Carl Jenkins, his other assistant had been called home because his mother had fallen and broken her leg. Kearnan had been in a jam, and he’d been willing to hire anyone at that point—within reason. If the wolves liked her, he’d hire Serena Wilde.