Page 19 of Brock’s Mate

Seconds later the ATVs growled out of the trailhead, their riders whoopin’ and hollerin’ as they surrounded the car.

“Stay down!” Brock hissed.

Desi didn’t move at all. She felt frozen.

Footsteps crunched against the gravel, and then a bright spotlight shone through the window. Someone pounded on the roof.

“Out of the car!”

Brock turned, his hand to his eyes to cut the light. “Dude,” he yelled. “What the actual fuck? I’m naked, here.”

His butt was actually in the air. On purpose, Desi realized. As a cover. An uncovered cover. She felt the hysterical urge to giggle, even though this wasn’t the least bit funny.

“Roll down the window!” one of the hunters yelled. “Or we’ll break it.”

“Keep your head down,” Brock muttered. Desi hid everything up to her eyes under the blanket.

Brock sat up and leaned between the front seats, inserting the key and turning on the power so he could lower one of the windows halfway. “Do you mind?” he said, sounding irritated. “Your timing sucks. And you’re embarrassing my girlfriend. My night is now totally fucked.”

“But he’s not,” somebody snickered.

“Loser,” somebody else yelled. “How the hell old are you, you gotta do it in the backseat?”

The Bubba with the spotlight said, “You seen any wolves come through here?”

Desi swore she could hear Brock rolling his eyes. “Are you serious? Like I was looking out the windows at the wildlife? We were having our own wild life in here, until you crushed the mood. Thanks for that.”

One of the guys called, “Go back to your mama’s basement, crybaby.”

“Fuck you,” Brock muttered. He was a damn good actor; if Desi didn’t know differently, she’d swear he was exactly what he seemed to be—a guy trying and failing to get some action in the back of his car.

Spotlight Bubba shone his light around the interior of the car. “You don’t got a wolf dog in there, by any chance? We were tracking a couple of ‘em, and the trail led right here.”

“Sure,” Brock said testily. “Because I love the threesomes. Me, my girlfriend and my dog.” He shook his head. “Y’all are fucked up.”

The guy flashed the light around one more time. “Nope, nothin’ but pussies in there,” he announced finally. “Two of them.”

Desi heard more footsteps and then someone said, “Nothin’ in the other car either. Must be hers.”

Spotlight Bubba said, “Come on, boys. Let’s see if we can pick up the trail on the other side of the road.”

They revved the ATVs and crossed over, then went off into the woods, their dogs trailing behind them.

Chapter 8

Brock lay on top of Desi in the back seat of his car, ass puckering in the cold, listening to the sounds of the ATVs and dogs fading.

Desi whispered, “Are they gone?”

“Shh.” He was listening to make sure none of the hunters had stayed behind. It was hard to concentrate; the feel of Desi’s body underneath his, with only the thin blanket between them, was getting his wolf riled up again.

And the memory of that kiss back at the bar was getting him riled up again. The back half of him was icy cold, and the front half burning hot. And getting hard.

Bite her, his wolf said.

Will you stop it already? We’re not pervs who jump on defenseless women and sexually attack them.

She is not defenseless. She is strong and brave.