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Tameca followed her dazed friend’s line of sight, which stopped on two people—a man and a woman who had paused in their bike riding to take a drink from their water bottles. The woman was beautiful, but Tameca’s gaze skittered past her to the man. He rivaled Marcus with his blond good looks and toned body. What caught her attention in particular, though, was his boldness in wearing biking shorts. Not a bad thing in general, but the man was so well endowed that the bulge in his shorts was unseemly. And the arrogant ass knew it!
He braced a fist on his hip while the other hand held his water bottle to his lips. Tameca was sure she’d seen him glance at the women nearby. Feminine eyes were glued to his crotch. Every one of their mouths must have been watering as they took in this godlike man.
Pat slapped Tameca’s arm, which made her wince. “Am I dreaming, Tameca?”
“Nope.” She laughed. “He’s got way more than any woman needs. But, boy, oh, boy, wouldn’t it be fun trying to work it all in.”
“You have such a dirty mind for a virgin,” Pat accused her.
“That’s why I have a dirty mind.”
The man stopped speaking to the woman and turned their way. Tameca’s eyes widened, and she held her breath. He seemed to excuse himself, and then he sauntered over to them. To Tameca’s embarrassment, her eyes were glued to his crotch.
He paused before her. “You’re her, aren’t you?”
“Uh?” She tore her eyes from his groin to glance up. “You’re talking to me?” Pat made a disappointed noise at her side, likely hating that she was her, whoever her was. Her mind was muddled.
He stooped over, his muscled legs parted and one hand resting on his knee. Why was he tormenting them? He waggled a finger toward her and sniffed the air with a knowing look in his eyes. “Yes, you’re her. The one he wants. The one he’ll have.”
Tameca stared in disbelief. This must be a case of mistaken identity, because there was no way there was some man out there who wanted her, who had decided he was going to have her no matter what. Not outside her fantasies anyway. Still, she didn’t mind that blond and beautiful thought she was the one. He smelled just like Marcus, with that animal wildness. His scent was stronger, maybe because he had been exercising, but it was not a bad smell by any means.
She and Pat both leaned closer like he had them under a spell. He grinned, no doubt used to women drooling over him. With supreme effort, her mind pieced together a sentence, and she mumbled it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not who you think I am.”
He looked deep into her eyes. She considered climbing on his lap and kissing his neck. Snap out of it, Tamecaaaa, she sang to her psyche, which wasn’t listening.
“Tami, right?” He raised his eyebrows.
Her world dipped and swayed before it righted itself again. “W-Who is the man you’re talking about?” she asked. “What’s his name?”
He chuckled. “Marcus.”
Tempting a Wolf
Chapter Three
Tameca lay in bed and stared up at her ceiling. She shifted around in an attempt to get comfortable, impossible on her lumpy mattress. Pretty soon, she would have to break down and get a new bed, but she had been delaying while she decided whether she wanted to move out of the house she and Renee owned together, an inheritance, and move into an apartment with Pat. Then, she would be out from under her overprotective sister, who couldn’t see that she had long since grown up.
She squeezed her eyes shut and ran her hand over her forehead. Who was she kidding? Thoughts of replacing her bed were not the most pressing issues to be considered right now. That guy outside her workplace had scared the mess out of her. The knowledge that Marcus wanted her and had plans to seduce her should have been exciting, but instead, she had freaked.
Sure, the man had apologized for opening his mouth and had said that Marcus would kick his ass for saying what he did, but that didn’t change anything. She glanced down at her body, which was encased in a cutesy, unsexy nightgown. Marcus had no idea what she looked like naked, curvy but way more than was necessary for any woman. He just thought—well, she had no idea what he thought.
“No,” she decided aloud. “Forget it. I don’t care what he wants. My first time will not be with a man that hot.” Worries about him judging her, being disgusted by her would take all the enjoyment out of the experience, if there was any enjoyment.
With that settled, she rolled over to her side and pulled her sheet and blanket up over her shoulder. The fan she that kept going all year around gently blew her hair and lulled her to sleep.
* * * *
Tameca knew she was dreaming. Not by some smoky, unreal quality to everything around her, but by the fact that she was out in the middle of the woods, back pressed against a tree, and it was almost pitch black out there. She wouldn’t have been caught dead here in the real world.
She glanced at the sky in time to see heavy storm clouds drift away from the moon. Small mercies. The trees around her came into sharp focus. Unfortunately, so did the creature that stood a few yards away watching her with glowing eyes. A wolf! A cry of terror tore from her throat, and she was off again.
She must have been running from it all this time. Barefoot and in a dress, also clues to a dream because she preferred pants at every opportunity, she bolted through the brush. Sharp, thin branches tore at her skin while stones dug into the tender flesh of her feet with every step she ran.
Her heart pounded, blood thudded in her ears, and she whimpered. He was going to catch up. The monsters in dreams always caught the person trying to escape. And just when they were about to bite, only then would reality return. The thought almost made her stop and surrender so she could wake up. Almost, but not quite.
Attempting to break through an overgrown area, she closed her eyes and just ripped into it. She broke free and fell flat on her face. Dirt coated her lips after she hit the ground. “Oh, no,” she cried out. “Don’t think of what might be in that dirt, Tameca. Just get off your ass and run!”
“Why do you keep running?” a voice nearby asked.
