The Vow (Black Arrowhead #1) - Dannika Dark Page 0,23
that I was half-naked beneath a man until that moment. “I had a business meeting with Shikoba. The real question is: what are you doing here, Sky Hunter?”
His eyes twinkled, and for a moment, I saw the old Lakota flickering in their depths. “Why is my sister traveling alone to Waco? And don’t skip over the part where she said up to Waco. Up from where?”
I tried shoving at his chest to throw him off, but it was like pushing a boulder. Instead, I wriggled down and crawled out from beneath him. I snatched a pillow and hugged it against my body, my feet wide apart and my chin held high. “Because your sister has one week to secure a new gemstone dealer before all hell breaks loose. We’re up to our ears in preorders and don’t have enough inventory to last through the next quarter. Especially with the time it takes for her to make those pieces. The guy she was using flaked out on us, and now we’re in a crunch.” I looked down and smoothed out the wrinkles in the pillow I was clutching. “She drove down to San Antonio, and that didn’t work out. We’ve got one more prospect in Waco, but I’m not holding my breath.”
Lakota was still on all fours, and it was a titillating image. Unable to wait for his answer, I stumbled backward into the bathroom and slammed the door.
What is wrong with you? I scolded my reflection in the mirror. Even as I stood there trying to collect my thoughts, I imagined him still on the bed, waiting for my return. And that thought sent tingles between my legs. Renegade desire pulsed through me. I sure as heck wasn’t in heat, not unless all the stress was somehow inducing it.
The faucet squeaked when I turned it on. As I splashed cold water onto my face, I replayed the scene from the moment he walked into the room. Something about his scent was intoxicating, and it wasn’t the rainwater. The nearer he came to me, the more I felt power in his presence. It must have been his wolf I was sensing. Or pheromones. Lakota was no alpha, but he was a born leader who, if he chose to, could help lead a pack as a second-in-command. My uncle Reno had the same effect on people. So did William, just not to the same degree. Maybe it was his amicable personality.
Lakota’s energy was raw and unbending, making my wolf immediately want to submit to his command. And I didn’t like submitting to anyone. What would have happened had I not wriggled free from beneath him? Would he still have me pinned, trying to dominate my wolf? Would he have settled his body on top of mine? What would it feel like to have Lakota’s weight come down on me, his teeth nipping at my neck?
“Best friend’s brother, best friend’s brother,” I kept whispering to myself.
I stared at my tank top floating in the sink. Since this trip was only supposed to have been for a day, it hadn’t occurred to me when leaving that I might need a change of clothes. I snatched a white towel from the rack and tied it around my torso, ready to face Lakota and finally get some answers about what he was doing in a small town called Running Horse.
But when I swung the bathroom door open, Lakota was gone.
The news lady on the television spoke about another unidentified body found by the tracks, gas prices, then segued to a video of a local woman who had just turned one hundred. I finished towel-drying my wet hair before using the towel to wipe some of the fog off the mirror in front of me.
After Lakota had vanished from my motel room, I’d taken a shower and hung my tank top on the towel rack to dry. Even though I hadn’t planned an overnight trip, I’d put an extra pair of panties in my purse just in case. I could have brought emergency clothes, but I didn’t want to lug around a bag, and wearing the same outfit for two days in a row wasn’t anything new in my life.
Oh, what to do about this Shikoba situation? I’d outright lied to Hope when I told her I planned to see him in the morning. But if I actually did go, would it still be a lie? Maybe that wasn’t such a terrible idea. It would give me