Wolf Untamed Read online

  “I met Knox in February and now we’re engaged, if that tells you anything,” Rachel said. “So, if you’re afraid of things moving fast, don’t be. Trust me when I tell you that what you have with Diego is real.”

  Bree frowned a little as she considered that. “I thought it was real with my ex, and look how that turned out.”

  “This is different,” Rachel said. “Diego is not your ex, far from it. Just trust your instincts.”

  Bree gave her a wry smile. “You may not have noticed, but I’m not a werewolf like you. I don’t have your instincts.”

  Rachel grinned. “You have them. You simply have to learn to trust them and accept that Diego is an amazing guy. All you need to do is let him know you’re open to the idea of being with him, and things will take care of themselves.”

  Bree let her gaze go to the rappelling wall again, pushing her hair back behind her ear. Diego and Brandon had made it safely to the bottom, and while she couldn’t hear what they were saying, it was obvious from the way they were laughing they’d both had fun. Seeing Diego bonding in a way Brandon never did with his own father almost brought tears to her eyes. Rachel was right. Diego truly was amazing. In addition to being attractive as sin, sexy as hell, and more caring than any guy she’d ever met, he was incredible with Brandon.

  Why was she hesitating to take the next step when everything about being with Diego felt so right? Had her travesty of a marriage to Dave wrecked her confidence so completely? But then Diego glanced her way and flashed her a grin that made her warm all over, and those instincts Rachel mentioned told her if she didn’t take a chance with him, she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

  Maybe she needed to stop thinking so much and follow them.

  * * *

  Diego and Brandon moved down the wall much faster the second time, each of them kicking away from the wooden vertical surface in front of them in time with each other, the rappelling rope singing as it slid through their gloved hands while they flew through the air. When they hit the ground at the exact same time, Brandon let out a shout of excitement. Diego was pretty stoked, too. The kid was a natural at this.

  “One more time,” Brandon begged, running the last of the rappelling rope through his carabiner. “Maybe Australian style?”

  Diego shook his head with a chuckle. He could only imagine Bree’s reaction to that. “Your mom about vapor-locked when you went down backward. She’d absolutely lose it if she saw you go down face-first. How about we save Australian rappelling for another day?”

  Instead of being disappointed, Brandon looked at him like he’d just announced Disney was opening a new park right outside Dallas with unlimited FastPasses for everyone.

  “We can do it again sometime?” he asked excitedly. “Really?”

  “We can do it anytime you want. At least when I’m not working,” Diego promised. “And if I am working, you can rappel with anyone from the Pack, if you want. They’d all jump at the chance to hang out with you.”

  Brandon shook his head as he began to loosen the straps on the rappelling harness. “Nah. I’ll wait until you have time to do it with me.”

  Diego couldn’t explain the warm sensation that crept into his chest at that announcement. But he liked it—whatever the hell it was. He moved away from the base of the tower to make room for the next group getting ready to come down the wall, motioning for Brandon to do the same. “Works for me.”

  “Cool.” Brandon watched as Connor came down the wall with Kat balanced on his chest. “By the way, I wanted to say thanks for spending so much time with my mom. I haven’t seen her smile this much in a long time. I think she really likes you.”

  Damn if hearing that didn’t make his heart do a backflip in his chest. “I like your mom, too.”

  Brandon seemed to consider that for a moment before turning to look curiously at him. “Do you like my mom or do you really like my mom?”

  Diego almost laughed. Was he actually getting grilled by a teenager? If the serious expression on Brandon’s face was anything to go by, the answer to that was yes. Talk about a role reversal. Next, the kid would be asking him what his intentions were with his mother.

  “Would you be okay with that?” he asked. “If I really liked your mom, I mean.”

  “Definitely!” Brandon grinned. “I think it’d be really cool if you two got together. I know she’s given up a lot for me, and she deserves something good in her life.”

  Whoa. That had to be the sweetest, most selfless thing he’d ever heard any kid say.

  He was about to tell Brandon that very same thing when Moe Jenkins, a tall, muscular beta from Jayna’s pack, jogged up to them.

  “Burgers and steaks just went on the grill, Brandon. Want to grab some food and head inside to play some video games with us?”

  Brandon glanced at Diego. “Mind if I hang out with Moe and the other betas for a while?”

  “Go ahead,” Diego said. “I’ll let your mom know where you are.”

  Diego was still standing there watching Brandon and Moe head toward the training building, laughing and talking about video games, when Jayna appeared at his side, wanting to know what the goofy grin on his face was all about.

  “It’s good to see Brandon fitting in with your pack,” he said. “I knew getting him to spend time with them would be good for him. You’re going to be a great alpha for him.”

  Jayna stared at him for a moment, then laughed. “I’m not Brandon’s alpha. You are.”

  “Wait.” Diego did a double take. “What?”

  “You’re his alpha.”

  Diego felt his heart beating faster. “I can’t be his alpha.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t know how to be an alpha for a fifteen-year-old kid.” Diego’s head was spinning. “He needs someone who knows what they’re doing.”

  A smile curved Jayna’s lips. “You guys got here two hours ago, and he hasn’t looked my way once. He doesn’t care that I already have a pack or lots of experience with betas. As far as his inner wolf is concerned, you’re the alpha he’s comfortable with, the one he believes will take care of him. It was probably already a done deal the moment you and Brandon met. It was simply a matter of both of you coming to realize it. And after watching you two come down that wall together, I can see he’s already made his decision. The rest is up to you.”

  He was so ill-equipped to take care of Brandon it wasn’t funny. Accepting the idea Bree was The One for him had been simple. But being Brandon’s alpha? “Jayna, I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to being an alpha for another werewolf. What if I’m not ready? What if I screw it up?”

  The thought was almost enough to make him hyperventilate.

  “You won’t know what you’re doing in the beginning,” Jayna said gently. “You probably aren’t ready, and you’ll almost certainly screw things up a few times.”

  He scowled. “If that’s your idea of making me feel better about this whole alpha thing, you suck at it.”

  Jayna gave him a small smile. “What I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to make mistakes. Trust me, I made a lot of them. As long as you make decisions based on what’s best for Brandon, you’ll do fine.”

  Diego wasn’t so sure of that, especially since it had the sound of a well-worn cliché that never works out in reality.

  He blew out a breath. “Okay, so where do I start?”

  Her smile broadened. “Why don’t you start with getting Bree something to eat while Brandon hangs out with my betas? After that, follow your instincts.”

  That was something he’d been doing since getting a handle on his werewolf side all those years ago, so maybe he should do it now and stop worrying so damn much. Because while he was nervous as hell about being Brandon’s alpha, his inner wolf was surprisingly chill about it.

  Deciding to take Jayna’s advice,
he dropped the rappelling gear off, then stopped by the grills for a few cheeseburgers. After adding some baked beans and potato salad, he picked up two more bottles of iced tea and sat down beside Bree where she was hanging out at a picnic table with Rachel and Knox under the tent.

  Bree leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, thanking him for the food, making his heart immediately speed up. On the other side of the table, Rachel and Knox both grinned.

  “Thanks for teaching Brandon how to rappel,” Bree said, picking up the bottle of ketchup he’d brought and squeezing some onto her cheeseburger. “He looked like he was having a great time. You guys have really bonded.”

  “Yeah, I guess we have.” Diego grinned. “He’s a great kid. I like hanging out with him.”

  As the four of them sat there chatting, it occurred to Diego that Bree and Rachel were laughing and talking like they’d known each other for years. The idea of the Pack welcoming her was more comforting than he could have ever imagined.

  Damn, you have it so bad for this woman.

  Bree looked at him as she sipped her iced tea. “You mind if we drop Brandon off at Kevin’s house later?”

  “Sure,” he said. “You want to catch a movie or something after?”

  But Bree didn’t say anything as she took another bite of cheeseburger and slowly chewed. When she was done, she gave him a sexy smile. “Actually, I thought we could hang out.”

  He told himself the simple reason Bree licked her lips was because of the juicy burger she was eating, but when he heard her heart drum a little faster, he thought there might be another reason.

  “Works for me,” he said, feeling his inner wolf stir as he gazed into Bree’s warm eyes.

  “Good,” she said. “I was thinking maybe we could go to your place and you could show me around.”

  Diego ignored the knowing grins from Rachel and Knox on the other side of the table, as well as his own suddenly rapidly beating pulse, focusing all his attention on Bree. “I’d love that.”

  Chapter 11

  If Bree had to guess what she thought Diego’s place would look like, she’d have said an apartment with a great view of the city or maybe a condo. A ranch-style home a few minutes outside the city surrounded by a veritable forest of lush trees definitely wasn’t it. But it was absolutely beautiful.

  “Is this a werewolf thing?” she asked as they stepped up onto the wraparound porch. “Living in the woods like this, I mean.”

  Diego glanced at her over his shoulder as he unlocked the back door. “In a way, yeah. When I first went through my change, my sense of hearing was out of control. I couldn’t sleep at night from all the traffic noise in the city, so I moved out here where it was quieter.”

  When Diego led her inside and flipped on the lights, she was as wowed by the interior as the exterior. With high ceilings and no walls separating the kitchen, dining area, and living room, the space was open and airy. Sleek, stainless- steel appliances were the perfect complement to the granite countertops and central island, and the big, cushy sectional across from the gigantic wall-mounted television above the fireplace was—as Brandon loved to say—dope.

  “You want something to drink?” Diego asked.

  “Sure,” she said. “Whatever you have is fine.”

  Bree wandered into the living room to check out the dozens of framed photos on the wall above the couch. Soft spotlights illuminated the collection, giving them a gallery feel. There were more framed photographs on almost every surface, from tables to built-in bookcases, some with fantastic digitally enhanced effects that made them seem almost otherworldly. But while the landscapes and wildlife pictures were stunning, it was the photographs of the people that caught her attention. She immediately recognized his SWAT pack mates, but the other faces she didn’t recognize were what pulled her closer.

  “Are these photos of your family?” she asked, looking closely at a photo of two women and a man, individually and as a group, who had Diego’s eyes and smile. Around them were pictures of an older couple in which the woman bore a striking resemblance to the man Bree was quickly falling for.

  Diego came over to stand beside her, two glasses of white wine in his hands and a sentimental expression on his handsome face. Bree could feel the heat coming off his body and sidled closer so she could feel more of that warmth.

  “Yeah,” he said, handing her one of the glasses. “That’s my brother, Alejandro, and my sisters, Alicia and Karolina. And these are my parents, Sofia and Dominic. Well, technically, he’s my stepfather, but I think of him as my real dad all the same.”

  She sipped her wine, taking in the rest of the photos. There were pictures of all the iconic places people think of when they imagine the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as well as all the natural wonders surrounding them.

  “Did you take all these yourself?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I got into photography when I was in high school. It was right after my real dad bailed on us and I needed something to focus on to keep from thinking about how he’d abandoned us. I fell in love with it and kept doing it. As you can see from all the photos, it’s a full-time hobby. Or obsession, I guess.”

  She smiled. “I think they’re beautiful.”

  “Thanks.” He grinned. “Wanna see the rest of the house?”

  Bree nodded eagerly.

  As they wandered from room to room, he talked about some of the renovations he’d made when he’d bought the house, as well as explaining the effort he had to go through to get some of the wildlife photos he’d taken.

  “You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to sneak up on a wild animal when you smell like a wolf,” Diego said with a chuckle as she admired a close-up of a tiny gopher staring at the camera with a confused look in his eyes.

  One of the bedrooms in the house was set up for guests, while Diego had turned another into a photography studio, complete with a fancy computer, multiple monitors, and a printer that looked more expensive than Bree’s car. But it was the third bedroom Diego showed her that she was most interested in because it was his.

  His king-size bed wasn’t obscenely huge, but it was definitely more than big enough for two. The forest-green comforter and cream-colored sheets looked perfectly cozy, and the pillows seemed fluffy enough for a person to lose themselves in. The rest of the master suite was equally inviting, full of warm, earthy tones and beautiful furniture, but Bree was too focused on the bed and wondering what it would be like to sleep there to notice.

  Although, since talking with Rachel at the party, Bree had to admit being in a bed with Diego and not sleeping was something she’d rather do more.

  “So, do you want to watch something on Netflix?” Diego asked.

  She turned her gaze away from the bed to smile up at him. “Or we could skip Netflix and chill instead.”

  Bree thought she saw gold flare in Diego’s eyes, but it disappeared too quickly for her to be sure. There was no mistaking the hunger she saw in their depths, though, and her pulse quickened.

  Taking her glass from her hand, Diego placed it on top of the high dresser along with his, then stepped closer. The heat of his body enveloped her, making hers tingle in anticipation. He slid one hand gently into her hair, but didn’t move to kiss her. Instead, he gazed down at her as he teased the base of her scalp with his fingers. His touch was enough to make her feel warm all over.

  When he finally did take that last step to close the scant distance between them, her heart was already pounding before his lips touched hers. She reveled in how perfect he tasted, sighing as his tongue slid in and tangled with hers, drawing a moan from them both. She would never get enough of him.

  Bree slipped her fingers into his belt, the back of her fingers grazing the skin there as he tugged her closer until she was pressed against the hard-on in his jeans. Even through all their clothes, it felt amazing.

  Dragging his mouth away from her
s, Diego trailed kisses along her jaw, so he could nibble her neck. The feel of his extremely sharp teeth on her skin made her head spin. When had her neck become so sensitive?

  She let her head fall back, giving Diego better access. He made use of it, moving his mouth down to the part of her collarbone left exposed by the straps on her dress. There was no way she could consider holding back the whimper that escaped as her body hummed. This was so insane.

  And glorious.

  Lifting his head, Diego gazed at her for a moment, then swung her up in his arms and, in two quick strides, set her down on the bed. Grabbing the back of his T-shirt, he yanked it over his head, then reached down to unbuckle his belt.

  Bree stared, transfixed, unable to move. She’d fully intended to get undressed, but one look at that muscular upper body of his and she was frozen solid to the bed. She’d already known he was built from how good he looked in his uniform, but seeing those broad shoulders, mouthwatering pecs, and luscious abs made her wonder why he wore clothes at all. It was a crime against humanity to deprive the world of such a sight.

  Well…to deprive her of the view, at the very least.

  As he kicked off his boots, Bree pushed herself up on her elbows, noting the incredibly detailed tattoo of a wolf’s head on his chest with the letters SWAT underneath it moving and snarling as his pecs rippled. Even though it was a true work of art, she couldn’t miss the scars accompanying it.

  There was the one she’d already seen on his right shoulder, now barely visible as more than a faint line a touch lighter than the rest of his skin. Other ones even older were scattered here and there. But there were fresher scars, too—one to the upper chest and another to his stomach—that looked like they couldn’t be more than a day or two old. Had something happened to Diego that he hadn’t told her about?

  But now wasn’t the time to ask.

  Instead, she watched as the rest of his clothes came off and he stood there naked. Even with the additional scar on one of his thighs, the total package was so stunning she decided that any talk about where the scars had come from could wait until much, much later. Right now, she was more focused on the fact that Diego was completely naked, while she was still fully clothed. That was definitely a first for her.