Page 7 of Wild & Wanted

The drunk man scrambles to prop himself up on his elbows, blinking stupidly. "What the hell, man? I was just talking to⁠—"

"You're drunk, you're not on the clock, and you were being entirely inappropriate with an employee," Wolf cuts him off, stepping forward so menacingly the guy flinches.

A sneer twists the drunk worker's face. "What? Are you playing protective boss, or are you just pissed because you've got competition for the redhead's attention?"

Wolf doesn't even blink. In a single, fluid motion, he grips the front of the man's work shirt and hovers him straight up off the ground, lifting him high enough that only his boots dangle. The sheer, terrifying display of controlled muscle makes my breath catch.

"Listen to me very carefully," Wolf whispers, his voice dropping into a deadly, ice-cold register that sends a shiver straight down my spine. "You ever look at her again. You ever speak to her again. You cross this line by even a single inch, and I won't just fire you. I'll make sure you can't walk out of this town. Do we understand each other?"

The worker’s face drains of color, his hands clawing uselessly at Wolf's wrists. "Yeah. Yeah, man, crystal clear."

Wolf drops him. The man hits the floor gasping, scrambles backward like a crab, and bolts into the dark corners of the warehouse, his boots clattering against the concrete until he's gone.

The heavy silence rushes back in. Wolf stands motionless for a second, letting his breathing even out before he slowly turns around to face me.

He takes a deliberate step closer, giving me every opportunity to back away, to escape, to put space between us. But I don't want to move an inch. I want to be right here, wrapped in the safe, immovable orbit of a man who cares with an intensity I’ve never experienced in my entire life. His protection doesn't feel suffocating or controlling; it feels like armor.

He stops right in front of me, his dark green eyes sweeping over my face, searching every micro-expression.

"Are you okay?" he whispers, his voice rough and stripped of all its usual bite.

I swallow hard and give him a small nod.

Slowly, deliberately, Wolf raises a calloused hand and tucks a few stray strands of red hair behind my ear. His fingers trail warm and light along my jawline until his thumb rests right under my chin, gently tilting my face up. He’s silently asking for my voice, giving me all the space in the world.

I let out a shaky, uneven breath, unable to find my voice. Everything about him is utterly enveloping, from his spicy evergreen scent, the heat radiating off his massive frame, and the profound comfort of his presence. Not to mention the sharp spike of heavy, unfamiliar need pooling deep between my thighs. How can one simple touch make my heart flip and knees tremble?

"I, um..." I trail off, my gaze dropping to his lips as my brain short-circuits, forgetting every single sensible thought I've ever had.

Wolf’s thumb drifts down from my chin, tracing slowly over the front of my throat before dancing lightly across my collarbone. He stares at every square inch of skin his finger touches, his eyes dark and dilated, looking as if he’s reveling in the feel of me.

"I um, actually was looking for you," I finally manage to choke out, my voice barely a rustle of sound.

A dangerous, dark flash sparks in his green eyes, deepening into something intensely heated as a slow, crooked smile breaks across his face.

"Is that right?" he murmurs, and without realizing we're doing it, the space between us evaporates as we sway a fraction closer together.

I stare up into those deep, hypnotic eyes, utterly lost in the layers of green that seem endless, each one guarding a lifetime of secrets and pain. Eventually, the memory of why I left the office jolts me back to reality.

"I have something important to show you," I blurt out, my cheeks flooding with a blazing, mortified heat as I suddenly realize how my previous words could have been interpreted. "I mean… about the shipping logs! Not... not that."

Wolf blinks, the tension-filled bubble between us bursting instantly. He clears his throat, steps back, and gestures for me to lead the way.

We head back up to his office, and I pull up the corrupted file on the monitor, pointing at the highlighted rows. Wolf leans over my shoulder, taking a look at the numbers while I look at him. How can I not? With rippling muscles, a sharp jawline, and those other-worldy green eyes, the man is a walking temptation.

He lets out a low growl, the easy, warm amusement vanishes from his face. It’s replaced by a look so hard and cold it turns to stone.

"This isn’t a clerical error," he says quietly, his jaw locked tight. "It's an intentional, recurring glitch. Massive weight discrepancies across the board."

I glance up at him, sensing the unspoken tension vibrating through his frame. "Wolf? What does that mean?"

He holds my gaze, giving me a serious, heart-stopping look so intense I can barely draw breath. He doesn't have to spell it out. The dark warning in his eyes communicates the terrifying truth: You uncovered a secret, and now you’re in danger.

The room tilts sideways. The sheer weight of the realization, combined with the relentless stress of the past few days, makes my vision swim and my knees turn to water.

Before I can hit the floor, Wolf's arms wrap around me with lightning speed, catching me securely against his solid chest. His warm, solid embrace envelops me as my head spins. I rest my head against Wolf’s massive chest, listening to the rhythm of his heart and matching his steady breaths.

"Hey. Hey, look at me," he murmurs, softer than I’ve ever heard him before.