Tuesday Teaser 7/28/15: Wolf’s Princess

Only a week until Wolf’s Princess is out! I promise to give you more of Kit and Olivia’s story, but this week  I want to tease you a little with a new snip from Sky and Rose’s story. Here Rose is in the reception room at Sky’s House, taking a little break at the bar, while the ladies are entertaining. White Horse is the bouncer on duty. Sky is away. I hope you enjoy it!

“Damn,” the bartender muttered, staring with disapproval at the man who had entered.

Before Rose could ask what was wrong, Dana moved off to fill customer orders. The man came right to the bar, which wasn’t surprising since Tracy couldn’t get all the drink orders herself. But instead of trying to flag the bartender down he came and stood much too close to Rose. She lifted her tray to hold like a shield in front of her and gave him one of the vague smiles she had perfected over the evening.

“Excuse me, sir,” she said, trying to wiggle her way along the wall to get away from him. There was no room for her to go anywhere because the crowd was so thick. “Pardon me.” She made her voice cold and firm. “Let me pass, please.”

“Sure,” he said. “It will only cost you a kiss, honey cakes.”

Honey cakes? Rose managed not to gape at him. “That’s not my job. I’m a waitress. Excuse me so I can go get my tray refilled.”

The man smiled at her and she had to admit it was a very attractive smile. His hair was dark blond, about shoulder length with a hint of a wave to it. Against it, the dark tan of his handsome face and the pale blue of his eyes were almost startling. Really, he was a very handsome man, and probably not more than twenty-five years old. Rose wondered how many other waitresses would have been happy to give him a kiss. But she was a married woman and she was not interested. Well, she wasn’t really married, and if she had met him in Kearney she might have liked to get to know him better.

“Excuse me,” she said with a little more force. When he spread his arms out to keep her from moving, she rotated the tray into a horizontal position. If she shoved the sharp edge into his throat he would move in a big hurry. But there was no need for such extreme actions. She gazed directly up into eyes rimmed with long, dark lashes. “My name is Rose Wolfe. My husband is Sky Wolfe.”

She waited for that to sink in, sure he would step aside as soon as he realized who she was. He moved, but not away. One step brought him close, and he pushed the tray down so it was vertical between them. He was so close that using the tray as a weapon would be impractical. If she jerked it straight up she might be able to slam it into his chin. That might do more damage than he deserved. He put both his hands on her shoulders, leaning in so she could feel his breath on her forehead. Her gaze flicked to his crotch. She could jam the corner of the tray there. That would cause severe pain and humiliation, but he would still be alive. If White Horse took action, there was no guarantee he would live to walk out the door.

Where was White Horse? Rose thought he would be here by now. Of course, there were so many people maybe he hadn’t noticed that this man had corralled her. A low growl sounded behind the man. Nope, Rose thought with an inner smile, White Horse is on the job.

It wasn’t White Horse. She looked over the man’s shoulder and saw Sky, and for the first time since they came to Omaha he looked like a wolf warrior. In spite of his short hair and perfectly fitted business suit, at this moment, Sky looked as feral and scary as Taye in his worst protective rage. His voice rumbled low in his throat as if he were speaking around gravel.

“Take your hands off my wife.”