Free Wolf Next Door by Heather Long Page B

subtle and not so subtle stiffened her spine. Questions could lead to trouble. But it’s Tyler. I want him to ask questions. I told him if he wanted answers, he had to ask the questions. Conditioning warred with instinct, but the desire to make things right between them trumped both. “All right.”
    Hands on his hips, he raised his eyebrows. “Can Juliet come down from the tower?”
    Shock rippled through her, and she giggled. “Juliet?”
    “If the rose fits, pretty wolf. Come on down.”
    Another laugh escaped, and she shook her head. Romeo and Juliet sucked, but she appreciated the gesture. It wouldn’t take her long to dash into the bathroom, wash her face, and run a comb through her hair— he asked you to come down, not out for a date. Her wolf shifted impatiently within her. Without giving her reasoning much thought, she popped the screen out of the window, then tugged it inside. Climbing out, she dropped to the ground and landed easily.
    “Okay. That was hot.” Tyler’s very blasé tone sent another streak of amusement through her.
    “I thought it was efficient.” Twilight had given way to true dark, and she needed her wolf’s help to make him out. Despite the lightness of his tone, intensity marked his gaze. When he said nothing, she dusted off her hands and took a couple of steps toward him. A concession and a request. “You had questions?”
    He gave a quick shake of his head, and said, “I do. Do you want to go for a run?”
    Surprise filtered through her amusement. “A run?” Runs in the desert were limited to nighttime when it was cool and only when well away from the pack. The threat of challenges could come at any time, and one didn’t leave oneself vulnerable, not without a strong circle to protect.
    She’d had Justin—for a while, anyway—but he’d proved as fickle as he was feckless in the long run.
    “A run, Claire.” Tyler’s eyes narrowed and his tone grew concerned. “Woods, fields, lake—we can go anywhere you want. Just…let our wolves have some time to see each other again.”
    So dangerous and so fucking tempting.
    “I don’t have permission.” One of the dictates of her probation required she stick close to her parents’ home, not to hunt and to avoid conflict. She hadn’t done so well with Linc earlier, though she’d resisted the urge to do real damage. At the end of the day, he was Ty’s brother and she deserved all the anger he directed at her.
    “Permission?” Tyler frowned. The expanse of his chest flexed as he dropped his shoulders. “Oh. Can I borrow your phone?”
    “Of course.” No sooner did the words leave her lips than he jogged into the house. Trailing after him, she wiped her hands on her shorts and paused to glance at the star-filled sky. They didn’t have a lot of exterior lights in Willow Bend. One, they didn’t need them except for human packmates and, two, they blocked out the light.
    She did miss the stars over Sutter Butte.
    “Hey, it’s Ty. Sorry to interrupt...” He made a half-humorous snort, then added, “Claire said she doesn’t have permission to shift and go for a run. Since I didn’t ask earlier—” What had he and Mason spoken about? “Yes, I’ll be going with her.” He paused. “Yes, I will take full responsibility.”
    Ty stood in the middle of her parents living room, looking as out of place as ice atop adobe. Raw need twisted through her. He shouldn’t be taking responsibility for her. She owned her own damn actions but, even after all this time, not one ounce of hesitation marked his response.
    “I don’t know where we’re running, yet. Okay, we’ll avoid the Wheelhouse and Lotus Woods.”
    “Until I’m certain, stay away from the populated areas.” Nothing harsh echoed in Mason’s tone, only the firm ring of command. “Why is she asking to run? Doesn’t she have enough to keep her busy at the house?”
    Anger flashed across Ty’s face so swiftly, she barely had time to process the reaction before it