Free Your Wild Heart by Dena Garson Page A

blinding intensity.
    He collapsed onto his side and pulled Isabelle’s back against him, burying his face in her neck. At least he’d had the wherewithal to not fall on top of her.
    He took a deep breath and drank in her scent. Despite being sated, his Wolf stirred beneath the surface.
    Isabelle stretched and turned in his arms to face him. She grinned and gave him a gentle kiss.
    Something fluttered in Wyatt’s gut.
    “Do you always come home from the office like that?” she asked.
    “No. I suspect it had something to do with finding you in my bed, naked.”
    “I’ll have to remember that,” she murmured as she rubbed her cheek against his.
    He held her close in an effort to ground his wayward emotions and soothe his Wolf. Her fingers stroked a spot on his chest as if she were petting a cat. The feel of her heartbeat and the warmth of her skin went a long way to calming him.
    “One of those men called you Hotah. How come?” Her voice came out as little more than a whisper.
    Of all the things she could have asked, he hadn’t expected that. He was surprised she’d noticed with everything that had been going on.
    “Hotah is my Sioux name.”
    “What does it mean?”
    He smiled. Always the scientist . “Gray.”
    “Gray?”
    He nodded.
    “I realize it’s stereotyping, but I thought a lot of Native American names came from animals or deeds or some kind of physical descriptor. Was your skin gray when you were born or something?”
    He chuckled. “No. My grandfather had a vision not long after my mother told him she was pregnant with me. In his vision, he saw me walking with a gray wolf. He said this wolf would be significant to my life and would lead me in a new direction.”
    She stiffened in his arms. “A wolf?”
    “Yes.”
    “Aren’t wolves considered to be some premonition of evil?” Her voice quivered.
    “Not at all. In many cultures, the wolf is considered a wise animal. One that is in touch with its intuition. It is thought to be a powerful spirit guide.”
    “Oh. I didn’t realize that.”
    He had to ask. “You’re a scientist. You study them in the wild. Surely you aren’t afraid of wolves.”
    She snorted. “God, no. But a lot of people are. And since I don’t know much about the Sioux, I wasn’t sure if that vision would be a good thing or a bad thing. Then again, I suppose it would be a good thing if you were named after something in the vision, right?” She spoke in such quick succession her words blurred together.
    “Yes. That’s right.” He frowned. What had gotten into her?
    She sat up. “I don’t suppose you have something we can eat, do you? I’m starving.”
    “I’m sure we could find something.” His brow furrowed as he rolled out of bed.
    In the bathroom, he disposed of the condom then grabbed a pair of sweatpants and pulled them on. When he returned to the bedroom, he found Isabelle sitting in the middle of the bed, wearing his T-shirt and looking a little lost.
    “Are you all right?”
    “Yeah.” She tugged at the edge of the shirt and grimaced. “It’s been a bit of a crazy day.”
    “Yes it has.” He went to the side of the bed and pulled her to the edge. “But you survived and you’re safe now, so don’t let it get to you.”
    With the lightest of touches, he ran his finger over the red mark on her cheek. “I need to not look at that. Every time I do I want to rip Bob’s spleen out.” He balled his hand into a fist. “I’m already going to have a hard time explaining why he’s missing two teeth and can’t see out one eye.”
    She reached for his hand. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for saving me. Again.”
    In an instant, his anger fizzled. “You’re welcome.”
    “Did they go to jail?”
    “Oh, yes.” He shrugged. “Well, after they make a pit stop at the hospital to get Bob patched up.”
    “Good. So it would be safe for me to return to my trailer tonight?”
    He almost told her no but then remembered it was the first night of