Free The Wolf and the Bobcat: by E A Price Page B

paperwork was up to date. She needed something to take her mind off the two major problems in her life. Her mom and her mystery wolf . Not that they were problems, really. The situation with her mom was just business as usual, and her wolf wasn’t a problem, more like a distraction… to the point where she couldn’t get to sleep at night, because images of him were flashing before her eyes. She licked her lips, remembering his divine taste. It was spicy, yet homey, like warm pumpkin pie. Lord, what she wouldn’t give for a nice, big slice of pumpkin pie, or maybe just a piece of her wolf… damnit!
    In irritation, she got up and went to get a cup of coffee. She passed Gabe North, a fellow Deputy and wolf shifter, who was currently trying to build a playing card pyramid, a sure sign he was bored too.
    She had to think about the situation logically. There had to be a good reason why she was obsessing over the wolf so much.
    On New Year’s Eve she was a little drunk, not so much that she had completely lost her inhibitions, but enough so that she might be tempted to do something she wouldn’t when sober. Coupled with the fact that she hadn’t had sex in a while… alright, a year! And, not to mention, she was frustrated from having to listen to her brother and sister-in-law, getting it on every night. All those things put together easily explained why she was so quick just to jump into bed with the wolf. More like jump into the handicapped bathroom, she couldn’t even wait to get him home.
    That was all there was to it, a combination of those factors. Her bobcat yowled in unhappiness. Deanna ignored her and made her way back to her desk.
    There was nothing more to it than that. She was sure of it. Wasn’t she? Just because he was funny, handsome, charming, and he appealed to both her and her bobcat on every level, that didn’t mean anything, did it? Just because she thought she might be falling in love with him…
    Deanna gasped; Gabe eyed her curiously but soon went back to his playing cards. What if it was more than that? He invaded her thoughts, her bobcat whined to be with him, and she couldn’t help the feelings bubbling inside her. Maybe there was more to him than just a casual fling, maybe they were meant to be together…
    Nervous excitement swelled within her. Was he her true mate? Oh my god! What if he was? Oh crap, what if he was? Was he disappointed in her? Did he not want to take on the responsibility of her family? Is that why he had stayed away from her? The questions darted through her mind, making her bobcat whimper in doubt about her handsome wolf.
    Deanna pulled herself together. Yeesh, anyone would think she was a love-struck teenager , she hadn’t been this needy and silly over a guy since... actually she’d never been this way over a guy, even when she was a teenager. Sure, she’d had crushes, and she had dated, occasionally, but she’d always been practical about it, and never allowed herself to be in a position where her heart was on the line. She never wanted to have her heart broken, and she never wanted to turn out like her mom… Wow, this really was the first time she had felt any kindling of love for someone, and it scared the freaking hell out of her.
    If she was feeling this way, then surely the wolf was too. So, if he was, why wasn’t he beating a path to her door? Her bobcat snapped her jaws in disapproval. Well, he didn’t actually have her number, she thought guiltily. But, come on, wolves were lusty creatures, if he felt such a strong desire for her, wouldn’t he be doing everything in his power to find her? Wouldn’t he be searching for her? A wave of disappointment assaulted her, maybe he didn’t feel as strongly as she did.
    Deanna sighed and sipped at her coffee, wincing at the bitter flavor. Wolves sure did take their coffee strong.
    Maybe it was wrong to get her hopes up about the wolf; maybe it was all in her imagination. She’d been alone for so long, and before