Free The Wolf's Pursuit by Rachel van Dyken

"Besides, it is our job to leave them a little
trail of bread crumbs." His eyes gazed at her face and then lower.
"Very attractive little crumbs."
    "Bread crumbs?" Gwen repeated, ignoring the
shiver his look gave her. He was her partner. Perhaps if she kept
chanting that over and over again, she would forget his kiss. And
the way his golden eyes caressed her skin.
    "Why, yes." Hunter released her arm and
pulled out a cheroot. "Give a squirrel a basket full of nuts and it
will gorge itself or worse yet, covet the nuts and no longer search
for more."
    "Nuts? Now you're comparing men to nuts?"
    Hunter scoffed as he took a long draw of the
cheroot. "Absolutely not. I'm comparing men to squirrels."
    "Oh."
    "You, my dear, are the nut."
    "Oh?" Gwen had to clench her hands behind her
back to keep from lunging after the man.
    "Why, yes." Hunter blew out another puff of
smoke and grinned. Blast, how she hated that grin. She looked away
as he continued to speak, his chest puffed out much like a peacock
when mating. "When men or animals, for that matter, are in pursuit,
they are easily bored and distracted. We need to make this game a
challenge."
    "So now I'm part of a game." Gwen looked up
at Hunter just as he threw down his cheroot and turned his full
male arrogance upon her. Shocking that God didn't feel the need to
strike the man down for his petulance.
    "All women are. I'm just making it more
interesting for the male sex, and easier on you."
    Gwen pasted a sweet smile on her face and
walked toward Hunter, stopping when she was inches away from his
devilishly handsome lips. "So, is it my sex that causes you to
offer this extra help? Or your kind heart?"
    "Your sex." He nodded.
    "Because you have no heart," she
concluded.
    "There's that." He leaned in and sniffed her
hair. Why the devil was he sniffing her? "But there is also the
distinct truth about women that men find impossible to resist."
    "And what's that?" Gwen breathed in the scent
of his breath, a mixture of port and smoke, so alluring she almost
closed her eyes.
    "The chase, my dear. All men, all animals,
all hunters need the chase. And sweetheart, we are in the hunt of
our lives."
    "And you?" she challenged, placing a hand on
his firm shoulder. "Your very name assumes the title hunter."
    He swallowed and took a step back as her arm
fell to her side. "Never mistake me for the hunter, when I very
well could be the wolf." He nodded and offered his arm. "That is
the first rule of spying, Gwen. We are all wolves in sheep's
clothing. Every last one of us could be guilty of treason. It is
our job to find the wolves without killing the sheep."
    His eyes pierced hers, looking directly
through her almost as if he suspected her of being a wolf. Which
was utterly ridiculous.
    The gravity of the situation rested quite
heavily on her shoulders as she whispered, "And what if we kill
some sheep in the process?"
    "If you're as good as you say you are, Red,
that won't happen."

Chapter Six
     
    Red—
    How is it that you are familiar with… how did
you word it? Oh yes, my favorite anatomical part. Pray tell, are we
discussing my hands?
    — Wolf
     
    Gwen studied Hunter's face. A heaviness
seemed to descend upon him. "Have you lost many sheep?"
    Hunter swallowed and looked down. "Some."
    "I'm sorry." Gwen reached out to touch his
arm, but he jerked away and laughed.
    "Don't be. It is all part of the work we do.
Besides, sheep are stupid. They are among God's silliest
creatures." Hunter gave her a silly grin and shrugged. "Perhaps it
is why we are compared to them in the Bible. All sheep go
astray."
    Gwen opened her mouth to speak but was
interrupted by a male voice.
    "I was wondering when you would make your
sorry presence known."
    Hunter rolled his eyes and turned to the man.
"Lord Eastbrook, how lovely to see you after all these years."
    "Nine." The man pointed at Hunter. "Nine
blasted years, friend."
    "Do not call me friend," Hunter snapped.
    Eastbrook shook his head. "What has happened
to