The Wolf Prince

CHAPTER 3

Something was different. Darcy didn’t know exactly what, but as she snuggled her pillow closer, and the last bit of sleep drifted away, she knew something in her life had changed.

Then it hit her.

It wasn’t a good different. She had almost killed a man yesterday morning. Oh, hell, what if he’d died during the night while she’d been dreaming…. Her mind was a blank. What had she been dreaming about?

Her face suddenly flooded with heat when she remembered. She’d been dreaming of a sexy, very naked, male god, worshipping at his feet like a horny woman who hadn’t been laid in over a year. That wasn’t true. She’d actually had sex eleven and a half months ago.

Except the man she’d drooled about in her dreams might very well be a corpse right now. Her heart began to pound.

Had Ms. Abernathy buried the body? Did the housekeeper know that would make her an accessory? Darcy grimaced when she thought about sharing a cell with her. Not that she disliked the housekeeper. She’d been almost as much of a mother to Darcy as her adoptive mother. Hmm, and bossy, now that she thought about it. But still, she didn’t want Ms. Abernathy to go to prison because she was being overprotective.

Darcy flung the cover aside and jumped out of bed, glancing at the clock. It was barely six. She rushed toward the closet, but stopped at the French doors that led to her balcony. Her room was directly across from the guest house. If something had happened to Surlock during the night, she would be able to tell from her room—maybe.

She opened the double doors and rushed out onto the balcony, then stumbled to a stop. The swimming pool was between her room and the guest house. Surlock stood on the diving board, his arms raised. The sun peeked over the horizon, casting everything in a hazy early morning light. There was enough light that she could see him, though.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. The man was truly magnificent, and very naked. Right now, she didn’t really mind that he disliked clothes. Boy, did she not mind!

His muscles weren’t so big that he looked deformed. No, they were just right. His chest was broad with just a sprinkling of dark hair. Her gaze dropped lower. Nice. Very nice.

A burning need grew inside her. For just a moment, she wondered what it would feel like to lie naked in his arms, to have his body pressed against hers. The ache inside her grew until she trembled with need. Her last few dates had been losers. She had a feeling Surlock would be good in bed. He would know how to please a woman.

Her hands curled into fists, nails biting into her palms as she stifled the groan that threatened to explode from her. She needed good sex. Maybe Surlock was a gift from the sex gods and she was meant to have him. It could happen. Before she could get too far into her fantasy, he dove into the water, causing barely a ripple.

She leaned over the balcony. Nice ass. Firm. Hmm, with a tattoo on the upper right cheek. Or a birthmark. Odd, she had a birthmark in the same place. She squinted her eyes, but he was too far away for her to tell exactly what it was. What were the odds it would be the same as her birthmark? She quickly dismissed the thought as she lost herself watching him swim the length of the pool.

The muscles in his back tightened and relaxed as he reached forward in the water. He swam to the end of the pool, then turned and swam back. His movements were those of a professional.

Maybe that was what he was—a swimmer.

Yeah, right, he’d been running around naked in the woods looking for a pool. With a wolf at his side.

What if he’d been raised by wolves? He’d growled at Dr. Wilson. Surlock did come across as a little wild, untamed. A fantasy formed in her mind. Surlock was Tarzan of the wolves, and he was looking for a woman he could steal away and take back to his den.

She shook her head. Ridiculous. Besides, since she had hit him over the head, Darcy kind of doubted she would be in the running as someone he would whisk away. The thought of spending time lying in his arms was nice, though.

Surlock popped out of the water, levering himself to the side of the pool, slinging his wet hair out of his face. He sat there for a moment, catching his breath, before getting to his feet. Rather than go immediately back to the guest house, he looked up, their gazes locking, as though he’d known she watched him the whole time. He seemed quite unconcerned he was naked.

He didn’t smile or wave. Not even a nod. He only stared at her for a long moment, his gaze slipping down her body, caressing her with his eyes, causing goose bumps to pop up on her arms. For a brief moment, something passed between them. He wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

He abruptly turned and walked to the guest house, stealing her breath as he did. The guy had a seriously sexy ass. Why had he looked at her so strangely? As if she was the one who was naked.

She glanced down and had her answer. She was wearing her thin white gown. The silky material clearly outlined her tight nipples, and was so low cut that it left little to the imagination. Great, now who was the exhibitionist? She turned and sauntered back into her room, a slight smile lifting the corners of her mouth. She had a feeling her life had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.

Just as quickly, her smile slipped. Where the hell was Surlock’s nurse? A cold chill washed over her. What if he’d killed Twila during the night? She paused, hand on the doorknob. Darcy might very well be harboring a serial killer.

She shook her head, then went inside the bathroom. Of course, he hadn’t killed Twila. If he had, he wouldn’t be taking a swim in the pool. He’d have been long gone. Twila was probably still asleep. It wasn’t like the nurse was that young. She was what? Getting close to sixty?

Darcy hurried through her shower, then dressed in shorts and a button-down blue top before she rushed downstairs. Two young maids were giggling in the dining room as they set the plates on the buffet for breakfast, but stopped when she walked past.

“Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes,” Ms. Abernathy told Darcy as she walked from the kitchen.

“I’ll let Surlock know,” Darcy told her as if she hadn’t planned to hurry over to the guest house anyway.

The two maids giggled and earned one of Ms. Abernathy’s famous glares. They quickly stifled their laughter and hurried back into the kitchen.

Ms. Abernathy turned her gaze on Darcy. Whatever the housekeeper was about to say, Darcy didn’t think it would bode well for her.

Shades of when she was fourteen came back to haunt her. She’d gotten caught cutting the coconut cake Ms. Abernathy had made for their neighbor, Ms. Bishop, who had just come home from the hospital. Darcy hadn’t known it was for Ms. Bishop, though, but had still suffered a scolding. Darcy now felt as if she were about to relive that moment.

“I took Surlock clothes that belonged to your father,” Ms. Abernathy began. “I was going to have them taken to Goodwill anyway. I also included a pair of swimming trunks. Since you insisted he stay in the guest house, please inform him I cannot have my staff in a state of agitation because he chooses not to wear clothes.” She turned on her heel and went back to the kitchen without another word.

Not as bad as Darcy had feared, but still, she had been soundly chastised. Surlock went skinny-dipping, but she caught the flack. Not that she could blame the maids for having their heads turned. Apparently, he’d caused more than one heart to flutter.

She hurried out to the guest house, and tapped on the door. As she went inside, Twila was just coming out of the bedroom.

“His vitals are all good this morning,” Twila told her. “I checked them on and off through the night and there was no change.”

“Does he remember anything?”

She shook her head. “No more than he did yesterday. It might be a week or so before he’s completely back to normal. Maybe longer.”

Darcy didn’t like the sound of that. What if he never regained his memory? Would he live in the guest house forever?

Surlock stepped from the other room wearing her father’s old clothes. They were about the same height, but Surlock was broader in the chest so the white shirt didn’t button, and showed a delicious expanse of bare skin. He’d rolled the sleeves past his wrists, giving him a casual beach look.

How could he look even sexier than when he was naked? Maybe he could live in the guest house for a few years. She didn’t think she would ever get tired of staring.

“The shoes didn’t fit.” He glanced down at his feet.

“No problem, we’ll get you some new ones.” She met his gaze. “How do you feel?”

“I still can’t remember anything.”

“Give it time,” Twila told him. She glanced at her watch. “There’s nothing more that I can do. Dr. Wilson will probably call this morning.”

“Yes, of course,” Darcy said. “Thanks so much for coming out.”

Twila gathered her things and left.

The room suddenly began to shrink. “Are you hungry?”

He nodded.

Surlock didn’t talk a lot. Her theory that he was raised by wolves was beginning to sound more plausible. He followed as she went across to the house. She glanced at the pool.

“You should wear clothes next time you swim.”

“Why?”

Why? She couldn’t think of one good reason. It would be nice to wake up to Surlock swimming naked in the pool every morning. It might cause her mother to have a heart attack though.

“Because Ms. Abernathy will lecture me again if you don’t,” she finally told him. It was as good a reason as anything else she could come up with.

He nodded. She didn’t ask if that meant he would or would not wear trunks the next time.

They went into the dining room. Breakfast was always buffet-style in silver warming trays on a side table. It had been this way as long as she could remember. No matter how many times Darcy told Ms. Abernathy a bowl of cereal or just some fruit would be fine, Ms. Abernathy still fixed her spread. She always said it wouldn’t go to waste since there were plenty of mouths to feed at the estate.

When Darcy glanced at Surlock, he only looked confused. “Scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, pancakes and fruit,” she said, pointing to the different dishes.

He nodded. She watched in amazement as he loaded his plate with some of everything. She got him another plate for his pancakes, buttered them, and added syrup. After she carried it to the table, she fixed her plate—two strips of bacon and some strawberries.

She took a seat at the table, picked up a slice of crispy bacon and took a bite. Honey-cured bacon was a weakness. Surlock watched her until she began to feel uncomfortable.

“Go ahead and eat.” She picked up her glass of orange juice.

He began wolfing down the food as if he hadn’t eaten in days. She choked on her orange juice when he picked up a handful of eggs and shoved them in his mouth.

He looked up, egg on the corner of his mouth. “What?”

She picked up her fork and waved it. “Use your fork for the eggs. You don’t eat food with your hands.”

“You did.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did. I watched. You picked up meat and took a bite.”

“But that was bacon.” He still didn’t look as if he understood. “Bacon is okay if it’s crisp because cutting it would only make it crumble. The eggs are soft so you eat them with a fork.”

Maybe he had been raised by wolves. He’d even told her that he remembered a wolf. Coincidence? Why else would he be running around naked? Wolf Boy?

He hadn’t looked like a boy on the diving board.

Wolf Man?

Darcy could almost see him running through the woods, the leader of a pack of wolves. A shiver ran down her spine. He’d be completely naked, growling and snarling, ready to do battle. Or have sex.

“This is good,” he said.

You better believe it was.

Darcy mentally shook her head and quickly brought her thoughts back to the present. She watched as he took a drink of orange juice. At least he knew how to hold a glass. He picked up the fork and looked at it, then plunged it down into the pancakes, bringing one entire pancake up and toward his mouth.

“No!”

He frowned. “I eat it with my hands?”

She shook her head. “No, you cut it first. Like this.” She hurried over to him, took his fork and knife and cut the pancakes. “Now you take normal bites.”

She turned to look at him. Their faces were close. She felt as if she could drown in his whiskey-brown eyes. He suddenly leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. He tasted of orange juice. He deepened the kiss, pulling her head closer. Her heart pounded inside her chest, and her palms grew moist when his tongue stroked hers.

Someone cleared her throat.

Oh, go away.

This was nice. Visions of him carrying her up the stairs to her bedroom filled her head.

A throat was cleared again.

Damn! She moved back, guilty warmth flooding her cheeks. One of the maids held the cordless phone. “Dr. Wilson is on the line, Miss Darcy.” The maid ducked her head, but a knowing smile played around the corners of her mouth.

“Of course.” Darcy smoothed her hands over her hair, then took the phone from the maid. The girl hurried out.

Darcy cleared her throat. “Yes, Dr. Wilson.” They spoke a few minutes, with Darcy agreeing to bring Surlock in later that morning. After saying good-bye, she set the phone on the table, and took her seat.

“Don’t kiss me again, please.” She primly laid her napkin across her lap, smoothing out the linen, but her hands trembled.

“Why?”

Why? Why did he always ask why? And why couldn’t she ever come up with a plausible explanation as to why he shouldn’t do something? The kiss had been nice. Better than nice. It had had made her feel warm all over. Hell, it made her want to straddle his lap and press her body against his and forget about everything except how he would make her feel.

She took a steadying breath and looked at him. Her insides turned to mush. He was way too tempting. “It’s just not done.”

“You don’t kiss?”

“Of course, I kiss.”

“But not me. You didn’t enjoy it?”

“Of course, I enjoyed it. Very much, in fact.” He was confusing her. “We don’t really know each other. Maybe kissing wouldn’t be a good idea right now.”

He forked some of the pancake, but stopped halfway to his mouth. “I enjoyed kissing you, too.” He took the pancake and slowly chewed, but his heated gaze never wavered from her. His words pleased her more than she wanted to admit.

Good Lord, the guy was a stranger. His words shouldn’t make her feel all giddy. She still wasn’t sure he hadn’t been raised by wolves. Maybe he just camped out a lot with the guys. Even if he had amnesia, he wouldn’t forget how to eat, though. Would he?

She had used her hands when picking up her bacon. Maybe he just didn’t recognize the food. He could be from a foreign country. She could believe that more than Surlock’s being raised by wolves.

She studied him while finishing her breakfast. He held the fork correctly, so he was apparently familiar with utensils.

“You still don’t remember anything?” she asked.

He looked up. “I remember you hitting me over the head with a big stick.”

She cringed. He would have to remember that. She took a drink of orange juice, then studied him some more. His hair was neatly trimmed. She also noticed his fingernails looked as if they were manicured—no ragged edges. That kind of blew her raised-by-wolves theory.

Laborer was probably out of the question, too. Although it wouldn’t be hard to imagine him stripped to the waist, frayed jeans riding low on his hips, his muscles straining as he held a jackhammer in place to break through concrete.

He finished his food and laid his fork across his plate, forcing her to abandon her newest fantasy.

“Would you like more?” she asked.

“No, that was sufficient.”

Now what to do? She drummed her fingers on the table. He needed clothes that fit, but all the stores in town would still be closed. They couldn’t just sit here staring at each other—no matter how tempting the thought.

“Would you like to see the rest of the house?” That would give them something to do before they went to town.

“Yes, I’d like to see how you live.” He stood, but then grabbed the back of the chair.

She jumped to her feet, rushing over to him. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I think I stood too quickly. The room spun for a moment. I’m fine now.”

“If you would rather sit, we can.”

“No, I’d like to see more of the house.”

“Okay, but if you get tired, let me know, and we’ll stop.” When he nodded, she pointed toward the door the maid had come through. “That goes to the kitchen, but Ms. Abernathy doesn’t like anyone in there who’s not authorized.”

“Ms. Abernathy was the one who brought me clothes this morning. I can see that she would be ruler of her domain. She has a commanding presence.”

Darcy chuckled. “She does rule with an iron fist, but she takes good care of us.” Darcy opened a set of double doors. “This is what my mother calls the music room. Not that any of us can play.”

There were two sofas in an ice-blue floral print that were more pretty than comfortable. The four arm chairs weren’t quite as bad. Long, ice-blue silk curtains framed the floor-to-ceiling windows. An antique, faded yellow rug with blue accents warmed the room.

Her mother called it her Victorian room and had done a lot of the decorating herself, spending an enormous amount of money on priceless vases and antiques. Darcy’s father had said that if it made his wife happy, then what was the harm? He spoiled them both shamelessly, but they loved him anyway.

Surlock ambled over to the baby grand piano, running his fingers over the keys. “Nice.”

“Do you play?”

“I don’t know.” He pulled out the bench and sat down, testing the keys again.

Suddenly, he began to play a melody she had never heard before. It was absolutely exquisite. She closed her eyes and let the haunting music wash over her. It was powerful and sensuous at the same time. He conjured a whole new fantasy in her mind.

Heat rushed through her. She closed her eyes and let the melody fill her. He stood naked before her, and when she glanced down, she was naked, too. He stroked his hands over her bare breasts. She moaned, arching her back.

The music called to her, exploding inside her. Throbbing vibrations caressed raw, exposed nerve endings. His body pressed against hers. He lowered his mouth, his kiss hot and fiery as he claimed her body as his own. She let him have his way, relishing the feel of his hands stroking her body, bringing her closer to his need.

The music rose to a deafening crescendo. It was all she could do to take a breath. Her chest rose and fell as her body strained for more. She bit her bottom lip; her body quivered with release.

The sounds grew softer as she brought her ragged breathing under control. Calm settled over her. Darcy opened her eyes, and looked around, surprised to find she still stood close to the piano, just behind Surlock, and that she was completely dressed.

Clapping sounded behind them. She turned to look. Ms. Abernathy stood in the doorway, wiping her damp cheeks with her apron. “That was so beautiful. I’ve never heard anything like it in my life. Such a sweet sound.”

Sweet? Had they heard the same music?

A flood of heat rushed through Darcy. She hoped what she had felt didn’t show on her face.

Surlock came to his feet. “Thank you,” he said humbly.

“Was there something you needed?” Darcy asked.

“No, I heard the music and knew it wasn’t you playing. I just thought I’d peek in to see who was making such a wonderful sound.”

She couldn’t fault Ms. Abernathy for thinking Darcy wasn’t the one playing. The help had worn earplugs every time the music teacher came to the estate. Even the teacher had worn them. Finally, Miss Crump had had enough and explained to Darcy’s mother that Darcy was tone deaf. After that, her mother had stopped the lessons.

“I’ll just go back to my work.” Ms. Abernathy left the room.

Yes, please go away. When Ms. Abernathy was gone, Darcy stole a look at Surlock. He studied her as though he knew exactly what she’d experienced, which was completely ridiculous, of course. He couldn’t, could he?

She cleared her throat and kept her expression bland. “You play like a professional.” He was thoughtful for a moment and she wondered if he might have felt something, too.

“Which doesn’t tell me much,” he finally said.

She sensed his frustration. “I’m so sorry I hit you over the head.”

“As you said, I scared you. Even so, I can’t continue to accept your generosity. What if it’s a very long time before my memories return? I doubt you would want me to reside in your guest house indefinitely.”

The way he talked baffled Darcy. He didn’t talk like most people. His speech was more refined, besides the fact he could play like a genius. He was exactly the kind of man her mother would love to see her dating.

Oh, that was a thought. She studied him for a moment. “How would you like a job?”

“A job?”

“You could live in the guest house and work for me, but the arrangement would have to be between the two of us. No one else could know.”

“What exactly would I do?”

“Be my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?”

“You know, like we were dating.”

His forehead wrinkled. It was odd how some things he knew, and other things went right over his head, as if he didn’t quite understand the English language. She was leaning more toward the idea he might be from another country. She was pretty sure Surlock wasn’t an American name—first or last.

“Pretending we were in love,” she said.

His eyes widened. “That would be a good job. Yes, I would enjoy that kind of work.” His gaze roamed over her in a way that only a blind person wouldn’t guess what he was thinking.

“No fringe benefits. It would only be pretend.” She wanted to get that straight right up front.

“I don’t understand ‘fringe benefits,’” he said.

“Then I’ll make sure I explain them very well.”

And then she thought about what she was saying. Had she lost her freakin’ mind? No fringe benefits? She wanted the fringe benefits, dammit!

Of course, he didn’t know what no fringe benefits meant. She didn’t have to tell him it had anything to do with sex. She could lie and say it meant something else.

Her gaze slowly traveled over him.

She wasn’t stupid. The guy was seriously sexy. If he could give her an orgasm while playing the piano, just think how good it would be if they actually had sex.

Her body tingled at the thought of the two of them in bed together. Naked bodies pressing close. No, she didn’t think she would explain what “no fringe benefits” meant.