A Wolf's Obsession by Jennifer T. Alli Page B

arriving at King Street soon and he was determined to find out something about the mysterious waitress before they had to go their separate ways. “Tell me about Charlie…please.”
    Words flowed unbidden from her lips as soon as he added please to his request. She couldn’t help herself. Something within her couldn’t deny him. He might not have used manners for a long time but clearly he wasn’t hopeless. “Charlie raised me.”
    “What about your mum? What happened to her?”
    She was tempted to lie, to tell him what she’d told everyone else who asked but the words wouldn’t come. Despite their circumstances she wanted to tell him the truth. “I’m adopted. Charlie isn’t my biological father. I don’t know who my birth parents are. Charlie is the only family I’ve ever known.”
    “No husband? No boyfriend waiting for you at home?”
    She blushed furiously and said nothing. It was none of his business.
    “Well?” he pushed. They were almost at her home and he needed to hear the answer, it was important.
    “No, just me and Charlie.” Sighing, she turned to look out the window and watched the familiar streets whizz past.
    “Lonely?”
    “No, he made sure that I was never lonely. You can stop, we’re here.”
    Glancing out of the window, Wyatt’s frown deepened. The neighbourhood, if it could be called that, looked anything but neighbourly. The streets were dirty, covered in bloodstains; vomit and what looked suspiciously like bullet casings. Men loitered on the corners, objects passing hands suspiciously while their knives glittered dangerously in the sunlight.
    His hands fisted on the wheel as outrage filled his body. “You can’t live here. Tell me where you live Kass.”
    “I’ve just told you. I live in that apartment there.” She pointed to a set of windows on the ground floor and smiled fondly. She’d lived in the little flat for over a year and had never had any problems. It might be small and the location certainly wasn’t something to write home about but it was hers and it was easy to defend and escape from if Ethan should find her. Bad neighbourhoods might keep others away but she’d chosen to come here. Neighbours never asked any questions and they would never tell anyone who came knocking about those that lived nearby. Ethan’s men looked too much like the law for any of them to willingly speak for fear of retribution.
    “No,” Wyatt growled, his eyes glowing. “You can’t live here, it isn’t safe.” He took a deep breath and cursed. “Fuck, why the hell aren’t you lying about this Kass? You can’t expect me to leave you here.”
    “Why not?” Her hand was already on the door handle ready to step out.
    His hand whipped out, clasping her small hand tightly within his own. “Don’t.” He sighed heavily, his eyes scanning the area again. The frown marring his brow deepened the longer he looked around. This was not a safe place to live especially not for someone as delicate and fragile as Kass. “We’re not stopping here.”
    “Why? This is my home Wyatt. You said you’d take me home, are you lying to me now?”
    The thought turned his stomach but given the choices he would rather lie to her than leave her in this hellhole. “I didn’t know you lived in a place like this. If you’d told me you lived here then I never would have agreed to bring you here.”
    His words were confusing her even more than his actions. “Why?”
    “Because you deserve better. You deserve more than this. I’ll make sure you have better Kass. I’ll take care of you.”
    The doubts she’d had about him disappeared. There was no way he could work for Ethan and sound so honest about protecting her. Emotion welled within her throat and despite the fact she knew she was going to regret it she reached for the well of power that rested within her. “Wyatt,” she began, her voice light and airy. “You don’t work for Ethan do you?”
    Her voice was like a song, floating gently through