Crying Wolf (Black River Pack Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

get me into trouble, do you?”
    “You texted Hunter?” I asked, surprised since I’d expected that she would have contacted Spencer instead.
    Hunter’s other brother was the town’s sheriff, after all. I hadn’t spent much time around him since men in uniform made me uneasy, but I’d seen him talking to Heather several times in the last month when I was coming or going.
    “Yeah,” she replied in a tone that clearly indicated I was an idiot for even asking such a question.
    “Hunter? Not Spencer?” I reiterated.
    “I’m sure Hunter will call Spencer to get him over here so they can figure out whatever it was about your room that has you so spooked,” she explained.
    “But it’s Spencer’s job to come out, not Hunter’s.”
    “Oh, sweetie. If you think wild horses could keep him away from you when you need help, then you’re just plain crazy!” she argued. “Besides which, Spencer might be sheriff, but we all know who’s the boss in this town.”
    Before I had a chance to ask Heather what she meant by that comment, Hunter came storming into the motel with Spencer and Parker trailing behind him. His dark gaze surveyed the room almost as if he were looking for danger before it rested on me. Then he scanned up and down my body and his relief at finding me unharmed crossed his face, leaving me with a strange feeling in my chest at the visual proof of his concern for me.
    “I’m okay,” I promised as he strode towards me.
    He didn’t pause and instead lifted me up into his arms and carried me out to the truck waiting outside. After depositing me gently into the passenger’s seat, he reached across to buckle me in. When I turned my head so I could look up at him, Hunter’s lips swept down and captured mine in a brutal kiss. His palms cradled my face as his fingers clenched in my hair, holding me in place while he plundered my mouth. I gasped at the sensation his harsh gentleness evoked in me, and he used that opportunity to his full advantage. His tongue swept inside, tangling with mine as he practically inhaled me.
    Time seemed to stand still as we kissed. When Hunter pulled away from me, I blinked my eyes, hazily trying to regain my focus.
    “What happened?” he asked huskily.
    “Someone was in my room while I was gone. When Heather confirmed that it couldn’t have been the housekeeping staff, I freaked out,” I said, explaining the bare facts, unwilling to talk about Sam yet.
    Hunter searched my eyes, and I saw disappointment flare in his momentarily before he masked it from me. His gaze lifted over my shoulder, and I finally noticed that Parker had climbed into the driver’s seat. The engine was running, so he must have already started it while I had been distracted by Hunter’s kiss.
    “Take her to the big house,” Hunter instructed him. “Get her settled for the night. You know which room.”
    “But, Hunter—” I complained, not understanding why he was sending me with his brother and staying behind.
    His face softened as he looked down at me once again. I shivered at the feel of his fingertips gently swiping across my swollen lips.
    “You’ll be safe with Parker. I promise.”
    “Come with me,” I pleaded. “I want you to be safe too.”
    Hunter chuckled darkly at my request and his face hardened into a mask of fury, but it wasn’t directed towards me. “Don’t worry about me, Gracie-mine. There’s nothing here that can harm me.”
    “You don’t know that, Hunter. Please.”
    “One of these days, we’ll have a long talk and you’ll understand what I mean when I swear to you that I’m not in any danger. For now, just know that I have Spencer with me and he’ll make sure I come back to you unharmed,” he promised. “After all, I’ve trusted my brother with something far more precious than my life these last few weeks.”
    “And what’s that?” I asked.
    “Yours,” he replied.

CHAPTER 3
     
    Hunter
     
     
    I held my hand up and Spencer waited silently in the