"Thanks for letting me work here." Angela said three days later as she went about placing the books on the already loaded shelves of Abigail's book store 'Abbey's Corner'

"Of course." Abigail replied with a wave of her hand. "I've been begging you to come work here since I opened the store."

"I know you have, Abs. I just didn't want you to feel like I was using you."

"I should slap you." Abigail stated from where she was counting change for the day. A growl came from the far corner at the back of the store.

"I was just joking." Abigail said quickly to the angry canine. "So that dog just showed up at your house?"

"Yeah, Puppy showed up three days ago." Angela answered, smiling lovingly at her houseguest. "I'll let him out a couple of times a day but he always comes right back after a few minutes."

"He looks more like a wolf. Even though I didn't know that wolves got that big." Abigail said.

Angela saw those intelligent gold eyes staring intently at Abigail as Puppy raised his head from his paws.

"I know. I think maybe he is a wolf and someone raised him or something." Angela admitted.

"I've never seen eyes like that before." Abigail added thoughfully. "Wouldn't it be cool if he was like a werewolf or something?" Puppy's head whipped around and he glared at Abigail.

"Abigail come on! This is real life not a book! It's not like he's a werewolf that is head over heels in love with me and going to sweep me off my feet and declare me as his own!" Angela exclaimed with a laugh.Then she sighed as she met Puppy's intense gaze across the store. "His eyes are incredible though."

"I guess I have an overactive imagination." Abigail replied with a shrug. "I am kind of worried that he might scare the customers though. Do you think maybe he'll stay in the back room?"

Angela nodded and led Puppy to the door of the stockroom.

"Gotta stay in here, Puppy. Don't want all the moms thinking you're going to eat the kiddos."

Puppy let out what could only be described as a laugh as he trotted into the backroom.

"I think he's allergic to all that dust back there." Angela said after she'd closed the door and come back into the main store.

Abigail laughed lightly, though Angela could hear a tenseness in the sound. Something was wrong with her friend today but Abigail wouldn't tell her what it was. Angela knew that was probably because Abigail was too worried about Angela and didn't want her friend to have to worry about her problems as well.

Abigail flipped the store sign to open and clicked her tongue."The mess adds to the ambience of the place."

888

Jake knew he was pathetic. He had lost every ounce of pride he had once had by letting Angela call him Puppy. Honestly he didn't look like a puppy. He shook out his long black fur and stretched his thick muscles.

'Enough of this.' he thought to himself. It was time to come to her as a man and when the time came for her to know what he really was he hoped she would still accept him.

As badly as Jake hadn't wanted a mortal woman to be his mate he was seeing more and more that Angela was that and more. Not only did the wolf in him tell him that she was his mate but the man in him was drawn to her just as much. Jake had never truly wanted or needed anyone in his entire life and he wanted and needed Angela.

He walked to the darkest corner of the small dusty room and changed back into a man. He quickly closed his eyes felt the familiar tug in his gut and he dashed to his apartment about seventy miles away in New York City.

Jake showered and dressed quickly, ran his fingers through his unruly black hair and dashed back to the street behind Abby's Corner Bookstore.

He was about to walk around and go in the store when a familiar voice broke into his mind.

(Brother, I need to talk to you.) Lane's voice sounded worried. Jake growled and leaned against a light pole.

(What's wrong, Lane?) he asked, hoping his full irritation showed telepathically.

(We need to talk.) Lane repeated. (Can you come to my house?)

(I was actually in the middle of something.) Jake said. He knew with his brother there was never a time when he didn't have a problem. Gambling and women had been ruling his life for a long time.

(Please, Jake, I screwed up man.)

(You're on your own, Lane. I quit bailing you out a long time ago.) Jake cut off the link. His mood thoroughly darkened by his brother, Jake decided to take a walk before going to Angela.

He changed his mind quickly when his sensitive ears picked up the sound of raised voices coming from the store. He ran quickly around the front of the brick building and his eyes fell on the bright red sports car parked on the curb. Jake watched through the window, his mood only growing worse, as he listened to the situation going on inside the store.

888

"I can't believe this is happening." Angela sat down hard on the stool behind the register. Her head was swimming and she couldn't seem to focus her vision.

"What were you thinking, Tyler?" Abigail demanded. "You shouldn't have come here. I called you this morning and told you she would be here." Tyler wrapped an arm loosely around Abigail and pulled off his two hundred dollar sunglasses.

"She had to find out sometime, Abs. You are much more suited to my lifestyle than she could ever be."

"Tyler, she is my friend." Abigail said.

"Was." Angela interrupted their conversation. "I was your friend. I think we can safely assume that that's over."

"Angela, don't be that way." Abigail begged. "Tyler gave you hundreds of chances to lose the weight so he could stay with you and you refused."

"So you just jumped right in there huh?" Angela asked dryly.

"No, actually I went after her. She refused at first but you know how persistent I can be." Tyler said and he laid a kiss on Abigail's cheek.

Just when Angela was about to lose it completely and launch herself over the counter to rip both of their faces off, the bell on the door announced a customer. She looked over that way, fully intending to tell the newcomer to get lost, and her jaw dropped.

Well over six feet of all man had just entered the tiny store. He seemed to fill the whole space with his impressive presence. His skin was dark and tan. Every rippling muscle of his upper half was clearly visible through his tight black shirt. His legs were long and lean in his dark jeans.

Angela looked up at his face and saw that it was just as breathtaking as what was below it. He had wavy jet black hair that hung down his neck. His face was rough, rugged and masculine. He had stubble covering his chiseled chin.

Before anyone could respond to the man's sudden appearance, he took three long strides and was at Angela's side.

"What have you all done to my woman?" he growled, glaring at Abigail and Tyler.

"Your woman..." Angela mumbled. She seemed unable to finish a thought with him standing so close to her. His heat was overwhelming.

He turned and placed himself between her and Abigail and Tyler, blocking her view of the lovebirds. He stooped down so that his face was level with Angela's and his breath washed over her face.

"Just trust me." he whispered softly.

Angela looked up into his golden eyes and her heart stopped. She was sure those were the same eyes that had been watching her for the last three days. The eyes that had been watching her from the face of her dog. But that was insane--wasn't it?

She looked at him questioningly and he gave her a smile that she would swear was nervous.

"Will you trust me?" he asked her.

"Just get me out of here and take me home." she replied quickly, finding that yes she did trust him. At least for now. Right now he was certainly the lesser of the evils she was dealing with.

"Yes, ma'am." He stood straight and turned to face Abigail and Tyler. Angela stood as well.

"Who the hell are you?" Tyler demanded storming up to Angela's rescuer. Angela knew that stress was getting the better of her when she couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips at the sight.

Tyler was six feet tall and her rescuer towered over him. Tyler with his sandy blond perfectly styled hair, smooth boyish face and slim build looked very much different in her eyes when compared to this new man.

"You'll want to get out of my face now," the man replied in a quiet, barely controlled voice. His voice sounded more like a growl and Angela was certain that Puppy was no longer in the back room and that she had gone completely crazy.

Tyler took a step back but continued to stare hard at the man. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded again.

"My name is Jake and I'm hers." he replied, tilting his head at Angela.

"Her what?" Abigail exclaimed. "She's never mentioned you."

"Did you screw my girlfriend?" Tyler demanded. Without giving Jake time to reply to either of them, Angela let out an angry screech and came around him.

"Don't you dare accuse me of cheating on you, you worthless son of a bitch! I stuck with you for three long years. Always falling short of being worthy of you because I didn't fit the part. So I went on every damn diet you picked out...."

"And failed." Tyler interrupted with a cruel laugh. Jake let out an enraged growl.

"That's enough." he snapped. "You two don't care about Angela so don't pretend that you do." Angela didn't even ask him how he knew her name because she felt that she already knew the answer to that and that made her crazy as a loon anyway.

"Oh and you do care about her?" Abigail said incredulously. "Please you are way out of her league so what are you interested in?"

"Can we go now?" Angela asked. She truly felt as if she was about to pass out. Hearing those cruel words coming from the woman who was supposed to be her best friend was more than she could stand. The room was spinning and she couldn't seem to get enough air.

She was going to faint and fall on her face in front of everyone. Suddenly, Jake's long, sculpted arms were wrapping tight around her and he lifted her up, cradling her, bridal style, against his chest.

Angela stared at him wide-eyed. "You're strong," she mumbled and then her world went black.