Read Chasing The Moon for Free Online Page B

surprised than her. They never spoke of his continued presence or her life outside the diner. They never acknowledged what could have been between them.
    He met her look for look and answered her question with his own. “Do what?” Exasperated, she waved her arms in the air. “This. Coming in here, but only when I’m working.” His blue gaze drilled into her so long, she almost doubted herself. Could she be wrong and the connection was one sided?
    Finally, he smiled. “When I first started coming in here, you were afraid of me. You seem to be over that now.”
    She pressed her lips together and took a step back. Playing with fire often got you burned.
    He sighed. “Sit down, Chloe. You aren’t afraid of me.”
    She reluctantly slid into the booth across from him. “Afraid for you maybe,” she said softly. They
    ’d never discussed it before, and she wasn’t sure how far to push the conversation now. “He’d come after you with the slightest provocation.”
    Billy’s eyes glinted dangerously, and she was reminded that as gentle as he was with her, he was still a predator.
    “Let him come,” he answered.
    She shook her head, denial rising to her lips, but he pressed a finger across them.
    “Don’t,” he said. “I won’t challenge him, though your faith in my abilities is less than flattering. But I won’t stop coming in here, Chloe, and I won’t back down if he challenges me.” His voice dropped so low she almost missed the rest. “He stole what should have been mine.” Fear and anger propelled her from the seat. She was already bound to one werewolf and it wasn
    ’t something—if she ever got out of—she cared to repeat. He glowered. She clapped a hand over her mouth. Had she actually said that out loud?
    “Of course, all bets are off if I find out he’s hurt you.” She shook her head in denial and dredged up a shaky voice. “I have work to do. And you have to stop coming here.”
    He pinned her with his gaze, pale blue eyes seeming to see into her soul. “That’s not going to happen, Chloe.”
    Still shaking her head, she edged away, escaping behind the swinging door again. Walking out the back door, she leaned over, clasping her knees with shaking hands and wishing she still smoked. He was determined to get himself killed, and she would be responsible. For not making him see reason, for not making him stay away. There was a time she could have done that, but Wyatt had taken most of the fight out of her.
    She grew up with werewolves. Her father was a member of the Appalachian pack and still lived inside its borders with her mother. She smiled. That relationship had never led her to believe there were bad bonds, and she hadn’t grown up with fear of their kind. In retrospect, she thought that was a bad thing. She’d been easy prey for Wyatt, hadn’t she? The last nine months had been the longest of her life, and her future seemed a gloomy thing.
    She’d tried running once. The bond made it impossible and, after three days, she had thought she would go crazy. When Wyatt finally found her, she wished for one brief moment that she had died.
    Thank God, it had been short. As much as she despised him, she wouldn’t give up so easily.
    Unfortunately, she had to avoid her parents. She had to hide bruises from Billy Cagle. She lived in fear he or her father would see them and fight with Wyatt, and Wyatt fought dirty. He would pull every trick to win, and he would never willingly give her up. He couldn’t, could he? Not with the bond.
    When her heart rate slowed and she felt more in control, she went back inside. Billy was gone, a five dollar bill left on the table for his drink. She picked it up and a piece of paper fluttered to the floor.
    Bending to pick it up, she hesitated when she saw the numbers. His phone number? If she kept it, where would she hide it? She reached for it and carried it behind the counter. Lifting the edge of the register, she slid the scrap underneath. If she ever