After about fifteen minutes, two other men entered the pub. They were a similar age to Charlie, and they smiled as they greeted him.
“Isobel, let me introduce you to the guys.” He turned and gestured to the shorter man. “This is Lee, who does roofing, and Carlos does electrical work. They work with me.”
A plumber, a roofer, and an electrician? Jackpot. They were the damned dream team.
Lee and Carlos ordered their beers, and Charlie invited me to play darts with them. I immediately said yes, liking the vibe of the three guys. Even if they weren’t tradesmen, I’d have wanted to hang out with them.
The dart board was in the corner of the room opposite the fire, which meant it was near Rafe’s table. He was still there, still looking at me. Not all the time, but often enough that I could feel his gaze.
It gave me shivers, and not the bad kind, which was a surprise.
Nope, I admonished myself. I needed to keep my mind out of that gutter. Rafe was complicated, whereas Charlie and his plumber friends were exactly what I needed. They were friendly and easygoing.
After a couple of games, they all had to leave because of an early job the next morning. As they walked out of the pub, I looked down at my empty glass. I should go home, but I was having too much fun. Who knew that freedom could be so great? I hadn’t realized I was in a cage in London, but I definitely had been.
Decided, I went to the bar and ordered another beer, then another one of what Rafe was having.
The bartender raised her brows at the order but filled it. “You’re a brave woman,” she said as she handed it over.
“What’s the worst he can do? Growl at me?”
She nodded. “Fair enough. I’m just not one for rejection.”
“Oh, he can’t reject me.” I grinned. “We live together.”
She leaned on the bar, interest lighting her eyes. “Now that’s a story I need to hear. I’m Meg, by the way.”
“Isobel. Nice to meet you. And next time I come round, I’ll fill you in on the details. For now, I’m on a mission to annoy my roommate.”
Rafe
I watched as Isobel approached, a beer in each hand. My wolf hearing had allowed me to eavesdrop on every word she’d said since she’d walked in, and I couldn’t help the anticipation that fizzed through my veins. It annoyed the hell out of me, but it was impossible to fight. My body just seemed to come alive around her—my wolf instincts in particular.
Connect, protect.
The instinct surged through me, one I’d never felt before.
She stopped by the table, grinning widely as she put the beer down in front of me. Her golden hair gleamed in the light, shorter than it had been last night. The soft curls made my fingertips itch to touch, and I clenched my fist.
“What’s that for?” I looked between the beer and her, careful to keep the scowl on my face. It wasn’t as easy as it normally was.
“For you.” She smiled, a damned ray of sunshine. And like a ray of sunshine, she warmed me. Which was irritating.
“Why?”
“Because you look grumpy, and I want to turn that frown upside down.”
I groaned. “Too much.”
She grinned. “I know. It was over the top, but I thought it would annoy you, and I couldn’t help but try.”
“Try to annoy me?”
“Yep.” She laughed lightly. “You’re just so grumpy. I could try to cheer you up, but…nah. So I’ll go with annoying you.” She took the seat next to me, her lovely lavender and honeysuckle scent washing over me.
“Well, it’s working.”
“Good.” She sipped her beer. “Why are you sitting over here by yourself, just glowering?”
“I’m not glowering.” I took a drink of the beer she’d brought me.
“Oh, you definitely are. You’re the grumpiest werewolf I’ve ever met.”
“You’ve met a lot of werewolves?”
“No, actually. I suppose I can revise that statement to say you’re the grumpiest man. It’s an even broader category.”
“Then you should avoid me.”
“Can’t, unfortunately, since we live together.”
“We live near each other, not together.”
“Very near.” She grinned. “But that would change more quickly if you’d help me fix up my house. I’d be out of your hair much sooner.”
“No.”
“Oh, come on. Take a break from your boat hobby and help a girl out.”
“It’s not a hobby.” Her words shouldn’t have annoyed me, but they did. “It’s a business.” Albeit one that I didn’t need the money from. But my reputation as a reliable craftsman who delivered on time was important to me, and that was more than a hobby.
“Sorry.” She seemed genuinely contrite. “The bartender said it was a hobby. I misunderstood.”
“It’s fine.” I sighed. “So, you’re not having a lot of luck finding help with the house?”
“No. The locals want nothing to do with it. Aren’t you local?”
“No. Moved here a year ago.”
“A newcomer like me.” She smiled, her luminous gray eyes twinkling. “All the more reason to help me.”
“Why didn’t you ask the plumbers for help?”
“How do you know I didn’t?”
I tapped my ear. “Wolf hearing.”
“Damn. Were you listening to everything I said?”
“Can’t help it. I try to filter it out.” I found that I wanted to annoy her as much as she annoyed me. “Didn’t bother, though.”
Although I should have. It had been irritating to hear the flirting going on while they’d played darts, and I shouldn’t have been irritated by that. She could do whatever she wanted. Hell, it would be better if she got a boyfriend and moved out of my house.
The idea of it made my wolf growl, and I told the beast to settle down. He listened, but barely.
“For your information, I was trying to make them like me before I ask for the help,” she said. “No one in town wants to work on the place, so I’m going to need favors instead of just hiring people.”
“Good plan. A bit mercenary, though.”
“Maybe, but it’s a mild form of mercenariness.”
“Mercenariness? Is that a word?” Oh hell, was I flirting with her? I never flirted.
She smiled at me. “It is now. I suppose I could say Machiavellian, but I prefer my version.”
I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips, and it irritated the hell out of me.
Time to go. I drained the last of the beer, then stood. “Thanks for the drink, but it’s past my bedtime.”
I turned and left the pub, feeling her gaze follow me the entire way out.
Chapter
Nine
Isobel
The next morning, I awoke to the same lovely breeze and sound of the waves as the morning before. The bed was so comfortable that I could have snuggled there for hours, but that wasn’t on the agenda.
Today, I was going to figure out what was wrong with the house so that I could get to work on it. With any luck, I’d fix it and be able to convince some local contractors to take on the job.
I sat up and climbed out of bed, disturbing Poa, who lay at the foot. She gave me an annoyed meow, then settled back and began snoring again.