“Oh, sweetie, he can. He does. I warned you, wolves aren’t hit often but when they are . . . bam! Then they hold on for dear life. Especially the males.”

“The worst part is, he’s so damn nice. I mean”—Irene leaned up, resting her elbows and hands on her desk—“if he were a total butthead, I could rip him to shreds without even a thought. Slash, slash, slash and I’d leave him like so many men and students before him. But he’s nice. Really nice. I’ve never had anyone be so nice to me.”

“He’s always liked you, Irene.”

“Great. You’re delusional too.”

“He has. You’ve always been oblivious but I see all, sweets, and that doggie has had it bad for you from the beginning.”

“I thought he only wanted sexual intercourse.”

“Stop calling it that. And maybe that’s all he wanted in the beginning. To start. But apparently that’s changed. Personally, I knew it was a done deal soon as he got you to laugh.”

With an annoyed growl, Irene laid her head back on the desk. As soon as she did, the phone rang. She didn’t even have to answer it to know who was on the other end.

Snatching the phone off the receiver, she snapped, “Yes?”

“Hey, doc.”

She viciously tamped down that burst of nervous excitement his voice elicited from her every damn time she heard it. “Van Holtz.”

“I want to see you tonight.”

“I’ve got work to do.”

“How about seven? Meet me at the restaurant; we’ll go from there.”

“I’ve got work to do.”

“Don’t worry about dressing up. Just casual. Jeans, T-shirt.”

“I’ve got work to do.”

“See ya then.”

“I’ve got work—” But he’d already hung up.

Irene returned the phone to the receiver. “I talk and talk and it’s like I’m saying nothing.”

“It’s a wolf thing, sweetie.”

“What is? Rudeness?”

“The ignoring. All canines do it. You say ‘no, don’t eat the food from the table,’ and they go right on eating the food from the table, giving you that innocent look the whole time.”

“So what do I do? Hit him with a rolled-up newspaper?”

“Well, that depends on you.”

“How?”

“The question you need to ask yourself is whether you really want him to stop?”

“I don’t under—”

“Do you love him, Irene?”

“What? No! Don’t be ridiculous! Why are you even asking me? Shut up.”

“Okay. I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Don’t you dare. I don’t love him. I don’t love you, for that matter.”

“Liar,”Jackie mocked with a smile.

“I don’t love anyone. I’m cold and calculating and a vicious, heartless bitch.” She’d been repeating that to herself for three days. Even when he showed up on her doorstep every night and she let him in. Even when he took her to bed and made sure she didn’t get a bit of sleep. Even as he fucked her so hard and long that she could barely remember her name, much less theorems and lab results. Even then, she kept reminding herself what a cold, calculating, vicious, heartless bitch she still was. “And when I see that rich idiot, that’s exactly what I’m going to tell him.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You don’t think I will?”

“I don’t think you’ll have the chance.”

“I’ll make the chance,” Irene vowed.

“And these are my uncles Geert and Volker.”

Even as Irene said her polite “hellos” and shook the hands of his many uncles, Van could hear those teeth grinding. He started wondering if dental work would be necessary at this rate.

“So, you’ve met everyone . . . who resides in North America.”

“You can meet the rest of the brood at Christmas,” his Uncle Ulbrecht promised, and Van saw Irene clench her fists even while she nodded. To his family Irene probably appeared the most polite woman any of them had ever brought home. But Van knew better. She wouldn’t embarrass herself in front of them, but once he got her alone . . . eesh.

Irene looked at him over her shoulder and before she could speak he said, “Dinner’s ready.”

The family moved toward the dining room. He took Irene’s hand and, to his surprise, she didn’t pull it away. Instead, she turned and faced him. Leaning in close as if to whisper something to him, she grabbed his cock with her free hand and twisted.

Van grunted and closed his eyes. He wanted to do more than that, but Irene knew he wouldn’t show the weakness to his family.

“What I’m currently doing, I can assure you, is not an accident,” she spit out between clenched teeth and then tugged to make her point. “Understand?”

He nodded and she released him, heading off to the dining room.

Thankfully the dinner itself went quickly and as planned. Van could see Irene’s years of experience coming to the fore as she deftly handled each of his uncles and aunts, never once betraying how angry she really was. Which, to be quite honest, he appreciated. He hadn’t planned to ambush her like this but his father had put together this little event and made it clear he wanted Irene to attend. Since she’d kept Van at an emotional distance after he dropped her off at her house Monday morning—and told the wolves waiting for them to guard her like their lives depended on it—he knew she’d never willingly agree. So, yeah, he kidnapped her, in theory.