A Cold Winter's Day 25 Read Online Free PDF Page A

couldn’t stop the images from barraging his mind.
    And damn if they weren’t the hottest images his mind could conjure up.
    Malcolm cleared his throat, trying to get his thoughts back on track and out of the gutter. He wanted to ask Luke why he was running, but he knew he had to gain the man’s trust first. Luke was somewhat relaxed now, but Malcolm could see the underlying current of jitters in his mate’s chocolate-brown eyes.
    He didn’t want to give the guy any reason to bolt. That was the last thing Malcolm wanted. Riley walked into the room, a colorful diaper bag hanging from his hand. “Is this what you’re looking for?”
    Luke nodded as he stood, his hand reaching out to grab it. Malcolm growled when Riley snatched the bag back from Luke’s outstretched hand, his eyes narrowing to tiny slits.
    “Mind telling me why you have a gun in there?”

Chapter Four

    “You looked in my bag?” Luke asked as he cut his eyes over to Malcolm. He had grabbed the gun from his cabinet when he had grabbed Cole’s diaper bag. He wasn’t sure what Shanta was going to do, but Luke had fully intended to protect his son.
    “We don’t know you. Of course I looked,” Riley spat with venom. Malcolm stood, handing Cole to Luke as his presence seemed to grow by leaps and bounds in the bedroom. Luke took a step back, fear gripping him as Malcolm walked over to the man standing there with Cole’s diaper bag.
    “Son, I love you with all my heart. But if you ever talk to him that way again, I’ll take you out back and teach you a lesson in manners.” The threat was spoken low, slow, and leaving no room for doubt that Malcolm would do just that.
    Luke swallowed, his eyes darting between the two men. They looked so much alike that there was no way this man wasn’t one of Malcolm’s sons. Which confused Luke. Why would he threaten his own son for the way he spoke to Luke, who he’d just met?
    “Yes, sir,” the man said as he turned and walked out.
    “You shouldn’t have done that.”
    Malcolm turned, the blaze in his eyes still evident. “Yes, I should have. No one is going to talk to you like that.”
    “But we just met.” Luke stated the obvious.
    “And we’re mates. They will respect you or they’ll find out what it means to have their asses kicked by a real bear.”
    God, the man was hot as hell when he was fierce. Luke glanced away, feeling as though he were the luckiest man on the planet.
    But still…
    “They’re your sons. You should explain things to them first. He didn’t know.”
    “True, but Riley knows better. He was raised with manners. He should have asked me before confronting you.”
    Luke wanted to argue, but he could see that Malcolm was standing firm. He didn’t agree, but it wasn’t his house or his place. Hell, he had just arrived. Luke knew nothing about Malcolm. As Luke glanced down at the floor, he saw the bracelet on his wrist. It was a reminder that he was still being hunted.
    “Did you call my tribe?”
    Luke looked back up to see the look of confusion on Malcolm’s face, his grey eyes darting over Luke’s face. “Why would I call them?”
    Luke shrugged as he walked back over to the bed and laid Cole down, surrounding the baby with pillows, making sure he didn’t roll off the high bed. “You found an unconscious elf in the bed of your truck. It would have been the logical thing to do.” It would have been the first thing he would have done.
    “You’re a Lakeland. We take care of our own. I didn’t call anyone.”
    Relief flooded Luke as he peeked over his shoulder. Malcolm stood there looking strong, confident, and handsome as hell. “Thank you.”
    “I’m not going to pry out of you why you ran, but I would like to know what I’m up against.”
    And the man had a right to know. But Luke could feel the exhaustion finally kick in. He may have passed out in Malcolm’s truck, but his body didn’t feel as though it had gotten enough rest. He climbed up into the bed,