“I didn’t say he did!” Dean protested. “But doesn’t he, you know, communicate as a wolf, too? I mean, he’s not just a human who happens to turn into a wolf a la Lon Chaney Jr., is he? He’s a fully different species—oh, forget it. Never mind.” He clicked his tongue and pitched his voice a little higher. “Come here, cutie. Come here.”

The black wolf stood up and walked purposefully toward them, not stopping until it was directly at the fence. It sat again with an annoyed little sniff.

“Holy fucking shit,” Dean breathed. “Did I—did I do that? Is this my Dr. Dolittle moment? I can’t believe Sophie’s missing my Dr. Dolittle moment.”

“Shhh, how about some Dr. Do-less,” Cooper said tensely. He stared at the wolf and the wolf stared back. Up close its eyes were a light silvery-blue.

Suddenly, it winked.

Beside Cooper, Dean choked.

“Hello,” Cooper said tentatively.

The wolf jerked its head to the side as if gesturing them over. Then it stood and walked along the fence to the corner behind the brush where the employee access presumably was, and disappeared.

Cooper exchanged looks with Dean.

“I can’t believe you were giving me shit about not speaking wolf,” Dean whispered. “You literally just booked a date with one.”

Ignoring his brother, Cooper glanced around to make sure they were still alone and hopped over the short railing.

“Wait! You shouldn’t—” Dean protested.

Cooper hurried along the fence in the same direction the wolf had disappeared. He scrambled through the brush, hearing Dean curse and follow behind him. About a hundred feet later, the carefully placed foliage cleared and he found the access point to the habitat: a double door system in the fence, where one door needed to be closed before the next opened, in order to prevent escape. Cooper only noticed that in periphery, distracted as he was by the pile of concrete slabs outside the fencing, on top of which sat a very naked man.

A very naked man Cooper had met before.

Chapter Two

“Eli,” Cooper said as Dean crashed to an astonished stop beside him.

“In the flesh.” Eli flourished his hand and crossed his legs, as prim and elegant as a tea party. “And the fur.”

“And not much else,” Cooper noted.

Eli dipped his long, dark eyelashes in a come-hither look Cooper would not have dared try himself even if he wasn’t lounging around stark-naked at a zoo, but somehow it worked on him. Cooper had forgotten how depressingly good looking Eli was with his blue-black hair and scruff kept just long enough to look like a rakish pirate without dipping into bunker-man territory, and his body’s muscles and fat combined to look powerfully sensual.