by Lola Kidd
The only people who didn't like him were the people he wouldn't allow to hurt her. Damn, this was a good man.
Even though he tried to pretend to be all gruff and serious, now she could see his softer side too. Even at breakfast, he'd spent a lot of time reassuring her of his single status.
"I'll give you the runt for free," Nora said. "He hasn't had anyone interested in him at all. I'll waive the ten-dollar fee if you'll take him. I'd keep him if I could, but I can't have another dog at my place right now."
"Nora takes in strays," Rhett said. "She's one of the best people around here. And, honestly, if you want another dog, we won't say a word. But don't tell anyone. The police won't look too kindly on us playing favorites, but screw 'em. You're doing good for us all."
Nora beamed. "Thanks, but I really can't house him. And would it matter if I told anyone how many animals I have? No one else is gonna want to have that many animals at their place."
"You do rescues?" Joseline said, picking up a second puppy. "That's so cool. I worked for a rescue once, when I was in college. I know how hard it can be."
"You're telling me," Nora said, shaking her head. "I fundraise all the time, so money isn't the problem. It's time."
Joseline nodded. "I can only imagine. Do you have any help, or is it just you?"
"Just me by my lonesome. Although I do have some volunteers coming every now and again. Especially when I'm getting a new batch of animals."
"You mostly send animals out to sanctuaries, don't you?" Rhett asked. He was bouncing the runt in his arms like a child he was trying to quiet.
"Sure do. My space is more of a hotel. I find these animals a forever home and send them to someone who can take good care of them like they deserve." Nora picked up one of the puppies. "Except guys like these. These go quick, but I always try to give the town folks first shot."
It was always strange to Joseline that shifters had pets. It was like a dolphin having a pet fish. She'd never been able to talk about it with anyone before. She didn't want to offend any of her shifter friends. But now that she was staying with Rhett, she had the idea that maybe she could ask him shifter questions without fear of repercussions. He just seemed so laid-back.
The puppy in his arms swatted at his face. He put it on the ground and started wrestling with it with his hand. The little guy went crazy, jumping around and barking.
"I'm telling you, that's your dog," Nora said.
"He's a good guy," Rhett said. "Does he have a name?"
"That's for you to give him," Nora told him. "You're his daddy now."
"You want to take this one home?" Joseline asked. She could see a puppy fitting in great at his shabby-chic home. There was already a perfect space in his living room for a doggie bed.
"No," Rhett said regretfully. "I'll give them a chance to find a better home first. If nobody wants him, then I guess I'll take him home with me."
Joseline a put a hand on his arm. "I think yours would be the best home for him. You don't have to pretend you don't want him."
She looked to Nora for encouragement and saw how she was looking at Rhett. There was a sadness in her eyes that told Joseline something else was going on here. Why would Rhett be so scared to bring a puppy into his home?
"Actually, it's cool," she told him. "You do what you want. If it's meant to be, it'll be."
He might have a beautiful home, but he didn't have a beautiful complete life. Something was missing, and she couldn't tell what. She hoped that maybe she could get him to open up about it at a later time. Maybe he had lost a dog recently. That would be so sad, and she'd feel like such a jerk for trying to force a dog on him.
"Uh-oh." Nora looked behind them. "Here comes trouble."
A handsome man was headed their way. He was dressed in casual jeans and a T-shirt, but from the way his eyes glinted in the sun, she could tell he wasn't a friend. He looked much more like a dragon, even though he was dressed down. It was the eyes that gave it away, like he was dead inside.
From the way Rhett pulled her close and picked the puppy up, she knew she'd judged this man right. This guy was trouble.
Chapter Ten
Magnus. The Pegasus shifter who worked with the dragons. He had never come to Lake Magnolia alone. If they had sent him out, the dragons must be very worried about whatever had happened with Murry. They'd sent two dragons and a Pegasus on the same day. Rhett didn't think Magnus had been in town in the last five years. This was more serious than he'd wanted to believe.
"Rhett." Magnus's eyes were on Joseline. "And this must be the human I've heard so much about."
"Joseline. My name is Joseline." She leaned in to him and stood up taller.
Rhett smirked. She was feisty. She'd stood up to the dragons last night, and now she was staring down Magnus.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"You wouldn't happen to want a puppy, would you?" Nora asked.
"Just here to check out the human," Magnus said coolly.
Rhett growled. "You've seen her, just like your dragon buddies. Is that all, or are you gonna stick around my territory longer?"
His saber-tooth wanted out. It wanted to rip the wings off this jackass. The shifters like Magnus always thought so highly of themselves. That was why he appreciated Nora and Sheridan so much. They were both rare shifters like him, but they were mythical creatures to boot. Yet neither of them put on airs around their kind. Magnus, Knox, and Hayes were the exact opposite. Not only did they all think highly of themselves, they also looked down on shifters like Rhett who "slummed" it with the normal shifters. It drove him nuts.
Tucker was a good boy, but he went through human women like they were garbage. He didn't think he was special among his own kind, but he thought he was better than the humans. That kind of thinking was what kept shifter-kind back. If they didn't try to connect with the humans, they were always going to be a step behind.
"I think I'll be staying around these parts a little longer." Magnus locked eyes with him.
This was a challenge. Rhett couldn't just throw him out, but he didn't want him to stay here, either. He couldn't be the one who provoked the dragons. He would destroy them if they made the first move, but he believed this was a show of strength. They wanted him to know they were ready to bring out the big guns if need be.
That was fine. He would keep his cool until they made a move, but he didn't have to stick around and let Magus stare at his woman...friend. His new friend who he was damned sure going to keep safe.
"Nora, give me a call if you still have this puppy in a few days."
Nora nodded. "Will do, buddy. Thanks for stopping by. Tell your friends about the dogs too. I know Beau was thinking about getting one."
"Maybe I will take you up on the offer." Magus made a move toward the box.
Nora stepped over the dogs and crossed her arms. "You know, I rescind the offer. I don’t want one of my dogs going home with you."
Magus nodded once and stepped back. His eyes cut to Rhett. "Pleasure seeing you."
"Can't say the same." Rhett led Joseline away from the Pegasus's prying eyes.
"Who was that?" she asked a half-block later. "Didn't we walk home a different way so nobody would be waiting for us along the path we came?"
"That was Magnus. He's a Pegasus shifter, and he works with the dragons. He must have followed us from the diner."
"He tried to use magic on me."
Rhett's blood boiled. "Of course he did."
That wasn't great. Magnus was old, even older than Rhett, and he was good at manipulating humans. The Keepers in Abbott were going to figure out that Joseline's memory couldn't be wiped clean. He should never had let Magnus get a clear view of her. Stupid. He wouldn't make this mistake again.
"Pegasus, huh? I don't think I've ever seen one of those. Just how many kinds of shifters are there?"
Rhett chuckled. "If you can imagine it, there's one of us. And even some things you can't. Nature is astonishing and incredible."
>
"What are we going to do now?"
"How about we go back to your place and get you some stuff?" he suggested.
"Didn't you say you needed to get to work today?" Joseline asked. "I'm sure the sheriff is needed almost every day."
"I'm not exactly the sheriff," he reminded her. "I'm more like the shifter liaison."
"Right. I know. But you're basically like a sheriff. Don't you have to work on the whole crazy scorpion thing, too?"
"The case will be there waiting for me once we get you settled," he told her. "What about you? Don't you have a job you need to get back to?"
"I'm lucky enough to be on vacation right now. Or unlucky enough. I guess it depends on how things go. This will either be the best vacation ever or the worst. You know, this is why I don't take vacations that much. I never seem to do relaxing right for an extended amount of time."
"Me too. But I don't think this is going so bad as a vacation so far."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, except for the whole crazy 'shifters trying to kill me' thing."
"No one has tried to kill you. Well, maybe Murry, but maybe he was after your car."
"Well, I guess this will be my crazy adventure vacation where I joined a shifter community and great things happened to me. That's what I'm going to hope for."
He could only hope for the same. He didn't know what he was going to do when their time together was done. It had only been a few hours, and he already liked having her in his life. It would be nice to be with her like this every morning and then to go in to work. Then, when he got home, she would be waiting with their new puppy. What a life.
Minus the whole Pegasus and dragon thing. He couldn't wait for those guys to leave her alone. It was a peculiar feeling. If it weren't for them, she wouldn't be here with him. She wouldn't have agreed so quickly to stay with him, and he wouldn't have let her in if she had turned up on his doorstep like those other women who’d been catfished. But because of this situation, he had gotten to know her. In a crazy way, he was a little grateful to Magnus, Hayes, and Knox. A little. Mostly, he still wanted to destroy them for upsetting his mate.
"I guess I'm in more danger than we thought?" she asked as they approached his car.
He opened the door for her. "Not any more than before."
"That's the third person they sent over today," she said as he slid into the driver's seat. "I think this is more serious than you want me to believe. Is my life really in danger? That's how it feels. I just want to know."
"Probably not your life. More your mind. They won't kill you unless they absolutely feel it's necessary. But they're going to try to wipe your mind. And they won't care what effect their experimenting has on you."
"What do you mean? Will it melt my brain or something?"
"Maybe," he said quietly. "Can't be sure, but I won't let them try."
He didn't want to scare her, but he also couldn't lie to her. If they sent Magnus, they meant business. He was their closer. He didn't come out often, but when he did, he got results. He hated to have to interact with humans at all.
"Can you put your address into my GPS?" he asked her.
"Sure." She took his phone and tapped away. "I added my number in here too. You know, just in case."
He tried to resist smiling. He didn't want to let her know how big a deal that was for him. He hadn't gotten a woman's number in decades. "That's a good idea. Just in case we get separated, I'll still be able to find you."
She slunk down as he turned on the radio. He usually hated when people touched the radio, but now he didn't mind. She played Top 40 pop all the way to her building. Rhett was more of a country man himself, but he could get used to these pop tunes if that was what it took.
"This place is really nice," he said nervously. Her building was gorgeous. "What did you say you did, again?"
"I work in organization."
"Right. That just means you get people's closets together and stuff, right?"
"Sort of. More like, I help people get their lives together. If your home is a mess, your life is a mess."
"So, you're like that lady from Japan. The one who does all the organization?"
"Yes, like the Kon Mari method stuff. I'm so glad that became a thing here. I met her once at a book signing. Such a nice woman. Thanks to her book, I've gotten more work than ever. I've even led a few workshops this last year."
"What did you think about my place?" he asked as she opened her front door and led him to the elevator. "Is there anything there you'd like to organize?"
"Only you can tell me that." She pushed the number for the top floor. "You won't get much use out of my services if you don't want to get rid of things and change. Only if you're willing to change will we be able to do much."
"I'm sure there are a few things in my life that can use changing," he said. "If I was doing everything right, I would have a mate by now, wouldn't I?"
"Interesting. You think if you get your life together, you'll get a mate?" She looked at him sidelong.
He looked away. Damn. He didn't know where that had come from.
The elevator door opened, and they stepped out before he had to answer. This was a dangerous line of questioning.
"It shouldn't take me too long to grab my stuff," she told him.
"Take your time," he told her. More time for him to look around.
While his place had a certain charm, hers was gorgeous. This was exactly the kind of place she deserved to live in, sleek and modern with stainless steel appliances and high-end furniture.
He was so embarrassed by his space now. He'd had no idea she lived like this. She must have been so uncomfortable at his place this whole time.
"What's wrong?" She left one bag in front of the door and went back for another. He went and helped her pull together what she needed. "You look like something's on your mind."
"This isn't what I expected. Or maybe it is. I mean, of course your place was going to be like this."
"Clean? I don't know what you mean."
"Well, you're beautiful and perfect and so well put together, and look at your home. On the other hand, look at my home. It's a little embarrassing that you have to stay at my hovel when you're used to something like this."
"It's not so bad," she chuckled. "You're there, after all. And you are keeping me safe. I don't have anything to complain about."
"But it's my fault you have to be out of your home. I kind of tricked you into this."
"Nobody tricked me. I came of my own choice. They used a sexy picture, and that's the real issue. If anything is to blame, it's your good looks. And those kids. Those unruly kids who think this is an acceptable prank."
"At least they did one good thing," he said earnestly. "If it weren't for their tricks, you wouldn't have come to me. I have to say that protecting you has been a very nice day for me."
She put her hand on his arm and squeezed his bicep. "I like spending time with you, too. Maybe there's something to that Speed Mating after all."
He could only nod. He couldn't speak around the lump in his throat. Mating... Maybe there was something there. She was getting better and better every minute.
Chapter Eleven
The day had been a whirlwind. After getting her things from her house, they had stopped by Rhett's house and dropped everything off. Rhett had been quiet all the way back. They hadn't spoken much on the way to her place, but it had been a comfortable silence. The drive back was quite different.
Ever since they'd left her apartment he'd been in a mood, and she couldn't figure out how to get him out of his funk. The rest of the day, she had tried to get to know him better, to no avail. He was being standoffish in the nicest way possible. It was so frustrating.
Deep down, she felt like she knew him on a deeper spiritual level. Even with that deep connection and chemistry, she still didn't know all the facts about him. Like, where had he grown up? Was he from the old shifter world or the new? Did he use magic? Why didn't he have a girlfriend? When was
his last love? Would he like to have sex with her?
Embarrassingly, the last one had been on her mind a lot. He was so handsome, and he thought she was hot. That was according to him. Yet he hadn't made any moves. She wasn't about to do anything herself, but she was starting to get really frustrated on that front, too—especially after she had to sleep all night long in a bed that smelled like him. The scent from the night before hadn't worn off. It was like he was sleeping in the bed with her. Only he wasn't. He was still across the hall.
Maybe she was being crazy. They had only just met, after all. She couldn't expect him to read her mind and jump her bones just because his scent made her horny. Maybe he was the kind of guy who wanted to take things slow.
She spent the whole night tossing and turning. She barely got any sleep at all.
She couldn't stop thinking about being with him. How would he be in bed? A man as big as he was could do a lot of damage to her, the kind of damage she hadn't experienced in a while. It took everything in her not to reach between her legs and stroke herself at the thought of him. But that wouldn't be right. He was so close, he would probably be able to hear her sigh his name.
And what if the noise made him come check on her? She would be mortified. Not that she wasn't already a little embarrassed that she was considering masturbating while she was lying in a bed that smelled like him, while she was in his house, while he was sleeping not fifteen feet away. She should be walking across the hall and asking him if he wanted to watch. That was what a good guest would do, after all.
This new vow of hers was starting to get really old, really fast. There was no way she could keep this up with someone like Rhett. He moved at a glacial pace. At least that was how it seemed with how badly she wanted him.
She had already made the first move, in a way. If she wanted to get technical, she had already broken her vow—the one that was supposed to keep her safe from douchebags like her ex, the one who hadn't ever even liked her.
