“I hope not,” Ryan said, “but let’s make certain of it.” He’d already pulled on his undershorts and had his jeans and shirt in his hand. He bent down and kissed her on the cheek before heading toward the bathroom.
Well, fine. She’d had a simply amazing night. One she could—and would—remember for a long time. And those memories would include not only that she’d made love with one amazingly sexy man. Emphasis on man. She might know what he really was, but nothing she’d experienced that night was different from how it would have been with a regular human.
Except how astoundingly wonderful it was…
She heard the sound of the shower and lay back with her head on her pillow, eyes closed for the moment as she inhaled and still smelled the aroma of their lovemaking.
Someone like him would smell it even more intensely, she imagined.
Someone—something—like him…
Would she want to repeat this sometime? Sure. It had been wonderful.
And they had agendas that were at least somewhat similar, in learning about the wolves around here and making sure they remained safe. Ryan and she could work together, and play together.
For now.
But that was all. They couldn’t possibly stay together. He had to go back to wherever his strange military unit was headquartered—outside Washington, DC, he’d previously indicated. She would return to her WHaM headquarters.
And that would be that.
So…could she, would she, ever make love with him again knowing their time together was, and needed to be, quite limited?
She hoped so.
He popped out of the bathroom then and bent over her. He was dressed, and now he smelled of the soap supplied by the hotel. His hair was wet.
And once more he gave her one amazing kiss.
“Let’s get together for breakfast in a while,” he suggested, “after I get back to my room and change clothes and hook up with Piers and Rocky. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said, and as he left she felt both a slight bit of relief and a lot of regret.
No matter what or who he was, she’d had a fantastic experience.
But would it be the only time?
She would think about it long and hard—and just have to see how things worked out.
Chapter 20
What a way to end one day and start another, Ryan thought once he had returned to his room. Now, he was standing by his bed—with a lacy coverlet like Maya’s—getting dressed. And thinking.
And remembering what an amazing night he’d just had.
Well, this day promised to have some very interesting aspects, too. But nothing would compare with what he and Maya had shared.
As he enjoyed the memory, he pulled his neutral navy T-shirt on over his jeans. He liked his ability to dress casually most of the time here, even while claiming to be an employee of the federal government.
He hoped Maya had found last night as good as it had felt to him, and that it would be the first of many such nights—as long as she remained receptive not only to who he was, but also to keeping secret his identity and the existence of Alpha Force.
And as long as they shared an affinity to wolves—although clearly for different reasons.
Shirt on and wallet in his pocket, he got ready to leave. He’d already called Piers, and now he hurried from his room and out through the hotel’s lobby to catch up with his aide and dog. He needed to share with Piers that he had informed Maya about Alpha Force and what her reaction had been.
Everything else could remain private between Maya and him.
He spotted them on the next block, Piers on the sidewalk and Rocky sniffing nearby grass.
All three were about to meet Maya for breakfast—again. And when they had finished, Piers and he absolutely needed something from the grocery store.
It was time to let the Sharans in on their little secret, too—as long as they also promised to keep what he revealed to themselves.
“Hey,” Ryan said as he caught up with Piers. Rocky had spotted him first and pulled on his leash in his direction. Ryan strode toward his wonderful wolf-dog and ruffled the thick fur on his head, scratching behind his erect ears.
And thinking about how it would feel if someone patted him the same way when he was shifted…
“Morning, boss.” Piers joined Ryan at Rocky’s side. He looked quizzically toward Ryan as if he sensed something was different, but he was tactful enough not to ask. Even so, Ryan wondered if his pleasure was evident on his face.
Instead Piers asked, “What’s on our agenda today?”
“I’ve already followed through on letting Maya know our background,” Ryan said, starting to walk toward Andy and Family’s restaurant. He purposely didn’t look at Piers as he spoke, not wanting to see any amusement there if his aide knew what that had led to. “Since we’ve got Drew’s okay, next thing I want to do is approach the Sharans and see how that comes out.”
What he hadn’t done with Maya, though, was to invite her to walk to breakfast with them. He’d wanted to bring Piers up-to-date about his revelation to Maya and plans for the Sharans.
He felt certain that telling Maya had been the right thing. In fact, he hoped he would find ways to utilize her knowledge and assistance.
They reached the restaurant. Ryan squared his shoulders before proceeding inside after Piers and Rocky. Heck, he was a professional, as well as a shifter. He would do what was right for his military unit, fellow shifters and even wild wolves.
If that permitted more interaction with Maya, all the better. But if it didn’t, he would do what he had to.
*
Breakfast at Andy and Family’s was becoming a pleasant habit, Maya thought as she saw Ryan, Piers and Rocky enter and head for the table she’d saved for all of them just outside on the patio.
Interesting that she had arrived before the others did this time. But, though Ryan and she had talked about when they’d meet for breakfast, she hadn’t tried contacting him to see if they should all walk together once more. In fact, after the night they had shared, she needed a little space.
To think more about it? That hadn’t been her intent, but it was what she’d done nonetheless.
To fixate on it as she walked alone in this direction.
To recall the most delightful moments, with Ryan’s hands on her, with her hands on him. And more. Much more…
Enough. She could certainly move her mind off it now, out in public, while they ate. She had to.
Plus—well, she’d have to follow Ryan’s lead in how to act with Piers. She now knew Piers was Ryan’s aide in his odd but appropriate military unit. Presumably, Piers wouldn’t criticize his superior officer. Or could he in these circumstances?
“Good morning.” Ryan smiled down at her as he pulled his chair from beneath the table.
“Hi.” She leveled a neutral grin first on him, then Piers and finally Rocky. She reached over to scratch the wolf-dog behind his ears, watching him and not the men who accompanied him. But she looked again toward Ryan as he sat down. “Hope you slept well last night.”
Was that a stupid thing to say? Had he already revealed to Piers what they’d been up to? She managed a sideways glance at the other man. His pleasant expression gave away nothing.
“Well enough.” Ryan raised his dark eyebrows for an instant as he regarded her. Even that fairly neutral expression was enough to heat her insides once more, but she ignored it. “I’m pretty hungry this morning. Hotcakes and sausage sounds good to me. How about you?”
Their conversation glommed on to food possibilities. Nice and nonchalant, Maya thought. A server came over to bring drinks nearly immediately. Maya chose coffee, since she needed caffeine to keep her going after her lack of sleep.
They soon placed their food order, as well. Everything seemed nice and calm and not much different from their prior breakfasts together.
How could that be? Maya had an urge to stand and dash toward Ryan and take him into her arms, covering his fac
e with kisses. Touching as subtly as possible those parts of his body that had given her such pleasure last night.
But she of course stayed still.
“So what are your plans today?” she asked Ryan, as neutrally as she could manage.
“We have some official business to take care of first thing,” he said. His slight smile had some kind of message behind it. She probably wasn’t supposed to ask questions.
Even so, she would ask anyway, though she would maintain the cover story.
“Then Fish and Wildlife has you out and about today?” She opened her eyes wide as if fascinated by whatever answer they’d give. And she truly would be interested.
She would be even more interested in having them tell her the truth. If they had an official assignment today, it wouldn’t be something US Fish and Wildlife ordered them to do.
But that fascinating Alpha Force Ryan had told her about? It was another story. She felt certain that whatever they were up to, it would result from the covert military unit he had described. And she wanted to know more about it. A lot more.
“That’s right,” he responded.
“This is a great area to deal with wildlife issues,” Piers said, backing Ryan up. “We’ve got more ideas about looking into the wolves around here before we go back to our headquarters.”
Piers looked at her with an expression that appeared to give her orders, maybe even more than his commanding officer did.
“Well, if there’s anything I, or WHaM, can do to help you protect those wolves, just let me know,” Maya said.
They seemed to agree, but she doubted they’d follow through. Bringing her closer, giving her more knowledge, wasn’t something either was likely to do. She’d need to figure out a way to do it herself.
But for the moment, she would just play along—first enjoying her breakfast and, later, determining on her own just what they were up to.
*
Maya apparently had administrative work to do for WHaM that held some urgency but could be accomplished online, or so she told them as they finished their breakfasts. That sounded fine to Ryan, especially since she said goodbye at the restaurant door and headed back to their hotel after insisting on paying for breakfast for all of them. He’d let her—this time. She now knew he wasn’t being funded by Fish and Wildlife, but he was still an employee of the federal government.
Even so, he appreciated her insistence on taking care of things herself. She was independent. She loved wolves.
She was the sexiest woman he had ever met…but he couldn’t keep thinking about that.
As they separated, he, Piers and Rocky headed toward the Corner Grocery Store. They had a meeting to conduct.
Ryan wasn’t especially pleased that Maya was joined on the next block by that guy Trev, but he trusted her not to say anything.
He just didn’t trust that guy, geek though he appeared to be, to avoid coming on to Maya. Hopefully, they would just discuss wolves—nonshifting ones—and WHaM.
It was around 10:00 a.m. by then, but the store wasn’t particularly busy when they arrived. There were a few patrons in all the aisles but no big crowd, and only a couple of people waited in line to check out. Someone who wasn’t a Sharan, presumably an employee, was helping them.
A strong aroma of hazelnut coffee permeated the place, and Ryan assumed that some beans had just been ground somewhere in the back to brew a large urn for patrons. Other aromas he inhaled included fruit muffins—sweet and tart and sugary. Good thing he’d already eaten breakfast, but his mouth watered anyway. There were a lot more scents around here in the morning than later in the day.
The Sharans might not think having so few patrons was a good thing, but Ryan was glad. He hoped he’d get all three of them to invite his group into their office to talk.
Burt was nearest the door, refreshing some shelves with pastries including the ones Ryan had smelled. Ryan approached him first. “Good morning.” He smiled as if all was well between them. Hopefully, it was.
“Hello. What can I help you with today?” Burt’s skeptical expression suggested he didn’t want to hear, whatever it was.
Ryan kept his voice low. “Are Kathie and Pete around? I’d like us to get together in your office. I’ve gotten approval to let you in on something I think you’ll want to hear about.”
Burt lifted his chin, staring at Ryan down his long nose, his apparent skepticism building. “Why would we want to hear about it?” he asked, keeping his voice muted as well, his eyes darting around as if to make sure no one was close by. “We already know too much about each other.”
“But there’s something I can reveal to you soon that I think you’ll want to hear. Something good. Something that might make Pete especially happy.”
As they’d been talking, Ryan had spotted Pete approaching along the nearest aisle. He’d raised his voice slightly—not that someone like Pete wouldn’t have been able to hear him anyway.
“Why is that?” the younger man asked as he reached them. He appeared somewhat interested, his shaggy brows raised but his dark eyes not radiating the same skepticism and mistrust as his father’s.
“Why don’t we go into your office and talk?” Ryan countered. “Then you can be the one to judge whether what I have to say can change your life the way I think it potentially will.”
That clearly got Pete’s attention. He first obtained his dad’s reluctant okay for the meeting Ryan suggested, then went off to get his mother.
Soon, after Burt talked to their few employees on duty, the Sharans headed to the office at the back of the store with Ryan’s group. Ryan had scoped it out before for its privacy, and the walls were thick enough to contain some insulation. Perfect soundproofing? Unlikely, but with the store patrons talking outside only shifters were apt to be able to hear anything from the office, and Ryan would make sure they kept their voices low.
“Okay,” Ryan said as they all settled into the small room. Burt Sharan had the main seat behind the desk this time, with Kathie on a chair beside him and Pete standing behind him.
Ryan took another chair, and Piers sat at his side with his hand on Rocky’s head. The wolf-dog soon lay down on the floor, obviously not stressing about what the people around him were up to.
“So what the hell are you talking about?” demanded Burt right away. “You’ve got our attention. We all know that most of us except a couple—” he looked toward Piers, then at Rocky lying on the floor “—have something in common. Is that what this is about? We’ve already discussed it.”
“Let’s keep our voices down,” Ryan directed him, muting his own voice. “And, yes, we’ve discussed some aspects of it.” He looked beyond Burt and up toward Pete, staring him straight in the eye. “But Piers, Rocky and I are here for some very special reasons. We have been sent by a particularly special organization to learn about local shifters as well as feral wolves—but primarily the former.”
He stood, maneuvered around the desk and placed himself directly in front of Pete.
“First things first, though,” Ryan said, still speaking softly. He turned to Pete. “I don’t know whether you’ve heard, but Vinnie Fritts was attacked by a wolf the way her husband was—the night you and I ran into each other in shifted form. Did you have anything to do with that?” He hoped he knew the answer.
“Really? No!” Pete exclaimed. “Like I told you, I shifted back right after you and I saw each other. And—in case you’re wondering—I do remember images of what I see while shifted so I’d know if I attacked a human. Which I’d never do.”
“How dare you—” Kathie began, but at least she also kept her tone low. She’d started to stand up at Ryan’s question.
“I hoped, and believed, that would be the answer,” he said. He looked Kathie in the eye, and although she still looked troubled she sat down again. Her husband, too, regarded Ryan suspiciously but said nothing—for now. “And I accept it,” Ryan continued, “although if any of you happen to hear of other shifters in town who might ha
ve been involved, or any rumors of wild wolves who could have attacked, please let me know.” He wanted answers, actual answers, but intended to do what he could to protect whatever wolf was involved. One of the other Sharans? He doubted it.
And could he really believe Pete? He wanted to. Did believe him. Could he be wrong? Sure, but he didn’t think so.
Besides, Vinnie Fritts should have known better than to confront any canine, especially after what had happened to her husband.
“Okay, now,” Ryan said next. “Let’s get to what I really wanted to talk about. Pete, I recognize that this is now your home and respect that. And before this goes any further, I need to get a promise from each of you that what I’m about to reveal will be kept utterly secret by you, that you’ll talk about it only among yourselves and even then in circumstances when no one will be able to hear you—not even other shifters, so you’ll have to be particularly careful that you’re not within their hearing distance while shifted or human.”
“What is this all about?” This time Kathie stood up completely, facing Ryan and her son. Her voice was somewhat raised now. Her usually fluffy light hair was now styled close to her face, and her deep brown eyes were even wider than usual beneath brows that gave her a particularly troubled look. “Are you playing games with us? With Pete?”
The movement stirred Rocky’s attention, and the dog now rose, looking from one human to another. “It’s okay, boy,” Piers told him, scratching behind his ears. Though the dog sat back down again, he remained alert—and looked even more like Ryan’s cover dog, taking on a more concerned expression than the smart canine usually did. Ryan couldn’t help smiling at him before responding to Kathie’s questions.
“Not at all,” he finally said, once more acting as an example by lowering his voice. “And this is what I actually came here for today. I might be wrong about Pete’s ambitions, but I think he’ll appreciate the choice of whether to remain here helping to run your store for the next years, or giving something else that could be part of who he is a try.”
“What’s that?” Pete’s expression remained neutral, but something flashed in his eyes that suggested to Ryan that his interest had been piqued.
Protector Wolf Page 19
