by Tasha Black
11
Natalie
Natalie lost herself in Spenser’s kiss.
Whatever she had told herself about holding off, not allowing him to become her mate yet - it all felt impossible now.
How could she resist this pull?
Why had she ever wanted to in the first place?
She couldn’t remember, couldn’t imagine anything except the gentleness of his big hands, the taste of his tongue.
She lay back on the bed, the pillowcase cool beneath her head, Spenser’s body warm and hard against hers.
She twined her arms around his neck, wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to pull him closer, to assimilate him if she could.
He fed on her mouth, his kisses slow and passionate, sending her into madness.
She slid a hand down to cup his jaw.
He pulled away from her mouth to kiss her palm and run his tongue down her fingers.
Natalie closed her eyes, felt a shiver of lightning in her veins.
He kissed her neck, nuzzling his way down between her breasts. When he lashed a nipple with his tongue she cried out, and he pulled back.
“Does it hurt?” he asked, concern marring his handsome face.
“No, it feels good, so good,” she whispered, her back arching of its own accord, breasts dancing to be back in his mouth.
He smiled and lowered his face slowly to meet her chest, flicking her nipple again with his tongue, mimicking the motion on her other nipple with his thumb.
She let her head fall back on the pillow and managed not to scream in frustration when he abandoned her breasts too soon to kiss his way down her belly.
She froze when he pressed her thighs apart.
He stopped to look up at her, a question in his eyes.
“I-I don’t like that,” she murmured.
“You don’t want me to kiss you there?” he asked, licking his lips.
She saw the movement of his tongue against that wickedly handsome mouth and her hips lifted slightly of their own accord.
“I will not if you do not wish it,” he told her. “But if you let me try, I will stop at once if I do not please you.”
She opened her mouth and closed it again. All language was gone, gone from her brain. There was only Spenser and that mouth and those hands…
She nodded once.
He nodded back, as if they had made a solemn pact.
She closed her eyes and tried not to think about it. A boyfriend or two had tried this on her before. One was too rough, another too gentle. And the whole thing made her self-conscious.
Then Spenser’s mouth was on her and she forgot every experience she’d ever had.
Natalie clutched the sheets, every nerve ending tingling as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge.
He moaned against her hungrily, the vibration pushing her further, faster.
Suddenly, a rainbow of sensation burst through the storm, carrying her up, up, up, and then bursting her open with ecstasy.
Natalie lost track of her own sounds as she felt herself splinter into a thousand pieces.
Finally, the last of her shivers ceased and she felt Spenser crawling up to her, holding her, pulling her onto his chest.
She nuzzled the place where his neck met his shoulder and slid her hand lazily down his abs to find what she wanted.
But he stopped her hand again.
“Sleep, my beautiful one,” he murmured, holding her close. “Tonight I will hold you. Tomorrow, when the air is clear, we may claim each other if we choose.”
And though she could feel the longing radiating from his big body, she let him move her hand away so he could hold her.
Somehow, her eyes were already heavy with sleep.
And everything just felt so right. She was sure they would sort it all out in the morning.
12
Natalie
Natalie awoke feeling warm and contented.
She stretched and found strong arms around her.
Spenser.
Yes, it had all been real. The big man was sleeping beside her, a peaceful expression on his beautiful features.
She slid out of his arms as slowly and carefully as she could, and turned back to observe him.
A little sunlight from the window gave him an otherworldly glow, and for a moment she was mesmerized.
This man was her mate. She could feel the bond between them even now, pulling her back into his arms.
She closed her eyes and tried to remind herself why that was a bad idea.
She should have had more self-control last night. She had Spenser to thank for the fact that she wasn’t already in too deep. At least he had showed a little restraint.
She grabbed her bag and tiptoed out of the room, headed for the shower.
Barker Posey was waiting in the living room, her tail thumping the sofa.
Natalie dropped her backpack, grabbed the dog’s leash, and headed for the door. Barker Posey joined her with a grateful smile, and they headed downstairs. She was going to have to get used to life with a canine companion.
The dawn sky was pink over Stargazer. Barker Posey obligingly went about her business as Natalie looked around at the sleepy little town.
It seemed unfair that anything bad could ever happen here among the sweet little houses and busy downtown.
When they stepped back into the apartment, Barker Posey went right for the sofa while Natalie grabbed her bag again and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.
Slipping under the steamy water allowed her to focus on her mission once more.
I will find out what happened to Harvey Smalls.
And to do that, I have to thoroughly investigate Myra Croft. Even though she is Vi’s sister.
The gang already knew that there had been a phone call with Croft’s office the night of the mayor’s death.
But they didn’t know what Natalie did, that Myra’s car had been spotted heading in and out of the mayor’s driveway the night he died.
If she told them, they would hate her.
And Vi planned to confront Myra today anyway.
Natalie planned to tag along on that mission and glean all she could. Maybe it would turn out to be a coincidence.
But if Myra Croft was guilty, Natalie would stop at nothing to put her behind bars.
Even if there was no love lost between Vi and Myra, they were family. In Natalie’s experience that counted for a lot. Accusing Myra was bound to piss Vi off, and possibly alienate the rest of her crew.
And that could mean losing Spenser.
Natalie dunked her head under the shower nozzle, as if the hot water could wash away the bothersome thoughts.
She emerged a few minutes later, felling a little more relaxed, and then dressed hastily from the clothing in her backpack.
Good smells and happy sounds greeted her from the kitchen.
“Are you singing a Cyndi Lauper song?” she asked as she joined Spenser by the stove.
He was making lumpy pancakes and humming like a canary.
“Jana will play Cyndi in a play in New York,” Spenser explained. “She practices a lot, and then the songs get stuck in everyone’s heads. This song was in one of the movies my brothers and I used to learn about human culture.”
Natalie smiled picturing the big men watching lighthearted movies about girls in dance competitions.
“Vi has already sent Hannibal to tell me that we must meet them downstairs in half an hour,” he went on. “We’re going to confront her sister.”
“All of us?” Natalie asked.
“Yes, of course,” Spenser said. “She wants as many eyes on Myra and her office as possible.”
That was encouraging.
“You eat,” Spenser told her, sliding a plate in front of her and turning off the stove. “I’m going to shower, then we’ll go.”
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the stack of lumpy pancakes.
He kissed the top of her head and a shiver ran through her.
As he headed for the bathroom, she took a tiny bite of the pancakes.
They were warm and delicious. They tasted like home.
She finished them while Spenser got ready, then they headed out to meet the others.
Half an hour later, the six friends hopped out of the van at Myra’s office.
Vi headed for the door and they all trailed after her.
“May I help you?” an assistant with a bored expression on his face asked from behind a mahogany desk.
“We’re here to see Myra,” Vi said crisply, heading right to the closed door on the right.
“You don’t have an appointment,” the assistant said, his expression shifting quickly from bored to anxious.
But it was too late, Vi had already flung open the door and headed inside. The others followed, leaving the assistant looking flabbergasted. Natalie had to give him credit. He really had a range.
“What a surprise,” Myra Croft said in a crystal-clear deadpan voice.
Natalie made it in far enough to see that Vi’s sister was still sitting behind her desk. Myra’s body was relaxed, and she gazed indolently at them like a lazy cat.
But Natalie sensed the energy of a caged tiger behind those eyes.
“Why did you call the mayor the night before last?” Vi demanded.
“I heard about that,” Myra responded. “Such a tragedy.”
It made sense. Natalie had been busy, but the news of the mayor’s death would be public knowledge by now.
“And?” Vi urged, not letting her sister dodge the question.
“Client business is confidential,” Myra replied crisply. “Though I suppose you would know nothing about that in your line of work.” Myra’s nose wrinkled delicately in distaste.
Natalie pictured steam coming out of Vi’s ears and the little detective losing her cool.
“So you deny making the call?” Vi asked coolly, ignoring her sister’s baiting. “You’ve had no personal or professional business with the mayor in the last forty-eight hours?”
Myra stood and walked partly around her desk to face her sister. “I’m under no obligation to answer to you,” she said. “You’re not a police officer.”
“But I am,” Natalie offered.
Myra backed up slightly, surprising Natalie. She hadn’t pictured Myra Croft backing off, ever.
“Then arrest me,” Myra said, arching one eyebrow.
For so many reasons, Natalie couldn’t do that.
“I thought not,” Myra smirked. “Get out of my office before I file a formal complaint.”
“Someone is going to question you about that phone call,” Vi said calmly. “Wouldn’t you rather it was us?”
Myra’s face went still for an instant.
“Kendall, get them out of here,” she yelled.
The assistant, looking even more horrified than before, scuttled in and glanced around.
He was young, with a slight build, and he was currently surrounded by three massive, muscle-bound men and three angry women. Natalie wondered exactly what Myra expected him to do.
“Don’t bother, Kendall,” Vi said. “We’re going.”
The young assistant stepped aside.
Myra Croft stayed right where she was, watching them go, an icy expression in her eyes.
Ten minutes later, the gang was settled at the picnic table, back in their own backyard.
“It’s a shame that was a bust,” Jana said, shaking her head.
“What are you talking about?” Vi laughed. “That wasn’t a bust at all.”
Natalie leaned forward, curious as to what Vi had seen that had given her new information.
“What on earth did you learn from that?” Jana asked.
“You can’t listen to anything she says,” Vi explained. “That way madness lies. The only reason she ever opens her mouth is to elicit a response. When it comes to Myra, you have to pay attention to what she does, not what she says.”
“What did she do?” Hannibal asked, amazed. “I thought all she did was talk.”
Vi shook her head. “Did you see what she did when I brought up the mayor?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“She stood up,” Natalie said.
“Yes, thank god, someone else with a decent pair of eyes,” Vi said. “She stood up, but that wasn’t all.”
Vi looked at Natalie expectantly.
“Well, she moved toward you, to talk,” Natalie offered, trying to picture Myra’s movements in her mind.
“It might have looked that way, but that wasn’t what was really happening,” Vi said. “Even Myra herself may have consciously thought she was standing in order to confront me. But I know what she was really doing.”
“Come on, Vi, tell us,” Jana urged her.
“She was moving her body between us and the thing she didn’t want us to know about,” Vi said. “She was probably doing it subconsciously, but she was doing it.”
“That’s why she stepped back from me,” Natalie said, realizing.
“Myra never steps down from a confrontation,” Vi said. “She was falling back to protect something.”
“What was she protecting?” Jana asked.
But Natalie could see it now, the thing that was hidden from her view a moment after she began to speak.
“The wall safe,” Natalie said.
“Bingo,” Vi said, grinning at her.
“What safe?” Jana asked, looking back and forth between them. “I didn’t see a safe.”
“Me neither. But there must be one behind the painting,” Natalie explained. “That’s a common spot for a safe.”
“Ah,” Hannibal said.
“So all we have to do is check out the safe, and we’ll know what’s up with her,” Vi said, as though that would be the simplest thing to do.
“How in the world are we supposed to get into that safe?” Jana asked, echoing Natalie’s doubts.
“That’s the hard part,” Vi admitted.
Spenser cleared his throat.
They all turned to him.
“Have I ever told you about my gift?” he asked.
Natalie looked at the other two women, shaking their heads.
Hannibal gave Spenser an almost imperceptible nod.
“We are not supposed to share our gift, except with our bonded mates,” Spenser said. “But given the circumstances…”
He glanced up at Natalie and his cheeks were suddenly flushed.
She resisted the urge to take his hand, instead she nodded encouragingly.
“Each of us seems to have brought with us a gift that might be considered supernatural to the residents of Earth,” he explained. “We believe it ties to our character and to our time on Aerie. We do not share our gifts, as we do not want to frighten humans. Anything that makes us seem less human only hurts our mission.”
“We’ll be fine, Spenser,” Natalie said in a steady voice that belied her twisting insides.
“I have a gift you might call… minor telekinesis,” he said. “I can call things to me with my mind, small things, non-living things.”
“That’s amazing,” Natalie breathed.
“So what did you swipe?” Vi asked, instantly practical.
He lifted something for them to see.
It was a small envelope, marked Safety Deposit Box
Vi took it from him and slid her finger under the flap to open it, dumping the contents on the table between them.
A plastic keycard fell onto the table. The words SAFE-T-STOR Emergency Access were printed across the top.
“It’s the back-up access to her wall safe,” Vi breathed.
“I do not like to steal things,” Spenser said solemnly, looking a little ashamed. “But I had a sudden sense that it might be important, since our talking wasn’t going anywhere.”
“You did the right thing,” Natalie told him. “That was a good instinct.”
He smiled down at her in relief, loo
king perfectly content at her words.
She was struck by the irony of his incredible special ability and massive physical prowess, set against his childlike innocence.
Spenser was both charming and dangerous.
Being his mate would be a huge responsibility.
She shook her head to clear it. She could worry about all that later. For now they had to solve their case.
“So gang, are we ready for another round of breaking and entering?” Vi asked cheerfully.
Another round?
Natalie fought her instincts and decided it was better not to ask.
13
Spenser
A few hours later, Spenser huddled in the back of the van with Natalie and Vi. He was feeling a little nervous, but also excited to be included in the group caper, especially since Natalie was involved.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to sneak in there in the middle of the day?” Natalie asked.
“Myra goes to Hot Pilates every day during her lunch break. It’s the only regular part of her schedule,” Vi said firmly. “Her ex-husband once accused her of having a beer belly, and it completely traumatized her. She never misses a day - never.”
“Funny, she doesn’t strike me as the beer type,” Natalie mused.
“Oh, she isn’t,” Vi said. “And as far as I can tell, her stomach is as normal as every other part of her. But Myra’s a control freak. So lunchtime is the exact right time for a visit. Besides, if you get caught, you can just say you left something behind earlier. You know, drop your phone on the floor and then pretend to find it.”
Vi was clearly more skilled at this type of thing than the rest of them. Spenser wasn’t very good at lying. And he didn’t like the way it made him feel when he tried. So he usually just tried to avoid it if he could.
“So what do we do now?” Natalie asked.
“First, we’re going to get her office back door key,” Vi said. “It will be in her gym locker. Then we just have to get to her office and back before her one-hour class is over. Easy-peasy.”
That did not sound easy-peasy to Spenser.
Natalie let out a long breath, and he realized with relief that she must feel the same.
