Newport/Aftport #2: Danea

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  “Why do you think I need a doctor?”

  “Because this morning you wanted to throw me in jail and now you want to take me to dinner? Somewhere in between, you’ve obviously struck your head and…and you’re not quite yourself,” she told him, pleased with her explanation.

  “What you saw this morning is because I worry about you, Danea,” Noah answered quietly. “I would have gotten around to asking you to dinner if…”

  “If you hadn’t gotten angry,” she supplied with a satisfied nod, her hand patting his chest. “See what I mean? That proves my point, sheriff.”

  “Noah.”

  “I…what?”

  “My name is Noah Decker,” he told her, drawing in a long slow breath.

  “I knew that,” Danea moved. It was almost impossible not to move and she really wasn’t good at it. She’d rarely been able to stay still for very long and being held so tightly against him was fast approaching the impossible. But when she did move…there it was.

  “That…is your fault.”

  She froze again and swallowed the lump in her throat. “You’re wrong. Guys don’t get…I’m not the kind of girl to cause…you should really meet my sisters,” she urged persistently. “Now they cause…it would help if you’d put me down. Over there. And you stay over here.”

  “If you’re not responsible, then it doesn’t matter where you are,” Noah chuckled at the bottomless dark eyes that seemed to widen a little more as she stared at him. “You have sisters.”

  “Seven,” she whispered absently.

  “That’s a good reason for dinner. So we can get to know one another,” Noah spread his feet slightly, lowering her to the floor and freeing one of his hands. He knew if he relaxed them both, she’d bolt. He expected her to smell like the sea. Salt and tide and seaweed. But now that he was close, he was discovering that was far from the case. He speared four fingers through the hair at the side of her face, surprised at the feel. “I thought it would be thin…it’s always dry before you make it to the car from the water.”

  His thumb brushed over her jaw as his hand sunk a little deeper into her hair. The thick, curling strands clinging as he moved his hand against her scalp. He closed his fist and tugged slightly seconds before taking her lips again, urging her to play and shoving the questions to the back of his mind when she parted her mouth and returned his kiss.

  Noah groaned when she moved. No, fuck, not moved. She was rubbing herself against him, rotating her hips and moaning into his kiss. He could feel heat radiating off every curve she had.

  Damn, when his wolf finally made up his mind, he did a damn good job of it.

  “Danea? The Professor is here to see you,” came the soft, quiet voice from the other side of the office door.

  Office door! Danea’s head jerked back and her hands were suddenly on fire. If not for the hands holding her in place, she would have ended up in the middle of her office on the floor in an effort to get away.

  “Oh my god! I’m in my office!” Danea shoved almost as hard as she was breathing.

  “Whoa…easy or you’ll end up hurt,” Noah carefully eased her back, his hands firm on her waist. “Close your mouth, Dani and breathe through your nose.”

  She did what he said, her head bobbing rapidly.

  “I’ll be right out,” she called out after a breath. “This is crazy. What’s wrong with me? I…no, you…you shouldn’t be here,” she spun away from him, pacing in a small, taut line to her desk and back. “What’s wrong with me?”

  “Dani, nothing’s wrong with you,” Noah laughed and took a step forward, stopping only when her palm came up to halt him. “You’re over eighteen and so am I. Neither one of us is attached…”

  “No. I can’t be attached,” she told him firmly, pulling her lips into a frown. “I have work. Excuse me.”

  “Have dinner with me. Talk to me,” Noah coaxed, his hand rising only to drop when she shook her head. But something wasn’t quite right because he could see the glimmer of regret in her eyes. “Why?”

  “I have to go to work,” she whispered, her head still shaking as she pulled the door wide and stepped into the main lobby. She threw a quick smile at the girl she had hired for the desk and crossed the space to the large plate window. “This is a surprise,” she burst out, coming to a halt when the man turned and smiled.

  Danea figured she was going to end up dead and in hell and not necessarily in that order. What had she done to have these two men suddenly staring at her like she was on the front of the swimsuit issue of the magazine? She really had a hard time breathing when she looked from one handsome smile to the other less than happy expression behind her.

  “Wade Franklin, do you know the sheriff? Noah Decker. You should be friends,” she said in a slightly breathless rush of words at her brilliant solution. “Yes. That’s perfect. You’re both looking for a dinner companion. You would suit nicely, I think,” she continued, grabbing Noah’s hand and tugging him forward.

  “I know the sheriff, Danea,” Wade said cautiously, one brow arched as he looked expectantly at Noah. “We’ve been friends for a few years.”

  “Oh. Well. That makes it easy then. Thank you for coming over. It was wonderful seeing you again,” she tipped her wrist up and tapped her watch. “Gotta go. Time for kids to be picked up soon and I’ve got so much to do before then. Good bye. Have a great day!”

  ****

  Wade Franklin couldn’t stop his head from tilting slightly to the side as he was almost pushed out the double glass doors by a woman he wouldn’t have thought had that much muscle. But the very firm hand behind his back didn’t seem to be straining. He turned in time to see the jean covered behind twitching as she disappeared into the inner rooms of the daycare.

  “What the hell just happened?” Wade looked at Noah, one hand on his neck and rubbing. Neither of them wore jackets in the early September Indian summer. The sun was beating down warmly on them as they faced one another outside the daycare.

  “What’re you doing here?”

  “And I’ve begun answering to you – when?” Wade shook his head. “This whole day has been a bad dream.” Dark green eyes stared back through the plate glass window. “What got into her? She’s never been like that before.”

  “You’re dating her?”

  “You’re my mother?” But he pushed a low, hard breath between his teeth. “I’m going to take a wild assed guess that you asked her out. And got just as far as I have the last few days.”

  “I feel the need for a beer,” Noah glanced at his wrist and gestured to the sports pub down the sidewalk. “You don’t date. You told me that.”

  “I told you that it was hell waiting for some kind of damn signal that I was with the right female,” Wade said flatly, striding along the walk with his hands shoved into the pockets of his khakis. “I know some Fae still looking after a hundred years. And I’ve dated. In the past. Just not recently.” He came to a stop outside the pub, his hand up and on Noah’s arm. “And you’re trying to get a date because…?”

  “Yeah…I have a feeling it’s the same damn reason,” Noah answered emphatically.

  “I need a beer,” Wade released his arm and led the way into the dark interior. “Margie, two really cold Heineken, please.”

  “Comin’ up!”

  Wade found a quiet table and leaned back in the chair, long legs stretched out in front of him. Neither man spoke until half of each bottle of beer was gone.

  “When we attended the ceremony for Brea, Nick and Jase, I thought it was insane,” Noah said after a lengthy silence. “And I am far from a saint. I’ve had a few encounters where I…shared a woman…” he met the arched brow of his friend. “And you haven’t?”

  Wade exhaled slowly. “In my very distant wayward youth,” he admitted reluctantly. “I can’t say as I ever expected to have a discussion like I feel brewing with anyone.”

  “You mean with another guy,” Noah said bluntly, tipping the green bottle up and lowering it slowly.
>
  “Do you still believe their arrangement is insane?” Wade asked quietly.

  “After seeing them together over the last few months?” Noah shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything more natural than the three of them together.”

  Wade was silent for a moment. “The look in their eyes is something from a fairy tale story,” he said finally. “You’re told about the ‘event’ of your inner being locating your mate. But it’s words. It’s nothing tangible. It’s nothing you can get a genuine belief or feeling for. When it happens…”

  “It’s like being kicked by the hind feet of a jackass and you’re still in denial,” Noah completed the thought and drained the bottle in his hand. “When did you meet her?”

  “A book expo in Seattle about a week after she bought the property for the daycare,” Wade stared off toward the bar, remembering the afternoon. “I felt like a stalker. I followed her around the expo and tried not to be conspicuous. Okay, not true. At first I tried to ignore it. I thought it was…I didn’t believe it. Maybe I didn’t want to believe it. Hell, I don’t know. So I went in the opposite direction for all of fifteen minutes.” His laugh was low and dry, his head shaking. “Then I found her again and it was like walking straight into a wall of hormones. Made me think I was thirteen again, and believe me, that was too damn long ago.”

  “So you followed her?”

  Wade exhaled and drained the bottle in his hand. “I hope it looked like we were just going in the same direction. She was buying up books for the daycare. I talked…vague stuff…she responded and smiled and even looked curious. Interested. But...I’m not sure how to explain it.”

  “It’s like she fighting something and only part of it is herself,” Noah supplied thoughtfully, remembering the look on her face after he’d kissed her.

  “Maybe that’s it. Anyway, I got lucky and knew one of the vendors she bought from,” Wade raised a palm and held up two fingers at the waitress. “That’s where I found out who she was and where she lived.”

  “That was over five weeks ago.” Noah said thoughtfully.

  “When’d you meet her?”

  Noah waited until the waitress deposited the fresh, chilled bottles before speaking. “The first Monday after she moved into town. About seven weeks now,” he took a long drink, recalling his disbelief at what he watched. “I was returning from a night issue in Newport and saw her wagon on the sand at a little after six in the morning. Didn’t recognize the vehicle so I ran the tag and parked beside it, checking things out. It was locked and there was a big towel hanging from a pike about ten yards from the waters’ edge.” He took another long drink. “This is going to sound really out there and if she was some kind of shifter, I could maybe rationalize some kind of explanation…but I swear she’s got gulls protecting her.”

  Wade laughed, his head shaking. “Have you looked at her roof? Or the stretch of beach across the street from the main road?”

  “But you get the same impression…right? She is human,” Noah asked cautiously.

  Wade nodded slowly. “That’s all I sense, Noah. Which made the gull thing all the more interesting. You met her at the beach?”

  “I waited. I tried going to the towel and the gulls wouldn’t allow it,” he met the surprised look with a nod. “Swear to god. At first, they were on the ground, pecking at me. When I wouldn’t stop, bigger ones started diving at me and I took the hint and retreated to the jeep and just waited.”

  “Dive bombed you,” Wade repeated skeptically.

  “I was stone cold sober,” Noah growled back. “Ten minutes later, I finally saw her surface about twenty feet out. She sat on the sand and then climbed to her feet and walked toward the towel. I’m pretty sure she didn’t see me until she got to the towel.”

  Both men took a long drink from the cold bottles.

  “And when she did see you?”

  “Believe it or not, she behaved like it was no big deal, which considering she just threw me out of her office, embarrassed, is totally fucking with my head,” Noah admitted in confusion. “I introduced myself and she calmly dried off and got dressed. I suggested that she not swim alone because it wasn’t safe. She placated me and agreed and drove off. I felt the brick wall, Wade. Like I slammed face first into it. I went to the daycare that afternoon when I finally woke up, thinking I’d dreamt the whole thing.”

  “She swims in the ocean. Naked.” Wade exhaled steadily for a long minute.

  “And she didn’t stop. Every Monday at six, she’s out there. Only I never see her surface,” Noah met the frown with a raised brow. “No lie. Seven weeks, Wade. Seven weeks and I have not seen her come up once and I’ve even taken binoculars out to watch for her.”

  “I swear, I’ve used all my senses and she comes up human. Your senses are just as attuned to other species as mine, if not more so,” Wade considered his remarks. “And let me guess, she acts like you have some contagious disease when you get near her.”

  “Yeah…and that’s putting it mild. Except for you…we’re only a year or two older than Nick and Jase…not that unusual,” Noah said thoughtfully.

  “It’s not about age. I’ve talked to Breanna as well as others,” he paused, drawing on his information with a slight frown. “All the Fae elders attribute it to a female strong enough to elicit a kind of attunement that kicks in only with the proper mate. Or in this case, the possible pair of mates.”

  “You’re the brain, prof,” Noah drained the bottle and reached for his wallet. He tossed some money onto the table. “Now what?”

  “Two options,” Wade followed his movements. “One of us walks away or we don’t. In which case, if that’s the decision and I’ve waited too damn long to walk away, we devise a plan and I’d recommend a direct frontal assault. Keep her off balance and puzzled.”

  “You think you can do this with another guy?” Noah pushed a puff of air between his lips. “Not what I meant.”

  “We’re friends. But neither of us is into guys,” Wade spoke the words they had both been circling. “I don’t know. We’ve both done it before but there wasn’t the same…”

  “Tomorrow wasn’t on the line,” Noah supplied with a slow nod. “Agreed. I can’t walk away, Wade. I was starting to believe it was all a hoax, no matter the people I know who claim otherwise.”

  “Then it’s going to be up to us and Danea,” Wade responded.

  “In which case, meet me in the parking lot for the daycare center at five-thirty. The breach begins this evening,” Noah said confidently. “What have you learned from Nick and Jase?”

  “From observing? It’s…the aura around the three of them is like something out of a book. No jealousy. No possessive behavior toward her. It’s as if they were one unit, the men. They almost take it as an extension of one another, with Breanna being the only thing important to their lives. It’s more of a three pointed circle, than a triangle. And believe me, it’s not perfect. I’ve seen her throw things at them, individually as well as together. I’ve heard them disagree, vehemently at some points, but it always simmers and ends in long, mostly rational conversation. I’ve seen her storm off but the crux of that revolves around her safety.”

  “Her grandfather still hasn’t come up with any names?” Noah walked with him along the sidewalk toward the parking lot. “It’s been a few months since the original attack on Breanna.”

  “Five months and believe me when I say that Sullivan is pulling out every possible contact he’s ever had,” Wade shook his head. “Whoever was responsible for the initial attack on Breanna, has vanished for the time being. I’ve been in contact with the Institute in Devil Hills and Seth is baffled by it. He has his people in a few different locations but hasn’t been able to turn up any hint of anything organized.”

  “You can’t believe it was random or that it won’t happen again,” Noah went over the report that was made back in April.

  “What I believe is irrelevant. I’ve conducted research on what her blood and the blood of others would po
ssibly be used for and it has too many uses. Not merely hers, Noah. Hybrids all over are likely to be targets when their heritage is known.”

  “Old fashioned witch hunts all over again,” Noah ground out angrily.

  “Their use though, is not to kill off the hybrids, but to take their blood for use in rituals and experiments,” Wade sighed heavily. “All the years I’ve seen and species of all kinds continue to baffle and disappoint me. Maybe for a little while, I was actually grateful I hadn’t found a mate. Imagine the danger to her and any offspring because of this latest craze,” he met the low simmering outrage in his friend. “Now imagine what it would feel like if it were Danea. Breanna had the power to heal herself from the slices to her wrists. How many will die because of ineptitude in their attempt to take blood from someone?”

  “I can’t begin to…” he pulled his words and just dragged in a deep breath. “Maybe that’s why nature is pairing two to one. I don’t know. I do know I’d be hard pressed to remember I’m a police officer if anything were to happen. I keep thinking I’ve been a cop or involved in security long enough to have seen it all but there doesn’t seem to be an end.”

  “I’m going to finish a few errands. I’ll meet you here at five-thirty,” Wade pulled keys from the pocket of his pants and headed to his car when Noah merely nodded. So much to think about.

  Chapter Three

  Danea finally managed to wash the last of the afternoon snack out of her hair and from the side of her face. She made a face in the mirror of her office and reattached the clip that tried to hold the wild curls off to the side above one ear. Sometimes it worked, sometimes, not so much.

  She sighed at the reflection. There were times she wished she hadn’t cut her hair. And it wasn’t like it couldn’t grow back…if she allowed it. But then she’d look like them…in different colors…and not quite as skinny…Danea sighed and grabbed her little purse from the door knob, her keys jangling in her hand.