by K. S. Martin
James shrugged and led her outside toward where they worked on the vehicles. She saw David under a car that was lifted in the air. He had a tool and was doing something to its parts. Jess knew nothing about cars except where to put the gas.
“David, where is your buddy, the bear?” James asked quietly.
David nodded toward a police car on the far wall. Jess could see a huge pair of boots on the other side.
“Hey, Espo,” James called, grinning, and went over to shake his hand. “How are ya?” The man that came out from behind the car was a mountain. He was bigger than Freddy, who was just about the biggest man she knew. He had wicked green eyes and a chest like a barrel. His complexion was dark like Lolly’s, and she wondered if his parents were mixed like hers. “This is Jess. She’s mine, before you try to steal her.”
The man’s face actually reddened.
“Ma’am.” Espo stuck his hand out, and Jess shook it. His baseball mitt-sized hand swallowed hers. He could crush all of the small bones if he wanted and fling her around like a rag doll, but she got the feeling that this giant was as gentle as a teddy bear.
“Nice to meet you. You have a good man here.” Espo smiled sweetly.
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“See you later, Espo,” James said, leading her away. She heard the man grunt.
“Bear,” James murmured in her ear.
She nodded. “I probably could’ve guessed that without sniffing him,” Jess giggled, and James put his arm around her shoulder as they walked.
“I think that’s all of them that are on duty today. We have an owl in parts, but he’s off today and is no threat to you anyway. Did you memorize the scents?”
“I think so. I will ask Lolly to meet me at the gym in the morning.”
James nodded. “Have you eaten?”
She shook her head, and his mouth flattened to a thin white line. James pulled out his cell phone and dialed. “Dan? James. I’ll need a wonton soup, beef and broccoli…no, add a Mongolian beef to it. We’ll eat there, but we’re in a hurry. Short lunch today. Thanks, Dan.”
“You can do that? Order and sit down?”
“Sure. Dan knows that sometimes lunch is short for one reason or another. He’ll bring it all out at once so we don’t have to wait for anything.” James led her through the compound, down halls that she’d never been in, and past offices that she didn’t know were there. They went out a side door and were almost directly in front of Dan Dan’s.
“I need a map of this place. You really know your way around,” Jess said, pushing through the restaurant’s door.
“Hazard of the job. We have to know every nook and cranny in case something happens.”
Dan met them and seated them immediately at a table where hot tea and cups were waiting.
“One minute,” Dan said and hurried away. He was back in seconds with their order. “Enjoy,” he said and gave them a little bow with his signature smile.
“No time for pot stickers, sweetheart,” James said when he caught her looking around. “Next time, I promise.”
Jess sipped her soup and nibbled a shrimp. God, she loved Dan’s soup. Broth of the gods.
“That’s okay, but you owe me.”
“I’m forever in your debt anyway, so what’s one more thing?”
Jess gave him a curious look, forking beef into her mouth.
“You saved me from a horrible lonely life, sweetheart.”
She smirked. “I hardly think a man like you would spend his life horribly alone.”
He tipped his head slightly.
“Look at you, James. I’m sure that women would fall at your feet. And I better not catch any of them.”
“It wouldn’t matter if they weren’t the right one. I’ve always only wanted my destined mate, and that is you.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Eat, before we are late.”
She scoffed.
“What?”
“You’re the captain, and I am without supervision right now, so nobody will notice.” She finished her beef then sipped her tea while James paid for their meal.
***
“Don’t forget to ask Lolly to go to the gym tomorrow so you can scent her,” James murmured in her ear at her office door.
“I won’t. See you later.” She leaned into him and pecked his cheek. She noticed Debbie give her a curious look as she went into her office a few feet away.
“What’s wrong?”
Jess shook her head.
“Tell me.”
“I just saw Debbie go into her office and she gave me a funny look is all.” She watched James’s nose twitch, then he gave her a slight nod. “You scented her?”
He nodded again. “Whatever they were using before, she isn’t using it now. Be careful, sweetheart.”
Jess nodded then went into her office. She was deep in thought comparing warrantees on an item someone ordered when Debbie came into her office and closed the door. Jess’s wolf pushed, but she pushed her back down for now.
“I think I should apologize for a few things.” Debbie worried her lip as she leaned against the door. She was five feet away, but that was close enough to shift and pounce. Jess’s muscles coiled. “I won’t, don’t worry. I didn’t come to hurt you.” Debbie glanced out the large window of the door, then looked back at Jess. “She made us do it. She was, well, awful. You know how she treated you, just imagine her being in charge of you all the time.” Debbie rolled her eyes, and Jess softened. “We didn’t want to, and thanks for not doing to me and John what you did to her.”
Jess raised her eyebrows.
“I saw,” Debbie whispered. “You’re a lot tougher than you look.”
Jess smiled.
“Um, I’ll be here on payroll days from now on. I know you probably think I’m some kind of drunk, but I’m not. She made me take those days off so she could give you shit.”
“Really?” Jess said quietly.
“Yes, she liked to punish you for some reason. I don’t think she knew until recently what you were, but she didn’t like you.”
“I got that,” Jess laughed.
“I know we’ll never run in the same circles.” Debbie grinned. “But we don’t have to be enemies either, especially since she’s not calling the shots anymore. Thanks for that, by the way. We’re all thankful.”
“How many of you are there here?”
“Cats?”
Jess nodded.
“I, uh, well there’s six in the building, a tiger in the PD and one in the mail room, three panthers, and a jaguar in operations over here. I won’t say who, it’s not my place.”
Jess nodded.
“There’s a rumor that you will be taking her place soon.”
Jess gave her a wide-eyed look and wondered how that had gotten around so quickly. “You’re a shoo-in. Since she gave you such a hard time, she set you up, too. You know how to do all of it, so you’re a natural replacement. I hope you won’t hold anything that she made me do against me.”
Jess got up and came around the desk. Debbie’s hand went to the doorknob.
“I won’t. Friends?” Jess held out her hand. Debbie smiled, then came over and shook it.
“Thanks, I’ll see you around.
Jess nodded and watched Debbie leave.
Chapter 17
“You’ll never believe who came to see me,” Jess said softly into the phone a few hours later. She’d waited until she was sure he would be done meeting with the tiger.
“Debbie,” James said. “We’ll discuss it later. Don’t forget to make your appointment with your friend in the morning. It’s become more important than ever.”
The line went dead, and Jess stared at it. Her cell phone rang suddenly.
“Hi? What’s going on?” Jess asked.
“They’re listening in on the phones. I mean it, be careful. It was mentioned in my meeting.”
“Can they do that? I mean, isn’t that illegal? It’s an invasion of my privacy.
Isn’t it?”
“No, you are not entitled to your privacy on their phone, and you signed a waiver to be under surveillance when you were hired.”
“I thought that meant on camera,” Jess whispered.
“It means both. So stay off it except for business.”
“Will do, Cap.” Jess grinned at his soft chuckle. “So I should keep my dirty thoughts off their phone, too. Huh?”
He made a low humming noise in his throat and she shivered.
“Because I’m still thinking about crawling under the desk.” She heard him let out a breath. “See you later, Captain.” Jess giggled and pushed end. Someone was listening to the phones. Why? She would ask James later.
“Jessie girl, is it mocha time? I’m headed for some peppermint tea.”
Jess nodded and got up from her desk.
Lolly hooked her elbow through Jess’s and led her up the hall. “Tell me, how is Officer Cutie Pie?” Lolly gave her a big toothy smile.
Jess couldn’t help the way her face lit up.
“He was very worried while you were away.”
“I know. He told me. We’re okay now, everything is wonderful.”
Lolly gave her a knowing look. “See? I told you that you were hot. The only way you would get a good-looking fellow like him was if you were hot.” Lolly laughed at Jess’s outraged expression and let go of her to make her tea when they arrived at the machine. “Have you heard from Margaret today, Jess?”
Jess shook her head.
“She didn’t show up this morning, and no phone call either. That’s grounds for termination.” Lolly winked at her. “Do you have your résumé ready?”
Jess furrowed her brow.
“Work on it. You have about six weeks. In the meantime, I would like you to fulfill her duties. If she doesn’t call today, I am suspending her and pursuing the termination. I will get you full access to all programs and get you a list of duties. Okay?”
Jess nodded.
“I need a confirmation, Jess. Do you understand what I’m asking?”
“You want me to do her job until you fill the position. I understand. I’d be happy to help, Lolly.”
Lolly smiled at her. “That’s my girl.”
“Hey, I was wondering if you’d like to work out in the morning.”
“Sure thing. I think it’s useless though. I am never going find my waist no matter how many stairs I climb.”
Jess suddenly thought of Espo and wondered if Lolly was a bear like him. She wondered if he was single.
“You’ll get there, Lolly. Maybe you should try the elliptical machine.”
“Maybe.”
They were headed back to Jess’s office now and passed Debbie in the hall. She smiled at Jess then moved on.
“What was that all about? Did you make a new friend, Jessica?”
Jess shrugged. There was no way to explain that without gory details.
“Get your résumé ready. I will send you paperwork in a few minutes. You fill it out and send it back so I can get you access to everything.”
“Thank you, Lolly.”
“See you later.” Lolly floated down the hall in her cloud of perfume.
“Is Espo single?” Jess asked later while sliding her sleep shirt over her head.
James growled and his eyes flashed.
“Not for me! James! I can’t believe you just thought that.” She put her work clothes into their color appropriate laundry baskets.
“Sorry. Chalk that up to newly mated.” He winked and hung his belt up inside the closet. “Yeah, I think so. I’d have to check. Why do you ask, sweetheart?”
“I was thinking that he and Lolly would be a good match.”
James was shaking his head before she finished.
“Why not?”
He came around the bed and sat on the edge next to her.
“Because he’s a bear, and she wears enough perfume to overwhelm anyone. He can find his own mate.” James leaned down to kiss her. “Now, I seem to remember someone entertaining fantasies about me in your mouth.”
Jess felt her face heat.
“Were you only teasing me?”
She shook her head.
“So you really did have that dirty thought?”
“All day,” she whispered.
“Well, it’s time for your dreams to come true.” James turned the light off on her nightstand and crawled over her to get into bed beside her. She giggled and grabbed for him, but he was too quick.
“James?” He pulled her close so she was facing him in the dark. She watched him, able to see him now that she was wolf. His eyes flashed, and she smiled softly. “Do you think everything will be okay? Or do you think it really is dangerous at work?”
He exhaled softly. “I want to tell you that everything is fine and that you have nothing to worry about, but I can’t. You’re a shifter now, Jess, you have to have your guard up every second of every day. I wish I could bring you over to my department where the pack was close, but I can’t unless you’re a cop.” He shrugged, and she nodded. “You need to find out if Lolly is human or something else. She will be your biggest ally.”
Jess nodded, and James kissed her forehead. She loved it when he did that. She felt so safe and protected for some reason.
“You said that Debbie stopped by, what did she say?”
“She apologized for past behavior and said that Margaret made her call in sick on payroll days so she could punish me. She said that Margaret didn’t like me. That’s not news. She thanked me for not killing her and her brother. Oh, and she said that there are six cats in the complex. Two tigers, three panthers, and a jaguar. Who do you think the jaguar is?”
“There are no jaguars in my department.”
“She said the jaguar was in operations.”
James leaned over to his nightstand and picked up his phone. He texted someone while Jess waited. “Good work, sweetheart. We’ll know soon enough. The pack has orders to find it.” He tossed his phone back onto the table. “Now, enough business.” James buried his face in her neck, and she squealed. “She likes that,” he murmured, and followed a path down her chest to her belly. “Lose the shirt.” He looked up from her navel, and Jess yanked it off. “Give it to me.” His eyes flashed. “Hold your hands out.”
Jess trembled.
James came up on his knees and tied the shirt around her wrists. “Now keep them over your head. If you don’t obey, I’ll stop.” He was nose to nose with her now. “Okay?”
She nodded.
His hand was trailing up her thigh, making it hard to concentrate. “Say you understand.”
“I do.”
His brows rose.
“I understand.”
James flipped her over then and pulled her bottom up until she was on her knees.
“James, I can’t, my hands…”
“Rest your weight on your elbows.”
She did and found it was more comfortable. She also found that it put her bottom higher in the air. She turned to look at him just in time to see his teeth sink into her cheek.
Jess yelped and his hand slapped the other cheek.
He kissed the bite, and she shivered. “Wolves often bite during sex, sweetheart. Did you like it?”
“I’m not sure.”
James licked between her legs then, and she wiggled. He grunted and did it again then pushed her legs farther apart.
Jess felt the cool air on the wetness, and her toes curled in anticipation.
“I want to claim this.” His thumb traced the pucker of her ass. Pressing against it, James waited.
Jess worried her lip. She’d never done that before, and the pressure was pleasant. She wasn’t sure if she could handle that though. “I don’t know.”
His thumb circled. “Not tonight,” he finally decided. “But soon.”
“Will it hurt?” she whispered.
“You’ll be ready. I won’t hurt you.”
“I know you won’t mean to, but…”
/>
“I won’t hurt you.” The Alpha in his voice washed over her, and she relaxed. “Right now, though, here’s something I know you like.” He slapped her bottom, and she squealed again. James slid into her wetness with a sigh, and Jess relaxed and tightened all at once.
This she knew, and this she loved. The feel of him filling her up, stretching her until her body sang, this was wonderful.
James moved slowly until she grew frantic. His thumb was back on the rosebud, pressing. She liked it. It made everything else more intense. Her body tightened, her senses heightening. She felt the hair stand up on her arms and felt the she-wolf push. She wanted that. She wanted him that way. His thumb slid inside her, and she detonated around him. She heard a noise very near a howl escape her, and James roared behind her. Jess collapsed with him on top of her, still inside her. Her heart pounded and her breath panted out of her. The wolf retreated to rest somewhere, and Jess relaxed in her Alpha’s arms.
A while later, James pulled out of her.
She hated that part. The loss of the connection.
“She wants that,” he murmured against her skin. “I felt her there.”
“I know. Me too. That’s the first time she’s been that close during.” She felt him nod against her back. “I want to try it, but…”
“You’re scared.”
She nodded.
“I’ll be very careful, and I promise I won’t hurt you. If it is the least bit painful, we’ll stop. Not tonight though. You’ve worn me out.”
“James?”
He sighed.
“I love you.”
She felt him smile against her skin.
“I love you more.” He kissed her shoulder then pulled her tightly against him.
She heard the soft snore and knew he was already asleep.” Jess lay awake for a few more minutes thinking about her wolf. Was she always there, or was this the first time because of what he’d done? She’d never noticed her before, but tonight she definitely felt her push. What would happen if she took over during sex? Was that even possible? Jess yawned and gave up to the sleep claiming her.
Chapter 18
“Jessie girl!” Lolly stood waiting outside of the gym. “It’s about time. Were you too wrapped up in Officer Cutie Pie this morning?” Lolly wrapped her in a hug.
