by Olivia Arran
I spun around, and I knew my eyes had bled to silver, my wolf enticed and ready to stalk his prey.
“Uh huh, hold up there, big boy.” She popped a hand on her hip, wiggling her finger in front of my face. “No chasey-chasey.” Under her breath she muttered something about hot and cold and needing a leash. Or a cock cage and throwing away the key.
My wolf chuckled, amused at his mate’s unique charm.
Myself, I wasn’t so impressed with the idea of locking my dick away, but both her words and actions had given me enough of a breather to wrench back control from the instinct that had been riding me. She was right; I’d acted like a dick. But, in my defense, it had been the only way to stop myself from claiming her right then and there, something I was certain both she and I would have regretted. I’d thought by distancing myself from her, I could ignore the pull to mate, and eventually … gain control?
It had been a lie. I wasn’t in control, never had been, and the illusion I’d been existing within was fracturing, splintering faster than I could grasp.
I was spiraling, the man I’d always been fading away as I fought against the most natural thing in the world: falling for the woman who was perfect for me. It didn’t matter that I’d never truly believed in Fate, that—despite having witnessed my friends finding their other halves—I’d doubted my own ability to do the same.
“Grant?”
Sounds rushed my ears, the white noise inside my head breaking as my name fell from her lips. We were still in the corridor, the other guys having taken up position beyond the next door, giving us the appearance of privacy while I conducted my own mini breakdown. Mandy peered at me, brown eyes shining with concern, but lips pursed, ready to give me a verbal lashing should I be faking.
Goddamn. How was I supposed to resist this woman?
I shook off the weight of the question before allowing an answer to form. “I’m fine.”
She chuffed, but the concern was still there. “No you’re not, but whatever.”
“I’m sorry.” The words tripped off my tongue with an ease that scared me, because I truly was. I might have believed I was acting for all the right reasons when I’d basically cut her out of my life, but I’d been wrong.
So, yeah. That sorry should have been a whole lot bigger, but it was a start.
She stared at me, as if trying to read between the lines, the silence building between us. “Okay. I accept your apology.”
Just like that. “You do?”
“But only if you agree to stop behaving like an ass.”
The corner of my mouth quirked up in a grin. “I can do that.”
Slowly, she grinned back at me, her entire face lighting up. I stared. She smiled with her whole face, from the corners of her eyes, to the tilt of her cheekbones, to the tips of her ears. When Mandy was truly happy, everyone knew it. And I wanted to make her smile a hundred times a day, if only so I could stare at her some more. “I know it’ll probably be a lot of effort for you, so I’ll try and help you out.” She winked at me and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“How, exactly?”
“By calling you on it, caveman.”
I gave her a wry smile. “Something tells me you’re going to enjoy this. Make sure the power doesn’t go to your head, sweetheart.”
She rubbed her hands together, wriggling her eyebrows. “If one of my friends is acting like an ass, it is my duty to—”
“We’re friends?”
She cocked her head, cutting herself off mid gleeful declaration. A vulnerability creeping into her eyes. “We— Maybe—” Her voice was unsure and it sent a shard of pain straight through my chest. I’d fucked up.
“Friends. I’d like that.”
She held my gaze, then nodded once, with a firmness that gave me hope. “Friends.” A small smile danced on her lips, its sweetness curling around my heart.
My eyes darted to my teammates through the glass separating us, knowing they could hear and wishing they were a million miles away, but I swallowed my discomfort. Again. This was my own fault. “Sweetheart, I will always, always be your friend. No matter what happens, you can count on me to have your back.” Even if, once I have explained everything, you’re the one to walk away, I vowed silently, ignoring the sick, roiling sensation in my stomach. Tough decisions would have to be made, but not yet. There was still a chance everything might fall into place.
I must have said something right, because her grin was back, bathing me in warmth. “Okay then, partner. Let’s get this show on the road!”
Chapter Four
Mandy
I stared out the windshield, watching as my world passed me by, the familiar streets crowded with people and the blare of horns signaling the road rage that always crowded the air. Eyes glanced at our cruiser, sliding away in that way that they sometimes did. Even if they hadn’t actually committed a crime, just the sight of cops actively patrolling was enough of a reminder that we were always watching, and sparked a pre-emptive guilty conscience. I took it all in, the familiarity comforting on an instinctual level. This city was home. The streets never changing. The people mine to protect and serve.
I blew out a gust of air, trying to dispel some of the tension that clung to the base of my skull. I recognized the cause of the tension. Some people have told me in the past that I forgive too easy. I may have been called a soft-hearted fool on occasion, but whatever. It wasn’t their place to tell me what I could or couldn’t do, my actions and emotions were my own, and no-one but me had the right to them.
Even if I was making a massive mistake. Which might be happening right now.
But, so what? Live large and learn big, as my dad always used to say. Riding the ups and downs, that’s the kind of life I wanted. One filled with new experiences and enough emotion to really, truly feel. Sure, feeling sad sucked, but at least it meant I was alive, that I’d survived another day on this planet, that I’d given my everything once again. I owed it to him.
So, yeah. I was going to be friends with Grant.
Eeep! I snuck a glance at the massive man sitting alongside me as I steered the car through a junction. Friends. Friends with… Nope, not friends with benefits!
We’d caught up with the rest of my squad and they’d been briefed. Sarah had looked mildly intrigued at being paired with Dante, while Chris and Don had had their game faces on, not showing a reaction when presented to the dynamic duo also known as Talon and Ridge. They might have swallowed hard, but they’d done the squad—and human men—proud. Kel had grunted and grumbled at being paired with Daryl, probably because he was worried that the wily shifter would get up to all sorts of trouble, but he’d been overruled. Okay, ignored, same thing.
Personally, I thought it would do the boss the world of good, maybe get him to lighten up a bit. Sadness had been his status quo for way too long now, though he wasn’t one to share his personal problems—even with me—we could all figure it out. The poor guy had his heart broken. Well, this would take his mind off it, and maybe I could convince Daryl to take him out and play wingman. Since he wasn’t a member of our squad, Kel might even let his hair down and relax a little.
Pulling the car over, I grabbed my phone and I scrolled through until I found Daryl’s number, which had just been added. Shooting off a quick text, I informed him of my brilliant plan.
Within seconds, a reply came back, bowing down to my greatness and accepting his part as my willing accomplice.
“What are you doing?” Grant sounded confused, and a little bit scared, probably from the manic smile that was stretching my mouth so wide, my cheeks hurt.
“Texting.”
He huffed, scratching at the scruff on his chin. Damn. It should be illegal for a man to look that good with a five o’clock shadow. “Huh, funny. I would have said you look like you’re planning world domination.”
I shot him a look, chuckling when Daryl’s reply came in the form of a game plan, with bullet points. “You scared or do you want in?”
�
��In. Definitely in.” His smirk was downright predatory as he shifted his bulk in his seat, leaning back against the door of the car to stare at me. “All the way in, sweetheart.”
I swallowed back a gulp. Yep, should definitely be made illegal. Wiggling the phone in his direction, I covered my momentary lapse in attention—and hormones—by showing him the screen.
Plucking it from my hand, he scrolled through the short conversation, his smirk deepening. “Daryl’s the right guy for this.” He paused, then continued, “It might actually drag him out of the funk he’s been in.”
I retrieved my phone, setting it down on the dash. “What kind of funk?”
Grant’s fingers tapped his thigh, drawing my attention to the hard muscle stretching the worn denim. He ducked his head, looking a bit sheepish. “To be honest, I haven’t been paying as much attention as I should have been…” His voice trailed off, before he mumbled, “He’s been moody and withdrawn.”
“That’s not the Daryl I met?” My voice rose in question, since I actually didn’t know the guy that well, but he’d been a lot of fun when we’d visited Heartsridge. A flirt and a troublemaker.
“No.” His answer was blunt, before he sighed. “Quite a lot of that going around,” he mumbled.
Ah, right. Up until our kiss, he’d been easygoing and charming. “Hey, remember? Fresh start, right?” When he eventually nodded, I carried on, “Maybe you two have got something in common?”
He snorted. “I doubt that.”
“Well, maybe not exactly the same thing, but…” I gave up. It wasn’t like I was going to come out and ask him why he’d felt the need to treat me like that, and he wasn’t exactly being forthcoming. Fresh start, remember? “Right, well, time to get to work.” I got out of the car without waiting for an answer, straightening my uniform and dragging in a refreshing deep breath one that didn’t smell of Grant, exhaling with a pleased hum.
“Where to, boss?” He came up alongside me, his arm brushing against mine as I adjusted my firearm.
“Oooh, I like that.” I shot him a wink before hitting the fob to lock the car. Not that anyone was stupid enough to jack a cop car, but you never knew. Some people were just born without an ounce of self-preservation. “We’re just going to let ourselves be seen, check in on a few of the local businesses.”
He nodded, falling into step beside me. “Maybe grab something to eat?”
I could go for food. Hell, you never heard me turning down a meal. “You hungry for something fast? They do great tacos on this corner.”
“I’m always hungry.” The glint in his eyes warned me that he might not just be talking about food. “Shifters have large … appetites.”
I rolled my eyes at his deliberate attempt at flirting, but privately agreed with him. I may have even sighed—on the inside. I’d seen this man stripped down to his birthday suit and the clouds had parted, angels rejoicing and— Well, let’s just say, he was just the kind of meal that I’d usually be going back for another serving of. Friends, remember? Now, if I could only convince him to shift, then I could get another look at the goods—
Grant stiffened beside me, a low growl trickling out of his lips.
My hand immediately went to my firearm as I scanned the street. “What is it?” I wasn’t ready for his arm when it swept around me, yanking me back against his hard body, hand flattened against my stomach. I gave him a shove. It was like trying to move a car. “Shit, Grant, talk to me.”
His breath huffed out against my ear as he spun me around, placing me at his back. “Shifter.” His voice was rough and barely more than a growl, his wolf obviously riding close to the surface.
“One of yours?” I felt a little silly talking into his shirt, but no matter how much I shoved and pulled, his hold on me was iron tight. “Damn it, Grant, I’m a cop. Let me go!”
“You’re human,” he replied on a grunt when I managed to elbow him in his kidney. “Not from Heartsridge.”
My wriggling paid off as I managed to peek around him, searching the crowd for the threat. “How do you know?”
“We carry the scent of home.”
Oh. Well, that was useful to know. “Where?”
“I don’t know.” His hand flexed on my hip as his head whipped from side to side, nostrils flaring and eyes narrowed. “The scent trail isn’t strong enough to pin point. It’s much weaker than it should be.” He was muttering now, deep lines carving grooves into his profile.
I’d had enough. “Give me a general direction and we’ll go check it out.”
His grip on me tightened. “No.”
And now he was just being unreasonable. Not to mention not allowing me to carry out my damn job. “Worried you can’t protect me?”
When he snarled, if it had been anyone else, I might have worried for my safety. I was definitely wondering about my sanity. But I felt safe with him. It was a gut feeling, and I learned a long time ago to go with my gut. Cop instincts, Kel called them, and I had good ones.
During my inner monologue, and swift check on my sanity, Grant had reeled his inner caveman back in—my new name for his wolf—and I was now tucked against his side. Ignoring the fact that his large body vibrated with tension—because the whole vibrating thing was too tempting, and so not the time for it—I reached up and tapped him on the shoulder, waiting until his silver eyes slanted down to meet mine.
It took a moment, but eventually he caved, “You do exactly as I say.”
“Of course.” Within reason.
“This way.” He led me toward one of my favorite restaurants, pausing at the door and taking a deep breath. “The trail disappears here.”
I scrunched up my nose, stepping to one side to let a customer leave. Grant earned a wide-eyed stare, the woman almost tripping over her own feet as she came face to face with the overgrown shifter in her path. Tugging him to one side, I murmured an apology, which went unheard. “Move along, Ma’am.” She blinked, as if seeing me for the first time, which was definitely a first for me when in uniform, then eventually skedaddled away, shooting longing looks over her shoulder. I resisted the urge to sprint after her and cuff her to a lamppost, shaking off the weird urge and turning my attention back to Grant, who was still sniffing at the air. “As in, the shifter went inside?”
“No. Then the scent would linger. This cuts off, as if…” His expression turned inward, comprehension lighting his eyes.
“Care to share with the class?”
He dragged me to one side, lowering his voice and leaning in so he could whisper in my ear, “Scent suppressors. They completely cover a shifter’s scent, making them appear human.”
Turning my head toward him, I whispered back, “I’ve never heard of that.”
“It’s not something that’s common knowledge.” His eyes darted to my mouth, making me aware of how close we were.
It didn’t escape me that he could have chosen to keep the information from me, that he hadn’t hesitated to trust me. Cue warm, fuzzy feeling inside my stomach. “Spies?” The gears creaked into life inside my head.
He wet his lips; damn, the man played dirty. “Spies, assassins, plants. The shifter could be anyone.” He glanced around, angling his body to further conceal me from the street. “He probably activated it once he got a whiff of me.”
“He knows who you are, then.” It was a statement, but he confirmed it with a small nod.
“I’m an enforcer for the Heartsridge wolf pack, one of the few in charge of security for the town. I’d be surprised if our enemy didn’t have full bios on my entire team.”
A frisson of fear shot through me as I re-doubled my efforts to scan the part of the street I could still see, searching for anyone who might be a threat. “Maybe I should be the one hiding you.”
His deep chuckle was so out of place, I almost jumped out of my skin when his thumb brushed against my jaw. “You’re tiny, sweetheart.”
His comment was enough to rein my thundering heart back under control and I answered on a snort
, “That’s the first time a man has called me tiny.” His look of absolute confusion was endearingly sweet, so I took pity on him, patting him on the shoulder as I spelled it out in black and white. “Caveman, I’ve got curves, no doubt about it and no hiding them.” My hand skimmed my hip, as if to illustrate my point, and I couldn’t help but smirk when his eyes followed the movement. “Some men just can’t handle a woman’s butt being more than a handful, but I’m just fine with the way God made me.” More than fine. I loved having a booty.
He dragged his eyes back up my body, leaving scorch marks in their wake. “God threw away the mold when he made you.”
“Hey!” My words were muffled against the finger pressed against my lips.
“Because you…” His eyelids lowered, until only a glint of silver remained visible as he sucked in a breath. “…You are perfection, and anyone else would be a poor imitation.”
Aw, shit. He’d gone and said it. It was both the cheesiest and most heart stopping line I’d ever heard.
His chest brushed against mine as he leaned closer, intent clear on his face.
This wasn’t the first time I’d seen that expression on his face, and the memory sparked enough common sense that my hand flew up between us.
His eyebrows shot up, his voice muffled by my palm, but still audible. “Not quite the reaction I had expected.”
Biting my top lip to keep the giggle inside, I almost lost control when his tongue darted out and licked at my hand. “Behave. We’re working, remember?” And how the heck had we forgotten that?
He snapped back to attention, fast enough to give me whiplash.
It’s for the best. A saying my mom was fond of came to mind: fool me once, shame on you, but fool me twice… Yeah, I was almost a fool.
“Officer Evans, is everything okay?”
I recognized the voice as belonging to Mrs. Barone, who owned the restaurant we were crowding the window of. Peering around Grant, I waved at her. “Just fine, Mrs. Barone. This is my temporary partner for the week, Mr. Romano.”
The older lady yelled over her shoulder to her husband, then marched on over, wiping her hands on one of the cloths that she kept tucked around her person. “Ah, a good Italian boy.” She gave Grant the head to toe inspection, and I wondered if she’d be ordering him to spin in a circle next.
