Alphas Unwrapped: 21 New Steamy Paranormal Tales of Shifters, Vampires, Werewolves, Dragons, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Michele Bardsley

  He guessed she thought he had a wife because of all the baked goods in the back. “No mate.”

  “Really?” She cast a quick glance his way, dark eyebrows raised.

  “Yeah, the candies are from mostly mated she-cats in Yuma Town.”

  “Oh. And the Christmas tree wreath on the front of your grill?”

  He smiled a little. “The ladies in Yuma Town wanted to make sure I didn’t miss Christmas, so they made up the evergreen wreath. The guys all gave me and their mates a hard time, and told me that they would understand if I ditched it the minute I left Yuma Town.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  “Nope. When I drive back there, I’ll be proudly displaying it through New Year’s.”

  She smiled.

  Travis thought Bridget was a first class agent. She was a beautiful brunette with her hair curling past her shoulders, her blue-gray eyes electrifying. When he’d first seen her, the cell phone light softly illuminating her, her pretty eyes considering him, he thought she was one of them, and he’d hoped he could convince her to take pity on him before the men came back to try to finish him off. They’d run off to some storage facility for tools or something to take care of him. So that was one of the things he and Bridget had to check on. Storage facilities all over Cheyenne to see if they had anything in one to prove their involvement in illegal activities.

  But it had been a real effort on his part to try and tell her he was one of the good guys when she might have been with the bad guys when he was so groggy and the men had taped his mouth shut. When she said she wanted to know everything he knew about the suspects, he didn’t know if she was playing him or what. He wasn’t sure if she wanted to learn if he knew what their business was or if she truly was investigating them. As concerned as she was that she got him out of there before they got caught, he realized she had to be some kind of police official, undercover, he suspected, because she wasn’t wearing a uniform. No way had he thought she’d be a special agent with the same agency he was with.

  His director would have mentioned the case to him. Then again, Travis hadn’t had time to tell him he was returning home this week to pack up.

  He’d never thought he’d come home for his last time here and pick up a mission either. But working with her totally appealed. Even if she was a rookie. Hell, she did a damn good job saving his ass.

  He guided her the rest of the way home, though twice she had to shove at his shoulder to wake him up. He hated that he was so out of it when she was so with it. But at the same time, he was glad she was able to get him out of the tight bind he’d been in. He still couldn’t believe that spying some great boxes for packing his household goods could have led to his demise.

  “Where’s your garage door opener. Forget it. I see it.” She poked the garage door opener and once the door opened, she quickly drove into the garage and shut the door.

  “Were they following us?” He couldn’t believe he was so out of it he couldn’t even watch the mirrors to help out.

  “No. Thankfully, they must have driven off the wrong way once we left the alley. You can’t use your car now until after we take them down.”

  He hadn’t been certain she’d want him for a partner. He was glad she did, even though she had no choice. He wasn’t letting her do this on her own. Though they did have a problem. The men knew his scent, his car, and what he looked like in his human form. He could wear hunter’s spray to disguise his scent at least and rent a vehicle, but he’d have to disguise his appearance.

  “Where’s your car and belongings?” he asked.

  “My car is about three blocks from the shop. It’s sitting in a guest carport at an apartment complex. I’m staying at a hotel because the director said he didn’t have any safe houses in the area.”

  “Mine is one. I mean, it’s mine. But I let other agents stay here anytime they need to. I have three guestrooms to choose from. It would be better if you stayed here so we could work out a plan.”

  “Okay. I want to get my car now, but while there’s not much traffic on the road, I should wait until a little later. You need to sleep off whatever drug they gave you.” She went around to the passenger door, opened it, then used her knife to saw through his ropes.

  “Agreed.” Travis really hated that Bridget had to help him out of the car. He pulled off the rest of the tape from his whiskers. It stung like crazy and he was certain it yanked out a few of his whiskers. He was still feeling so loopy, he would have fallen on his face if she hadn’t been there to halfway catch him. But she was a petite little thing and she didn’t have the muscle mass to really stop him if he hadn’t regained enough of his equilibrium to straighten himself out. They made it inside the house and he said, “Bedroom is down that hallway.”

  “Okay, I’ll grab the rest of your stuff after I get you to bed.”

  He smiled a little, wishing she’d just curl up with him. Then he said what he was thinking out loud, trying for lighthearted and humorous when he still hoped she’d take him seriously and say yes! “Join me to watch over me, if you’d like.”

  She smiled at him, his arm draped over her shoulders. He really was trying not to lean on her, or stumble and fall. “Would you make the same offer to any of the other agents?” she asked.

  He chuckled.

  Somehow, he managed to collapse on the bed and the next thing he knew, she was removing his shoes, socks, and pants. A woman after his own heart if he’d been more with it. She slipped off his jacket, then his shirt, and considered him for a moment. He didn’t think she was sizing him up as far as how sexy he looked, but trying to figure out how to get him under the covers. “I normally sleep in the buff.”

  His comment earned him a sexy smile.

  She finally just grabbed hold of the comforter from the other side of the king size bed and pulled it over him. She slipped his Glock out from underneath her jacket and showed it to him. “I take it this is yours?”

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  “You don’t have a police badge?”

  “No, undercover. Chuck wouldn’t issue one to me.”

  “Okay, good, so the guys don’t know that you’re a Special Agent.”

  “No. But I’m sure they wondered why I was carrying a Glock.”

  “True.”

  “Can I have a kiss good night?” he managed to say.

  She smiled. “I bet you don’t ask the other agents that either.”

  He smiled, closed his eyes and imagined her kissing him, when he felt warm lips pressed against his and he smiled, but before he could reach for her, pull her close, and kiss her back, he passed out again.

  ***

  Bridget had to admit she really felt bad for the guy. Maybe because she could see herself in his shoes—just coming across criminal activity in a perfectly innocent way and getting herself into a bind. She wasn’t sure how much help he would be though since the men could identify him. Still, if he was a veteran agent, she assumed he’d be able to aid her. He was cute too. She suspected when he wasn’t drugged, he could be a real threat to the bad guys. And dangerously sexy with regard to unsuspecting she-cats when he was on the prowl. She would never have expected him in his drugged state to offer for her to join him in bed, or to ask her for a kiss good night.

  She headed outside to the garage and carried in his sweet treats and his bag and dropped off the treats on the kitchen counter, then carried his bag into his bedroom. She glanced around the master bedroom, saw a photo of what looked like Travis and his parents on a fishing trip at a river, and a copy of a book with the cover of a sexy Highlander in a kilt and a wolf, Heart of the Highland Wolf. She read the synopsis and smiled. A romance about Highland wolf shifters?

  She returned to the kitchen and checked out the boxes of candy. The treats were homemade and each had a different she-cat’s scent on them, individually wrapped in cute little Christmas boxes from snowmen to Santa Claus, and had little Christmas gift cards attached. She began to read the cards: Merry Christmas, Travis! A swe
et treat to remind you of home. Love, Dottie. Best of the Holiday Season, Travis! Some sweets to give you energy to pack up and return home to your new family. Love, Shannon. Merry Christmas, Travis! I didn’t want to be the only she-cat in town who didn’t send you well-wishes and a treat! Love from Doc Kate. Happy Holidays, Travis! We expect you home for New Year’s Eve, you hear? Love, Tracey.

  Bridget wondered if one of them was his girlfriend since he’d said the women were mostly mated she-cats. He better not have a girlfriend and then want to sleep and kiss Bridget! She pulled out a piece of chocolate fudge. She sank her teeth into the chocolatey fudge delight, and groaned. This was an orgasm in the making.

  She stared out the window, a security light partially illuminating the backyard, a forest of trees backed up on it. She desperately wanted to retrieve her car and grab her stuff from the hotel. But she knew it would be safer if she went when more people were up and about on the roads.

  She finished the piece of fudge, then looked in each of the guest bedrooms and decided to stay in the one closest to the kitchen, all done up in blues and greens. Before she retired for the night, she watched out the front windows for a couple of hours, looking for any sign of anyone driving around the area, checking on Travis periodically to make sure he was all right. Tranquilizers like that could kill a cat. His heart rate continued to beat steadily in his sleep, so she felt he would be fine. She thought about his devilish smile, despite being drugged, when she had pulled off all his clothes but his briefs. He was one hunk of a male cat and she imagined what it would be like to be making love with such a hot-looking guy.

  She sighed and continued to look out the windows.

  Unable to stay awake and figuring the men had never learned where they had gone, she stripped out of her clothes in the bathroom, and took a quick shower, then returned to the guestroom wrapped in a couple of towels, one for her long hair, her clothes folded under her arm. She left her clothes on a chair in the guestroom, pulled off the towels, and climbed under the covers. She wanted to take down the bad guys in the worst way, but she had to sleep too so she’d be ready for them.

  Later that morning before she was ready to get up, she woke to hear someone rummaging through the kitchen. Had to be Travis. She quickly dressed in her jeans and white tank shirt, left the bedroom, 9 mm in hand, and headed for the kitchen.

  She peered around the corner of the entrance to the kitchen and saw Travis, showered, shaved, and dressed. He was wearing jeans, a white tank shirt, and boots, a Glock in hand. He looked like a wide-awake, hot-shot agent this morning. And no less dreamy than when she’d seen him mostly naked in his bed last night.

  He set his gun on the counter and smiled, then moved in close to her.

  She should have stepped back and regained her space, but darned if the guy didn’t draw her under his spell. Despite her cautious nature, she had the curiosity of a cat and waited to see what he intended to do.

  He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “You’re even more beautiful than I dreamed you were. Thanks for the save last night.”

  She breathed in his washed male scent, the fragrance of limes and man and cat. But he was breathing her in every bit as much—the same fragrance of limes and all she-cat. His body was already reacting to hers, the heat escalating, the feel of his maleness rising to the occasion, pressing against her. Her body instantly responded, her nipples growing taut, her nether region aching for his touch.

  She should have shoved him away when she didn’t know him at all, but after last night, she couldn’t see him as just another name on the roster of agents who worked for the agency. He was hot muscled flesh and fit so nicely against her body.

  She tried to read his mind, but didn’t have any success today either. So it wasn’t because he had been drugged. She smiled a little at his compliment, wishing she knew exactly what he had been thinking. “I thought you were one of the bad guys. Imagine my surprise to learn you were with the same agency as me.”

  “Believe me, I can be bad to the bone.”

  She laughed, then she motioned to the fudge container. “I helped myself to one last night. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, be my guest. I keep thinking how much I need to exercise off all those extra calories. Besides, you totally deserve it.” He released his breath on a heavy sigh. “About…last night.”

  “You were drugged, half out of it. Don’t worry about what you said or did. I’ve already forgotten it.”

  He cocked a black brow, his hands resting on her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing them.

  “About wanting to sleep with me. That was the drug talking. And the kiss. Same thing,” she said, when he seemed to be waiting for her to explain further.

  He smiled. “Yeah, about that. I just didn’t want you to get the wrong idea. I never ask agents to join me in bed or to kiss me.”

  She laughed again. He was so funny. “I’m the only female the agency has working for them.”

  “Well, there’s that. But I just want you to know I don’t pick up she-cats at Christmas Tree Shoppes in the middle of the night and take them home with me, normally.”

  She patted him on the chest. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  “What if I don’t want to keep it secret? What if I want to kiss you back for saving me? I would have been a gonner if you hadn’t.”

  “I was just being an agent and rescuing you, even though I thought there was a good chance you were one of the bad guys.”

  “So then thinking so ill of me, maybe you’d like to kiss me to make up for it?”

  She laughed again, leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek, her breasts pressing against his hard chest, her face tilted up to his, when he moved his hands to her face. He held her as if he knew she only meant for this to be brief and not in the least bit intimate. Just a sweet thank you.

  But he wasn’t going for sweet.

  His warm mouth pressed against hers, conquered and commanded. She wasn’t one to back away from a challenge, not when she was feeling the draw to him like he was feeling toward her. It was a raw animalistic pull, like wild animals had. A sixth sense that told them that he was the kind of hot cat she could easily mate and have babies with that would have great genes from both of them.

  Her hands slid around his back telling him she was in this with him all the way, her lips parting, inviting him to explore her, to deepen the intimacy. His hot tongue swept over hers, sliding, and teasing, his lips again kissing hers.

  Their pheromones were out of control, hers, his, both triggering the other’s in a hot mating dance, encouraging them to take this further. But their human halves, or at least hers, made her pull her mouth away from his, catch her breath, and wonder what the hell had just happened.

  “I need to get going, get my car, and check out of my hotel,” she said.

  He resettled his hands on her hips, then kissed her forehead. “Okay.” His voice was just as husky as hers.

  She pulled away, feeling the urge to fan herself as hot as her blood was.

  He leaned against the counter and folded his arms, his look intense. “I want to do this with you. I don’t like it that you’re out there on your own.”

  “I’ll be super cautious.”

  “All right.” He looked into a kitchen cabinet and closed the door. “Sorry. No fixings for breakfast or much of anything else. I planned to grocery shop today.”

  “I’ll have to do it. You can’t go out.”

  “Hell, we’re going to have to take these guys down ASAP. There’s no way I’m going to be stuck at the house, worried I might be seen.”

  “Okay, I’ll do what I need to do. Then I’ll come back here, and we can have breakfast and discuss it.”

  He pulled out his wallet and gave her a hundred dollars. “For the food.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  “After what you did for me last night? I owe you my life. Those guys meant business, and I aim to reciprocate. First thing tonight when it’s dark out.”


  “What did you learn when you were at the shop? Anything?” she asked.

  “Just that the two men were paying someone protection money.”

  “A cougar, you think?”

  “Might be, or not. I smelled them in the store, but no signs of any other cougars.” He took a deep breath of the air. “Not even you.”

  “I didn’t want them catching my scent. I have to be able to move about them without them knowing I’m one of them. Listen, I’ve got to go. Anything you prefer to eat?”

  “Just whatever you feel like. I’m easy.”

  “Good to know,” she said, smiling. “You were really easy last night.”

  He chuckled darkly. “Next time, we’ll be on more even footing. Let’s exchange numbers just in case you run into trouble.”

  They did, and then she called for a cab and as soon as it pulled up, she was off, hoping that she wouldn’t run into any trouble at the apartment complex where she had left her car. Or the hotel where she had left her suitcase. She had the cab driver pass by the Christmas Tree Shoppe and spied five vehicles parked out front. She had the cabbie drive her past the alley and saw a black pickup truck. She jotted the license plate down in her phone.

  When the cabbie pulled into the apartment complex, she paid him and after he left, she headed around to another section of apartments where her car was parked. All this undercover, secret agent stuff was new to her. She usually just questioned friends and family of suspected army personnel involved in criminal activities, nothing covert about it.

  When she turned on the car’s engine, she got a call and took it on her Bluetooth link. “Yeah, Travis? Forget something you wanted me to pick up for breakfast?”

  “Just checking to make sure you’re okay.”

  “How sweet of you. I ran by the Christmas Tree Shoppe and caught the license plate number off a black Ford pickup if you want to check into it.”

  “Good job. Will do.”

  “At least five cars were parked out front. They have a sale on everything because it’s so close to Christmas. Did you want anything?”