by Crissy Smith
“I know a great cardio workout?” she suggested.
Mike ran his hands down her back to cup her ass. “What would that be?”
“Let me show you,” she said before she shoved him.
Mike was caught off guard and stumbled. Shelby followed through and tackled him.
“Jeez,” he muttered as he hit the ground.
She knew that she wouldn’t hurt him. There were a lot of good aspects of having a shifter as a lover. Shelby straddled him and pushed up his sweatshirt. He had a smooth, strong chest that she loved to feel. So she did just that. She spread her hands over his skin while looking into his clear, blue eyes.
Mike was letting her do whatever, and she liked that. She bent her head then ran her tongue over his right nipple. He jumped as he moaned.
“Oh, I forgot how much you like that,” she teased.
“You’re right,” he said. “And you like this.” He lifted his hips so that his erection rubbed against her.
“I do,” she agreed. With her robe gone she had no clothes but his to keep them from going any further. “But it won’t work with you wearing so many clothes.”
“So take them off me,” he ordered.
Shelby lifted up so she could unbutton his jeans. Mike squirmed around and together they managed to get his jeans and boxers to his ankles. She should have taken off his shoes and socks. Next time he surprised her in her bedroom she needed a better plan. And there had to be a next time. Shelby found herself missing Mike more and more when he wasn’t around. It seemed to her that Mike felt the same way.
Oh well, at least she had access to his cock. She grasped his erection and pumped him a few times. Mike bucked into her hold, groaning. Shelby scooted back up his body to hover over his cock. She positioned the head of his penis at her entrance before slowly lowering herself.
Mike held her tight around the waist then lifted himself up into a sitting position. He kissed her roughly, and she submitted to his aggressive manhandling. Even when she was on top, Mike still had the ability to make her forget everything but him. Shelby rocked her hips as she rode him fast and hard. Each time she slammed down on his cock Mike thrust up. It was going to be a quick session for the two of them but Mike had said that they were on a short timeframe.
She panted and dropped her head back as she felt the edge of climax coming fast. Mike’s teeth on her throat added a sweet little sting that was enough to push her into orgasm. Shelby scored her nails down his back and screamed. Mike growled loudly against her flesh then was filling her with cum.
“Damn,” he muttered as he fell back to the ground.
Shelby smiled as she laid her head on his chest. “Maybe you should stop by more often before work.”
Under her, Mike stiffened then wrapped his arms around her tightly. “I might just do that.”
She had clearly surprised him with her comment and she hid her smile in his neck. She was glad that she was able to catch him off guard.
“I don’t want to get in the shower but I have to start getting ready,” she told him once she had calmed down.
“I know,” he said while running his hand over her hair.
Shelby eased off him, and Mike rolled onto his knees. He peered over at her, and she was surprised by the sweet look of adoration on his face. She leaned over and kissed him gently.
When they pulled away, Mike grasped her hands and helped her to her feet.
“Go ahead and get in the shower,” Mike said. “I’ll show myself out.”
“Hey!” That reminded her. “How’d you even get in?” She knew that her house was locked up tight.
Mike laughed. “I have some secrets still.”
Shelby shook her head as she made her way into the bathroom. She’d figure it out later but at the moment she was still flying from being with him. She could hear Mike re-dressing behind her.
As she passed the mirror, she caught sight of the smile on her face. She looked well tumbled. What a great start to the day. She strolled over to the shower and turned on the faucets.
“Hey.”
“Huh?” She glanced over her shoulder.
Mike leaned against the frame. “I want you to be careful around town,” he said quietly.
“Careful?”
“There’s going to be a lot of strangers in town. Your face is going to recognizable to everyone who is interested in the trial,” Mike said.
That was her plan so she couldn’t really argue with him. “Okay?”
“Just be aware of your surroundings and don’t trust anyone you don’t know,” Mike told her.
There was no smile on his face and he appeared more serious than she’d ever seen him.
“Have you been threatened?”
“No.” He shook his head quickly. “But it is a concern.”
Shelby figured there was probably a little more to it than what Mike was saying but he did need to be careful about what he told her. Still, even if he wasn’t supposed to be telling her anything, Mike wanted her safe. She crossed back over to him and placed her palms against his chest. Too bad he’d already pulled his sweatshirt back on. “I will be careful as long as you promise the same.”
“I promise,” he told her with a smile.
“Good. Now I really do have to get ready,” Shelby said.
Mike laughed as he stepped back. “I’ll try to see you later.”
She nodded. Mike was going to be busy and she understood that. “See you soon.”
* * * *
As Mike pushed the papers he’d been going over into a manila folder, someone knocked on his office door. He took a quick sniff and smelled shifters on the other side, including Jody.
There wasn’t much of a chance that anyone would be able to sneak back here since they’d have to go through the reception area and Randy’s office first but he was taking his Alpha’s warning seriously. He was on the lookout for trouble. That was why he’d mentioned earlier for Shelby to be careful.
He stood up and strolled to the door, before opening it up with a smile.
Jody stood behind two large men and next to a pretty female. It looked like Jody’s guards were also being cautious, as they all scented him as soon as he opened the door.
“Come in, please,” he offered as he stepped back.
The first man who entered gave off a similar wave of power to Gage’s. If Mike wasn’t mistaken, he was an Alpha. The second man appeared a little friendlier, since he smiled at Mike as he passed. The woman remained beside Jody the entire time.
Mike closed the door behind the group and turned. The Alpha was doing a sweep around his office but Mike knew no one else was in there with them. There weren’t many places anyone could be hiding.
“How are you doing, Jody?” Mike asked.
“Good.” Jody’s head bobbed. “Good.”
He was nervous but Mike had expected that. “Why don’t you sit down? Would you like some water or coffee?”
“No, thank you,” Jody said but he did sit in one of the comfortable chairs in front of Mike’s desk.
The Alpha had circled back around to him. “Austin Winters.” He held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
The name didn’t sound familiar but he was sure he could get additional information from Jeremy if he needed it. Mike shook his hand. “Nice to meet you too.”
“I’d like to introduce you to Gray Mason and my mate Kiley Palmer.” Austin motioned to the two other guards.
Mike dipped his head respectfully. Gray grinned and waved, but Kiley only nodded similarly as he’d done.
“Is there anything I can get any of you?” he offered.
“We’re good. Thanks,” Gray answered.
Mike strolled back to his desk and turned his attention to Jody. Austin sat next to Jody while Kiley moved to stand by the door and Gray settled with his back to the window on the other side of the room.
“I just wanted to talk to you a little more about what to expect for the next couple of days,” he said to Jody. “Remember if yo
u have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them.” Mike glanced to Austin. “Is there anything you’d like to know?”
Austin nodded. “We’d like to go over security in and out of the courthouse.”
“Let’s start there and then we can talk about the legal parts,” Mike suggested.
“Sounds good,” Austin agreed. “As you know, the three of us will be with Jody at all times. No humans know who we are and, since my Pack is not out in the open, no one is aware that we’re shifters. If asked, we’d like for you to say that you hired us as security.”
“I can do that,” Mike said. “You don’t think that will look strange? Three bodyguards?”
Gray laughed. “Three visible,” he said. “You won’t see the rest of the team unless there’s a problem.”
“The rest?” Mike asked. Just how many guards were needed?
“Gray is not part of my Pack but he and Kiley were once under the same Alpha before Kiley and I mated and Gray found his mate in New Mexico. Our security company has offices in Colorado, where I’m Alpha, and another division in New Mexico, where Gray lives. Gray’s side of the business handles more covert operations,” Austin said.
The night before, Jeremy had said something about the military training of the guards. “How many guards are there out there?”
“Five, in addition to us,” Austin replied.
“You have eight shifters watching Jody?” Mike was really becoming uncomfortable. If Jody was in this much danger, maybe he should move into the Alpha house. He knew that Jeremy had a lot of the Alphas staying with him so the place was full but surely there was room for Jody.
“Eight divided between Jody, you and your law partner,” Kiley spoke for the first time.
“What?” Mike barked. He was being watched.
“Two guys have been on you since we arrived yesterday,” Gray told him.
That meant they’d seen him at Shelby’s twice in a twenty-four-hour period. “I…” Mike ran his hands roughly over his face. What could he say to that? “I would have scented them.” There that sounded reasonable. He was a damn good shifter. He would have known.
“These are highly trained special ops shifters,” Gray said. “I wouldn’t even know if they were following me.”
Jeez, Mike couldn’t believe this. No one knew about him and Shelby.
“Anything they see is kept strictly confidential,” Austin assured him.
That didn’t make Mike feel any better. If he’d known he was being followed, would he have still gone to Shelby’s? Yeah probably, and what did that say about him? Shelby was human and didn’t deserve to have her privacy violated. But if they were watching him when he was with Shelby, that meant she was protected as well. He didn’t expect her to encounter any trouble, but he still liked that she was safe.
“If there is anyone else you’d like to add to the protection order we’d be happy to help,” Austin said as if he was reading Mike’s thoughts. “Human or shifter.”
Yep, Austin knew what Mike was thinking. “Not right now,” Mike replied but nodded a little to himself. If anything did happen to worry him, he might take the Alpha up on his suggestion. Shelby didn’t really have to know, did she? “I guess I just wasn’t expecting more than just the guards for Jody. Jeremy told me about you but didn’t say anything about hiring anyone for me or Randy.”
“We’ll be discreet and you’ll hopefully forget we’re there,” Gray promised.
Mike sat back in his chair and looked around at the other shifters in the room. He liked them already, even if he didn’t know why. He just felt comfortable in their presences. Even Austin, who was obviously a powerful Alpha. As much as he’d enjoy meeting Gage and Cain, he wouldn’t like to be around them too much since they did intimidate him.
However, he could see inviting these three shifters over for dinner or out to a drink. He relaxed. “I appreciate all you’re doing. I won’t make your jobs any harder and will be as careful as I can.”
Austin nodded in approval, and like a young pup, Mike felt warmth flood his system. It’d been a long time since he’d sought approval from an Alpha. Jeremy was so close to family their relationship felt different to Mike.
“Kiley, why don’t you go over our plans for entering and exiting the courthouse?” Austin said.
The young woman stepped forward as she pulled out a map from a bag she carried. She set it down in front of Mike on the desk and pointed to the front entrance. “Today we’ll go in the front but we do have two other plans if we feel there is a danger to any of you,” she said.
Mike listened as she explained alternative routes and situations that might arise and was wowed. If he ever needed a security company in the future, he knew who to call.
It took half an hour for them to iron out all the details. They already had most of everything they needed but since they were working off blueprints and hadn’t actually been inside the courthouse, Mike had pointed out a few trouble spots for them.
All in all, he was extremely happy about how protected Jody would be.
Once Kiley had retaken her spot by the door, Mike turned to Jody. “Did you have any questions or anything to add?” He wanted Jody to feel as comfortable as possible.
“No,” Jody told him. “They went over all this with me last night. I don’t think this is all necessary. I just wanted my old boss to understand he can’t treat people the way he does. I did good work.”
Mike felt for the guy. Even if they won the case, Jody wouldn’t be able to return to the company. And taking on the biggest corporation in the area was going to make finding another job difficult. Jody was currently doing freelance IT work but Mike knew the younger shifter was struggling. “I know. Hopefully this will help other shifters so that they don’t suffer the injustice you did.”
Jody nodded but looked sad. “Thanks, Mike.”
“Of course,” Mike said. “Today is jury selection so you won’t have to do a thing.”
“Good,” Jody said in relief. “I wouldn’t mind another day of normal.”
Mike laughed. “One more, at least.” The entire time that Mike and Jody had worked on putting together the case was all now coming down to the next few days or weeks. Late hours and weekends where they’d given up their only free time had been worth it. At least he hoped so. He was confident that the trial would bring to light how important equal rights for shifters were. His hope was that other shifters would see Jody’s example and fight back against shifter prejudice.
“Is there anything else we need to do before court this morning?” Austin questioned.
“I think we’re all set. If you want to go next door and get some coffee and maybe a little breakfast, I’ll finish up in here,” Mike said. “We’ll arrive at the courthouse together.”
“Sounds good to me.” Gray pushed away from the wall. He clamped a hand on Jody’s shoulder and guided him out of the office.
“I’m going to take a look around the neighborhood,” Kiley said. Her gaze was on Austin, not him.
Austin sighed as he stood. “I’m sure Casey has it covered.”
Kiley didn’t say anything, just continued to stare at Austin. Austin eventually strolled over to her and cupped her face. Mike felt like an intruder witnessing their intimate moment.
“Be careful,” Austin whispered.
“Always,” Kiley told him. She leaned up and kissed him quickly before she spun on her heels and left.
Austin shook his head then looked back over at Mike. “Do you have a mate yet?”
Mike smiled. “Not yet.”
“When you do she’ll keep you on your toes,” Austin predicted.
“I can only hope,” Mike said honestly.
Austin dipped his head before he also left. Mike sat back at his desk. He hadn’t really thought about having a mate in a long time. When his mom was still alive, she used to ask him weekly when he would settle down. For six years now, no one had even brought up him finding a mate. Before he’d met Shelby, Mike had only dat
ed a few women a couple of times before he’d moved on. He spent his time on his job, with friends or Pack. Shelby was the first to get him thinking about a more serious relationship.
She would make one hell of a mate. Shelby already knew about shifters and accepted them. With her high intelligence and passionate drive, she was amazing and he would be lucky if she ever agreed to stay with him for that lasting commitment.
“Crap.” Mike shook all mating thoughts from his head. He did not need to be thinking about that. He had to get ready to go to court. This was an important morning. The right jury had to be chosen. If there was one person who had something against shifters, the entire case could be tainted.
At least Clear Creek was a city that had a good combination of humans and shifters. There was a good chance that at least some of the jury would be shifter. That would be to their benefit.
A knock sounded on his door before Randy opened it up. “You almost ready?”
“Yep.” Mike stood up and transferred his files into his bag before he slid his laptop in to join them.
“I ran into Austin. They’ll meet us in the parking lot,” Randy told him.
“Great,” Mike said. He swung his bag onto his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Mike followed behind Randy as they strolled through the office. He waved at the receptionist, and Carley smiled back. As they left by the front door, he spotted Austin standing next to a dark, luxury SUV. The passenger side and back seat were already filled.
“Are you riding with me?” Mike asked his partner.
“Yes,” Randy answered as he headed to the other side of Mike’s BMW.
Mike hit the unlock button on his key fob before he opened the back door. He glanced over the roof of his car and saw Austin was climbing into the driver side of the SUV.
This was it.
* * * *
The chants were loud and Shelby still couldn’t figure out how the anti-shifter protesters had organized so fast. They’d already done a short report on them, and Shelby could admit that while the leader had been speaking to the camera she had really, really wanted to hit him.
It had been tough to stay professional but Shelby had managed to do her job. She had even texted Julie, her best friend, to see if they could grab lunch and talk. If anyone would understand how difficult it was to be a human on the shifter side of things it would be a human who loved a shifter.
