by Crissy Smith
Mike nodded then kissed her gently. “That would be great.” He strolled over to the door where he’d dropped his stuff. He’d only thrown on his jeans after he’d gotten back up but he didn’t plan to get dressed. After he worked on his statement for the next morning, he would be taking Shelby back to bed.
He pulled his laptop out of his bag and set it on the table before opening the lid. He pushed the power button to wait for it to load. While the computer worked, he peeked over at Shelby. She was at the counter pouring water into the coffee machine. The ease with which she moved around the kitchen told him that she spent enough time here to be comfortable.
In his mind, he could see her doing the same at his house as they both got ready for the day. They hadn’t shared that intimacy yet but he now had something to look forward to. He smiled to himself.
A knock on the back door surprised him from his thoughts. He frowned and motioned for Shelby to stay behind the kitchen island. Cautious, he walked over to the door slowly. He pushed aside the yellow curtain that covered the small window in the door.
Clint and Kurt stood on the step. Clint grinned and waved.
Mike laughed and pulled open the door. “Hey, guys,” he greeted. “I’m sorry, I was supposed to call and tell Austin where I was.”
“Good thing we got guys watching you,” Kurt said.
“Got some of your stuff. Don’t worry, I broke in without leaving behind any sign.” Clint held up a duffle bag, and Kurt held a hanging bag that would no doubt hold a suit or two.
“Come in.” He motioned them forward. He wasn’t really surprised that Clint had gotten inside his place. One thing he was learning about all these shifters was that they were some talented guys with questionable skills.
Clint entered first followed closely by Kurt. Mike closed the door and reached for his belongings. “I really appreciate it,” he told them. There was really no point in stating the fact that he could have given them a key. He got the feeling that Clint had really enjoyed himself.
“No problem,” Kurt said. He glanced over at Shelby. “We didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Oh no,” Shelby spoke up. “We were just going to have some coffee. Would you like to join us? It’s about finished brewing.”
Clint and Kurt exchanged a look. Mike glanced back at Shelby. There he was in only his jeans and Shelby wore her jeans with his T-shirt. It was obvious that they’d been quite busy earlier.
“Guys, this is Shelby Holt,” Mike introduced. “Shelby, this is Clint Price and Kurt Moore. They were sent by the Wolf Council to make sure everything remains safe and in control.”
She raised an eyebrow and her eyes twinkled.
“You’re off the clock,” he said as he pointed a finger at her knowing she would be dying to interview them. “Guys, at least join us for one cup of coffee. I really appreciate this.” He held up his bags.
“Thanks,” Clint said before he strolled to the table.
Kurt shook his head but followed his friend. “Sorry to interrupt,” Kurt whispered to Mike as he passed. “I can smell the hormones in here.”
“It’s okay,” Mike assured him.
“Usually he’s not this big of an ass,” Kurt said.
Clint laughed. “What can I say? I miss my mate so why should anyone else have any fun.”
“Mate?” Shelby walked to the table. “Are you both mated?”
Well, that was easy. He should have known that Shelby would just fit in with a group of shifters. She’d already proved that she was on the shifter side and felt comfortable around them.
“I’m going to take these bags to the guestroom,” Mike said.
“Sure,” Shelby said as she waved while leaning closer to Clint. “Can I ask how long you’ve been mated? Shifter or human?”
Mike chuckled as he walked out. Shelby was a reporter in her bones. It didn’t matter if she was working a story or just wanted information. He hurried to the room and dropped the duffle on top of the dresser before he continued to the closet so he could hang up his suits.
Instead of going through the bag Clint had brought, he headed back out to the kitchen. Shelby was laughing at something Clint had said but when he walked back in she glanced to him. Her features softened and he felt himself warm from the inside out. There might be two good-looking shifters next to her but she gazed at him like he was the best thing ever.
She started to rise, but he held up his hand. “I’ll get the coffee.”
Shelby smiled then turned back to Clint. “So you’re both mated to humans? Is that usual?”
He half-listened as the three of them talked. The questions that Shelby asked revolved more around the guys’ personal lives and she never brought up the trial that had brought them to town. That couldn’t be easy for her but she was separating her profession from their relationship.
When he reached the coffee pot, he saw there were already four mugs sitting on the counter next to a canister of sugar and a carton of creamer. Mike filled the mugs then replaced the carafe. He turned with two mugs in his hands and Kurt was standing there holding out his hands. He hadn’t heard the other shifter move even with his shifter hearing, which shocked him.
“I thought I’d help,” Kurt said. “It seems like Clint and your girl have hit it off.”
His girl—Mike liked the sound of that. “Thanks.” He tilted his head. He snagged the creamer carton with his finger before he picked up two mugs. He strolled to the table and set one cup in front of Shelby then set the other where he could sit beside her. He placed the creamer in the middle of the table. He preferred his coffee black but knew Shelby liked plenty of creamer and sugar. Kurt joined them, passing one coffee to Clint.
Clint never paused while telling the story about his mate—who owned a coffee shop—and how they’d met. Shelby was nodding along, encouraging Clint, but she did cover Mike’s knee with her hand.
Mike sipped his coffee and relaxed in his chair as he listened. Clint’s mate sounded like a lot of fun and he wouldn’t mind stopping by her coffee shop, which both Clint and Kurt raved about. Maybe he could plan a trip for him and Shelby to visit them. She’d probably love it.
Clint and Kurt both lived and worked for the Council and Mike would love to talk to one of the Council members.
The Wolf Council was an assembly of previous Alphas who helped keep the wolf shifter laws that had been set. Each shifter faction was ruled differently and the wolves depended on Alphas who’d ruled and protected different Packs throughout the states. Since his business brought him into contact with all types of people, Mike had met other shifter species. He knew that the felines followed a royal line. The bears, however, were solitary. The top bear shifter won the position in battle.
Shelby would probably be interested in how shifter species worked. With the spotlight on the shifters due to his case, it might be helpful for humans to see that the shifter world did have a way to police one another. Shelby would be great in charge of getting the information to the humans.
There was even a law enforcement agency called the Shifter Coalition that was made up of shifters and worked like the FBI. Mike even knew one of the shifters who ran one of the selective units.
He rose when he saw that everyone’s cups were almost empty. He grabbed the carafe but when he hovered it over Kurt’s mug the shifter waved him off.
“We really should be going,” Kurt said.
Clint sighed. “He’s right. I’d love to visit more,” he said to Shelby. “But we do have some more work to do tonight.”
“We’ve contacted the police department and there will be officers at the courthouse to help with crowd control. I don’t think they expected the numbers that showed up,” Kurt said.
“I’d feel better having them there,” Mike said.
Kurt and Clint stood, and Shelby rose as well.
“You’ll be around the courthouse tomorrow?” Clint asked Shelby.
“Of course.” She grinned. “That’s my job.”
“I
have some friends in town and I think you’d really get along with Nikki,” Clint said.
“Oh God!” Kurt laughed. “That’s perfect.”
Mike glanced between the two guys. “Nikki?” he asked.
“Nikki Stratton,” Kurt said. “She’s a photo journalist and has written a couple of the shifters books that were released by the Council.”
“That’s great!” Shelby actually bounced.
“She’s a shifter who mated another shifter,” Clint added. “So she could give you another view on mated life.”
“I’d love to meet her,” Shelby said.
“She’ll be at the courthouse tomorrow, working on her own article. I’ll have her find you,” Clint promised.
Kurt walked to the door, and Mike followed.
“Thanks again,” Mike said.
“It was our pleasure,” Kurt replied.
Clint stepped up and slapped him on the back as he passed. “We’ll be seeing you both later.”
Mike waited until they’d gotten to their vehicles before he closed and locked the door. He turned and found Shelby cleaning up the table.
“You still have work to do,” she said. “More coffee?”
He nodded. “Yes, please.”
She smiled before refilling his mug. Mike strolled over to the table where his laptop still sat. He took a seat but when Shelby passed he grabbed her hand.
“Did you enjoy meeting them?” He already knew the answer but asked anyway.
“I did,” she said as she gazed at him.
“Good. Maybe before everyone leaves we can get together again,” Mike suggested.
“That sounds great,” Shelby agreed. She pulled away and took a step before she stopped. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” Mike said.
“I know you can’t talk about the case, and I understand that. I’m trying to be very careful around your friends so they don’t feel like I’m trying to grill them,” she said.
“I know and I appreciate it,” Mike told her. “But I also don’t want you to change. I respect what you do and if you get a chance to ask questions, as long as they don’t have anything to do with my actual case, I don’t have a problem with it.”
“You’re awesome,” Shelby stated.
“I think you are too,” he admitted.
“But what I was thinking is a little different,” she said.
“How so?” he asked.
“I was thinking about doing a piece to show the inner workings of shifters. Like how wolf shifters follow an Alpha and what the Pack means to you all,” Shelby said. “I’ve heard how you talk about your Alpha and other Pack members. I’m interested in the dynamics from the inside.”
Since he’d been thinking about the same thing earlier he only nodded. “I’ll be happy to help. I can even introduce you to people who might be interested also. Other shifter species, perhaps.”
“Other…shifters!” Shelby squealed then was in his lap.
Mike managed to keep the legs of his chair on the floor, not letting her knock them over. Shelby was kissing all over his face.
“Okay,” he said. “We can discuss this but I have to get some work done.”
“Right,” Shelby said as she climbed off him. “I’m going to jot down a few thoughts so I don’t forget anything.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed.
Shelby leaned down and kissed him thoroughly. Mike allowed himself to enjoy their lip lock. When she pulled back, Mike had to force himself not to grab her and sit her back on his lap. There would be time for that later.
He really needed to work.
Chapter Five
The opening statement in a case was extremely important. It was the first time he got to state his case and give the jury an idea of who his client was and what had been done to him or her. Mike watched the jury members’ faces as he spoke. He was depending on their sympathy to help him. That was one of the reasons that the defense counsel had tried to get a bench trial where there would be no jury and a judge would decide the outcome. Luckily that hadn’t happened. Although there had been two judges he could have gotten that were also shifters.
The twelve men and women who’d been chosen all listened intently. Mike appreciated their attention. He felt good about the case. At the end of his speech, he glanced over at the defense table. The attorney was scowling while his client could only be described as bored.
Mike barely kept the smile off his face. The more the defense client acted like an ass, the better things were going to go for Mike’s team.
He thanked the jurors then strolled back to his seat. If there was an extra pop in his step, let the other people in the courthouse think it was because he was sure about winning the case.
Of course Mike was damn confident but he knew better than to expect victory. And it was no one’s business that he felt so damn good because of how he’d begun his day.
He’d woken up that morning with Shelby in his arms and his morning erection pressed against her. Hoping that she’d be able to sleep a little more, Mike had climbed out of bed trying not to disturb her.
Five minutes later as he’d showered, Shelby had joined him and they’d had another first—shower sex—and he was still buzzing from it. Afterward, he’d made breakfast while Shelby had spoken to her producer about the day’s plans.
He’d enjoyed listening to her share all her thoughts about the case and her future projects the night before. It had been after midnight before they’d gone to bed, and Shelby had filled up three pages of her notebook with ideas and things she wanted to follow up on. She’d also made a list of people who might be willing to speak with her.
Mike had been surprised by how many shifters Shelby knew. Really he should have expected it, though. Shelby had been around Clear Creek a long time and she was well liked. Because she was fair and honest, people were willing to talk to her. That, and the fact Shelby had been the reporter who had covered the story when the old mayor had been arrested.
What a scandal that had been. Who would have guessed that the mayor would be accused and later convicted of organized crime, murder, drug trafficking and other assorted offenses? That had been a huge story.
Now she was the face of this trial. Which was another case that highlighted how shifters were targets. It made Mike worry about her. If someone could go after him or Jody, he had to guess that Shelby might also be a target. That thought made his stomach turn.
Damn, he needed to get his mind back on the case. He had friends he could rely on to help watch over Shelby if need be. Mike leaned forward to listen more intently.
The defense attorney was droning on but he wasn’t saying anything that Mike hadn’t expected. Shoddy work? Then why hadn’t there been any write-ups or verbal warnings?
It was obvious that the longer the attorney spoke, the less the jurors were interested. They started to fidget in their seats and look around. Mike leaned forward and peered over at Randy. His law partner discreetly raised his eyebrows and smiled.
Yeah, Randy was feeling the same as he was. Unless something major happened, and Mike doubted it would, the case was going to be a slam-dunk.
Jody had stopped staring at the table and was watching the defense attorney and it was clear the younger shifter just couldn’t believe what the attorney was saying.
Several jury members were also glancing at Jody, gauging his reaction. One man nodded slightly, as if to himself.
* * * *
Shelby handed Pete a cold Sprite before she sat down in the passenger seat of the news van. They’d already gone live twice that morning, and so far she was extremely happy with her reports.
“I’m going to work on the interviews you did earlier so we can get them ready for the noon broadcast,” Pete said.
“Great.” Shelby grinned at him. “I think they went well.”
“Are you kidding? It was brilliant. I don’t see the others out here taking the same direction or asking the questions you did. The report w
ill be different from what everyone else is doing,” Pete said. “And then you have me who is going to edit it all to show the brilliance.”
Pete was so much more than just a cameraman. He could edit in the field, then send it on to the station. Shelby was lucky to have him with her again. When they’d met that morning at the station, Pete had even brought her a mocha he’d picked up on his way in.
If these stories worked out, Shelby was going to request him every time she went out in the field. Sure, she would have to share him, but maybe, just maybe he could be her number one technician.
“Shelby Holt?”
She looked up from the water bottle she’d been opening. A young woman about her age was walking up and smiling. She was pretty with tousled blonde hair, along with a cute turned-up nose. Behind her was a good-looking man wearing a motorcycle jacket, black jeans and a black T-shirt. He was glaring at anyone who got close to the blonde.
“Yes?” she asked as she set her water aside and jumped down.
“Hi,” the blonde said. “I’m Nikki Stratton, and Clint said it’d be okay if I came over to talk to you.”
As Nikki and the guy reached her, Pete straightened and angled himself slightly in front of Shelby. Pete would be able to tell they were shifters right away by their scent. Shelby only knew because Clint had mentioned it the night before.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Shelby said as she stuck out her hand. “Clint said he’d introduce us but I’m happy to see you now.” She nodded to Pete to let him know she was okay.
“You too.” Nikki’s voice was soft but there was something in her tone that Shelby recognized as strength. “This is my mate, RJ Cross.”
RJ tilted his head but didn’t say anything. He was still looking around at the crowd.
“You’ll have to excuse him.” Nikki waved her hand. “He’s a little protective of me at the moment.” Nikki placed her hand on her stomach.
“Oh!” Shelby looked between Nikki and the glowing shifter behind her. “Congratulations!”
“Thanks.” Nikki beamed. “We only found out a few days ago and I’d already decided to make a trip here. My brothers”—Nikki rolled her eyes—“are also around here somewhere. It was the only way they’d allow me to come.”
