Wanted: Wild Thing (Midnight Liaisons) (9 page)

When we entered the office, I was surprised to see Bathsheba still at work, and even more surprising than that, one of the Russell twins sat at Savannah’s desk.

“There you are,” Bath said, rushing over to me. “Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick.”

I glanced at my pink rhinestone-encrusted watch. “I’m five minutes early?”

“For your shift, yes. But what about the last two days?”

Last two days? “What do you mean? I was here with Savannah at work last night.”

Bath shook her head, looking frustrated. “Savannah’s been out sick for the past two nights, and you were a no-show. I had to call Beau to get him to send someone over to help out. Everett volunteered, but he’s still learning the systems. Marie held down the fort last night.”

My eyes widened. Two days? “No way. I swear, I was here. With Savannah. It was just last night . . .”

Hugh leaned closer to me, his breath whispering in my ear. “Do you recall our conversation about time?”

I thought for a moment, distracted by his nearness, which was making my monster flicker under my skin. Time? The only time we’d talked about time was when . . .

Oh, no. When we’d talked about time, he’d said that it passed differently in the fae realm. And I’d unthinkingly demanded that he take me to see the primordials, never realizing that spending an hour there meant losing days here. “Two days?” I asked Bath again. Marie had mentioned that I’d been MIA for two days, but I thought she’d been griping that I was ignoring her. I didn’t realize she’d actually meant two days had completely gone past.

“Two days,” she repeated, the worry in her voice taking the snap of annoyance out. “I was about to call the police.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said lamely. “I guess I just . . . lost track of time.”

“I see,” Bath said primly, her gaze going to Hugh. She took him in, and her head tilted. “Is . . . excuse me, sir. Are you a shifter?”

“I am a primordial—”

“He’s a were-tiger,” I interrupted quickly. “From out of town.”

“One of Vic’s?” She looked over at me, her expression chilly. “Are you dating a
client
after all the agency’s been through the last few months?”

“No,” I said in a high, fake laugh. “Don’t be silly.” No one had to remind me of the chaos that had disrupted our small office when Marie had been caught dating vampires. It had nearly started World War Three between the shifters and vampires, and Bath was still sensitive that her agency had been used as the vehicle for the illegal dating. “Nothing like that at all. Hugh here is not local and he’s not good at meeting girls, so I said I’d take him under my wing for a few days and show him how to flirt. I hope that’s okay?”

She nodded absently, glancing over at Everett, who had a phone to his ear and was typing. “It’s good that you’re here,” she murmured. “You can handle the Speed Dating meet-up tonight at Konstantine’s. I was worried we’d have to reschedule.”

Oh, rats. I normally ran the speed dating matches, but tonight wasn’t great for me. For one, I had Hugh tagging along at my heels. “I’m not sure . . .”

“You said you want to date the harpy?” Everett was saying into the phone, a look of consternation on his face. “No, no, I don’t know if she’ll do that, sir. What she does in her personal life is up to her.” He shot Bathsheba a “help me” look.

“Oh, dear,” Bath said, hurrying back over to Everett’s desk. “I’d better help out. Glad you’re back, Ryder.”

“Sure,” I echoed, heading over to my desk. I set down my purse and turned on my computer, watching as Hugh took a standing stance next to my desk, since the stool had been moved. Bath was giving him an odd look as she pointed out things over Everett’s shoulder. “Hugh,” I whispered as I logged in to my computer. “We need to set up your profile. Can you write?”

“Write?”

“I’m going to guess that’s a no. Okay, I’ll help you, then.” I pulled out a piece of paper and one of my pink, glittery pens, uncapping it. “What’s your last name?”

“I am Hugh. You know this.”

“You’re not Hugh Hugh, though.”

“No. Just Hugh.”

“No one here has just one name,” I told him. Well, unless you were a pop star. “You need a second one.”

He looked puzzled. “Why?”

“You know what? Never mind,” I told him, writing. “You’re going to be Hugh Merino. The local tigers are all in the Merino clan.” Now I just needed to hope that the tiger alpha didn’t show up for any reason. Not that there was a high chance of that happening—his mate was pregnant with their first child, so it was safe to say that the odds were against him showing up at a dating agency.

I continued to fill out the form as Hugh peered over my shoulder. “Sex is male,” I said, checking the box. “Age? You know what? I’m just going to put down thirty before you can give me another one of those ‘time moves differently’ answers.” I marked religion as “other” and status as “networking,” since he wasn’t really seeking a woman. He had one of those waiting for him as soon as he delivered me to the fae. I wrinkled my nose in distaste at the thought.

“What does that say?” Hugh asked, and he leaned in so close that his breath whispered against my ear as he regarded the paper I made notes on. His nearness was making my skin ripple in response to him, and my nipples hardened. Eep. Under my desk, I shook my hands out and flexed them, willing my monster to stay back. I fought with it for a few moments, won the battle, and scowled at Hugh. He knew my problem.

Time for a little revenge. “Favorite sex position?” I asked sweetly. I’d intended to leave that one blank, but since he was being a jerk . . .

He jerked backward. “What?”

Both Bathsheba and Everett turned to stare at us, and I waved at Hugh. “Keep it down,” I hissed. “Now. Favorite sex position.”

He gave me a blank look, then leaned in again to whisper in my ear. “There is more than one?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“What is it?”

I turned and stared at Hugh, who was leaning way too close again. His cheeks were ruddy, as if he was blushing, and he looked uncomfortable. He shifted from one foot to another and gave me an expectant look. “Are you kidding?” I asked.

“No.” He glanced at the others, then leaned in again, giving me a very interested look. “Tell me more. I must know these things if I am to please my mate.”

I tapped my glittery pen on the desk, regarding him. Something told me I wasn’t the only virgin here. “You know what? We’ll come back to that later.”

“But—”

“Later,” I hissed. I gave Bath a sweet smile as she looked over at us and tucked her purse under her arm. “You leaving, Boss?”

“I’m meeting Beau for dinner,” she said and smoothed a hand over her ponytail. “Date night.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” I said and gave her an exaggerated wink.

“But you—” Hugh began.

“Hssst!” I said, turning to glare at him. He was going to ruin my carefully crafted persona of office flirt if he blurted out that I was a virgin.

Hugh raised an eyebrow at me but went silent.

I turned back to Bath and gave her a cheery wave. “Like I was saying, have a good one.”

“You, too,” she said. “Call me if you or Everett need anything.”

“Will do. Though I am sure I can help Everett with everything he needs.” I wiggled my eyebrows at the handsome were-cougar at the desk across the room. “He just needs to ask.”

“You flirting with me, Ryder?” Everett grinned at me.

“You know it.”

I heard a low growl in Hugh’s throat, and I stomped on his foot under my desk.

Everett gave us a curious look, leaning back in his office chair. “So, man,” he said, turning to Hugh. “Where you from?”

“He’s from Alaska,” I said quickly, thinking fast. “You know how they say that there’s only one woman for every eight men there? The town he grew up in was more like thirty to one, so he’s not familiar with how to talk to girls. Which is why I’m helping him out.”

Everett scratched his jaw, regarding us. “Okaaaay,” he said, drawling the word. “And what kind of shifter did you say you were again?”

“He’s a—” I started.

“Primordial,” Hugh finished. “Long-tooth.”

I scowled at Hugh.

“Huh? What the hell is that?” Everett looked confused.

“It’s an Alaskan name for tiger,” I said quickly, then turned to glare at Hugh. “Isn’t that right?”

Hugh stared back at me.

“Why don’t you go and get the stool out of the storeroom so you don’t have to hover over me any longer?” I fixed Hugh with my sweetest smile. “And I’m going to make myself some coffee.”

He considered me for a long moment, then glanced at Everett. “I will return.”

“You do that,” I said and headed to the coffeepot.

As soon as Hugh left the room, Everett got up from his chair and sprinted to my side. He touched my elbow—which made me glad I was wearing a daisy yellow long-sleeved cardigan over my floral white-and-yellow sundress—and leaned close. “Hey, Ryder?”

“Hmm?” I pulled out the bag of coffee grounds, noticing that we had a new coffeepot. Sweet.

“How well do you know that guy?”

I sniffed the bag of coffee, enjoying the scent. God, I loved coffee. “Why?”

“There aren’t any shifter clans in Alaska. At least, not voluntarily.” Everett frowned and leaned closer to me. “And I’ve never heard of a long-tooth. I just don’t—”

A big hand shoved Everett backward. Hugh stepped between us, a low, angry rumble in his throat. “Do not stand so close to Ryder.”

Everett raised his hands. “Chill, man. I was just talking to her—”

“You were standing too close,” Hugh reiterated.

“It’s okay,” I said, putting a hand on Hugh’s clothed arm and patting his sleeve. “Everett was just looking out for me. Everything’s fine. Isn’t that right, Everett?”

But Everett was scowling at both of us. Crap. I looked from the snarly were-saber-tooth at my side to the bristling were-cougar a few feet away. I needed to defuse this situation or there was going to be a catfight. Literally. I quickly scooped coffee into the basket and shoved it back in place, then hit the button to start the pot. “So, Everett, where’s that tall, dark, and handsome twin brother of yours?”

Everett eyed us a moment longer, then returned to his desk. “Ellis? He’s Lily-sitting.”

“Ah,” I said. Lily was the feral human girl who had been rescued from the crazy vampire at the same time as Marie. Problem was, Marie had been turned into a shifter, so she was considered “safe” and one of the team. Lily was human and completely messed up from her captivity, so everyone was afraid to release her for fear that she’d spill the Alliance’s secrets. Last I’d heard, Lily had tried to escape twice now, so someone was constantly with her. Today, it seemed, it was Ellis. “Well, tell him I said hello and I miss him.”

“I’m sure he misses seeing your pretty face, too,” Everett teased back.

Hugh scowled at me, crossing his arms, as if he disapproved of this entire conversation.

I ignored Hugh, hovering by the coffeepot until the first cup was brewed. I took it for myself and doctored it with massive amounts of cream and sugar. Then I blew on it, humming as if this had been a normal day and a massive Ice Age shifter hadn’t been hovering a step behind me. “Hey, Everett, I’m leaving shortly for the speed dating session. You going to be okay without me?”

“Lonely,” Everett teased. “But okay.”

Hugh said nothing, but his brows were low on his face. He was clearly not happy.

“Well, you have my number if you need me,” I said to Everett. “I’m taking Hugh with me.”

“And you have my number if you need anything, right?” I couldn’t miss the stress in Everett’s voice. It was so cute that he was being so protective.

“I do,” I said with a sunny smile, and ignored Hugh’s snarl.

Chapter Seven

W
e drove to Konstantine’s, and Hugh scowled at me the entire time from the passenger seat.

“What is it?” I finally asked.

“How familiar are you with that shifter?”

I glanced over at him, juggling my coffee cup with the steering wheel. “Who, Everett? He’s a friend and a real sweetie.”

Hugh’s eyes narrowed. “Your words to him were provocative.”

“Of course they were. We have fun flirting. It’s harmless.”

“It is not harmless. He is interested in you.”

“No, he’s not,” I told him, shaking my head. “Everett’s a were-cougar and he thinks I’m human, so I’m off-limits.” I frowned, though. Bathsheba was human, and she was married to Beau. Marie was human—once—and she was with Josh. And recently the alphas had gotten together to create a more lenient set of rules for dating humans. So theoretically, I
wasn’t
off-limits to Everett anymore.

But Hugh had it all wrong. Everett was just a friend. Even as I told myself that, my scheming mind started to wonder . . . could I get Everett to have sex with me? If I told him my problem? He’d be more understanding than most.

I’d consider it. I wasn’t ready to pounce on Everett just yet. He was nice, but he didn’t drive me crazy. And I knew he definitely wasn’t my True Love, so he was more or less just a buddy.

“You say provocative things to me as well,” Hugh said, interrupting my thoughts. “Are these harmless, too?”

“Of course.” My voice was smooth. “I’m destined for breeding, remember? How could I possibly say anything in a serious manner to you? And you have a primordial mate waiting.”

“I remember.”

“You’ve flirted back with me,” I pointed out, thinking of our banter in my bedroom. “Were you serious?”

Hugh said nothing.

Now . . . that was interesting. I pondered this as we turned into the parking lot of Konstantine’s. I parked the car, chugged the last of my coffee, and turned to Hugh. “We should talk about tonight.”

“What about tonight?”

“Well, for starters, I’m running this group that we call Speed Dating. Or Speed Mating. It’s for supernaturals to meet other supernaturals, and there are going to be a lot of shifters here tonight, and some vampires.” I waited for his reaction. Some of the shifters didn’t like vampires, and Konstantine’s was a notorious vampire hangout. But Hugh didn’t react, so I continued. “We have a lot of male clients, and I flirt with all of them. That’s kind of who I am. So I don’t want you to be surprised or getting all up in anyone’s grill if they come and chat with me, understand?”

He gave me a narrow-eyed look but said nothing.

“Also. Since you’re supposed to be a client, I signed you up for the speed mating.” I gave him my most angelic smile. “It was kind of last-minute, but it’s perfect. This way you can be at my side without seeming like a creeper.”

“What is a creeper?”

I waved that off. “Never mind that. You should be asking about the speed mating.”

“I am not here to mate with other females, Ryder. I am here to ensure that you remain safe—”

“Yadda, yadda, I know. But this is part of your cover. You have to do this.”

“So I am to do this while you laugh and say things to other men to entice them?”

“You’re not familiar with the concept of flirting, are you? It’s just harmless words. Men and women do it all the time.”

“Just words.”

“Yep. Just words. Doesn’t mean anything.”

“What if they touch you while they say it?”

“Well, then that means something different.”

“I see.” Hugh considered this, then glanced over at me. “The were-cougar was going to touch you.”

I frowned. I didn’t remember that. Had Hugh misinterpreted the signals? “I won’t let anyone touch me, I promise.” I didn’t want them to, anyhow.

To my surprise, he extended his pinky. “Swear it.”

I grinned and linked my pinky with his. “Sworn.” Just that bare touch of our skin made a shiver go up and down my body, though, and I recoiled away, trying to recover before we went into the restaurant. “Just . . . give me a minute.”

“This swearing is not good for you,” Hugh observed.

I chuckled despite the pangs wracking my body. “You started it.”

“So I did,” he said thoughtfully.

S
peed dating? Unmitigated disaster.

I sat Hugh down and explained the concept to him. He would sit at a numbered table, where he would be given a small card. Every five minutes, I’d ring a bell and the men would sit down at a new table with a new woman. The concept was to get to know each other for a few minutes. Simple enough. At the end of the evening, everyone would write down the assigned numbers of the people they thought they would be compatible with. If there was a match, I’d set them up later in the system.

In the meantime, I made Hugh promise he couldn’t talk about primordials, fae, the primordial realm, Finian, his vow, changelings, or anything along those lines. Just smile and be friendly, I assured him. And then I hurried away to explain the details of the speed mating game to the others in attendance. Hugh glared at me as I left his side; for a moment I thought he’d follow, but he didn’t.

As I met one shifter, I was surprised to see he was wearing sunglasses indoors. “Hi, my name is Ryder,” I told him. I gave a cheerful wave to avoid doing a handshake, but he stuck his hand out anyhow. Ah, shoot. Blind.

“I’m Brad,” he said, smiling, his hand still extended. “Michigo.”

Dang it. I hated handshakes. There was something inherently intimate about putting your hand in someone else’s, and the closer I got to my birthday, the more the small touches bothered me. I winced and put my hand in his, shaking it as quickly as possible. Just like that, my beast reared, and I bit my lip so hard that I tasted blood. When I was calm, I said, “Pleased to meet you, Brad. Do you have any questions about the speed dating tonight?”

“Just one. Are you one of the dates?” He grinned.

“You big flirt,” I teased, shaking my hands out and flexing them to will my monster away. “I’m just the organizer.”

“But you have such a lovely voice,” he told me, that smile still on his face. “I’m sure the rest of you matches.”

“I’m sure it does,” I said coyly. “But I’m human and not on the menu.”

“Some of us have educated palates and aren’t afraid to try a little something new,” Brad said. “But I have to say, I’m disappointed.”

I chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy meeting our lovely ladies here tonight.”

“You’ll keep me in mind if you ever decide you want to date a shifter?” He continued to smile in my direction, pulling out his white cane. “I would tell you that you have a lovely smell, but most humans don’t appreciate that.”

“I’ve been around enough shifters to know a compliment when I hear one,” I flirted. “But I’ll be glad to help you if you’d like assistance from table to table.”

“I’d say no, but then that would deprive me of your presence, and I can’t resist,” Brad said with a grin. “So I’ll accept.”

“Perfect,” I said, linking my arm through his but making sure to touch just his coat sleeve. I still had ripples of muscle jerking along my back, but I kept my fists clenched in the hopes that it’d die down. After a few moments, it did, and I exhaled a sigh of relief. One hurdle down.

I rang the bell, clicked on my stopwatch, and the speed dating started.

I knew it was going to be a problem the minute Hugh sat down at the first table. He scowled at everyone, for starters, and then proceeded to snarl at his poor date, who trembled with fear. I bit my lip, watching. Should I intervene? I hesitated.

Then Hugh turned and gave me a foul look, as if this was all my fault.

I decided to let him suffer through the entire speed date cycle after that.

I rang the bell soon enough, the five minutes passing like eternity—for myself
and
Hugh, I imagined—and then I headed over to escort Brad to his next table. “Find someone you like?” I asked him.

“Yes, but she says she doesn’t date shifters,” he flirted back.

What a doll. “I meant at your table.”

“Ah. There’s potential, but her voice wasn’t nearly as lovely as yours,” he told me.

“Maybe this next will do the trick,” I said, steering him with my hand on his sleeve, careful to avoid skin contact. I dropped Brad off before he could flirt more and resumed my position at the head of the room, where I rang the bell again. “Date number two, start!”

Five couples immediately began talking and shaking hands. One couple did not: couple number two—Hugh and a pretty were-something. I should have guessed. She’d extended her hand for him to shake. He’d taken it, examined it for a moment, and then handed it back as if not interested. Poor woman.

As I watched the couples interact, my gaze slid back to Brad. Michigo. I recognized the name—were-otter family. I’d never met Brad before, though. I’d have remembered someone who flirted as blatantly as I did. He’d definitely seemed interested, though, and even though I hated to admit it, his blindness had me intrigued.

If he was blind, he wouldn’t notice me shifting into something else if he touched me. He’d feel I was changing, all right, but there were ways around that. I could handcuff him to the headboard of my bed, for starters. Or get him drunk. Something.

He wasn’t my True Love, but this had potential. I might lose my virginity after all.

I just had to ditch my big shadow.

I hid my bubbling excitement as the speed dating continued. Hugh seemed downright miserable, as did each woman he sat with. That was a shame. Maybe if I could find him someone to date, I could get him off my back long enough to hop into bed with a stranger.

Ugh. I didn’t like the way that sounded, but I was running low on options.

I rang the final bell. “All right, everyone. Final round is over! Please swing by to turn in your cards.” I put on my cheeriest smile. “If there are any matches, I’ll notify you via email later tonight.”

I collected cards as people approached me, and I noticed that a few had started chatting on their own, laughing and talking. That was a good sign. That meant we’d have a few promising matchups. The worst was when everyone filed out without talking. Then I knew the evening had gone badly.

I received eleven cards—Hugh’s was blank and he gave me another obnoxious glare before moving to my side—and I glanced down the row to see that Brad was still in his seat. “Wait here,” I told Hugh and set off for Brad before Hugh could argue with me. I sauntered up and noticed that Brad had turned his head toward me before I even got there, his shifter sense of smell alerting him to my presence. “Decide you couldn’t get enough of this place?” I teased, putting my hand on his sleeve again. “Or just waiting for me?”

He grinned. “Waiting for the perfect opportunity to point out that the laws changed and shifters can now date humans with the approval of their alpha. Considering I’m the alpha of my group, I give myself permission. So what do you say to drinks?”

“Drinks?” I pretended to consider this, even while my heart was skipping madly in my chest. Excitement made my hands curl, and my fingers dug into his sleeve. “Don’t drinks usually lead to more?”

“Only if both parties want it,” he said, getting to his feet. He stood close to me—extremely close. “Why, are you interested in it being more?”

I need sex!
I wanted to blurt, but I kept my voice coy. “I might be—”

One massive hand descended on Brad’s chest, and one on my shoulder, and we were forcibly separated. Hugh stepped between us. “This woman is not available for you,” Hugh said in an angry voice. “Do not touch her.”

“Hugh,” I said sweetly, my teeth gritted. “Step off. This is none of your business.”

“It is my business,” Hugh said.

Brad lifted his hands in the air, walking cane tucked under his arm. “I don’t want any trouble. I didn’t realize she was claimed.”

“I’m not,” I protested. “I’m not his mate. And I do want to go out for drinks.”

“No,” Hugh said again and turned back to me. His cat-eyes were fierce. “I have endured this speedy dating because you insisted. Now it is my turn to insist. Ryder, you are to leave with me.”

I shrugged Hugh’s big hand off my shoulder, furious. “And what if I say no?”

“It sounds like the lady doesn’t want to go with you, friend,” Brad began mildly. Far too mild for an alpha, I thought bitterly. It was clear Brad was a bit of a liar. He gave an apologetic smile in Hugh’s direction. “Perhaps you should leave her alone.”

“My job is to remain at her side and protect her virginity,” Hugh snarled in Brad’s face. His big hand clamped down on my shoulder again.

Despite the fact that we were in a side room at the restaurant, several people in the next room turned to look over at us, overhearing Hugh’s words.

“Oh, my God,” I moaned. “You did
not
just say that out loud in a crowded restaurant.”

“And if she doesn’t want it protected?” Brad asked.

“Yeah,” I said, pushing Hugh’s hand off my shoulder again.

“Then I will protect it for her,” Hugh said. “Against her will if I must.”

“You can’t make me leave,” I hissed at him. “This is a public place.” I was safe from him here.

Hugh leaned in to me, his face close to mine. “I am sorry for what I am about to do.”

“Do? What—”

His hand moving to the back of my neck, he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to mine in a startling, fierce kiss. His lips mashed against my own, and his scent was in my nostrils, his body pressed to mine.

Then, just as quickly, he pulled away. I stared up at him, dazed.

“Now, we leave,” Hugh said.

I blinked, trying to process all of this. Kiss? Leave? What? He grabbed my hand in his and dragged me toward the doors of the restaurant.

I immediately tried to jerk away, realizing what all this was about.

He was deliberately activating my changeling side. Hugh knew that if my curse kicked in, I’d have no choice but to leave with him. Anger burned inside me, but it was quickly swallowed up by the transformation spiraling through my body. My monster coiled and reared, and I felt my skin shiver with awareness. Anger at Hugh blossomed, then quickly turned to fear when others started to look at us.