Barrett came to the door and waved us in.Bellamy and Clover were already inside.
With Kayla.
My heart skipped a beat when her eyes met mine.Her dark blonde hair had been pulled up into a messy bun, and she was wearing sweats, but still wore her signature red lipstick.
“Oh, hello, Gigi!”Clover cooed as she rubbed Gigi’s neck and ears.Gigi did a full body wriggle in appreciation.“Who’s the best girl?”
“You have a dog?”Kayla asked, sliding closer to the edge of the couch, away from Clover and my dog.
“She looks tough, but she’s just a big love bug,” Clover said in an exaggerated voice that people used to talk to babies and animals.“Isn’t that right?”
“She can be tough when she needs to be.”I wouldn’t let anyone sell my girl short.I smiled at Gigi, who continued to soak in all the love, then looked at Kayla.“You don’t like dogs?”
Her eyes widened and her lips parted, like I caught her off guard.Great.This assignment was getting off to an awkward start.
“I’m a wolf,” she finally said.“Our pack never kept dogs as pets.”
“If it makes you feel better, I think of her as part of the family.”I really hoped she didn’t plan to make me choose between this job and my dog because she wouldn’t like my answer.
Would you really walk away from her?my bear asked, and it was my turn to widen my eyes.
What was he insinuating?
Gigi pushed past Clover and went to give Kayla a sniff.There was a moment of tension between them, but Kayla held her hand out.Gigi inspected it, and then her tail started to wag with approval.
“She likes you,” I said.
“She’s cute,” Kayla said and then rose and approached me, holding out her hand.“I’m Kayla.I hear we’re going to be working together.”
“Beau.Hopefully not that long.”My belly clenched and my cock twitched.With her hand in mine, time stood fucking still, and now I knew exactly what my bear was trying to tell me.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her if she felt it too.My bear was in favor of this action.
But instead, she let go of my hand and took a step back.
And then I realized how terrible it sounded.
“I hope we catch this guy quickly and you can get back to your regular life,” I clarified.
But I already knew that wasn’t what I wanted.
This woman was my mate.
No, impossible.My emotions were heightened because I’d watched her on TV for years and now she was standing in front of me.It didn’t hurt that she was even more beautiful in person.
Stop making excuses,my bear growled.What do you say when others make excuses?
I thought they were weak.And that was something I couldn’t afford to be.
Bellamy appeared from a hallway.“Just put your stuff in your bedroom.You should have everything you need here.The internet is secure—everything is filtered through the company’s network and coded so neither of you should be traced here.We’ll be rerouting any deliveries you need, so you’ll want to order things like food in advance or let us know if you want to order takeout.We’ll be varying our drop-off locations and routes to here.If you come in contact with anyone who doesn’t work for Sawtooth Security, call us immediately.”
Kayla raised a brow.“Can we leave the house at all?”
“We’d rather you didn’t,” Barrett said apologetically.“Stick to the deck, and make sure Beau is with you.This guy who tried to capture you is part of a much larger operation.We haven’t identified all his associates yet.We will.It’s our aim for this case to be closed before you get cabin fever.”
“I hope you catch them fast.”She scraped her teeth over her red lip.My bear liked that move a little too much.
Our gazes caught, like she could hear my animal whisper filthy suggestions to me.Looking away felt like weakness.Even though she’d put up one hell of a fight when she’d been abducted, there was no missing that she was freaked out over the situation.As she should be.She’d had her trust and safety violated at work, and she couldn’t go home.
