Van Holtz looked at his mate. “Dee-Ann ...”
“If he’s alive, I’ll find him. That’s what I do. Besides, I got this far.”
“Be careful,” Crush warned her. “Baissier hates wolves.”
“Darlin’, I’m always careful.”
“What about you, Crushek?” Gentry asked.
“What about me?”
“She attacked you in your home. You can’t go back.”
“Ever? I just bought that house.”
Gentry sighed, looking at Van Holtz.
“I think what Chief Gentry means is you should go someplace safe
for the time being
. I can arrange something until we sort this all out.”
“Yeah ... great.”
“What about Malone?” the She-wolf asked.
“What about me?”
“You and the bear are fuckin’.”
“Aw, baby, now don’t be jealous. You’re just a little too butch for me.”
“I think,” Crush cut in before the two She-predators could get into it, “she means that Baissier probably already knows about us, which means she might come at me through you. Or even your family.”
Cella and the lynx looked at each other and started giggling.
“Oh,” Cella said when no one joined in. “You’re serious.”
“It’s best to take precautions,” Van Holtz suggested.
Crush pushed away from the table and stood, taking Cella’s hand. “Could you excuse us for a minute?”
He walked out, Cella with him, stopping when they reached the living room again.
“Baissier’s desperate,” he reminded Cella.
“I know she is.”
“Well, I don’t want you or your family to get caught in the middle of that.”
“Don’t worry about my family. The Malones can take care of their own.”
“What about Meghan? Josie?”
“Archangel Gabriel couldn’t touch them, much less some overwrought bear.” She reached up, pressing her palm to the side of his face. “But to ensure their safety, I’ll crash somewhere else. The family will protect Meg and Josie. I can take care of myself.”
“You’ll crash with me.”
“At a Motel Hell off the turnpike? I’d rather live in an alley.”
“I think,” Smith said from the archway, “we can do a tad better than that so as not to hurt your feline sensibilities, Malone.”
“You’d better, Smith. You do know how I like my comforts.”
C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-EIGHT
“I
t’s got a stocked refrigerator and a full bar, none of that mini shit in the suites. Also room service. Y’all need anything, you just let me know.” The She-wolf grinned. “Just ask for Sissy.”
Crush looked around at the Kingston Arms suite Dee-Ann Smith had gotten them into. The Kingston Arms hotel chain was an extremely high-end establishment that usually only the wealthiest full-humans and shifters could afford to stay at. He was sure that Baissier had probably stayed at a few, but he doubted she’d hand over money for one of these suites. It was really hard to justify ten grand a night on one’s expense report.
Cella scanned the living room they stood in and nodded. “This is nice.”
Nice? She thought this was just nice? God, what was she doing with him? Even with his pay increase working for Gentry’s division, he’d never be able to afford a place like this. And he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to be able to. With that kind of money came all sorts of high-level problems.
“Oh,” the She-wolf said, “I’m sure this ain’t as fancy as a Malone RV or camper, but I’m sure y’all will somehow manage to make do.”
Sneering, the She-wolf walked out, the door slamming behind her.
“Is there
anyone
you don’t manage to irritate?”
“She’s a Smith wolf.”
“So?”
“I was put on this planet to irritate Smith wolves.”
He shook his head, feeling exhausted after the last couple of days. “Just be glad she didn’t eat you,” he sighed.
“Um ... what?”
Cella’s phone rang and she quickly answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Ma.”
“Hey, baby. Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Everyone’s fine. Now tell me what’s going on.”
Cella liked hearing the strength in her daughter’s voice. Yeah, she’d only turned eighteen, but she was already growing into her fangs. Becoming what Cella’s Great-Gram would call, “a proper little She-bitch.”
As an adult Malone female, Meg should no longer need protecting, but Cella wasn’t taking any chances. Not with her two girls and Jai. “Unsecure line, baby, but you can get specifics from Kathleen. Just understand, you, Josie and the rest of the cousins, Jai, too, don’t leave that street unless you’ve got your uncles with you. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes.” And, unlike Cella, her daughter would be smart. The kid wouldn’t be wandering off, looking for trouble. “Are you all right, Ma?”
“Me? I’m fine.”
“Grams told Deirdre you were with Detective Crushek. She sort of sang it to her.”
Cella grinned. God, her mother could be trifling. “Yeah. That’s where I am. Just for a little while, though. Until this gets straightened out. Okay?”
“Sure. And good for you.”
Cella got on the sofa, her feet on the cushions, her ass on the back of the couch. “Good for me? Why?”
“Because you never get any time away. You’re either playing hockey, being a cat killer—”
“Stop calling me that.”
“—or arguing with the aunts. Now you don’t have to worry about running home to be here for me in the morning or feeling guilty when you can’t. You can enjoy spending time with Detective Crushek.”
“Are you saying that because you like him?”
“I’m saying that because I think he’s good for you. You need someone ... centered.”
“I’m centered.”
“
Ma
.”
“I can be when I try.” Cella plucked at a loose string on her jeans. “But you do know, right? You know that you are and always will be my priority. You know that, don’t you, baby?”
“I know that and have never doubted it. Ever. Nothing Deirdre says or does will ever change that. But I also know the rules that you live by, Ma. That we all live by.” There was a long pause. “And I don’t mind them. I don’t mind those rules. I don’t mind my life. I don’t mind babysitting the cubs or helping out the aunts when I need to. I’ve never minded.”
“Yeah. I see that now.”
“But I’m sorry I lied to you. I just didn’t know how to tell ...”
“Yeah. I know. I’m sorry, too. It seems I’m a Malone female, after all. I didn’t even ask you what you wanted. Just assumed I knew best.”
“You only want me happy. That’s why I had trouble telling you I wasn’t going to Boston U. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Don’t worry about that now. We’ll work it out when I get back. But maybe you and Josie can still get a room on campus? Stay with the family on the weekends to do laundry and get some of Kathleen’s stew. At least for freshman year. I just want you to understand that not everyone’s an outsider.” She glanced over at Crush staring out the window, lost in his own thoughts. “There can be a place in your life for a lot of different people.”
“Actually ... I was thinking that, too. Daddy already said he’d pay for me to live on campus with Josie.”
“Look at you. Always ten steps ahead with the planning.”
Meg laughed. “And who do you think I learned that from? Now, I gotta go and maybe you can have lunch with Detective Crushek.” Cella rolled her eyes and chuckled. Her daughter was just
so
obvious. “Talk to you later, Ma?”
“I’ll call you later tonight,” Cella promised her. “This will be over soon, baby.”
“I know, Ma. I know you’ll take care of it.”
Meg disconnected the call and Cella tossed her phone to the couch, looking over at the hulking male across the room. She hadn’t seen him this tense since she’d first met him. And she knew exactly what was bothering him, too.
“It’s not your fault, Crushek.”
If she hadn’t said his name, Crush would have thought Cella was still talking to her daughter. Hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans, he turned. But instead of her still being across the room, abusing the expensive furniture with her boots, she was standing right behind him.
“Huh?” was all he could manage.
“You heard me.”
“You’re separated from your daughter—”
“According to her I needed to get away.”
“—your family—”
“They’re the reason I need to get away.”
“—your job—”
“I’m a contractor, I have flexible hours.”
“It’s my fault.”
“It’s that bitch’s fault. You can’t help it she’s a narcissistic mess.”
“Yeah, but—”
The She-tiger growled and walked away. “I don’t want to talk about that sow anymore!” she announced, arms thrown wide.
“Okay, okay. We don’t have to talk about ... about ...” Her sweatshirt flipped past his head, followed by her right sneaker, then her left. That one bounced off his forehead. “Uhhh ... Malone?”
“Uh-huh?”
“What are you doing?”
“Getting naked so you can fuck me.” She faced him, arms going behind her back to unhook her bra. “My knee’s feeling better.”
“Well, the swelling’s down.”
“Yeah.” She slipped off the bra, held it out with two fingers. “So we can do one of my favorite positions.”
“Malone, we have to discuss—”
“Where are we going to fuck? How about this huge couch we’ve got?” She took a quick look around. “This must be a bear suite.”
“Malone—”
“Or”—she tapped her chin, slowly turning—“you can take me facedown on that dining room table. It’s really smooth looking, so my tits won’t get chafed.”
“Um ...”
“There’s even a kitchen table in there. It looks sturdy.”
“Stop it, Malone.”
“Stop what?”
“You know what. And you can stop smirking, ya goddamn tease.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Would you prefer I grin broadly?”
“It would be a little more honest since you know exactly what you’re doing to me.”
“Not exactly.” Now she did grin broadly. “But I do have a general idea.” She walked toward him. “Would you really rather sit around this gorgeous hotel room that we’re not paying for, blaming yourself for something not your fault, and being miserable?” She pressed her hand to his chest and stroked it. “Or would you rather spend the rest of the day fucking me stupid?”
He sighed, big and loud. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? You don’t know what?”
“There’s a lot of things we should be doing. I mean, can’t this wait?”
Her hands dropped back to her hips, but now there was definitely some attitude. “Can it wait? I’m standing here naked—”
“Not completely.”
“—and you’d rather do some
things
rather than be with me?”
“It’s nothing personal. There’s just a lot going on.”
Her mouth dropped open, her feline sensibilities insulted. “Fine! You go do what you need to do.”
He watched her swipe up her clothes before she stormed away, adorable ass moving side to side. If she’d been in her animal form, he’d bet her tail would be twitching up a storm. Enjoying himself, Crush let her get as far as the hotel room door... .
Disgusted she’d bothered to give this bear the time of day and determined she’d never make that stupid mistake again, Cella snatched open the room door, only to have it shut again by big, clumsy bear hands!
“Do you mind?” she sniped, yanking the door open again.
“Yeah,” he said calmly, almost bored. “I do mind.” He slammed the door shut again.
“Well that’s too goddamn bad.” She pulled on the door, but he leaned his shoulder against it, arms wrapped around his chest, black-eyed gaze staring across the room. Then he sighed again, still sounding bored!
“Move!”
“I need you to calm down, ma’am.”
Ma’am? Did he just call me ma’am?
“I don’t want to calm down. I want to leave.”
“Sorry, Ma’am.”
Again with the ma’am?
“I can’t allow that.”
“You can’t ... are you kidding me?”
“Ma’am”—he took her arm and pulled her away from the door—“why don’t you just go sit down until you’re calm, okay?”
“Get your hands off me!”
“Ma’am—”
“
And stop calling me ‘ma’am’!
”
“Yeah,” he said, pulling her around so that he stood behind her and had both her arms in his grasp. “I’m going to have to call this in.”
“Call ... what?”
“I tried to cut you a break, but you’re way out of control.” And then she felt it, against her wrists. Heard that distinctive sound.
Cold titanium cuffs.
“You’re handcuffing me?”
“It’s for your own safety, ma’am.” He made her walk forward until she hit the sofa, held her cuffed arms with one hand while pressing between her shoulder blades with the other until she was bent over, her ass hiked up by the seatback.
“You’re arresting me?”
“You didn’t give me much choice, ma’am. Now if you’ll just remain calm ...”
Cella bit her lip, having to fight not to laugh.
He crouched behind her, strong fingers sliding up the back of her calf.
“Shouldn’t a female officer be frisking me?” she asked, making sure to sound as haughty as possible.
“Don’t have time to wait for that, ma’am. I have to think of others’ safety first.”
“But I’m mostly naked ... what exactly do you think I’m hiding?”
“You’d be amazed what people can hide on their persons, ma’am.”
Cella’s eyes closed, the feel of the bear’s fingers slowly dragging up her inner thigh driving her wild.
“Especially women, ma’am.” His fingers brushed against her panties. “Women can smuggle all sorts of things around with them that could put everyone at risk.” He pressed his fingers right up against her pussy. “Mhmm. Yeah. Unfortunately, ma’am, we’ll have to get rid of these panties to ensure a proper pat-down. It’s for your own safety and mine,” he murmured, big fingers slowly dragging down her panties until he had them at her ankles. “Step out of them.”
Cella lifted one foot, then the other.
He leaned forward, the panties in his hand. “Now again, for your safety and mine, I’m going to have to ... go a little deeper. If you cause me any problems over that ...” He swung the panties by his forefinger. “I’ll have to gag you. Understand?”
Cella, already panting, could only nod.
“That’s good.” He dropped her underwear right in front of her so that she was forced to look at it, get the blatant threat of it. God, what a deliciously dirty bear she had to play with.