Penny sighed and rubbed her temples. Trains of thought ran rampant in her head. She couldn’t decide which ones she should follow, which ones were more important to understand. One of them did stand out, though…
She eyed Decker. “So, you’re supposed to be this merciless bounty hunter, right?”
He tilted his head back and forth. “Merciless is a bit strong, but...”
“And I’m a complete stranger to you.”
Decker looked mockingly hurt. “I thought we’d grown closer than that.”
“But you were going to use me to get to Lucius, right?” Penny pressed.
Decker shrugged. “Sure.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So why do you want to help me?”
Decker grew still. His face was frozen in that laughing look, but there was no humor behind it now. “Ah,” he said. “That’s where it gets…complicated.”
Penny crossed her arms and tried to look stony. It wasn’t easy considering who was standing in front of her. If Decker was everything he claimed to be, she could very well be signing her own death certificate by challenging him. But somehow, she truly believed that he wouldn’t hurt her. Some deep part of her wanted to trust him. An even deeper part of her was still maddeningly attracted to him, despite the rigid coldness she’d developed toward men after Lucius left her.
Shoving all these thoughts back, Penny straightened her shoulders. “I can handle complicated.”
Decker shook his head. “There are levels of complicated you’ve never even tasted before.”
The way he said tasted made the hairs on her arms stand up. Mouth dry, she said, “Try me.”
Decker pushed himself away from the counter and took one, two, three unhurried steps toward her. Half of Penny wanted to back away. The other half wanted to close the remaining distance. She managed to hold her ground, but there was nothing she could do to keep the heat from rising in her face. The inexplicable attraction tugged harder than ever.
He dipped his head so they were almost eye to eye, and, in a low, predatory voice, he said, “You’re my mate, Penny.”
The world slowed down. “What did you say?” Penny could barely hear her own voice.
“You and I,” he said. “We’re mates.”
A long silence passed. Decker gazed down at her, waiting.
Penny forced words out. “That’s… I don’t… What are you talking about?”
There was a yearning look in his eyes like he wanted to close the distance as much as she did, but he came no closer. “Every shifter has a perfect companion, an ideal mate wandering around somewhere in the world. One of our chief purposes in life is to find that perfect mate.”
Penny’s brain throbbed like it was on fire. “But, isn’t that mate suppose to be, you know…another shifter?”
“I once thought so,” Decker said. “Then I found you.”
She looked away from him, then back again. “How can you be sure it’s me?”
“Trust me. I know.” There was no lie in his eyes.
Questions were running out. Hastily, she blurted, “What if I don’t believe you?”
At that, his cocky smile returned. “I don’t believe that you don’t believe me. You feel it, don’t you? The connection between us.”
Penny opened her mouth. Nothing came out. She was hot all over. Somehow, she knew that Decker felt the same, that if she reached out and touched his chest, she would feel the heat burning through his clothes. He burned for her, and she for him. All of this she knew as if she’d been born knowing it and was only just realizing what it meant.
She clenched her fists. “What I feel,” she said slowly, “has gotten me screwed over in the past. I thought I felt love for Lucius and look where it got me.” Penny spoke the words firmly, but she was terrified that he would grow angry.
Decker’s face didn’t change. “I am not Lucius Manning,” he said. “Lucius Manning did not want you the way I do.”
A pang rang through Penny’s chest. “You don’t even know me,” she whispered.
And then Decker’s phone rang.
Decker
* * *
The two of them jumped as Decker’s phone began ringing. Penny turned away without saying anything, moving into the living room.
Decker swore under his breath. He yanked the phone out of his pocket. The number on the screen surprised him. He glanced at Penny, but she was pacing the living room, her back facing him. He hated to leave her, but he knew she needed time by herself to process the bombshell he’d just dropped on her. So, he left the apartment, heading toward the stairs that led to ground level. Answering the still ringing phone, he said, “Cavendish.”
“Hey Allan,” came the voice of Decker’s long-time informant and one of his only human friends, Chris Cavendish. “Are you on the Manning job right now?”
“Good to hear from you, too,” Decker said. “It’s been weeks. What’ve you been up to?”
“Much as I’d love to catch up,” Cavendish said, “I didn’t call to chat. I called to warn you.”
Decker’s brow wrinkled. “About what?”
“The Manning job. Loretti has competition. Apparently, Manning screwed over a couple of other big names before he skipped town.”
“Doesn’t surprise me,” Decker muttered. “That seems to be his thing.” He reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Cars sped by on the street.
“Jenkins’ boys are on the move, last I heard,” Cavendish said.
Decker’s frown deepened. “They don’t play nice.”
“Yeah, and they don’t wait in line either.” Cavendish let out an anxious breath. “Just be careful on this one, okay? Get it done quick.”
“When do I not get it done quick?” Decker asked, a smile tickling his mouth.
Cavendish snorted. “You like to play with your food, jackass. This morsel has a bad flavor, so just choke it down, will you?”
Decker chuckled. “Thanks, Chris.”
“You’d better be alive the next time I see you,” Cavendish growled, but Decker heard the affection in his voice.
“You got it, pal.” He hung up and put his phone away, sighing. Cavendish was right. This job had a bad taste. It was in his interest—and Penny’s—to get it done as soon as possible.
Penny.
Decker worried that he’d overwhelmed her with the news of their matehood, but she’d needed to know sooner or later. He knew she’d come around. He just couldn’t be sure how long it would take. Not that it mattered. He was willing to stick around no matter how long she needed to adjust, and in that time he could show her exactly how dedicated he was to making this relationship work.
The stinging smell of exhaust filled his nose as a car pulled up next to the curb. Turning, he saw a big white van with heavily tinted windows. Decker’s instincts sang a warning as the doors popped open. The stench of cigarette smoke poured out, along with a group of hefty men who didn’t look like they were there to make a house call.
Decker let out a dry laugh as the first man came toward him. “Cavendish,” he muttered. “How does the guy do it?”
Penny
Mate.
Mate.
Mate.
The word rang in Penny’s head so loudly she hardly heard Decker leave the apartment. Only when he’d gone did she sink down onto the couch and massage her temples.
Mate.
The idea was so animal, so wild. Just like Decker.
But I’m not like Decker, she told herself. I’m human. Not a shifter. How can I be what he says I am?
And yet, despite the bizarre absurdity of it, part of her felt at home with the idea. It wasn’t the part of her that eyed Decker’s incredibly muscled body—though that part definitely had a say in the matter. It was a deeper corner of herself, the part that longed for home. Something in her recognized Decker as home. And he’d been right. She couldn’t deny the unceasing magnetism she felt toward him. No one else, not even her own daughter, had that kind of ef
fect on her.
Penny found herself laughing sardonically. She’d always considered herself the last human on earth who might fall for that love-at-first-sight-soulmates crap. I thought Lucius had taught you to be wiser than that, whispered a dark voice.
Penny clenched her fists. Was she really going to let the bitter memories of her past cloud her present? Wouldn’t that be another way of letting Lucius screw her over? Hot tears pricked at her eyes. Not today, you son of a—
A knock sounded on the door, making her jump. She rose, squashing the tears from her eyes with her palms. Decker must have locked himself out. Opening the door, she said, “Who was that on the—”
Penny stopped. The man standing outside was not Decker. He was far less appealing to look at, for one thing. For another, he looked like a thug straight out of a crime drama, hideous facial scars and all.
“Penelope Sandler?” he asked in a voice hoarse from years of smoking.
Penny gritted her teeth. She was getting really tired of strangers addressing her by her full name. She moved to slam the door, but the man’s meaty hand slapped against it, shoving it open again. He glowered savagely as he stepped over the threshold. “Manning. Where is he?”
Decker
* * *
Decker’s fist crunched into the nose of one of the men, sending him sprawling back. Decker grinned. It’d been too long since he’d had a good fist fight. The jaguar in him growled with satisfaction, lunging against the mental bonds that kept it dormant. It, too, wanted a piece of his attackers. Just one little bite, it seemed to say. Five of the men were already slumped on the ground, unconscious. Just one more bastard to go, and then Decker could—
A scream floated down from the second story of the apartment building. Decker knew instantly it was Penny’s. Pure, hot rage flooded into him. With a snarl, he swung a punch into the gut of the last attacker. The man doubled over, gagging, and sank to the concrete.
Decker left him, vaulting up the stairs two at a time. The door to Penny’s apartment was closed. Without slowing down, he rammed his boot into the door, and it flew open with a loud crack! He took in the scene all at once. Penny on the ground beside the coffee table. The man over her, holding her to the ground. His hand on her throat. The knife in his other hand.
For that moment, nothing else existed in Decker’s mind but complete and absolute fury. He roared, not the roar of a man, but the roar of a beast. His canines jutted sharply as the jaguar clawed its way to the surface.
The man holding Penny jolted with fear at the sound. He pressed the knife to Penny’s throat. “Freeze!” he bellowed.
Decker wanted to pounce on this man and rip his entrails out, but he held back. With every ounce of strength, he held back, growling.
Penny’s hand moved. She reached up over the edge of the coffee table, toward the empty beer bottle. Her face was reddened with exertion, and she looked like she wanted to gag, but she didn’t make a sound. The man’s eyes were on Decker, hardly paying attention to her at all.
A wave of pride coursed through Decker, but he didn’t allow it to show on his face. He growled at the man again, keeping his attention on him.
Penny’s fingers closed around the neck of the bottle. With a cry, she smashed it into the man’s head. It didn’t break, but it definitely hurt. The man yelled, his grip on her loosening.
Decker lunged. He bowled the man right off Penny and over the coffee table. They crashed to the ground, rolling over one another, Decker’s body warping with the change. He’d never shifted so fast. When they came to a standstill, his jaguar paws were braced against the man’s chest. Decker snarled in his face. The man screamed and struggled to shove him away. He was a big man, but Decker was a big cat. He shoved the man to the floor again, then opened his jaws and howled into his face. The cry was fueled by all the anger and hate that had come from seeing his mate threatened.
The man screamed once, then his eyes rolled back into his head, and he lay limp on the floor.
Decker snorted and turned from the man.
Penny was still on the floor. She watched him with wide, trembling eyes. There was fear in those eyes but also wonder. Fascination.
Decker quieted the bloodlust that pulsed in his chest and forced the change on himself once more. His bones shifted and reformed. He hadn’t shed his clothes before shifting, so his shirt and jacket were tangled around his torso. He peeled them off but thought it best to hold on to his pants. His breaths were shallow rasps as he stood, Penny’s eyes still on him. He stepped around the coffee table and offered her his hand. She took it and let him pull her up, also breathing unevenly.
“You didn’t kill him,” she murmured.
Decker shook his head. “I wanted to.”
She looked away, running a hand over her face. “Oh, god…”
He stared down at her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m… I don’t know.”
Anger bubbled up in him again. He took her by the shoulders and turned her toward him, as gently as his panicked feelings would allow. “Are you hurt?” He searched her face, her neck, looking for any cuts left by the man’s blade. “I swear, if the bastard did anything to you I’ll—”
Penny made a choking sound. Decker froze. Her face twisted up and she buried herself in his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso.
Electric shocks surged through Decker’s whole body. Plenty of women had touched him before, but they’d all been after bodily pleasures. None of them had been searching for comfort, protection.
Carefully, afraid to breathe, Decker wrapped his arms around Penny and rested his chin on her head. She shook slightly. “It’s okay,” he murmured.
After a long moment, she pulled away. Until now her face had been closed off, refusing to let anyone see what was going on in her head. Now her eyes were open and vulnerable. Her lips were parted and trembled slightly.
Decker wanted more than anything to bend down and taste those lips. His head was full of her scent. He’d be driven wild if he wasn’t able to satisfy his desires soon.
But now was not the time to think only of himself. He looked into Penny’s face. “We need to go.”
She swallowed. “Where?”
“Somewhere safe.”
Penny glanced around the apartment like it was a dream about to fade away. Then her jaw set, and she returned his steady gaze. “Okay. I need to go get Caroline.”
Decker nodded. “We’ll take my car.” He turned to pick his shirt and jacket off the floor, but her fingers caught his arm. He turned back, surprised.
“Thank you,” Penny whispered. “If you hadn’t been here…”
Something twisted in Decker’s chest, a wonderful and sickening feeling all at once. “Hush,” he murmured, brushing her hair out of her face. “No need for thanks. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
Penny’s eyes shone, and she nodded. “Let’s go.”
Penny
Caroline had many questions during the drive to the safe house Decker had promised to take them to. He answered all her inquiries patiently, while Penny sat quietly in the passenger seat. Every so often, she would glance over at Decker while he drove. His firm hand on the wheel, the strong edge of his jaw, the relaxed but confident set of his shoulders.
Maybe the love-at-first-sight-soulmate thing was a bit far-fetched. That had stopped mattering to Penny the moment Decker had broken through that door, teeth bared, ready to tear limb from limb anyone who wanted to hurt her. Something had clicked at the sight of him at that moment. It had become real for Penny then.
He glanced over at her as she watched him. His golden eyes focused and softened as they met hers. He raised his eyebrows in a silent question. Okay?
Penny gave a small smile and nodded.
The “safe house” turned out to be the nicest hotel for fifty miles. They walked into the lobby toting what luggage Penny had found necessary to pack.
In the elevator, Decker stood very close to her, Caroline in front of th
em. Penny was aware of every inch of him. His heat seemed to seep out and stroke the back of her hand, the nape of her neck, making her skin prickle. She remembered the feeling of embracing him, his bare, slick skin underneath her fingers, and her stomach heated. Decker’s eyes faced forward, but she felt his attention focused solely on her.
Decker led them to their room. It was the biggest suite the hotel had to offer, with two separate bedrooms and bathrooms and a living area in between.
“This is just like a movie!” Caroline squealed. She dumped her tiny suitcase on the ground and ran into one of the bedrooms to pounce on the bed.
Penny smiled. She set her bags down and turned to Decker, who was doing the same. “Listen, Decker…”
He looked at her, really looked at her, as if she was the most important person in the world, and he needed to know what she was about to say. Her tongue wouldn’t work for a moment.
“Yes?” Decker said. A hint of a smile appeared on his face. It was teasing, just like every other smile he’d worn since she’d first seen him. But there was something else in it now.
Penny cleared her throat. “About what I said to you at the restaurant, I—”
But he was shaking his head. “Wouldn’t have expected any less of you,” he said. “In a good way.” His grin broadened. “You’re a tough one, Penny.”
She blushed, and it was not only due to the compliment. “I’m not that tough. Really I’m just old and embittered.” She tried a grin of her own.
“Old and embittered looks sexy on you,” Decker said.
Penny glanced nervously into the bedroom. Caroline was still terrorizing the bedclothes. She looked back to Decker. “Can we save the grown-up talk for when my three-year-old is asleep?”
His eyebrows drifted upwards. “We can do whatever you want when your three-year-old is asleep.”
The heat flared. Penny couldn’t help letting out a surprised laugh. “Decker, I’m trying to be serious.”
The Baby Shift- Utah Page 3