by Meg Ripley
“Reconstructive surgery,” she admitted quietly. “I truly do miss what I used to do when I first started. There are plenty of plastic surgeons who will give people new boobs and butts, but I want this to be something completely different. If I can get the board to work with me, I might even be able to set up a fund so that those who aren’t able to pay can still find a way to get the surgery they need.”
It was an admirable goal, but there was just something about her that made him want to play devil’s advocate. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just lower the price of medical care and surgery in the first place?”
“That’s what everyone who’s not in the medical field thinks, and it’s not as simple as it sounds,” she scoffed. “The equipment that’s needed isn’t something you can just go buy off the shelf at a discount store. We’re talking specialized tools that only get sold to specialized surgeons. Not to mention running the building, all the various machines involved in diagnostics like MRIs, microsurgery, robot-assisted surgery—”
“Don’t sign me up for that one.”
“It’s actually really safe and very accurate. Anyway, there are a lot of costs that doctors, surgeons, and hospitals just can’t make go away. Surgery is going to be expensive no matter what, which is why I want to set up this wing and this charity. People will get the help they need without having to worry about it.” She opened her mouth to say more but then shut it again and looked away.
He thought about pressing the issue once again, but he decided against it. Sabrina was a good person. She’d already told him about her hopes for a shifter hospital. No doubt that would be a massive project that would take years of work. And now she’d just told him about yet another idea to help those in need.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Sabrina always gave herself, and no matter how much she did, it seemed that she always had more to give. She wanted to help others and didn’t pay any attention to what it might cost her. Of course, it always seemed that instead of draining her, it lifted her up.
Max simply wasn’t that way. He could only handle being around people for so long, and then he needed some time by himself to recharge. Even once he did, he didn’t always have enough of himself left to share with anyone else. That was exactly why he’d left Sabrina, even though he’d never been able to tell her so. He’d known he just wasn’t good enough for her. He wasn’t good enough for her career, her friends, or her life.
“Sounds like a good cause,” he finally said. The conversation between them had died, and that was for the best. Otherwise, he was just going to put his foot in his mouth again.
As he neared the building she’d indicated, Max realized there was a problem. “I wish I’d known there was a change of plans. There’s not enough room for me to land on the rooftop.”
Sabrina frowned. “Even if you could, I don’t know that I’d be able to get in the building from there.”
“I’ll have to find another place.” He zoomed away from the building in search of an alternative. If nothing else, he could take her back to her place and then arrange for a private car—no doubt that would make her late for her meeting, though.
“There’s a park just over there,” Sabrina said, pointing. “What about that?”
“It’ll have to work for now. It’s almost dark, so there shouldn’t be too many people there, anyway.” He was probably going to catch some shit for this later since it wasn’t something he was supposed to do, but Max didn’t care. The only thing they’d told him to do was fly Sabrina around like some jet setting movie star, and if that involved putting the chopper down on a convenient stretch of grass, then so be it.
He was still justifying this to himself as he walked with her to the building. Sabrina said nothing and seemed preoccupied. It wasn’t until they’d reached the conference room where the meeting was supposed to take place that she spoke again.
“You don’t need to be in here with me.” Sabrina set her bag down on the table and took out several file folders packed with stacks of papers.
“Of course, I do. I’m supposed to stay with you at all times, remember? It’s my job.” And whether she liked it or not, he was doing his job. Max had noticed there was only one door to serve as both the exit and entrance to the room. This was both good and bad, since it meant no one could get in without him knowing it, yet Sabrina had only one way to leave, should things go unexpectedly.
“I think you can do your job from the hallway.” She pointed firmly to the door.
He pulled his attention away from the windows and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Nope. I’m with you every step of the way.”
Sabrina let out a huff of air that sounded an awful lot like her animal form. “This meeting is incredibly important, Max. I don’t need you to give me a hard time.”
“I’m not.” Was he? Maybe at first, but this trial she’d gotten involved in bothered him. If something happened to her while she was shut in this room and he was banished to the hallway, he’d never forgive himself. “Look. I can pull a chair right over here in the corner. I’ll be behind you, but you’ll never know I’m here.”
“Oh, trust me. I’ll know,” she shot back. “Tell me, Max: have you ever done a job like this before?”
He narrowed his eyes. Sabrina was going to find some way to rationalize this all out so that she won the argument. She’d done it to him plenty of other times. He didn’t usually mind that much, but her life was literally at stake here. “Not exactly. But I think if the United States Army can trust me to take a thirty-eight-billion-dollar helicopter overseas to drop off a section of Special Forces officers, then I think I can handle it.”
She pursed her lips and leaned on the table. Her eyes closed. “Fine. You’ve got me there. I’m not trying to doubt your skill here, Max, but this trial and the whole idea of having a bodyguard is severely interfering with my career. I’m surprised no one has said too much about my new luxury transport, but there’s no reason to shove the situation right in the faces of the board members. They don’t need to know what’s going on in my personal life. If they think I attract danger, they might change their minds about what they’re willing to do for me.”
That didn’t seem fair to him, but he supposed it wasn’t fair that any of the shifters had to hide who they really were from the world. “I don’t like it.”
Sabrina zipped her bag back up and set it on the floor just under the table. “I doubt anyone even knows I’m here besides the board members, and they’re all a bunch of old farts who’ve been working for the hospital forever. They’re not interested in anything but how much money it’ll cost them to listen to me.”
Max poked his head back out into the hallway and looked around. “So, this place is mostly just empty office space for rent?”
“Some floors of the building are leased out long-term, but as far as I know, this floor is by the hour.”
“Good. I’ll find a place to make myself a little more discreet. But if anything happens, just scream. I’ll hear you.” His body was fighting him on this decision. Max was trying to be sensible for her sake, and he knew the likelihood of anything happening to her was minimal. But he was having a physical reaction to the idea of leaving her alone in a room with a bunch of strangers and no easy way to get out should someone try to stop her. Every cell in his body was surging toward her, his tiger longing to put himself between her and any potential danger.
But the resolute look on her face told him she wasn’t interested in any heroics. “Thank you, I appreciate that. I promise I’ll try to keep this as short as possible.”
He eyed the stack of files she’d just put on the table. “A whole new wing for the hospital plus the funding to build it and support the patients doesn’t sound like a short meeting to me.”
“They don’t have that much patience, actually. I find that they prefer to have a lot of short meetings instead of fewer meetings that last all night.” She straightened the files, ran her hands down the front of her lab coat, and adjuste
d her glasses.
Max realized she might actually be nervous. “I’m sure you’ll do great.” He ducked out of the room and around the corner just as he heard someone come off the elevator. Max pressed himself against the wall as he listened, tapping into his big cat’s instincts. It was two men, probably older, given the way they walked and the timbre of their voices. They were joking with each other about how poorly they’d done on the golf course the previous weekend. No one to be concerned about.
This part of the hall seemed to be unoccupied, and the wall he leaned against was a component of the very conference room where Sabrina’s meeting was taking place. It wasn’t ideal, but it was a start. He was running out of time to look for a better position as the elevator dinged once again. Max wasn’t about to let her stay in there without having his ears trained on her.
He adjusted his back against the wall. This wasn’t exactly the worst case of guard duty he’d ever been on. There were plenty of times in his military career that he’d pulled guard, and at least there in that office building, he didn’t need to worry about sand in his eyes. If he sat, there was no risk of having a scorpion crawl out from the shadows and sting his ass.
He was suddenly back there, at a small base that’d been established as a way station. He’d landed for the night, exhausted and frustrated with the weather. The transport of new soldiers that’d been due a day ago still hadn’t come through, and the men stationed there were feeling the same way. Max could either work a shift or spend all night in the crowded barracks with a bunch of strangers. The closeness to his fellow soldiers was something he’d grown used to, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it.
The chain-link fence behind him dug into his shoulders as he leaned against it, the metal seeking out all the soreness in his muscles. Sand had drifted up around it, making the footing impossibly uncomfortable. Those were minor inconveniences compared to the wind. It drove through the night, whipping up the sand and blasting it like tiny bullets into his skin. Max, like many of the other soldiers stationed anywhere other than home, imitated the locals with a shemagh around his face and neck. The large lightweight scarf helped, but it didn’t do anything to keep his eyes safe. The sand stuck in his eyes. If anyone wanted to choose that moment to attack, it’d be a safe bet that he’d never see them coming.
Max came to with a start, finding himself not in the middle of the desert, but in an office building in the southern U.S. just before dinnertime. The fluorescent lighting flickered overhead as he rubbed his eyes, expecting to find clumps of sand in the corners. Damn. He’d slipped again. For a few moments, it seemed as though he were in a different place and time. It was so disorienting to come back that it didn’t always feel like a relief.
He focused his attention on the room at his back. He heard the deep timbre of a male voice, followed by the lighter tones of Sabrina. She sounded calm and cool, two words that should’ve been her name. Everything was fine. Max let out a breath and forced his shoulders to relax. Of course everything was fine. It had been for a while, and it was only his overly suspicious mind that was making it otherwise. Sabrina was right about no one knowing she was there, and there was little chance that anyone would come jumping around the corner to attack her. It’d just been fun to irritate her by making her think he was going to sit in on the meeting.
His nerves twitched when the door finally opened and board members began filtering out. He’d have imagined they’d be eager to get home for dinner, but they ambled just as slowly away from the conference room as they had on their way there. The door was open at least, and he could hear better.
“Dr. Barrett, I’m impressed,” said an older, reedy voice. “You’ve put together quite the presentation. I was particularly interested in some of the financials.”
“Thank you, Dr. Corton.” Sabrina’s reply carried the breathiness of being pleased and relieved. “Your opinion means a lot to me.”
“Of course it does, since my opinion on this will have a lot to do with how the rest of the board votes.” He laughed, a gentle wheezing noise. “They’re a bunch of kiss-asses, but I do think they have good intentions.”
“As do I with this new wing. I truly believe it could make a difference, and not just locally. I didn’t have this in my presentation because I knew everyone would be eager to leave, but I think it’d be great to pull some local businesses into this idea. Maybe work with some hotels to arrange lodging for the loved ones of those who come into town for surgery, things like that.”
Dr. Corton let out another chuckle. “My dear, you’re far too much for just one person. You’re an incredibly talented surgeon, but it turns out you have quite the head for business. Not to mention a heart for charity. I’ll be looking over the figures and discussing things with the board over the next few meetings. We’ll be getting back to you.”
“Great. Thank you again.”
When the older man had disappeared back down the hallway and Max was fairly certain the room was clear of all the board members, he came around the corner. Even though he would’ve heard if anything drastic happened, and even though he’d just eavesdropped on her conversation with Dr. Corton, Max still felt incredibly relieved to see her whole and unharmed. “That sounded like it went well.”
She was stacking her file folders back into her bag, and she looked up at him and smiled. It was a warm smile that reached her eyes and lit up her face. “It really did. I’m so glad it’s over, but I also feel like I’ll never sleep again because I’m so excited!”
“Does that mean you’ll get the wing?”
“Oh, no. Not necessarily. There’s still a lot to go through. But it was a step in the right direction.” Sabrina zipped her bag and followed him to the door, turning off the light on the way. “And I’m starving. I don’t remember the last thing I ate today.”
“Then let’s go to dinner.” His mouth suggested it before his mind had a chance to catch up. Perhaps his tiger was still thinking about the way her lips had felt the night before: lush, comforting, and warm. He was reminded of how her body had felt pressed against his, how inviting he found her hips and the way her body tucked in around the waist under her ribcage…
“Sounds good to me,” Sabrina replied, bringing him back out of her bedroom and into this dull hallway with its gray carpet and standard potted ficus. “I’m tired of takeout. I think I could use a good steak, and I think I might even deserve it.” She laughed as they stepped onto the elevator.
“You’re happy,” he noted. “It’s a good look for you.” Heat spread through his body as he stood next to her in the elevator. There they were, once again confined to a small space where there was no option but to be incredibly aware of each other. His eyes measured the distance between them. It would take only a slight movement, lifting his hand from where he leaned on the rail on the back wall, to touch her arm, her back. It could be a friendly gesture, offering his congratulations.
Her sparkling hazel eyes changed as he watched her pupils dilate, and he knew she felt the same things he did. Their human lives and their human bodies got in the way of so many things, but their tigers always knew what was best. Her gaze flicked down to his mouth and lingered there, but then she turned away. “There’s a great outdoor place not far from here over on Commerce.”
It’d been too much. Max tipped his head back to watch the floor numbers tick by. It was just as well that she could keep her head, since he couldn’t. If he’d given in even a fraction to his most primal urges, he’d have had her naked and satisfied before they reached the lobby. He cleared his throat, even if he couldn’t clear that rather delightful picture from his mind. “That’ll be fine.”
It was a short walk back to the helicopter. The sun had set fully now, and the yellow glow of the streetlamps cast sharp circles on the sidewalk before leaving pedestrians to plunge back into darkness. Max watched the shifting light play over Sabrina’s hair, sliding over her features and changing them from moment to moment. She was beautiful at any angle. “I heard you m
ention to that doctor that you wanted to pair up with businesses to get other services for the reconstructive patients of the new wing.”
She eyeballed him over her shoulder as they moved off the sidewalk and into the park. “You were listening?”
“It’s my job,” he reminded her. “I had to keep my ears open for your scream, remember?”
Sabrina made a dismissive sound. “Yes, I did say that. What about it?”
“You should talk to George down at my work. He’s all about business and getting as much money as he can out of his wealthy clients, but he knows a little bit of charity can do a lot for his public image. He might be willing to help out with some sort of transportation, or maybe even just a fun helicopter ride for some kid who’s been through a tough time.”
“You think he’d go for it?” He could hear the eagerness in her voice.
“Probably. Especially if he knew there was a pilot willing to participate.”
She paused her pursuit across the short grass of the park and turned to him. It was dark there under the trees, with just enough ambient light to see silhouettes, and she was practically in his arms. “You’d do that?”
Max knew she likely hadn’t meant to get so close to him. After all, she was the one who’d made it abundantly clear they couldn’t be anything more than a pilot and a surgeon. But his hands automatically reached up to catch her elbows. “Of course I would. It’d be fun.” And in that moment, he’d have done absolutely anything she asked of him.
“Max, that is so sweet, and so thoughtful. I just love it. I—”
“Shh.” He clenched his grip on her arms and turned his head, listening. “I don’t think we’re alone.”
“It’s probably just some homeless person looking for a place to spend the night. They’re in the parks a lot.”
“No.” It was a rational explanation, something Sabrina was exceedingly good at, but what he sensed didn’t line up with it. A frisson of energy crackled up his spine as he turned to his right, just in time to see a massive form spring out of the darkness.