“I would never force you to do something you are uncomfortable with. This is your decision to make.” West struggled to make eye contact with Barbara, he knew he asked a lot of his newest deputy. Shifters were completely new to him and he knew he had asked a favor most wouldn’t have agreed to.
“If you do this, can I pick out your collar?” Three stunned faces turned on Rook who was holding his side because he was laughing so hard.
“Only if I can buy you one.” Rook sobered instantly at West’s threat.
“Now now, boys, we all know collars are for the bedroom. I can recommend a lovely shop the next town over if you all need some more toys to play with.”
“No, thank you, we’re all set.” West grabbed Rook’s hand and dragged him toward the door. “See you both tomorrow.”
As the door slammed shut, Barbara burst into laughter, “I swear that boy can be such a prude sometimes.” She grabbed her purse from the table and headed for the door, “Have a good night, dear. I’ll see you tomorrow and look sharp, I’ll have friends with me.”
Caeden dropped onto the couch as the door closed behind her. He always heard the saying no good deed goes unpunished. He finally understood exactly what that meant. He had a lot of thinking to do before his new charge got in town.
Chapter Five
After a long night of reading up on service dogs, Caeden’s eyes were burning. It took every ounce of energy he had left to drag himself over to the apartment in time for lunch with Barbara. He had texted the sheriff at four a.m. saying he would be over after catching a couple of hours of sleep. It turns out your phone lets you hit snooze as many times as you want. Apparently, he hit the button repeatedly over a two-hour period. He was relieved that he managed to wake up at all, he really didn’t want to see what Barbara was like after being stood up.
One last huge yawn escaped him before he walked into the apartment. Two steps in he had to stop and rub his eyes, they had to be playing tricks on him. Every room had been transformed, the walls were brightly painted, fresh flowers in vases, and throw pillows on the couches.
“There you are, dear, you are just in time for lunch. Come in and meet some friends of mine.” Barbara waved him eagerly into the kitchen. “Ladies, I’d like to introduce Caeden Shepperd, he’s a deputy with Sheriff Graelin.”
Three young women in their 20s stood leaning against the counters with drinks in their hands. It didn’t pass his notice that Barbara had brought three very different women. The redhead with porcelain skin was introduced as Sinead. The blonde with huge dimples was Sandra and then of course there was a brunette with caramel skin named Tracy.
He waited patiently as she told him a little about each of them, he shook their hands politely and tried to remain friendly but aloof. At twenty-three, he wasn’t ready for anything serious and he just moved to town and wanted time to get to know people.
Caeden could see Barbara staring closely at him, he knew she was hoping one of the girls would be his mate.
“I’m sorry for being late but I see you didn’t wait for me. This place looks great but isn’t it a little overdone for someone who is blind?”
Barbara tsked as the girls shook their heads and rolled their eyes at him. He caught sight of West and Rook standing off to the side trying to wave him off. Apparently, he said something he shouldn’t have.
“Men, you are such simple creatures. Everyone deserves to be surrounded by beauty even if she is robbed of the ability to fully appreciate it. She will smell the fresh flowers and be able to touch the pillows so I think what we did was perfect.”
Properly chastised, Caeden nodded, “You are right, it looks wonderful and I’m sure she is going to love it.”
“Good, now that we settled that, let’s sit down for a lovely meal.” Barbara led everyone to the table and shoved Caeden to the head seat and the three ladies on either side of him. She thought she was so clever.
***
“So Caeden, did you enjoy lunch?” Barbara looked innocently toward her prey.
“I think what you really want to know is if I enjoyed any of the ladies in particular?” Barbara couldn’t help laughing at Caeden’s bluntness. She nodded to indicate he should continue. “They were all lovely but I don’t feel any different so they aren’t my mate. I’ve seen some crazy reactions when people meet the one so I think I am safe for now.”
“Well that’s a shame but don’t you worry, I’m not giving up either.” She gathered the plates from the table and headed for the kitchen.
West cleared his throat to get Caeden’s attention. “Did you think any more about the request?”
“I’m just not sure I am comfortable pretending to be her pet. Can I meet her first and see how it goes before we tell her that she is definitely getting one?”
A chirping noise in the kitchen alerted everyone to Barbara’s phone. “Well, it looks like you don’t have to agonize for long, they just pulled onto Main Street and will be here in a few minutes. Help me get all this cleaned up, she shouldn’t be welcomed into a mess even if they are almost a day early.”
As the last dish was dried and put away, the door opened to a cheerful Constance calling out to everyone. Barbara, ever the hostess, immediately went to the hallway to greet them while the three men hung back awkwardly.
Caeden could hear Barbara greet the girl animatedly as she led them to the kitchen. The young girl rounded the corner with her arm linked with her aunt’s and a cane in her other hand. Her cornflower hair trailed down her back in curls. He was surprised to see she had sunglasses on, he thought that was something they just did in the movies.
She held her hand out and gently shook Rook’s and West’s hands as she was introduced. When she was a foot away, her soft scent reached his nose. The air knocked out of his lungs, his eyes dilated and all ability to think was frozen. “Shit.”
Constance and Barbara both reared back at his outburst as the girl pulled her hand back toward herself awkwardly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I said that out loud, I just remembered something I forgot to do earlier.” He knew it was a lame excuse but his higher brain functions were suspended while his other head was fighting to take control. He quickly grabbed the dish towel off the counter and held it in front of the bulge growing in his pants. Relief flooded him as he remembered the girl couldn’t see it either way.
“Caeden, I’d like you to meet my niece, Koira Scott. Koira, Caeden is a deputy and has agreed to keep watch when I can’t be around.” The tiny, pale hand jutted out again and waited for Caeden to grab it.
For a moment he stared at it, he knew touching her would send his senses reeling. He’d found his mate, no power on Earth could keep him from her now. A small part of him wondered if he avoided physical contact with her, could he concentrate on protecting her then when the danger was over, he could mate the shit out of her. With a resigned sigh, he gently squeezed her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Koira. I will stay out in my patrol car and when you need to go somewhere, I’ll be happy to be your escort. And I’m not sure if your aunt told you but we have a service dog that will be on loan to you part-time. He’ll be here when I can’t be.” Caeden let out a deep breath as he realized he spoke at lightning speed. He scowled at the rest of the group who smiled all too knowingly toward him.
“It’s nice to meet you Caeden but truly, I don’t need a full-time babysitter. I’ve been on my own for two years now and don’t want to go back to being anyone’s burden. It’ll take me a couple of days to adjust to the apartment and the town, then you can go back to your real job. I do appreciate the dog, though, I’ve considered getting one but figured I better learn how to take care of myself before adding another dependent on.”
The soft tinkle of her laughter was an aphrodisiac to Caeden, any blood left in his upper body quickly rerouted to his ever-increasing erection.
“You have nothing to worry about, Ms. Scott, I’ve assigned Caeden to you full-time and we’re helping out the police in your area cl
ose that case.” West smiled then realized she couldn’t see his comforting gesture.
“Absolutely, you should definitely use Caeden as your errand boy, and wait till you meet Thumper, he is just the sweetest dog. He especially loves his belly being scratched, his leg shakes a mile a minute when you hit the right spot.”
If looks could kill, Rook would be dead on the ground. It would be an unsolved murder though as Barbara, West and Caeden all looked equally willing to do the deed.
“I’ve never owned a pet, he sounds wonderful. I look forward to meeting him.” She turned toward her aunt, “When you take me to the store later, can you help me remember to pick up some dog bones so I can give him treats?”
All noise ceased in the room as they all realized they hadn’t thought about the logistics of him actually being her pet. Constance’s mouth flopped open and closed as she tried to think of what to say.
“I’ll make sure to bring his favorite treats with me when I come over.” Constance was relieved Caeden stepped in.
“Koira, let me take you around the apartment, they did a lovely job getting it ready for you.” Constance led her out of the kitchen, quietly describing every detail to her.
“Thumper? Really?” Caeden growled at Rook, “You could have at least given me something cool like Spike.”
“I think we’re avoiding the real subject here, did I just imagine it or did you just meet your mate?” Barbara held her breath, barely containing her excitement.
“It would appear so and just my luck, the only affection I am going to get from her is a belly rub.”
Chapter Six
Caeden rolled his car window down and waved to Constance as she was leaving Koira’s apartment building.
“Good morning, Caeden, why didn’t you come in?” Constance pulled her jacket tighter around her to block the chill in the early morning air.
“I didn’t want to make your niece uncomfortable thinking I was going to sit in her apartment all day. I brought a book with me and I’ll check in on her every couple of hours. Will you be coming back for lunch or should I plan to eat with her?”
“I’m sure I have a lot of catching up to do in the office, you know that place can’t run without me. You can get to know her at lunch and I’ll tell her I’ll take her out for dinner tonight. Oh and I programmed your cell number into her phone. Have fun and thank you again for doing this.” Tears threatened to fall, Constance took a deep breath and took off on foot for the station.
He settled in, planning to engross himself in his book but his mind kept wandering to his mate. She was a stranger so he planned to take it slow, but his animal was fighting to take over and claim her immediately. Somehow, he didn’t think Constance would be very approving of his guard duty skills if he tried to hump her niece on the first day. Shaking his head, he tried to focus on the words in front of him.
A vibration in his pocket distracted him, he dug his phone out and saw an out-of-state number. “This is Deputy Sheppard.”
“Good morning, this is Koira Scott. If you are nearby could I bother you to stop in and help me with something?” His animal was panting with excitement.
“I’m outside in my car, I’ll be right there.”
“Oh no, you must be freezing. Bring whatever you need and come inside.” Her soft voice sent a shiver down his spine.
With shaking hands, he gathered everything he brought with him and ran to her door. Whoa boy, calm down, you’re not a pup in heat. He cleared his throat and knocked loudly.
The door swung open immediately, she must have been waiting.
“I know I said I was outside but please, next time ask me to confirm who I am before opening the door.” He tried to keep the concern out of his voice, didn’t she realize the killer could have followed her?
Her cheeks reddened instantly and dimples appeared as she smiled shyly. “I promise I usually do but I could smell your scent through the door. Normally I can’t but I had no problem recognizing you.” Caeden hoped that was because he was her mate and not because he had a body odor issue. “Please, come in.”
She stepped back and waited for him to enter. It pleased him to see goose bumps pop up on her arms as he passed by, he prayed that meant she was reacting to him, too.
“Would you like me to help you down the hallway?” He stood awkwardly, not knowing what the protocol was.
She chuckled and shook her head. “I’ve got the layout of the apartment down pretty good but thank you for the offer.” She shut and locked the door before turning and running her fingers along the wall as she walked to the kitchen. He had never been so jealous of a wall in his life. His animal was begging to be touched by her.
“Last night my aunt took me out on the patio and I wanted to eat breakfast out there, but I can’t seem to get the door open.”
He set his bag down on the kitchen counter and followed her to the sliding glass door. He watched as she made it to the handle and saw that she checked the lock on it. After a quick perusal, he found the issue.
“Constance forgot to tell you about the security levers between the two doors. They are plastic pieces that stick up and prevent the door from being opened if the lock gets broken.” He reached over to lay them down when she stopped him.
“If you don’t show me how to do it, I’ll need you to open it every time I want to go outside.” He thought that sounded like a wonderful idea, he’d be happy to follow her around all day. “Lead me to it.”
She ran her hand along the glass door and waited. Caeden quickly dried his suddenly sweaty palm on his jeans before covering her hand. He enjoyed watching the slight shiver course through her. Gently he pulled her hand across the door to the center rail then up to the first lock, pushed it down then moved to the second lock and did the same. By the time they were done, his breathing had turned ragged. Never had something so simple felt so sexual before.
“Is it just me or are these levers really happy to see me?” Her innocent smile kept him from laughing out loud. Maybe she was naive and didn’t realize how that sounded.
Reluctantly, he let go of her hand and stood back. She easily opened the door to a gust of cool air. “Would you like to sit out here with me?”
“Sure, what can I grab for you?”
“I appreciate the offer but I promise I’m not an invalid, I got this.” She smiled sweetly before making her way to the couch. He watched as she grabbed a fleece throw blanket that Barbara had bought and her coat. She hesitantly took them outside and set them on the patio table then came back in. “Let me whip up something to eat then we can sit down.”
“I have extra donuts with me if you’d like them. I figured I could snack on them throughout the day in my car so I bought extra. If you want to take the box outside I can pour us some coffee that Constance left in the pot?” He knew he was acting stupid but he was nervous to have her carry two cups of hot liquid. He knew he shouldn’t treat her like a child but this was all new to him and he was doing his best to adapt to her way of doing things.
“Sounds like a plan, I’d like cream and sugar in mine.” She held her hands out expectantly, he quickly grabbed the box and gave it to her.
After the coffee was made and set in front of her, he took the seat opposite her so he could study her better. “I have one Boston cream donut left, two glazed and one chocolate frosted.”
“So many succulent choices, how about I start with the chocolate frosted and end with a glazed?” She held her hand out expectantly.
He was glad she couldn’t see his eyebrows had disappeared into his hairline. Did she have any idea how sexual she made things sound? He put the donuts on a napkin and set them in her hand. Her soft moan as she bit into the first donut shot a spasm of desire straight to his groin. Why did she even have to eat donuts in such a suggestive way?
“You’re staring at me.” She chewed while looking straight in his direction, her sunglasses blocking her eyes. Shocked at her statement, he quietly waved his arm back and forth in front of her fac
e, held the peace sign up, but she didn’t acknowledge it. “I lost my sight when I was thirteen, I’ve had a while to get used to people’s reactions. I’m sure you have questions so go ahead and ask them. But for every question you ask, I get to ask one in return, deal?”
His throat dried instantly; dozens of questions swirled through his head but he wasn’t sure what was appropriate to ask and what wasn’t. “How are you liking it here so far?”
A sleek blonde eyebrow shot up above her sunglasses, “Are you sure you want to waste your questions on that? I’m going to count so I can have my way with you when it’s my turn.”
She was blunt and he was really enjoying it. Since she was giving him the green light maybe it was okay to be curious. “Okay, why do you wear sunglasses? Can you see at all?”
“One breath but still two questions. No, I can’t see anything at all, it’s total darkness. I’m lucky, though, I had seen a lot before I lost my sight so I can picture things in my mind, especially when someone describes it well. The sunglasses are for you; well, not just you, anyone who’s not used to being around someone like me. A lot of people find it uncomfortable that I don’t look around much, I guess it unnerves them.”
He didn’t know why he did it but his hand went up and slowly pulled the sunglasses off. Sparkling Jade eyes shone brightly, he could see where some people might get antsy under her stare but he and his animal reveled in it. “You have beautiful eyes; can you leave them off for a while?”
She smiled and nodded before biting into her donut again. “What else, I know you have more?”
He could blame it on the cop in him but really, he just wanted to know everything about her. “How do you pay to live on your own?”
“I get some disability from the government but I don’t like being dependent on it so I was also teaching music lessons back home, mostly piano and singing.”
He filed this information away for later. “Are you ever scared?”
Sassy Ever After: In My Mate's Sight (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 2