Alec turned to leave the room. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound like fun. I’ll pass. I have some work to take care of, so I’ll see you later. Stay out of trouble.” He waved over his shoulder and left.
* * * *
Alec had been putting off laundry for a while. Usually his shirts went to the cleaners, but there were always the jeans and slacks. He’d taken his laptop down to the laundry room. Maybe he couldn’t get good reception for the Internet there, but he could work on the novel he’d been developing for the last couple of years. If Max knew about it, he’d rib him to no end. Not like the book was a romance or anything. His interest was in a thriller, and since he’d had the idea, he decided to see where he could take it. Up until then, no one knew what he was doing in his spare time. Alec had a lot of confidence in what he could do making real estate deals. Writing wasn’t the same, but he didn’t think he sucked at it either.
The first couple of loads started, he settled in leaning on the washing machine and booted up his laptop. Scenarios ran through his mind of the direction he wanted to take the book. When the click of heels sounded in the hallway, he looked up from the words on the screen. He pressed his lips together at the sight of the woman from a couple nights ago.
“Well, hello, stranger,” she said in a husky tone that grated more than turned him on. “Fancy seeing you here.”
He turned his gaze back to the computer screen. “I live in the building. It stands to reason I’d have to do laundry sometime.”
If he thought his gruff attitude would put her off, he was mistaken. She sauntered over to him, and he observed her figure—slender and sexy. She’d worn shorts that showed off her long legs and a top cut so low, he didn’t need a writer’s imagination to guess the little that was hidden. He liked a sexy, beautiful woman, but this one wasn’t his type. Now her friend—he couldn’t get the sight of her bent over wearing a thong out of his head. Her lush figure, slightly plump, and the sweet embarrassment that had been clear in her expression afterward told him Whisper was someone he’d like to pursue.
The woman in front of him moved closer. He searched his mind for her name. Sheila. A slow grin spread over her face, revealing even white teeth that must be the product of braces. “I notice you like what you see.” She bumped his thigh with her hip. The woman couldn’t know whatever expression had been on his face, it was in remembering Whisper not her.
“I admit you’re an attractive woman.” He let the indifference stand plain in his tone. “However, I’m not interested.”
Anger flashed in her eyes before she hid it behind a smile and swatted his arm. “Playing hard to get is for women, not guys. Anyway, tell me how you got out of the super finding your pet. Did you hide him in a closet or something?”
“I’m not sure what pet you’re referring to.” Annoyance burned in him, but he kept his teeth ground together to avoid saying more.
Sheila eyed him with her lips turned up and chuckled. “Oh okay, it’s like that? I hear you. Well, I guess you greased his palm or something. Not like he owns the place anyway. I don’t knock people for their fetishes. I have a few of my own.”
Shock at what she’d just insinuated made his jaw slack, and he couldn’t utter a word. Did any man go for this type of woman? Ever? All of a sudden Alec couldn’t concentrate on his work if he tried. He turned from the woman and powered down his laptop. After he’d snapped it closed, he started past her. He could come back and check when he thought his clothes had finished their cycle.
“If you’ll excuse me…” He moved to squeeze by her, but she pressed closer. Alec would need to toss her roughly aside to get past, and he didn’t manhandle women.
Sheila’s hands came up around his waist, and she peered at him with wide innocent eyes. Too late she’d already opened her mouth. There was no innocence there. Maybe if he kissed her she would back off. He berated himself for the idiocy of the thought. That would only encourage her.
“I think we could have a lot of fun,” she breathed, the husky quality in her voice, as if he’d taken her breath away.
“I—” he began, but an exclamation behind Sheila caught his attention. He glanced up and cursed in silence. Whisper stood in the doorway, staring in startled stillness at the two of them. He didn’t have to imagine what she thought of the scene she’d just stumbled onto.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said, and spun on her heel.
This time, Alec swore out loud. He shoved Sheila from him. Impulse made him take a step to follow Whisper, but Sheila’s words stopped him.
“If you’re thinking about going after my friend, you should know she has a boyfriend.” She waved a hand. “But I don’t guess a man like you would go after her.”
Alec thought better of going after Whisper at that moment. He needed to be sure of whether she had a boyfriend. He didn’t desire nor have a need to horn in on another man’s territory. His people took that type of thing very seriously, probably the leopard in him. Sheila’s attitude toward her friend was no better though.
“Does she know you think so highly of her?”
For the first time, he saw a flash of guilt in her expression. Again it disappeared behind the mask she wore. “It’s not like that. Whisper is my home girl. We go way back, and I protect her. She couldn’t handle what you’re bringing.” Sheila leaned on a dryer and folded her arms over her chest. The move only highlighted and raised her breasts. He didn’t find it interesting. “I mean you’re not looking to have a relationship with her or anything, or am I mistaken?”
That gave him pause. She was right. He wasn’t going to pursue a relationship with Whisper. He just wanted a little fun, something he was sure to return. He didn’t think of himself as arrogant—not wholly anyway—but he did believe he could give her some of the greatest pleasure she’d ever experienced. That reasoning came from his feeling that sex wasn’t good unless both parties were pleased.
“What I intend to do with Whisper isn’t your business,” he quipped.
“Oh so it’s Whisper.” The resentment rolled off the woman. “You remember her name from the other night. Guess a flash of a thong would get any man hot and bothered.” She raised a defiant chin to him. If this woman didn’t have such a bad attitude, she could be a perfect beauty. As it was, with each word from her lips, she turned him off. He was not the type of man who was into bitches, and a bitter woman had no appeal to him. The limited interaction he’d had with Sheila told him all he needed to know about her. “How about you play with me?” she offered.
Alec resisted rolling his eyes. “No.” He leaned closer to her upturned face and narrowed his gaze. “Are you so desperate?”
Her mouth dropped open, and she raised a hand to smack him, but he caught it and shoved it away. “Asshole!”
He gave a slight bow as if to acknowledge the insult but allow it to roll off his back. Now he wanted to get at Whisper all the more. He knew Sheila was the wrong reason, but so be it. “If you’ll excuse me.”
Alec pushed past Sheila with the intention of never thinking of her again.
Chapter Three
Whisper was determined more than ever to lose weight. After she’d walked in on Alec and Sheila in the laundry room looking like they were about to kiss, she figured she had to do something about her weight. Hell, about her whole wardrobe and outlook. She’d been comfortable in frumpy tops and baggy pants for too long. If she didn’t like the way she looked, then, damn it, she needed to get the extra weight off. That started with taking up jogging again. She’d done it for a while last year and dropped fifteen pounds, but then her knee started bothering her, and instead of taking it easy until it was better, she’d dumped exercise altogether. That wasn’t happening this time.
She had intended to go while it was still daylight after work, but her boss had kept her later than usual. She was getting tired of all the overtime since overtime pay had been frozen for the foreseeable future. The man spouted nonsense about doing what was good for the company an
d them all being one big family, but she didn’t see his ass suffering any losses.
By the time she got off work, the sun was fast going down, but there were plenty of people in the park doing the same thing she was, so she wasn’t worried about it. As long as she stayed on the lighted paths, things would be fine, and she wouldn’t be out there long.
On a bench, she re-tied her sneakers, adjusted her shorts, which now that she thought about it might not have been the best choice, and then started a slow walk that became a slow jog. Soon she was lost in her head, enjoying the evening breeze of late spring. Tonight she hadn’t wanted to wear her headphones. Music blaring in her ears would take away from her peace rather than add to it. On another day, she might feel differently.
At a split in the trail, she took the right without thinking. Only when she’d jogged a good twenty minutes did she remember this one took her deeper into the wooded area. She was still in the city, but fewer joggers took this way at night. The lighting was strong, but she didn’t want to take a chance. I am not getting my fifteen minutes of TV fame because I’m in a body bag.
She stopped jogging and took her pulse, then turned around. A man standing in the path brought a small scream to her lips. He was stark naked. Whisper stumbled backward with a hand up to her mouth. Her heart hammered in her throat, and she thought she would pee her panties. While she backed up and the man watched her with curious narrowed eyes saying nothing, another man moved from the trees. He was clothed, and his focus was on the naked man.
“Damn it, Max, put your clothes on. I told you it was a little too early to come out here.” The second man tossed the first a duffle bag. A few moments passed before Whisper recognized him. Alec.
“What the—” she muttered. Alec swiveled his head to face her, and his eyebrows went up. Whisper didn’t even wait for an explanation. She pivoted on her heel and jetted. These guys were crazy, or gay, or both. She had to tell Sheila. Not that her girlfriend was in danger of losing her heart over Alec, but damn, what were they doing? And would they kill her for finding out their secret? Whatever secret it is.
Fear pushed her to run faster, and rather than stay on the path where the light would give away her location, she leaped over a railing and crashed through the brush. Man, she should get an Olympic gold medal for that jump. She almost laughed at the absurdity of her thoughts and realized she was hysterical. Blood pulsed loud in her ears so she couldn’t hear if anyone pursued her. She figured out real quick that they were when strong hands grabbed her arms and hauled her off her feet. Whisper screamed.
“Shh, it’s okay, Whisper,” Alec muttered in her ear. “I promise I’m not going to hurt you, but it’s dangerous for you out here alone.”
“Yeah, because of crazies like you! Get off of me.” She kicked at his legs, but he didn’t even wince as she struggled to get free.
While she fought, the other man came through the trees just pulling his shirt over a muscled chest. Whisper bit her tongue to keep from crying out in terror. They were going to kill her together and dump her body somewhere.
“I won’t tell anyone,” she assured them. “I didn’t see anything.”
“You’re right you didn’t,” snapped the other man.
Alec’s hand spread over her belly as if he protected her. “Back off, Max. I’ll handle this.
The other man looked a lot like Alec except with blond hair. “Do you really think you can get her into your bed after scaring the shit out of her?”
“Bed,” Whisper shrieked. She fought harder to get away. Somehow she got her teeth into the space between his thumb and forefinger and bit down. Alec grunted, and his hold loosened. Whisper broke free and ran forward. The other man zipped from where he was and stood in front of her. He brought a heavy hand down on her shoulder and did something with his fingers. Whatever it was, it hurt, and Whisper whimpered before everything went dark, and she crumpled to the ground.
* * * *
Whisper shifted and moaned. She came alert slowly, registering the sounds around her. With Alec and the man he’d called Max speaking above her, she came to realize that she was in Alec’s arms being carried. All she could think about was how heavy she must be and her big butt in those stupid shorts hanging in midair for all the world to see.
She opened her eyes and glanced up at him. His mouth was set in a determined line, and his brows hung low over his eyes. The anger that radiated off of him couldn’t be missed, but he seemed not to have broken a sweat or to be straining carrying her. She started to ask him to put her down when she peered across to Max who walked next to him. The man who had done something to her shoulder was sporting a black eye.
“I can’t believe you sided with her over your own brother,” the man complained.
His brother? No wonder they looked alike. So maybe they weren’t gay. They were still crazy, and now that she’d calmed down enough to think rather than react, maybe she could get herself out of this mess.
“It’s not a matter of siding,” Alec answered. “You hurt her, a defenseless woman. You used to show a lot more finesse than that, but I’m not going to cover for you any longer. Time to wake up and take responsibility for your actions.”
The other man sneered. “Excuse me for grieving the loss of the only woman I’ll ever love.”
“Grieve all you want. Hurt Whisper again, and I will rip your arm off and feed it to you.”
His brother gave a dramatic shiver. “You almost have me believing you care about her. But that would be impossible for the consummate bachelor, Alec Macgregor. Unless of course she was your…mate.”
“Shut up!” Alec groused.
Whisper mulled over all they’d said. On the one hand, she couldn’t help the warm and fuzzies at the way Alec protected her. He’d actually hit his brother, whom he must have known all his life, for her who he’d just met. She mentally shook her head. No, he was crazy, and she couldn’t forget the part about Alec being a consummate bachelor or that Max had said all Alec wanted was to get her in bed. Why her when he could have Sheila in a heartbeat? Thinking of her friend, she remembered the two of them in the laundry room. That tossed cold water on her thoughts, and she looked up at Alec with a frown.
“You can put me down now,” she demanded more than asked.
Alec stopped walking and hesitated. He seemed to be puzzling over something as he stared at her. Whisper fidgeted, and he at last gave in. Once on her feet, she missed the warmth of his arms. The night had grown slightly chilly, and the two big men were cast in shadows no matter how much the path they were on was lighted. Only the stars illuminated the sky because the moon was hidden behind thick clouds.
“I want you to know I’m pressing charges for assault,” she announced and then regretted it. How many times had she yelled at a heroine in a novel not to say stupid stuff when she was in the middle of nowhere with the enemy? She couldn’t count the number of times.
Alec stood stiff and unreadable. “You’d be in your right to do so, but can I ask that you forgive my brother? I will make up for what he did in any way necessary.”
Whisper swung her gaze from one man to the other. Max didn’t appear in a hurry to apologize. In fact, he seemed quite content for Alec to take the weight of it. She hated people with relationships like that. She couldn’t respect them. The person being used was just as bad as the user.
She couldn’t help putting her hands on her hips and sassing the man. Her common sense must have gotten knocked out of her head when she hit the ground. “Make it up how, by offering yourself to me?” Embarrassment almost knocked her out again at the amusement on both their faces. She so couldn’t play the games that Sheila played with men. “I mean…”
“If that’s what you want,” Alec told her without hesitation, “I’m all yours.”
She had to save face some way. “Yeah, no thanks. You’re not my type. I don’t know what kind of freaky game you and your brother play in the park at night, but I want no part. Let’s pretend tonight never happened, but
stay away from my friend. Good evening, gentlemen.”
She spun on her heel and marched away with her head held high. All the time, she expected to hear laughter behind her or some cruel remark about her weight and figure. She heard nothing and sighed with relief when she made it back to her car without any more incidents.
* * * *
Whisper woke in the middle of the night. She held still in bed wondering what had awakened her, but no sound reached her ears. The bedside table sat visible in the pale moonlight, and she noticed that she’d forgotten to bring in her nightly bottle of water. Her room was always too dry, so her throat hurt. Water alleviated the issue, so she kept it near. After tossing back the covers, she rose and yawned, heading toward the kitchen. That’s when she heard it. A mewl like an animal in pain.
Without thinking, she rushed to the door, turned the locks, and wrenched it open. There in the hall was the same big cat she’d seen that first night. The beast lay in front of Alec’s closed door with its head down and whining like the world had come to an end. Whisper couldn’t have said why afterward, but she stepped into the hall and made a clicking sound with her tongue at the roof of her mouth. She held out her hand to the cat.
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