by Susan Bliler
Lilly bent over her desk, trying to open her drawer from the far side to retrieve a file she needed to place back in Monroe’s office. She nearly had the file pulled from the too full desk drawer when she stilled. A shiver raced down her spine, she knew she wasn’t alone. She didn’t get up from her un-lady like sprawl across the desk; instead, she snapped her head around to catch King eyeing her ass.
“Shit,” she muttered as she righted herself, pulling down the hem of her black satin skirt that had hiked too high, flashing her nylons and garters to the Chief of Security. Her cheeks flamed. “What do you need, Mr. Mulholland?”
King was stopped at the door, his hands half raised as if he’d been in the process of lifting them to remove his dark sunglasses before he’d stopped dead in his tracks at the sight that met them. His hands lifted slowly to his glasses as he pulled them down to reveal darkened, lust-filled eyes. His lips slowly curved in appreciation. “Are you willing to give me what I need?”
The innuendo wasn’t lost on her, but she opted to ignore it. “You could’ve called down. I would have brought up whatever it is Mr. StoneCrow needs.” The words were a little too sharp and had King’s grin widening.
He took a step closer. “Afraid to be alone with me?”
“No.” Lilly snapped, wincing at the shrillness of her tone as she reached up to tuck a lose strand of soft blonde hair behind her ear. Hell yes she was afraid to be alone with him! “W-what is it he needs?”
King smiled, “He needs the quarterly statement from his desk.”
Lilly turned quickly toward Monroe’s office. “Wait here, I’ll grab it.”
Lilly entered the CEO’s office and stopped in front of his desk, dragging in steadying breaths in an attempt to calm herself when she heard the door to Monroe’s office close. She spun to find King leaning against the closed door. She’d always thought Monroe’s office was large until now. She hadn’t flipped on the lights when she’d entered. Enough light filtered through the closed blinds over the large window behind the desk to suffice, but now she was kicking herself. The space felt intimate, and the way King was staring at her left her hands shaking.
She tried to ignore the fact that as his eyes slid down her frame then back up, the smile that had curved his lips seconds before slowly vanished. Shit!
Lilly cleared her throat and stepped behind the desk, hoping for the slightest comfort with the obstacle now between them. When King strode slowly toward her, she fumbled with the papers on Monroe’s desk as she tried to swiftly page through them for the requested document. She tried to sound authoritative when she challenged, “I’ll bring it out to you, Mr. Mulholland.”
King’s light chuckle had her eyes lifting from the papers that shook between her trembling fingers. “No need for such formality, Lilly.”
Lilly dropped her eyes back to her task. She was frantic now. She needed that document! “Perhaps for you, Mr. Mulholland, but I must insist you address me as Ms. Worthington.” Her eyes flicked up and dropped quickly to the shuffle of papers as King slowly stalked closer.
“Really, Lilly? And is that Mrs. or is it Ms.”
She didn’t miss the emphasis on her name. He was taunting her. She found the document and jerked it from the pile of papers as her angry blue eyes met his. She rounded the desk quickly and slapped the document into King’s chest with every intention of striding past him to the office door. He had other ideas. His large hand closed around her wrist, stopping her as she made to pass.
She didn’t look at him. She kept her eyes locked on the door, her only means of escape.
Towering over her, King bent and inhaled sharply, his nose inches from her hair.
That was it! Lilly turned on him, her blue eyes stormy now with the anger she’d been trying to confine. “What do you think you’re doing, Mr. Mulholland?”
He licked his lips and Lilly couldn’t seem to drag her eyes from their now glistening fullness as they quirked in a knowing smile. Her soft pink tongue darted out to lick her own.
“I’m waiting for an answer, Lilly.”
God she hated how she loved the way he said her name. It sounded significant when it fell from his lips. Lilly pulled her eyes from his lips to stare into his almost black eyes. They were typically green, but right now the pupils were dilated so wide that there was only the faintest hint of a green ring encompassing the black pool in the center.
Lilly shook her head. What did he just ask? “Answer to what?” Her voice was too breathy.
“Are you married, or are you available?” He was toying with her. He loved when she got all flustered and breathy. He could scent no other man on her and he hadn’t since he’d come to StoneCrow.
She felt her cheeks flame as she twisted her arm free then reminded him, “Mr. StoneCrow is waiting.”
“Let him fucking wait!” The words left King on a deep growl.
Lilly’s eyes snapped to his. She took a step toward the door when he hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her into him. She gasped and struggled against him before stilling as he lifted a hand and smoothed it over her throat, his nose burrowing into the hair at the side of her face.
“Do you think I don’t see you watching me? I can feel your eyes on me. I know what it is you want, Lilly, and I will gladly give it to you. You have but to ask.”
Her heart was racing. She was mortified. There’s no way he knows what I’ve been fantasizing.
His words rumbled in his chest, “I want an answer to my question, and I’m not leaving without it.”
Lilly licked her lips and stammered, “I-I’m not married.”
She could hear the smile in his voice, “So that would make you…”
She had to get away from him before she wrapped her arms and legs around him and gave in to what she really wanted. “Busy, Mr. Mulholland. Extremely busy. So if you’d be so kind as to take your hands off of me…”
King chuckled and leaned in until his lips whispered against the fine hairs at the back of her neck, “I want to hear you say it.”
“Say what?”
His lips whispered over the curve of her neck. “That you’re available.”
Lilly’s eyes fluttered closed as goose bumps rose on her flesh. Good Lord, he’s hot! Her head fell back and her lips parted. “I’m…I’m…” The sound of the phone ringing on her desk startled her back to reality. She stiffened her shoulders and pulled from him, storming to the door and flinging it open as she exited Monroe’s office and threw over her shoulder, “I’m not interested, Mr. Mulholland.”
Lilly’s hand reached for her phone, but before she could pick it up King’s hand closed over hers. “Lies don’t suit you.”
She frowned up at him as he continued, “That’s your one freebie.” He leaned closer until his nose was inches from hers, forcing her to look away. “But if you lie to me again,” his hand snaked out to grab her chin, forcing her eyes back to his, “I promise you; I’ll make you admit it with the most exquisite form of torture you’ve ever experienced.”
Lilly stared up at him unsure how to respond. The shrill ringing of her phone finally ceased and she jerked from his grasp. “Enough of the games, Mr. Mulholland. I have work to do, and so do you.” She ignored his light laugh as she rounded her desk and took her seat, pulling a file from the cabinet behind her before turning to her computer and beginning to type as if she were completely alone.
King watched her for several moments before he sighed and turned to leave. “I love a good challenge, Lilly.”
Her eyes darted to his back and she watched him walk out of the office as trepidation seeped into her.
Chapter 8
King seriously needed to do something about his preoccupation with little Miss Prim-and-Proper. His attraction to the boss’ personal assistant was disconcerting. Sure, he hadn’t been laid in quite some time, but it shouldn’t be having this type of affect on him. He stomped up the stairs to the waiting CEO wondering if he shouldn’t ask for reassignment. He snorted at the thought. I
f Monroe StoneCrow found out King wanted reassignment to avoid contact with Lilly, he knew the CEO and Dominant Walker would use the information to make King’s life a living hell. Christ, the man was like a shark scenting blood in the water when he thought one of his Walkers felt even the slightest admiration for a female. Outright attraction was a practical death sentence. Damn man should’ve been named Cupid for all his rumored match-making. Speaking of…
When King crested the back stairs to the heli-pad on the roof top, he ignored the whipping blades and joined Monroe in the Pave Hawk helicopter that had no business outside of military grounds.
Putting on a headset, he buckled in and shoved the documents he’d retrieved to Monroe. “Here’s your statement.”
Monroe didn’t thank him, and King hadn’t expected him to. The Dominant Walker believed all other Walkers existed to serve him. “Crow, I’ve seen the plans for cabins behind the estate. Legion says they’re for mated Walkers.” There was a slight pause. “You do realize there are no mated Walkers here currently?”
“I’m working on it.”
The words made King want to cringe. He knew he’d be included with those poor unsuspecting Walkers being “worked on” if he wasn’t careful. “Don’t you think that if Walkers wanted mates, we’d claim our angels? It’s not that we can’t have mates, Crow, it’s that we don’t want them.”
Monroe dropped the papers he’d been studying. “You don’t want them because you’ve never been able to protect them.” He smirked knowingly, “I’ll remedy the safety issue and once that’s done, I guarantee children will come.”
“Children?” King spoke over the whomp, whomp, whomp, of the chopper blades. “Is that what this is about? Walkers mating and procreating?”
Something glinted in the Dominant Walker’s eyes but he didn’t respond, simply dropped his eyes back to his paperwork.
Shit! It was worse than King thought. Monroe wasn’t looking to grant his Walkers a place to exist in peace; he was looking to create a breeding ground. But why? “You know if we wanted children, we could hide in society and have them.”
King was shocked when Monroe spun on him to snarl viciously, “We shouldn’t have to!”
So that was it. Monroe was building his Walker haven because he was tired of hiding, tired of being alone. What was an Alpha without a pack? It made sense to King, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t scary as hell. He knew he couldn’t get away from Lilly without drawing suspicion, but maybe…
“Crow, have you considered replacing Ms. Worthington with a Walker?”
Monroe didn’t look up, “And why would I do that?”
“I thought this was supposed to be a Walker community. Isn’t it your intention that eventually all staff and residence of StoneCrow will be Skin Walkers?”
“Maybe in ten years, but right now there aren’t enough. Besides, Ms. Worthington is good at her job. I don’t have the time or patience to retrain anyone else.”
“She’s human. You’ve allowed her too close to vital Walker intel,” King countered feeling like a bastard. “She could betray us once she finds out what we are.”
Monroe relaxed back and stared straight ahead. “I suspect Ms. Worthington has already become suspicious. She’s an intelligent woman, King. She’d have to be a damn fool to not realize something out of the ordinary is going on.”
“Which is exactly why we should cut her loose.”
“No,” Monroe smirked, “it’s exactly why I keep her. She’s been nothing but loyal and tight lipped. Do you honestly think I’d take her at face value? She’s been watched, King. Hell, she’s still being watched.”
At the revelation, King’s hackles instantly rose. The beasts within surged to the fore, demanding he protect her. He’d have to be careful. He knew more than most about Monroe StoneCrow and his penchant for scheming to get what he wanted. King had to force back a snarl of anger at the thought of anyone watching Lilly, and he recognized his own jealousy at not having been the one assigned the task. Fiercely possessive emotions roiled through him and he struggled to tamp them down.
He saw Monroe’s nostrils flare and panic hit. If the Dominant Walker knew… The corner of Monroe’s lips ticked. Not enough that anyone else would have caught it, but King had.
“I’m reassigning the Walker that’s been tailing Ms. Worthington,” Monroe began.
Shit, here it comes!
“As Chief of Security, it’s now your duty to handle surveillance over our human staff. I’d like you to personally keep an eye on Ms. Worthington. She is, after all, closer to vital Walker intel then any other under my employ.”
The use of his very own words being tossed back into his face wasn’t lost on King. He ground his teeth together to keep from telling Monroe where he could shove his assignment. How had this happened? Seconds ago, he’d been trying to convince the Dominant to fire Lilly and now he’d been assigned to her, which meant getting closer instead of further. What in the hell is wrong with me? King wasn’t a stupid man. He’d served his country and in some of the highest ranking capacities the military allowed, including the field of intelligence, but right now he felt like a fucking idiot. His body tensed. Monroe was toying with him, playing a game of chess that King hadn’t even realized they’d started. If he was trying to put this King in check, he’d better be prepared for a fucking fight.
“Since your now in charge of Lilly’s surveillance, you should know that there has been a man watching her.”
Christ! He couldn’t even get a second to get his fierce possession under control before Monroe hit him with the information. Again, anger surged to the fore and his beasts stood, their attention seized. “What man?”
Monroe shrugged one shoulder, “Not sure yet. He approached her at home a few days ago and she blew him off. We’re not sure what he’s after, but he’s after something. He’s been watching her. Staking out her place.”
A frown tugged King’s brows lower as he asked with a look of distaste as if the mere word soured his mouth, “Ex?”
“No. He’s older. Not really Lilly’s type.”
“And how do you know her type?” Damn green-eyed monster. Why couldn’t King control himself?
Monroe smiled. “I don’t. I’m just pretty sure what she wouldn’t be interested in. This guy’s got a cattle ranch east of the city. Don’t believe he’s Megalya either.”
The mention of the Walker enemy had ice shooting through King’s veins. He didn’t want those fucking monsters anywhere near Lilly. “You’re sure?”
“I’ll have the reports uploaded to your computer. You can go over them once we return. For now, let’s get this meeting with Tyce out of the way.”
King couldn’t let it go. “If he’s stalking her why haven’t you taken him out?”
The CEO’s placating grin irked the hell out of King. “If I did that then I’d never discover what it is he’s after.”
Resolved to take care of it personally once they returned to StoneCrow, King changed directions. “What is it exactly we’re supposed to be helping Tyce with?”
“Not him. Mason EnemyHunter has flown in from New York. Apparently, he’s hiring Tyce’s team to assist in the search for his missing sister.”
“And this involves us how?”
“It doesn’t. For now. We’re going to collect samples from Mason, Tyce, and Tyce’s Walkers to add to our database at StoneCrow.”
King snorted, “Still searching for the source huh?”
Monroe didn’t respond.
“Maybe you should hold off on attempting to mate all your Walkers to one another until you find out if we’re all related.” The idea struck King as funny and had him smiling.
“Perhaps you’re right. Maybe I’ll concentrate my efforts on just getting my Sentries mated to human females for the time being.”
King’s smile slid from place and he swallowed hard, knowing that if Monroe pushed him to claim a certain human female, he wouldn’t have to push too hard. Even now, there was that odd sens
ation, a tingling at the back of King’s mind. It almost felt like a warning. A warning to not overlook Lilly Worthington. But why? Was she an enemy infiltrating StoneCrow? If she were, his desire for her was clouding his ability to see it. Perhaps it was something else. Maybe he was supposed to grant her his undivided attention for a very different reason.
Chapter 9
The meeting ran longer then King had hoped, and Monroe’s private helicopter didn’t return to StoneCrow until after five. Lilly was already gone for the day. Wanting nothing more than a hot shower and a hot steak, King forewent both, instead opting to travel immediately to the city to relieve Marko of his surveillance duties. It was difficult to ignore the sharp bite of jealousy that seared through him at the thought of the other Walker watching Lilly.
He could have shifted and flown the forty-five miles to Great Falls, but he was beat. Not only that, but the back seat of the black humvee he’d borrowed from the estate had equipment he might need.
Lilly’s apartment was easy to find. The town of approximately sixty-thousand wasn’t large by any standards. The quaint duplex sat just across from the town’s lone pond that currently hosted a gaggle of Canadian geese, a pair of swans and two dozen ducks.
Marko had nothing to report and was clearly delighted to be relieved of duty.
King drove by Lilly’s apartment and eyed the building and the cars lined up in front of it and in the parking lot. One pass by and he turned to the park where he parked the humvee and exited the vehicle. Clad in gray sweat pants and matching jacket, he exited the vehicle, zipped the top halfway down to expose hardened abs, and fisted the keys before setting off on a steady lope around the park. Several other joggers passed him by. Jogging the park gave him a cover while offering a vantage point to study Lilly’s apartment from many angles. He picked up on several things that’d need to be changed to guarantee her safety. First, there were no lights on the outside of the building, meaning when she arrived home at night, she’d have to get from her vehicle to her door in darkness.