Bleacke's Geek

by Lesli Richardson

  Dewi stepped into the doorway, staring after her. “Let us know what night would work best for you!” she called out after her.

  “We have an appointment with the florist, huh?”

  She shrugged. “I work fast.” Ken sat back and laughed as she returned her attention to him. “Still sure you want to wait four weeks?”

  “Not if this shit keeps up.”

  She grinned, showing teeth. “Hey, I didn’t growl at her.”

  “That time.”

  “I consider it personal growth.” Her brow furrowed. “How many more girls want to see you today?”

  “My other three conferences are guys.”

  “Oh.” She smiled. “Safe for me to go grab a coffee downstairs?”

  “I think so.”

  She walked in, leaned over the desk, and kissed him. “I’ll be right back.”

  “I hope so.”

  She grabbed his tie and pulled him in for another kiss. “Don’t worry. I’m not about to let you go, either.”

  “Good.”

  “Do you want anything?”

  He grinned. “Nothing that you can bring me from a vending machine.”

  He was talking with his next student when she returned. She stood outside the door again, but Ken sensed how relaxed she was this time. When they finished and the student left, Dewi returned to the office and smoothly slid into the chair on the other side of the desk.

  “Better?” he asked.

  She nodded as she sipped her coffee. He didn’t understand her subtle shift in demeanor, a cloud darkening her features. “Sorry.”

  “What for?”

  She shrugged. “I should be better than petty jealousy. And this isn’t because of anything you’ve done.” She stared at the ring on her hand as a wistful smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

  Curiosity piqued, he leaned forward. “What’s going on?” He suspected this was far deeper than mere territoriality on her part.

  “You’re all mine,” she mumbled as she picked at the edge of the plastic lid on her cup. “I’ve never had someone who was all mine before.”

  “But you said…” He stopped to think. She’d had partners before him. “I don’t understand.”

  She took a deep breath and let it out. So softly he almost couldn’t hear her, she said, “No one’s ever been mine before. I knew they weren’t permanent relationships. I never…” She shrugged, then her head snapped up just as his next appointment appeared in the doorway.

  Silently cursing the timing, Ken spoke to him. “Be right with you.” Before he could say anything else to Dewi, she was up and out of the chair, brushing past the guy and heading out of sight down the hall.

  “Come on in,” he said, waving the student in.

  Chapter Ten

  Ken wasn’t just exhausted by the time four o’clock rolled around that afternoon, he was relieved. Relieved that the day was over, that he could go home with Dewi and relax, and that Dewi hadn’t mauled any of his female students for making passes at him.

  Yet.

  Although admittedly it had been a particularly odd day.

  He noticed the tense set to her jaw as she cranked the car. He wanted to revisit what they’d started to talk about in his office, but hadn’t yet had time to finish discussing. “You okay?”

  “Do women always throw themselves at you like that?” she grumbled.

  The undeniably growly tone of her voice made him want to laugh. He reached over and patted her on the thigh. “No. This was a weird damn day. I’ve never had a student hit on me before, much less three of them in one day. I don’t understand it.”

  He felt her muscles relax a little under his hand. She leaned over and kissed him. “I’m sorry. I’ll tone it down tomorrow.”

  “I don’t know. I kind of liked it.”

  “Liked what?”

  “Having my own guard dog.”

  “Wolf.” But she smiled.

  “Whatever.” He ran his hand through her hair, gently twisting the ends around his fingers. His voice softened. “Seriously, that normally doesn’t happen. Please don’t be jealous. I only have eyes for you.”

  “I know. I trust you.” She scowled. “I just don’t trust those horny little tramps throwing themselves at you.”

  “That was…weird.” He sat back in his seat. “Completely weird. I don’t understand it. It’s like everyone went crazy today.”

  “No, it’s because you’re mated to me now.” She shifted into reverse and backed out of the parking space.

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “Love rarely does.” She cranked up the radio and began to sing to it, obviously not wanting to continue the discussion.

  I’ll have to revisit that topic later.

  * * * *

  “When are you going to let me teach you how to swim?” Dewi asked as he changed out of his jeans and dress shirt into a pair of shorts.

  “We’ve only been home ten minutes and I have work to do. Can we talk about drowning me later?”

  She sat on the bed, a delicious smirk on her face. “I won’t drown you. I promise.”

  “I don’t even like tub baths.”

  “Bet you’ve never had a naked swimming instructor.”

  “You’re right. I haven’t.” He pulled on a T-shirt. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to be a good student. Can’t we skip swimming?”

  “Come on, you’ll like it.”

  “I’m just not a swimmer, okay?”

  She studied him for a moment, her brow furrowing. “What’s going on?” she finally asked.

  He felt his face redden, but he turned from her, grabbing his dirty clothes from the floor and sticking them in the hamper just inside the bathroom door. “Nothing,” he mumbled.

  He didn’t want to admit why he was afraid of the water. How Dave liked to “play” with him at the pool at their house growing up, holding him under until he thought he’d drown, just to let him up to catch his breath before doing it to him again. All the while, Dave laughing like a loon, thinking it was the funniest thing in the world.

  He jumped when he felt Dewi’s arms encircle him from behind. “You sure you’re not part cat?” he quipped as he turned in her embrace.

  He didn’t read pity on her face, but he wasn’t sure her concerned expression was much better. “Please,” she softly said. “Tell me.”

  He closed his eyes. “Can we do this later?”

  He felt her rest her head against his chest as she pulled his arms more tightly around her. “Okay. But one of these days, I want to hear the story.”

  He buried his face in her hair. On the one hand, she made him feel nearly superhuman, like he could do anything with her love to strengthen him.

  On the other hand, in her presence he felt even more emasculated than usual. Here was a woman who could, literally, singlehandedly rip his throat out. And the most rebellious thing he’d ever done in his life was jaywalk.

  Well, that and have anonymous sex in a ladies’ bathroom with Dewi.

  “Okay,” he agreed. “Just not right now.” He had a thought. “I’ll tell you about it if you finish telling me what else you were going to say in my office this afternoon. Deal?”

  She stiffened slightly, but she nodded.

  * * * *

  Ken finished grading papers just as Badger bellowed that dinner was ready. He’d made a vegetable lasagna for dinner, with roasted chicken on the side for the shifters.

  Ken felt touched at the trouble Badger was going through. “This is delicious. Thank you,” he told Badger.

  The older man gruffly waved away the compliment, but Ken didn’t miss how he also seemed to puff up a little at the praise.

  “Oh, Dewi,” Badger said, “we got a call today from Tayla Barrons.”

  Dewi let out a groan. “What now?”

  “She’s worried about Kendra. She can’t get her on the phone, and Kendra’s husband won’t let Tayla talk to her.”

  “Shit.”

  Ken had to ask
. “What?”

  “Tayla is a Targhee packmate,” Dewi explained. “Half human herself, but she doesn’t shift. She married a human, Don, who died in Iraq not long after Tayla gave birth. Their daughter, Kendra, is part shifter, but she doesn’t shift either. She doesn’t know anything about that part of her heritage. Tayla decided not to tell her, since she’ll likely never shift. Well, Kendra married some dirtbag last year. Tayla thinks he’s been abusing Kendra, but Kendra won’t leave him or press charges.”

  “It’s worse,” Badger added. “Tayla thinks Kendra’s pregnant.”

  Dewi closed her eyes. “Crap.”

  “I don’t understand,” Ken said.

  Dewi turned to him. “As a pack Enforcer, my job is basically equivalent to a Wild West marshal. I keep the peace between shifters, enforce pack laws, settle shifter disputes, and protect humans from shifters when necessary. I also step in when there are cases like this.”

  “Why not call the law?”

  “Because obviously she won’t, or can’t, call the law. And she’s part of the Targhee pack by birth. She’s my responsibility, even if she doesn’t know anything about that part of her lineage.”

  For the first time, Ken allowed himself to really think about the shooting Saturday night. “You said that guy you killed—”

  “Peckingham.”

  “Yeah. He was selling his daughters?”

  She nodded and took a swallow of iced tea. “Total asshole.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “Because shifter or not, some people are just born to grow up to be asswipe douchecanoes. He was one of them. His wife, Alexis, got in touch with me Saturday morning, in a panic.”

  “She’s a shifter?”

  “No, she’s a human. I had to step in once before when he decided to go heavy-handed on her a year or so ago after he got drunk one night. He found out I don’t hit like a girl. I gave him everything he gave his wife, along with hefty interest, in terms of a beating. He couldn’t walk for a week.”

  Beck looked grim. “I told you then to just take him out.”

  “I couldn’t. Alexis wouldn’t petition the pack for it.” She tapped the table. “This gave me cause.”

  Beck shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. He was a dick. I would have taken him out if you’d have let me.”

  “Yeah, and then Peyton would have been crawling up my ass about it and—”

  “So,” Ken said, interrupting, “this guy, Peckingham. His wife is human but knew he was a shifter?”

  “Yes,” Dewi said. “And any time there are children involved in the issue, that overrides anything and allows me to act without needing a pack edict. This time, I didn’t need that. Before I went after the guy, I called Peyton as a matter of courtesy and told him what Peckingham did and was planning on doing. Peyton issued an immediate edict over the phone to permanently take him out.”

  “What about due process?”

  She put her fork down and stared at the table for a moment. When she next spoke, she didn’t look at him. Her voice sounded quiet and tired. “His daughter didn’t get any. I tracked her down at the dealer’s house Saturday afternoon. Fortunately, she hadn’t been raped yet, but she was absolutely terrified. I took her home, gave Alexis money to fly herself and all four girls out to Idaho immediately, and drove them to the airport myself. The pack will take care of them and get them resettled. Then I came home, changed clothes, picked up a throwaway gun, and went after the fucktard. And now you know, as they say, the rest of the story.” She stood and left the room.

  Ken felt horrible and started to go after her, but both Badger and Beck waved him back down.

  “Don’t, son,” Badger said. “She needs a few minutes to get her wits about her. She’ll be a’right in a minute. Ye have to understand, she’s pretty high-strung in some ways. It’s what makes her a good Enforcer. She cares. She doesn’t let power go to her head. She always remembers her job is first and foremost to protect innocents.”

  “I feel like I hurt her feelings.”

  “Ye didn’t,” Badger assured him. “Trust me, she’s fine.” He winked at Ken. “And good work.”

  “Huh?”

  Badger tapped his left thumb and ring finger together but didn’t say anything else. Instead, he went back to eating.

  Sure enough, Dewi returned a few minutes later. She leaned in and kissed Ken before retaking her seat. “I’ll call Tayla back after dinner,” she told Badger. “See what’s up.”

  * * * *

  Ken was going to leave her alone for the call, but she invited him to join her and Beck in the office. With the phone on speaker mode, she called Tayla Barrons. He found himself holding his breath as he waited to hear the call connect.

  The woman who answered sounded scared, her voice tentative and uncertain. “Hello?”

  “Tayla Barrons? This is Dewi Bleacke. Badger gave me your message.” Ken didn’t miss how Dewi’s voice now sounded commanding, calm, sure.

  If he was in trouble, it was the kind of voice that would convince him the cavalry had arrived in overwhelming numbers and was kicking butt and taking names.

  The woman let out a relieved sob and began crying. “Thank you! I’m sorry I bothered you, but I can’t find her. I’m worried something’s happened to her…”

  During the call, Dewi took notes on a legal pad, doing her best to comfort the distraught mother and reassure her that she’d do everything in her power to find her daughter. After the nearly hour-long conversation ended, Dewi sat back and tossed her pen onto the legal pad. She’d agreed to go down to Ft. Myers, where Tayla and Kendra lived, the next day. Meanwhile, Dewi had charged Tayla with compiling as much information as she could on her son-in-law, including names, addresses, and phone numbers of friends and family, current and former employers, and anything else she could come up with.

  Beck wore a grim expression. “Want me to go?”

  “No, I need to do it. I met Kendra when she married the jerk. I didn’t have cause to warn him off her then.

  Recognition washed over Beck’s face. “That’s the wedding where they—”

  “Yep. That’s the one. They make the Honey Boo Boo crew look like prim and proper royalty.”

  Ken wasn’t sure what they were talking about. “Huh?”

  Dewi stood and stretched. “The highlight of the wedding, which was held at the groom’s brother’s house near Lake Okeechobee, was an illegal alligator hunt. The bride was resplendent in denim cut-offs and a tank top, while the groom wore a plaid button-up shirt with the sleeves ripped off and a ratty pair of jeans.”

  “I’m guessing Tayla wasn’t pleased,” he observed.

  “Not in the least. She begged me to convince her daughter to call off the wedding, but like I said, I had no cause. The girl was nineteen, not a minor. I saw no sign of abuse, although the mother of the groom was wearing an inordinate amount of pancake concealer behind gigantic sunglasses and a floppy hat.”

  Apparently, Dewi wasn’t in a mood to try to get him interested in swimming after the phone call. They said their goodnights and headed upstairs to the bedroom.

  He sensed the tension in her, the anxiety.

  The worry.

  “If you want to go down to Ft. Myers tonight, I understand.” He didn’t relish the thought of sleeping alone, but it was for a good cause.

  She wrapped her arms around him, relaxing in his embrace. “No,” she mumbled against his chest, “it wouldn’t do any good. I need the information from Tayla first. I can’t go knocking on human doors in the middle of the night when I have no clue she is.”

  He rubbed his hands up and down her spine, feeling her relax even more under his touch. “Can I do anything else to make you feel better?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Her hand cupped the nape of his neck. She pulled him down for another kiss, deep, slow, passionate. When his cock stiffened in his shorts, she rubbed herself against him, the friction adding delicious torture to their embrace.

  A de
ep sense of peace flowed through him, a sense of belonging he’d never felt before. Accompanied by a protective urge to make her feel better, to take her mind off the concern he’d felt in her ever since she’d ended the phone call.

  He backed her toward the bed, nibbling across her jaw, his passion growing, swelling, along with hers. He closed his eyes and licked at the side of her neck, tasting the salt on her flesh at the hollow of her throat, nuzzling along the top of her shoulder where…

  Insatiable, unstoppable need took him. Instinctive, deep, and overpowering, he peeled his lips back from his teeth and bit down on her shoulder, hard.

  Her pleasured gasps turned into a screech of shock that immediately had him releasing her even as she twisted out of his arms. When he looked at her, she had a hand clapped to her shoulder, her eyes wide, pupils so large her mocha eyes looked black.

  And her canines had lengthened. “Fuck! You bit me!”

  “I…I thought you—”

  “Shit!” This came out as a growl as she bolted for the door and threw it open. “Beck!” she bellowed. She leaned against the doorframe, slowly sliding down it as her hands balled up into fists.

  Something was happening to her, different than the first time she showed him how she turned into a wolf. He took a step toward her and she warded him back. “No!”

  That definitely sounded like a growl.

  Beck, followed by Badger, pounded up the stairs. “What happened?” Beck asked, looking down at her.

  “Hit me!” she ordered.

  Beck looked as confused as Ken felt. “What?”

  She grabbed his arm and hauled herself to her feet. Now Ken could definitely tell something was wrong. It looked like her ears were elongating along with her teeth. “Hit me, goddammit!” Her voice now sounded even growlier. “He bit me. Fucking punch me and knock me the fuck out!”

  Beck’s confusion transformed to alarmed shock. “Shit!”

  Before Ken could stop him, Beck hauled off and cold-cocked Dewi, knocking her out with a sickening crack as his fist made contact with her jaw, and another as her head rocked back and struck the doorframe. Beck caught her before she hit the floor. Scooping her into his arms, he carried her over to the bed and gently laid her there.