The Shifter Romances The Writer (Nocturne Falls Book 6)

by Kristen Painter

  The thought that her ex might be up to something had ignited an urge to protect her unlike anything he’d felt before in his life.

  Unless you counted the way he felt toward his family.

  If Thomas touched a hair on her body, Alex was going to put him in a world of hurt. The kind that left a lasting impression and made sure the idiot never attempted anything against her again. Alex might be an officer of the law, but he was a shifter first. And his kind had their own laws when it came to protecting those they loved.

  Love. Was that what he was feeling? He let the word roll around in his brain as he turned onto his back to stare at the ceiling. His eyes began drifting closed and he stopped fighting it, the last thought on his mind that while Roxy might not believe in soul mates, he did. In fact, he was starting to believe in them more than ever.

  “Ooo.” Roxy let out a moan that she was powerless to stop.

  Delaney snorted. “You sound like you’re having a very different massage than I am.”

  Imari, Roxy’s masseuse, laughed softly. “They are both the same, I promise.”

  “I don’t know,” Roxy said. “This is pretty good.”

  Sandrine, Delaney’s masseuse, chimed in. “They aren’t exactly the same. After all, Delaney is pregnant.”

  “True,” Imari answered, digging in deeper on Roxy’s shoulders.

  Imari’s renewed efforts caused Roxy to sigh some more. As best she could anyway with her face plastered into the padded doughnut that stuck out at the end of the massage table. “Forget pretty good, this is heaven.”

  Delaney was on the table next to her since they’d opted for the Besties Package, which was kind of like a couple’s day at the spa, but without romantic overtones. Just a few special provisions for Delaney’s growing baby bump. “Why do you think I’ve been trying to get you here?”

  “I was a fool not to listen to you sooner.”

  Imari moved on to Roxy’s lower back. “You should come any time you need it.”

  “Agreed,” Roxy answered. She really ought to make this a more regular thing.

  Delaney spoke again. “Why did you decide to finally do it anyway? And with such short notice?”

  “Um…” Roxy hadn’t had a chance to explain yet. When they’d arrived at the spa, they’d been whisked off to a changing area, given robes, cups of specially blended relaxation tea, and then ushered into the massage room for “meditation time,” which was basically listening to pan flute music and whale sounds while not talking. Which, as it turned out, was surprisingly relaxing.

  Roxy exhaled another deep sigh as Imari began running her forearm over Roxy’s back in big, sweeping motions. “Let’s just say Alex talked me into it. I’ll explain more later.” Like when they weren’t naked and being rubbed into jelly. Besides that, Roxy liked Imari and Sandrine, and it felt weird talking like they weren’t there.

  And just in case they were the chatty type, Roxy didn’t want to risk having her business spread all over town any more than it already had been.

  Delaney moaned something back that sounded like she understood.

  Then they both went quiet and boneless under the hands of the very capable professionals working on them. Roxy decided about halfway through that getting a massage every couple of months had just become mandatory. Sooner if she could swing it.

  Sixty minutes later, she and Delaney were left alone to recover enough to get off the tables and then be escorted to the next room for facials. Roxy wasn’t making a lot of progress getting upright until she heard movement. If Delaney could do it, so could she. Digging deep, she found a thread of consciousness and pulled herself upright, wrapping the sheet around her as she did.

  Next to her, Delaney made a noise like an old man trying to hoist himself out of a recliner, which made Roxy laugh. She looked over her shoulder. Delaney had a serious case of bed head and a nice oily sheen from the massage lotion, but her eyes were heavy-lidded with bliss.

  Roxy’s brows lifted. “If I look anything like you do, we’re both a hot mess.”

  Delaney grinned. “Do I look like I just had a wild night in the sack?”

  “A wild night in the sack that was preceded by oil wrestling.”

  “That’s the sign of a good massage.” She slid off the table and tucked her sheet in like a long, strapless dress. “Ready for part two?”

  Roxy nodded. “Totally.”

  “How are you feeling, stress-wise?”

  “Stress? What stress? I don’t even know what that word means right now.”

  Delaney nodded with great satisfaction. “Excellent. Also, told ya.”

  They shrugged their robes on, then dropped the sheets.

  Delaney put her hand on the door handle, but didn’t open it. A serious light shone in her eyes. “Have you had any more hallucinations lately?”

  Roxy shook her head. “Nothing. I think it was definitely stress.”

  “That’s good. That’s really good.” Delaney smiled. “Hey, you should be able to write today off, then.”

  Roxy laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think my accountant will go for that.”

  Delaney opened the door. “Doesn’t hurt to try.”

  The facials were followed by pedicures, and then the whole thing was finished up with a half-hour guided relaxation, during which Roxy drifted off into the most luxurious catnap she’d ever had. By the end of the day, she was cocooned in a warm, happy glow.

  At the front desk, she and Delaney were handed complimentary bottles of “energizing water” as they were checked out by Imari and Sandrine.

  Roxy held hers up. “I’m not sure I want to drink this. I’m pretty happy just the way I am. I don’t want to ruin this mellow feeling.”

  Imari shook her head. “You need to drink a lot of water after a massage. That bottle will get you started. It’s got a lot of good minerals in it. Right from the springs here in the hills. Some of the best water around.”

  “Really?” Roxy looked at Delaney. “Why didn’t you tell me? You know I love good water.”

  Delaney leaned her hip against the counter as she handed over a black American Express card. “Why do you think we sell it all over town?”

  Roxy shrugged shoulders that felt like happy mush. “I just thought it was a tourist thing.”

  “Nope. We all drink it.” As if to prove her point, Delaney twisted the top off hers and took a big drink.

  “Got it. Lots of water. Starting with this one.” Roxy collected her receipt, then she and Delaney walked out together.

  They stopped under the awning. They’d been in the spa for almost four hours, and during that time, the sky had gone gray. A light drizzle fell.

  “Perfect writing day,” Roxy said.

  Delaney stretched. “I’m so glad I don’t have to go back to the shop today. I love it, but the way I feel, I just want to go home, snuggle up with my husband and continue to pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist.”

  “That sounds lovely.” It did. But it also made Roxy the tiniest bit melancholy. She had no one to snuggle with. Maybe she should get a dog. Or a cat.

  Or an Alex.

  She shook her head at her own thoughts.

  “What?” Delaney asked.

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “No, but you shook your head.”

  “Just…” No reason not to be truthful. “Just thinking about Alex.”

  Delaney’s eyes lit up.

  Roxy raised her hand. “No. Don’t even go there.”

  Delaney pressed her lips firmly together, but couldn’t keep herself from smiling. “Whatever you say.”

  “Good. Because I say I’m not ready. I’m not even officially divorced yet.”

  “Rox, I gotta tell you. The more you say that, the more it sounds like an excuse. You’ve been separated from Thomas for almost a year and a half. No one considers you married to him anymore. I think you’re scared.”

  Roxy opened her mouth to protest, but Delaney didn’t give her a chance. “And you
know what? It’s okay to be scared. Who wouldn’t be after what you went through? But don’t let fear ruin the possibility of what might be. You know what I mean? Alex is not Thomas. He’s a great guy. You couldn’t ask for better. Just…don’t shut him out entirely. I think seeing what could happen with a guy like him, a guy so opposite of Thomas, could be really good for you.”

  Roxy nodded. “I get it. I do. And I am afraid. But I’m also just not ready.”

  Delaney smiled, but there was disappointment in her eyes. “You know I just want you to be happy.”

  “I know.” Roxy hugged her friend. “Tell Hugh I said hi.”

  “Tell him yourself.” Delaney tipped her head at the sleek Jaguar that pulled up. “He’s here.”

  Hugh Ellingham, Delaney’s gorgeous husband, hopped out of the car, umbrella in hand, and came around to open Delaney’s door.

  “Must be nice,” Roxy said.

  Delaney grinned as he helped her in. “It is. Very nice.”

  Roxy gave Hugh a little wave. “Hi.”

  He nodded back. “Hello, there. Nice to see you.”

  “You too.”

  He shut Delaney’s door then turned to Roxy and lifted the umbrella. “Can I walk you to your car?”

  “Sure—oh, crud. I just realized I left my earrings on the counter in the dressing room. Thank you so much, but you go ahead.”

  “All right then.”

  She waved at Delaney and ran back in. Her earrings were right where she’d left them. She scooped them up and went back outside.

  She stood a moment under the awning, waiting for the rain to let up and thinking about Hugh and Delaney. How amazing it would be to have that kind of relationship.

  The drizzle wasn’t getting any better, so she ducked her head and ran to her car. She got in as quickly as she could, but had to wipe rain out of her eyes. Oh well. She was already covered in a bunch of different lotions and potions, what was a little rain water? And her car could totally use a bath.

  Her thoughts went from Hugh and Delaney to Alex. Had he found anything out yet? She pulled her phone out and turned it back on now that she was out of the spa.

  While she waited for it to start up, she glanced into her rearview mirror to look for cars behind her and went very still as she saw the back window. The rain had washed some of the words away, but enough of it was still readable, etched into the grime.

  Have fun?

  Alex woke to the ringing of his cell phone. He grabbed it off the nightstand without opening his eyes, a reflex born of years of being on call. He mumbled, “Cruz,” and waited for Birdie to fill him in on whatever emergency required his attention.

  “Alex, it’s Roxy. Thomas followed me to the spa.”

  Alex sat up, wide awake. “Are you okay?” She’d sounded stressed. The exact opposite of how she should sound after her spa day.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Just shaken up.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Home. I didn’t actually see him at the spa. He wrote something in the dirt on my car window.” She hesitated, then blurted, “I feel like I’m being watched. That’s probably just my nerves, though. This is really freaking me out.”

  “On my way over. Don’t answer the door for anyone else.”

  “Okay. Thank you. I won’t.”

  “You got it.” He hung up and got dressed, glad he’d showered before hitting the sack. He threw on jeans and a T-shirt. For a second, he thought about taking his off-duty weapon, but Thomas was a human. Alex wouldn’t need a gun to take the man down. Even if Thomas had a weapon, Alex was a shifter. It would take more than a bullet to stop him. That decided, he raced over.

  He stood on her porch and checked the street in both directions. A steady drizzle had turned the day gray and dreary. No pedestrian traffic. No suspicious cars. But maybe the rain had sent Thomas back to wherever he was staying. Alex knocked. “Roxy, it’s me, Alex.”

  She answered the door. “Hey.” Her tense expression gave way to a slow smile. Not the greeting he’d been expecting considering how she’d sounded on the phone. Then she pointed at his feet. “You forgot to put shoes on.”

  He glanced down before answering her. “So I did. Is that a problem?”

  She shook her head and stepped back so he could enter. “No, I think it’s very sweet that you were in that big of a rush to get over here.”

  “You sounded worried.” And he was grateful that she’d called him. That he was who she’d chosen to reach out to when she needed to feel safe. Sure, he was a cop, she didn’t know that many people in town, and he lived next door, but he was still glad he was the one she’d turned to.

  “I am a little worried.” She sighed as she closed the door. “Actually, I’m not freaking out as much as I was before. I don’t think I’m in danger, but I’m really ticked off. I just want Thomas to sign the stupid papers and disappear from my life.”

  “What exactly happened at the spa?” She smelled great and looked…glowy. Must have been the spa treatments.

  “When I got out to my car, he’d written on the dirt on the rear window. It said, ‘Have fun?’ like he knew I’d been in there.”

  “Did you take a picture to document it?”

  She frowned. “No, I didn’t even think about that. I just drove straight home. The rain washed it off.”

  He studied her. “You said you don’t think you’re in danger, but how can you be sure? He’s obviously trying to rattle you. And if he doesn’t get what he wants soon, which I assume is for you to retract the divorce, he could escalate.” Alex hoped that was all Thomas wanted and not something more sinister.

  She wrapped her arms around her torso and took a long moment before answering, her eyes losing some of their sparkle. “His temper can be scary.”

  Alex took a breath, wishing he didn’t have to ask her the hard questions, but he needed to know what they were dealing with. “Did he ever hit you while you were married?”

  “No.” She bit at the inside of her cheek. “But he put holes in walls. Threw a few things. Raised his voice a lot.” She shrugged. “I think he’s capable of it.”

  He reached for his cell phone, then realized he’d left it on the night stand. He started to move toward the phone in the kitchen. “I’m calling the station.”

  She put her hand on his arm, stopping him. “Please don’t. If the police get involved—I mean, I know you’re a cop, but the more complicated this gets… I just don’t want to give him any more reason to keep sitting on those unsigned papers.”

  “You need an RO.”

  “A what? Oh, restraining order?”

  “Yes.”

  “He hasn’t really done anything, though.”

  Alex gave her a stern look. “And it needs to stay that way.”

  “I’ll think about it. It’s not like I could get one today anyway.”

  “You might. I could try to move things along. Plus, you’re a friend of Delaney’s, and the Ellinghams can make things happen.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to ask her husband for a favor like that. Not yet. Not unless I really need it.”

  He could have argued that point, but he also understood. He wasn’t someone who liked to be indebted to anyone either. “Okay, but you do need some kind of protection until we know for sure what’s going on.”

  “What kind of protection?”

  He put his hands in his pockets, the tile floor of her kitchen cool under his bare feet. “Me.”

  Her brows lifted slightly, as did the corners of her mouth. “My own personal police force, huh?”

  He nodded. “Something like that.”

  “Okay, I’m game. What’s the plan?”

  He took a breath. “First, I’m going back to my place. If Thomas is watching you, I want it to look like I was here and left. I’ll return to my house, gather a few things, then cross over from my backyard into yours. You can let me in through the slider.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “There’s no gate in the fence between your y
ard and mine. And that fence is at least six feet tall. You plan on getting a ladder out?”

  “Something like that.” Actually, he planned on jumping it. “Just be ready to let me in.”

  “Got it. Then what?”

  “Then we wait until dark, see if anything else happens. I hope not, but it would be nice if this came to a head sooner rather than later. If it doesn’t, I’m going to do some more investigating, see if I can figure out where he’s watching from, that sort of thing.” He also needed to check in with Birdie and Jenna again.

  She bit at her cheek again. Like she was still worried.

  “Hey, nothing’s going to happen to you. I’m not going to leave you alone until this is sorted out. When I’m not here, I’ll have another deputy on watch outside. But mostly, it’ll be me. Right here with you.”

  She nodded, then lifted her head to look at him. “You’re going to stay here all night?”

  He tipped his head toward the couch. “That’s why I’m coming back with a few things. I plan on staying in the house. On that couch. So long as that’s cool with you.”

  She stared at the couch and let out a breath as her shoulders relaxed. She’d been more worried than she’d wanted to let on, that was obvious. “Yeah, that’s totally cool with me.”

  He cupped her elbows and smiled at her. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. Nothing. Think of me as your own personal Wolfgang Blackborne.”

  Her little half smile wasn’t that convincing as she muttered, “Thanks. If only you could change into a big scary wolf.”

  He laughed. If only she knew. “I’m glad you think so highly of my ability to keep you safe.”

  Her smile turned genuine. “No, no, I know you’re good at what you do and all that. I just…Thomas can be sort of be a bull dog about stuff like this.”

  He gave her a wink. “Then maybe it’s time he was neutered.”

  In the twenty minutes that Alex was gone, Roxy checked out her front windows twice, sent a quick email to her assistant, and opened a bottle of wine. Because if she was going to be a prisoner in her house, she was going to enjoy it.

  Which was how she finished the first glass before Alex got back. She stood at the sliding door that led into the backyard, glass number two in hand, staring at the fairy house and wondering if her life would ever level out to something normal.