“It’s possible but he’s not in the mood to let me touch him right now. Take him home and get him settled. I’ll drive my truck over so I have supplies on hand if there’s a problem. In the meantime, keep an eye on him. If he struggles to breathe, gets lethargic, if his breathing sounds bubbly, if his stomach gets hard or distended, or if he won’t eat or drink, then there’s a problem.”
“Should I leave him here, where he’s got instant medical care?” I really didn’t want to leave him. I was stunned at how attached I’d become to him. Like destiny or something.
Lorraine shook her head. “I think he’s going to get better faster if he’s with you. Healing requires an animal to feel safe and calm. You seem to do that for him. Not that I’m surprised. Wish I could bottle whatever it is you do with animals. Anyhow, being with you will be the best medicine. Now get out of here. I’ll see you later tonight.”
“Can you call Stacey and Jen? Let them know about Ajax?”
“Done and done.” She waved and headed back inside.
Chapter 9
It took a couple of rest stops, but Ajax climbed up the stairs on his own. I tried to convince him to stay downstairs, but he wasn’t having it. I took him into the kitchen and showed him his water dish and gave him some food. When he was done, I showed him his bed just outside the kitchen. He turned around three times and then collapsed. I thought he’d fall asleep, but as soon as I went to my bedroom, he got up and followed. Luckily I had another bed waiting for him.
I changed into professional clothing for my meeting with Garrett and checked the time. Quarter after six. I decided to go down to my office to get ready. Some of the items for Garrett to examine were in the vault. I’d need to get them out.
Ajax refused to be left behind and followed me down. I took him outside to relieve himself. The property was over three acres. A strip of grass and trees ran down both sides and curved together beyond the rear parking area into an overgrown meadow with a variety of old fruit trees, bushes, and tall grasses. A lot of deer like to dine there and who knew what else lived inside. I took Ajax to the side where it was mowed down and stood between him and the meadow. All I needed was for him to take off after a raccoon or a coyote.
Luckily he did his business, and I took him back inside. He flopped down on the pillow I’d put in the corner of my office. I dug out the paperwork and then went into the vault. I shut the door of my office to keep Ajax from following. In a matter of seconds, he started scraping at the door and whining and then skipped over barking to break into a full-throated howl. The fierce wildness of the sound sent a chill through me.
I went back and opened the door. “Listen, you. Take a chill pill. I’ll be right back.”
I shut the door, and the howl began again. Then I heard hard thud as he jumped against the door. I stopped, hoping he’d stop, but another thud and another. He was going to kill himself at this rate.
“Fine,” I said, opening the door. “But you are going to have to get over this. You can’t come with me everywhere.”
He gave me an admonishing look and a woof and limped over to me, the tip of his tail wagging once. He was clearly hurting worse than before. I sighed. “Look. I’m not leaving. This is your home now. You don’t have to worry about me disappearing on you. I promise.” I scratched his ears and under his jaw. He leaned his head into the caress.
Since Garrett was due in just fifteen minutes, I needed to hurry. The vault was next door in a storage closet. At least the door was. I went inside and around behind the shelving unit on the right. Behind was another shelving unit on the wall, and between was the door going down into the ground. It was sealed by both ordinary locks and magic. The rest of the security on my place was the usual electronic stuff. It was a high-end system, and I didn’t feel the need to bolster it with magic. Plus, I hadn’t wanted my mother to know I was capable of using magic. She never got near the vault, and since I kept the most valuable pieces inside, I figured the extra security layer was a risk worth taking.
Concrete stairs led down inside, the lights coming on with the opening of the door. Inside, I kept jewelry, artwork, coins, and other valuable pieces. I carried up the three boxes I’d been holding for Garrett’s perusal. Ajax ended up flopping just outside the storage closet so he could watch me go back and forth.
Once I was done, I sealed up the vault and emptied the first box onto my desk. I’d just finished arranging things for Garrett to see when the bell rang in front. I went to answer it, Ajax trailing at my heels.
Through the glass, I saw Garrett waiting. I unlocked the door and opened it about six inches. “Hi, Garrett. I’ve acquired a roommate, and he’s kind of cranky.”
Garrett’s smile turned uncertain. “Roommate?”
“Yes. And he may not be very friendly.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Don’t we have a meeting?” He glanced at his watch.
“Yes. Of course. But this was unexpected. I’ve got everything ready for you. I’m just not sure Ajax is going to be okay with you coming in. I’d lock him up, but he just hurts himself trying to get out and he’s already been through so much.”
Garrett blinked at me, trying to make sense of my verbal vomit. “Uh ... I’m not sure what you want me to do. Should we postpone?” He looked at his watch again. “I’m leaving for overseas in the morning for a couple weeks or so. I could have my assistant set up something for us then.”
“I’d rather not.” I really didn’t want to sit on the inventory that long. “I just wanted to prepare you. Come in, but don’t get too close to me. He should be fine.”
I stepped back and pulled the door open, putting my hand on Ajax’s head. “Garrett’s a friend,” I said. “Behave.”
Ajax made a chuffing sound and leaned into my leg. His hackles—what was left of them—rose. At least he didn’t snarl.
Garrett bent down and picked up a satchel before stepping inside. Upon seeing Ajax, he froze. “You’ve got a wolf?”
“He’s not a wolf.”
“Yes, he is.” Garrett looked at me. “Your new roommate is a wolf?” he asked, clearly questioning my sanity. “He looks like he’s been beaten up pretty good.”
I looked down at Ajax. He was gray-brown, but with his hair shaved, he just looked like a naked German Shepherd mix. Maybe a little bit bigger. “I don’t know about a wolf,” I said doubtfully. “He’s had a rough time.” Like me. “Come on into the back.”
Garrett hesitated then stepped inside. Ajax kept his eyes glued to him, edging forward between us and making a rumbling sound deep in his throat.
“Look, maybe we should do this another time,” Garrett said, stepping back.
“Hello. What’s going on?” Damon appeared suddenly in the doorway. His glance swept over Garrett, Ajax, me, and back to Garrett. His expression was definitely not very friendly.
I glared. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see how you were after last night.” His intimate tone suggested that we’d spent the night naked together. He looked at Garrett and smiled, though his eyes were graveyard cold. “I’m Damon Matrovani. You are?” He thrust out his hand.
“Garrett Hornsby.” He looked at me and back to Damon, shaking the other man’s hand. He looked confused. “You’re a friend of Beck’s?”
Damon’s hand closed on Garrett’s in what was clearly one of those manly who-can-squeeze-harder sorts of shakes. A polite version of who has the bigger penis. Garrett winced. I gritted my teeth, suppressing the urge to punch Damon in the balls. That would definitely be unprofessional, though highly satisfying.
Damon’s lips curved into a predatory smile as he cast a possessive look at me. “I’d say we are far more than friends,” he drawled.
Seriously? Who the hell did he think he was? What if Garrett had been my date? Fury boiled inside me. “You need to leave,” I said, fighting the urge to send him flying like I had in the parking garage. I was so angry, I thought my hair might catch fire. The only reason I didn’t
throw a punch was Ajax might decide to bite him. Not that he didn’t deserve it. “Get out. Now.”
“You’re beautiful when you’re angry. Do you know that?”
There are a few phrases you can say to a woman that will send her from zero to bitch in less than a second. The top two being: you’d be prettier if you smiled, and you’re beautiful when you’re angry.
“You’re an asshole when you’re being condescending. Do you know that?” I shot back. “In fact, you’re pretty much an asshole all the time.”
The fury of my words struck him hard enough to fade his self-satisfied smirk, though it didn’t go away completely. “For you, I’d be a pussycat,” he purred.
The spark in his eyes told me he was just stirring the pot, twisting the knife, upsetting the apple cart. And it was working. I was ready to claw his eyes out. I grabbed his arm and shoved him outside, kicking the door shut behind myself. I kept pushing until we were on the other side of his truck, where hopefully Garrett wouldn’t get an eyeful of our discussion.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I kept my voice low, my arms straight at my sides, my hands balled into fists.
“I told you—”
“Shut up.” I poked a finger into his chest. I’m pretty sure it hurt me more than it hurt him. “I don’t want to hear any more of your fairy stories. Why are you acting like a dog peeing all over his territory?”
His eyes narrowed and he scowled. He looked pissed. He had no right to be, as far as I was concerned.
“Fairy stories?”
I rolled my eyes. “Make believe. Nonsense. Bullshit. You know, that crap you were selling about us being....” I shook my head, scrabbling for the right word. “Involved. Romantically. I mean, I’m beautiful when I’m angry? That’s fucking asinine, not to mention condescending and insulting as hell.”
His scowl softened as his lips curved in that wicked grin. I slapped his hand away as he reached out to touch my face. Or poke my eye out. I had no idea just what the hell he was up to.
“But you are beautiful when you’re angry,” he said, running his fingers up my arm instead. Streaks of heat followed in their wake. I hated that I was flattered, even though I knew it was stupid, knew that he’d probably said that to hundreds of women. It didn’t mean anything. But the part of me who’d never been paid compliments by handsome men was eating it up.
“Do I look like a bimbo slut? Like throwing cliché lines at me is going to—” I stopped. He wasn’t trying to get me into bed, which is what that sort of line was usually meant to lead to, so what was he up to? I pulled away from him, biting my lower lip hard. I folded my arms in front of me in an attempt at armoring myself. “What did you really come here for tonight?”
“I really came to see if you were okay. I saw some of the news about the shootings. They mentioned you. I was ... concerned.”
The news? There hadn’t been any TV crews or reporters around last night. And if the vultures knew about me, why weren’t they here, banging on my door? In fact, what had happened to the camera jockeys who’d been scavenging for news about my mother’s murder?
I filed the question away for later.
“Your concern is noted. You’ve seen me. I’m fine. Now leave.”
“Um, Beck?” Garrett stood on the other side of Damon’s truck, his blond hair glowing like a halo in the outdoor lights. He looked nervous and nauseated.
Shit.
Hoping to salvage the situation, I swung around and nearly ran over Ajax, whom I’d left inside. Alone with Garrett. Oh fuck. No wonder the poor man looked like he was about to vomit. “I’m so sorry, Garrett. Come back inside. Don’t worry about Damon. He’s leaving.”
He shook his head. “Actually, I have to go. Something came up, and anyway, it looks like you’ve got your hands full with ... everything. I’ll call when I get back from my trip. We’ll get together to discuss those last items then. I left you something inside, though. I know you didn’t care much for your mother, but she’d given me some pieces to sell, and I thought you might want them.”
Before I could respond, he flicked a look at Damon, gave me a little wave, and practically sprinted over to his BMW, zipping out of the parking lot like a hive of bees was chasing him.
“Well, then. I guess it’s just you and me,” Damon said from behind me, not sounding the least bit repentant for chasing off my best buyer.
I turned. “No. It’s just me and the dog. You can go to hell.”
I stalked away before I could do something incredibly juvenile, like light his hair on fire. Or his pants. Let him get a few blisters on his fine ass, and he wouldn’t be sitting down for a while.
“I don’t like him.”
I whirled. “Who the hell asked you? Garrett’s sweet, smart, kind, and generous, and he’s never once tried to kidnap me.”
Damon prowled forward. I suddenly felt like that goat in the T-Rex pen in Jurassic Park. I thrust out my chin defiantly, planting my hands on my hips. I wasn’t backing down. He loomed over me, his scowl deepening.
“So he is more than a business contact.”
“Even if he was, my love life is none of your business.”
“I’m making it my business,” he growled, and then he was kissing me again.
I’d like to say I kicked him in the nuts and shoved him away, but he really was a good kisser and it felt amazing to be wrapped in his arms and pressed against his hard body. Plus, he smelled divine. Better than Garrett, even.
I hadn’t risked any kind of romantic relationship since high school, and my lips and body wanted everything they’d been missing, which he was giving in spades.
His hands roved over my back and hips. He pressed me closer, his tongue delving expertly into my mouth, teasing and tasting and taking. I may have been an amateur at the romance game, but I was enthusiastic and gave as good as I got. My knees were syrup. I clutched him as if I were drowning and he was the only thing keeping me afloat. I may have momentarily lost my mind as my hormones took control and all my pleasure zones started throbbing and aching.
I was happily riding a frothing, whitewater river of pleasure when a half growl, half whine yanked me back to reality.
Ajax.
I shoved out of Damon’s arms, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. As if I could get rid of the taste and touch of him that easily. Ajax stood to the side, looking worried. He wrinkled his lips at Damon in a silent growl.
“Easy, now,” I told him, petting his head and scratching lightly behind his ears. He leaned into me but kept his attention on Damon.
“I think you need to go.”
“Rebecca—”
I looked at him. I felt flushed and my lips tingled and throbbed. So did other bits of me. All of them crying out for more. But Damon wasn’t a good bet. In fact, he was a damned bad one.
“You came to see how I was. I’m perfectly fine. Now leave.”
He looked confused and more than a little irritated. “A minute ago you were kissing me like you were dying and I was the only thing that could save you. Now you’re the ice queen. Want to clue me in on your game? I don’t mind playing, but I sure as hell would like to know the rules.”
For a moment I was at a loss for words. That was a first for me. My mouth dropped open then snapped shut. My teeth clenched so tight, I thought they might crumble. A game? He thought I was playing a game?
“There are no rules,” I said very slowly, biting off each word. It took everything I had to keep my voice low and steady. I was half surprised that they didn’t come out in chunks of ice. I wanted to tell him to fuck off and die. “Because there is no game. I do not play games. I’ve had my fill of those for a lifetime. A dozen lifetimes. My hormones got the best of me, but my brain is in charge now. I’m going inside. You are leaving. Do not come back. If your employer wants to see me—well, he can kiss my ass.”
I went to turn around, but Damon caught my arm. Ajax leaped forward, snapping and growling. Damon let go, hastily jumping back out
of the way. Magic wreathed his hands.
I dropped to a crouch and pulled Ajax against me, crooning to him and stroking him between the bandages. He leaned into me, still growling low in his throat, his gaze fixed on Damon.
“Don’t you even think about it. Ajax lives here. You don’t. Go away. You aren’t welcome here. Ajax has been through enough, and so have I.”
I didn’t wait to see if he was going. I stood and went to the door, calling Ajax.
“I’ll go,” Damon said behind me. “I’ll be back. This conversation isn’t over.”
I made an annoyed sound. “Don’t you know that no means no?”
He hesitated. “Are you talking about meeting my employer or you and me?”
“There is no you and me.”
Another silence. “No. I reject that. There is something potent, and I’ll be damned if I throw it away before I know what it is. You’re angry and rightfully so. I screwed up in the garage, but you have to know I wasn’t trying very hard to take you. I wanted to see how you’d react. You surprised me. You keep surprising me, and tonight—yeah, I fucked up. I’m sorry to blow your meeting. But I’d do it again. I thought it was a date, and I couldn’t let you walk off with him without telling you I want a chance. I’ve been at the wrong end of too late, and I won’t let it happen again if I can help it.”
So many emotions exploded inside me that I didn’t know what to feel or think. I wanted to turn around and see his face, see if he was playing me, but how would I know? Part of me didn’t even want to know. That part wanted to believe without question. I’d never been pursued before, and it felt good. It didn’t hurt that he was gorgeous and made my body turn to silk when he kissed me.
I touched my fingers to my lips. They felt hot and swollen. Behind me, I could feel him waiting for my response. Hoping, maybe. I didn’t dare turn around. His sharp gaze would see more than I wanted to share. Not that I had any idea what I was feeling.
Deciding retreat was the smartest thing I could do, I grabbed the door handle of the shop and went inside, Ajax limping beside me. I shut the door without looking back.
Putting the Fun in Funeral Page 6