My Plan B (Middlemarch Shifters Book 11)

by Shelley Munro

  “Come back to the café for a drink,” Saber offered. “It will make the waiting easier.”

  “Emily spread the gossip already?”

  “What gossip?” Saber asked in a mild voice. “It was clear to me there is something between the two of you. She’s cool and professional. I doubt any of the reporters picked up on your mutual attraction.”

  Jacey wanted to ask questions but shrugged instead. His business. Megan’s business. No one else needed to know a thing. “A drink sounds good.”

  Inside the café, Emily directed him and Saber to the same table where he and Megan had sat. The screen had gone, leaving the table visible to everyone who entered. The café was just as busy and now that tables were freeing up, Emily let in the reporters who wanted to buy coffee or dinner. Jacey noted that she directed them to tables away from him and Saber.

  “A beer?” Saber asked.

  “I could do with another coffee.”

  “Coming right up,” Emily said. “I’d join you but business is brisker than I thought it would be.” The doorbell tinkled, and Emily beamed. “Ching-ching. I love the sound of money.”

  Saber grinned after his mate before turning back to Jacey. “Did you get that matter sorted? I presumed you did since I heard nothing else.”

  “Two incriminating photos deleted,” Jacey said. “I don’t think she even looked at them. It was just bad luck on our part to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Thank you for taking care of it,” Saber said. “It would’ve been difficult to explain to a council meeting why my brother and a new member of the community had outed us to the world at large.”

  “Do you think there will ever come a time when we come out to the public?” Jacey asked.

  Saber appeared troubled at the question. “Logic dictates we must, and I’ve heard whispers the other paranormal races feel the same way. The human race though, they’re not ready for the knowledge. I watch the news, see the way they shoot and kill each other…” He shook his head. “All we can do is make strong ties with our community and prepare for the day when exposure becomes inevitable.”

  Jacey’s respect and liking for the younger man increased on hearing those words, and it underlined his decision to move to Middlemarch as a good one. He, too, believed the time would come when they’d walk openly amongst the human race. The werewolf community in Perth didn’t embrace the future, being old-fashioned and unprepared. Nothing would be easy about the announcement, and it would need to be managed to prevent panic amongst the humans. Strong men like Saber Mitchell would help make the transition easier.

  “Do you have a contingency plan?”

  “Not yet, but I’ve been thinking we should develop one,” Saber said. “Concealment is more difficult with a denser population. It’s not like the days of the past where communication took days. These days it is instant, and that can work against us. A plan is a good idea.”

  “If there is any way I can help, please let me know. Henry and I are both moon called. We have to shift on a regular basis to control our wolf. It’s inevitable that someone will spy on us or see us, given the encroachment of towns and cities on the wilderness spaces.”

  “Exactly. I need to convince everyone on the council of this and get them to agree to a worst-case scenario plan. How are you going to get to Ms. Saxon’s place without the press noticing?”

  Jacey stared at Saber. “Not sure of the logistics yet. It depends on the reporters. I saw none of them following her, but if they have, they won’t get past the gates. I can shift to wolf and sneak in, but then Megan will ask questions about how I got there without a vehicle.”

  Ten minutes later, with unexpected nerves doing a jig in the pit of his stomach, Jacey drove toward Gilcrest Station. The country roads lay in darkness, lit only by a lackluster moon and his headlights, and he didn’t pass a single vehicle. He slowed for the entranceway, pleased to see not one thing out of place. Not a car. Not a reporter.

  It was easy to open the gate using the passkey George Gilcrest had given Henry. Henry had asked him to deliver it back to the owner, and he’d do that tomorrow morning. He drove through the landscaped gardens, illuminated by the security lights, and headed for Megan’s cottage. He parked beside her zippy red rental, a sense of exhilaration pushing his mouth into a smile.

  The instant he tapped on the door, it flew open. Megan grabbed his hand and dragged him inside. Her gaze darted left and darted right before she slammed the door behind him. “Did anyone see you?”

  “No, the reporters stayed in town.”

  “Did they take your photo?”

  “No, why would they?”

  Megan scowled. “To put with the story about me and Rowena. Something about a romance always ups ratings.”

  “Are you ashamed of being with me?” Even Jacey heard the testy note in his tone. “We have done nothing yet, so I can always leave and go home. While I don’t mind keeping to the background, I will not hide either.”

  Crap. She’d upset him, and that wasn’t what she meant to do at all. Those reporters and their stupid questions had rattled her when she should be used to their methods by this stage in her career.

  “Megan, do you want me to leave?”

  She blinked, dragged back to the present and his ultimatum about going home. “No! No, of course not. I invited you here because I’m attracted to you. I…” She approached him and smiled while hoping she was projecting confidence and certainty. He remained still and watchful, and she closed the remaining distance between them to rest her hands against his chest. The heat coming off him, even through his cotton shirt, seared her fingers. Megan tipped her head back, so she could meet his eyes. “I don’t do this…proposition a man, because I’m a public figure. You can’t believe the trust involved because the public are fickle. If the public don’t like me as a person, they’re less likely to watch the show I work on, and I lose my reputation. I value my reputation.”

  “I’m not forcing you to do anything.”

  Still testy. Do something, Megan. Before he leaves.

  She kissed him.

  It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t even confident.

  But her messy kiss got his attention.

  He groaned, wrapped his arms around her so they plastered body to body and took over the kiss with a seductive ease that told her he’d done this before. He nibbled and licked and tempted. He enticed and cajoled, his hands shifted up and down her back, his fingers shaping and caressing her butt.

  She gasped, desperate for air yet contrarily wanting the kiss to continue. He smelled so good and she wanted to wallow in the green and ginger scents that clung to his muscular body.

  He lifted his head, his blue eyes glittering a weird color. She blinked, and when she glanced at him again, all she saw was sultry, seductive blue eyes. Bedroom eyes.

  Jacey winked at her and rearranged his hands. Instead of copping a feel of her arse, he cupped her face and kissed her again. This time she was prepared for the jolt of heat, of pleasure and belonging that shot through her. He took the kiss deeper, using his tongue and lips to good effect. Megan pushed her body against his, reveling in the hard planes of muscle and his shaft pressing into her belly.

  Her agent had been so wrong about a younger man.

  What she needed, what she craved, was this man.

  Jacey, who knew exactly what to do with her body to make it sing.

  He pulled back a fraction, breaking their kiss. “What is this between us, Megan?”

  “Hot sex,” she murmured. “Two adults indulging in pleasure.”

  “I want more,” Jacey said, not taking his gaze off her.

  “But you don’t know me.” She tingled, not pretending to misunderstand him.

  Jacey ran his thumb over her top lip, his eyes doing that weird glitter thing again. “I want to know you.”

  “But I’m leaving here after the tournament.”

  “You told me you have a week off work. Stay here and spend
time with me. You can stay with me. Henry and Gerard have given me a suite of rooms, so we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other. Privacy.”

  “Won’t the locals gossip?”

  “They won’t speak to the press. Most of them, at any rate. And anyway, what would it matter? You’re on holiday with a friend. People do it all the time.”

  “What happens after that?”

  “Whatever we want to happen? We’ll remain friends or we won’t. It depends how we fit together. We won’t be any different from other couples getting to know each other,” Jacey said, his voice patient. “But I want more than two nights.”

  “All right. I’ll spend at least part of my holiday here. I can think about my future here as easily as I can in my apartment. Is that all?”

  Jacey swept her off her feet with a suddenness that made her squeak. Without hesitation, he strode toward her bedroom. He dropped her on the king-size mattress and let his gaze wander her body. “Too many clothes.”

  “You could fix that.”

  “I could.” He stooped to remove his black boots and let them thump to the floor one at a time. His socks dropped to the floor. His big hands unfastened the buttons of his cream shirt, giving her tantalizing glimpses of his muscular chest.

  Happiness slid through her as she watched him, and she followed her gut instincts to let this continue. “Don’t you feel the cold? It is freezing outside.”

  Jacey shrugged his shoulders and the cotton shirt fluttered to the floor, leaving him standing in front of her in a pair of inky-blue jeans.

  “How old are you?” she blurted, staring in shock at his abs. His wasn’t the body of an older man. Yes, his hair had turned silver, but it was obvious he took care of himself.

  “Older than you,” he said with a wink and he prowled closer to the bed. He sat at the end and reached for her boots. One big hand took her foot by the ankle. The side zipper rasped downward with his tugging fingers. The black leather encasing her calves parted, and her pulse raced. He pulled the boot off her foot and dropped it on the floor before repeating the action with the other while she watched in amazement. No one took care of her in this way. She closed her eyes, swirling in a mass of excitement and nerves and a teenage urge to scream with acute anticipation.

  Never had the removal of clothes seemed so sexy, and he hadn’t even reached the good stuff.

  He smoothed his fingers up her calf, his hands warm even through her socks. “Besides, age is only a number. You know that.”

  “Yes, you’re right. I’ll just stare at your muscles and appreciate them then.”

  “You get right on that,” Jacey said with a smile. He slid off her bright pink-and-gray socks, then massaged the arches of her feet.

  “Oh,” she moaned. “I need this after an awards dinner when I have to get out the glad rags and my high heels.” The man had skills.

  Jacey set her feet on the mattress. He grinned at her as he crawled up the bed to straddle her hips. “Time for you to show skin.”

  Her heart skipped a beat as he lifted her jumper and tugged it over her head. Since her jumper was cashmere and wool and very warm, she’d worn a thin T-shirt with British Isles plastered on the front. The unveiling of her T-shirt seemed to amuse him. “Something funny?”

  “I didn’t expect a T-shirt.”

  “I like them. They’re comfortable and don’t crease—”

  “You don’t have to justify yourself, sweet pea. I wasn’t criticizing.”

  The expression in his eyes…was that tenderness? Suddenly breathless, she stared at him, mesmerized by the heat, the other impossible emotions she was sure she was projecting on him rather than seeing herself. Despite considering Janet’s advice, she’d never done many fast, short-term relationships. She preferred to get to know someone first before diving into greater intimacy. Old-fashioned perhaps, but her stance had saved her from embarrassment, and while reporters wrote about her love life, they didn’t have photos or the leaked sex-tapes that two of her male colleagues had racked up. But there was something about Jacey. Yes, she’d kissed his son, but she’d been aware of him, his enticing scent that made her woozy with delight and longing.

  “You’re frowning. What are you thinking?”

  Megan pulled away from him and propped up the pillows so she could sit in comfort. “I don’t do this…jump into bed with a man I don’t know.” She felt herself frown as her body ached for his touch, his possession. “But something about you makes me want to break my self-imposed rules. Jacey, tell me you’re not playing me, that you won’t sell a story to the press. I-I couldn’t bear to learn that this…this connection I feel between us is nothing more than my imagination.”

  “You feel it too,” he murmured, his eyes going bright blue then flaring with that strange light she’d noticed earlier. “I thought you did, but I wasn’t sure.”

  “I feel as if you’ve bewitched me and stolen my commonsense. It scares me, makes me worry I’m moving too fast.” Yeah, she didn’t do short-term and casual because she craved a connection—the same connection she’d experienced with Charlie.

  “Megan, you are safe with me. I would never betray you. You don’t know me well enough to understand that yet, but we’ll get there.”

  “You’re talking about a future.” What man did that? What woman believed him?

  “I told you earlier this isn’t casual for me, and I want more than two days.”

  Megan felt her forehead crinkle into a frown and hastily smoothed it out. Lines had a way of settling in to stay these days. “I travel a lot for my job. Long distance relationships are hard. I’ve learned that before and have the scars to prove it.”

  “Shush, sweet pea. Let’s go one day at a time and not worry about the hard stuff yet. I want to touch your beautiful body, run my lips over your hipbone, savor your sweetness. I want to push into your heat and drive us both crazy before we tumble into pleasure.”

  Wow. “Yes,” Megan said, mesmerized by his husky tones, seduced by his words. If this were a mistake, then she’d go out with an extravaganza of sensual fireworks.

  “Good.”

  She basked under his approval, studying his face, the faint stubble on his lean cheeks. She lifted her hips to allow him to tug down her jeans. Her lacy panties came away with the denim, but she offered no protest.

  His chest rose and fell with his harsh sigh, and his big hands shook as he lifted the hem of her mint-green T-shirt. He whisked it over her head and dealt with her bra in a speedy move that left her gasping with the suddenness of it, his competence.

  “Beautiful,” he said, and it seemed to her he meant the sentiment. It wasn’t an empty compliment to appease and guarantee her cooperation.

  “Take off your jeans,” she whispered. “Then we don’t have to stop later. I have a packet of condoms in the bedside drawer.” She pointed.

  “I thought you didn’t do casual,” he said, suspicion weighting his words.

  Heat flooded her cheeks, and she licked her lips, knowing she’d have to admit the truth. She’d come to Middlemarch intending to bag a young hottie. “I don’t. I was upset when I left Auckland, and I was talking to a friend. She suggested a one-night stand with a younger man might make me feel better. I—”

  “You tried to seduce Henry,” Jacey snapped. “You would’ve used my son that way? To make yourself feel better about losing a job?”

  “I know, and I intend to apologize to Henry when I can find a private moment. I’ve never done anything like that before. Besides, I was drunk—no, that’s a bad excuse, even if it is the truth. I was drunk and feeling sorry for myself and I made a mistake, one I’m not proud of making. If it’s any consolation, I will never repeat my actions. I’ve learned my lesson.” Oh, please don’t let Jacey leave. It would serve her right if he did.

  “So if I had been the youngest, you would have kissed me?”

  “Tried to kiss you,” she corrected. “I told you I’m terrible at seduction. I made a real mess of it and embarr
assed myself.”

  “I was jealous of my son,” Jacey growled, and it was a growl.

  Every muscle and tendon in her pulled tight, her eyes rounding at the growl still rattling in his chest. “I’m so sorry.” She swallowed, half of her wanting to run, yet she suspected she wouldn’t get far.

  He pulled away, and she mourned the loss of contact, even if it was just his thigh against hers. He grabbed his shirt and covered his muscular splendor.

  “What are you doing?” He was leaving. No, he couldn’t leave. This wasn’t fair. She wrapped her arms around herself to hide her nakedness.

  Jacey sat on the corner of the bed, and never had a king-size bed felt so big and empty. He pulled on his socks and boots and stood. “I’m going home. If you want to spend the night, get dressed. Come with me.”

  Megan gasped. “But what about the press? They’ll see me. They’ll take photos and ask nosy questions.”

  “So what? I told you this isn’t casual for me. I don’t want casual. I want a relationship. They’ll see us together at some stage. You’ll have to deal with the publicity.”

  He wasn’t joking, and his set expression cried a man set on his course. “Wait. Jacey, think about this. The photos. The publicity. It’s not fun. People are cruel, and they…they gossip.”

  “I have just as much to lose as you. I value my privacy, but I’m willing to do this. If that doesn’t tell you of my commitment to starting a relationship between us, then I don’t know what will. Five minutes, Megan. Decide.” And he strode from her bedroom without a backward glance.

  Panic roared through her, leaving her weak and shuddering. He couldn’t leave. He wouldn’t. How could he understand the reality of the press? What man walked away from no-strings sex? What man insisted on a commitment? None. Not in her experience. So why did his ultimatum leave her feeling off-balance?