“I can’t wait until your first delivery!” Constance exclaimed. “We’ll come up with a contract and call you so we can meet up and you can go over it.”
Mark extended his hand. “Looking forward to working with you.”
Spencer shook his hand. She could see herself getting to know these people. Actually be friends or something.
“We’d better get going. The sitter texted me. She forgot she has a test tomorrow, so we should call it a night.” Constance slid out of the booth and leaned in to give Spencer a quick hug before they left.
Spencer rested back in the booth and watched them walk out, hand-in-hand, content to see a happy couple, even though that ideal wasn’t in the cards for her. But maybe dessert was. Everyone here had already seen her, so she was one of the crowd, and it had been ages since she had lava cake. She signaled the server, put in her order, and relaxed back to wait, trying not think about her friendly neighbor. Why couldn’t she get him off her mind?
A shadow fell over her booth.
Aww, heck.
Ideas of a peaceful dessert faded into obscurity when her heart rate picked up for the grim, blond, mountain of man standing by her booth, dressed much like the first time he showed up at her place.
“What brings you here, Bennett?” Was he meeting friends? Or worse, a date? Anger spiked harshly within her. It was obvious he was ignoring the fact she was supposed to be his mate. What if he did more than ignore it?
That…teed her off. And that feeling was irritating. She was ignoring the mating call as much as he was, having no room in her life for further complications.
“Just hanging out.” Bennett took the seat across from her, resting his arms on the table, hands folded, regarding her quietly. “You?”
Just hanging out. He was full of dookie. Whatever, it wasn’t her business and for once she didn’t have to lie.
“I was meeting some future clients and decided to stay and have some dessert.”
“Clients for what?” he asked bluntly. Gone was the charming neighbor, tonight Bennett was somber, tampering down his fierce energy, keeping it coiled tightly while he scanned the crowd. His eyes would land on any couple sitting and chatting, wait a heartbeat, and then move on to the next couple.
“I plan to grow fruits and vegetables and sell them at local markets. Maybe even have some internet orders.”
Those navy blues landed on Spencer and her breath hitched. He was an intense male, and he was completely focused on her.
“You really think you can make a living doing that?” The sardonic tone grated on her.
She wore her most coy expression. “Why, Mr. Young, do you doubt my ability?”
“I’m sure you can grow whatever you want, but enough to make money? Through our winters, and with your land surrounded by trees?” His look intensified. “You don’t plan on cutting down the trees do you?”
Horrified, Spencer shuddered. The trees were her shelter, keeping her hidden and safe. “Of course not. There are more ways to make a living off the land than razing it for mass production.”
“Fill me in then.” Bossiness was second nature to this male.
“First of all, there’s my little babies, the mushrooms. Then the berry and grape plants I’ll start. Wine’s big nowadays, so maybe I’ll dabble in that. Herbs grow fast, and drying them and selling seasoning packets will be good winter income. Then there’s the standard tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, pumpkins. Lots of options.”
The lava cake was slid in front of her by the college-aged male server. He grinned at her delight and received a heavy scowl from Bennett.
Unintimidated, the server turned to Bennett. “Can I get you anything, man?”
“Whatever pale ale you have on tap.” A quirked eyebrow at Spencer had her shaking her head.
“Just water, please,” she said.
The server left to fill their order and Bennett resumed his scrutiny of her.
“Hitting the hard stuff tonight?”
“I had Diet Coke earlier, so I’ll be jittery all night as it is.”
Spencer continued to dig into her cake, sliding the second fork the server was thoughtful enough to provide, toward Bennett. He glared at the fork like she poisoned it, before picking it up and swiping a bite.
“Shit’s good,” he said around his mouthful.
Spencer glowered at him.
“What’s your thing with swearing?” He kept swiping bites from her cake, his scrutiny on her lips wrapping around the fork. It should’ve made her uncomfortable. Instead it made her feel…powerful.
“There’s enough ugliness in life, I don’t need cussing to make it worse.”
Nearly rolling his eyes, but abstaining, he watched her devour her warm chocolate deliciousness. He shifted in his seat, his jaw clenching.
Once Spencer scooped up as many crumbs as she could rescue, and licked them off her fork, she set the fork down and excused herself to go to the restroom. All the soda and water was building up.
Wrapping up in the ladies’ room, she maybe straightened her hair a little more than normal, adjusted her shirt, and turned sideways to check out her butt in the mirror. Ridiculous. She wasn’t going home with Bennett so her looks didn’t matter.
Breezing out the door, the same server gave her friendly smile. “How’s it going?”
“Oh, uh, fine.”
“You’re new here, right?” He was punching in order info at a little console.
Stiffening, Spencer shot him a quick smile, acting like she was in a rush back to her booth and hadn’t really heard him.
Weaving through the bar, she spotted a tall, willowy blonde saunter up to Bennett. His eyes were following Spencer, oblivious to the woman.
Spencer’s ears picked up the woman’s throaty question. “Hey, remember me?”
Bennett’s brow furrowed as he glanced at the beauty. “Sorry?”
“From the club, over in West Creek. We hooked up a couple of months ago.” The woman now sounded a little strained, like she shouldn’t be explaining who she was to someone who apparently knew her intimately.
Bennett’s face paled. Instead of watching Spencer approach, he glanced down at his beer. “No, sorry.”
The woman shifted, unsure for a moment, before kicking her hip out and thrusting her chest forward a couple of notches. She leaned over the table and purred. “Why don’t we head over there? I’ll make sure you don’t forget me again.”
“No, thanks.”
Spencer finally reached the booth and plopped in. The woman shot a glare her way before swinging her determined attention back to Bennett.
“Come on. It’s not too late,” the woman tried again.
“Honey.” Spencer cut in, cringing at the thought this scene could get ugly fast. The girl’s insecurity was like a badge on her shoulder. “You’re clearly beautiful, he’s clearly a player. Don’t you think you deserve better?”
Both Bennett and the stranger turned shocked looks her way.
“Excuse me?” the woman half-asked, half-challenged.
“You deserve a guy who spends one night with you and is smitten. Like, make your bed, take out the garbage, cook you dinner, smitten. You should never, ever, have to remind any guy who you are.”
The stunning blonde blinked rapidly at tears the unexpected onslaught of emotion Spencer’s words had wrung out.
Standing up fully, tugging down on her minidress, the woman squared her shoulders. “Well lady, those kinds of guys are a myth.”
“If you’re looking for them in bar they probably are,” Spencer countered. “What do you enjoy doing? That’s where you’ll meet someone.”
The woman huffed and hastily brushed more tears away. “There’s not many hot guys in the church quilting circle.”
“No,” Spencer pondered. “But how many of those mad quilting grandmas have single grandsons?”
Chuckling despite herself, the beauty gave Spencer an appreciative smile. “You two have a good night. And…make him w
ork for it.”
Bennett looked like he was going to have a stroke. When the woman was gone, he ran a hand through his perfectly mussed hair.
“She seemed nice.” Spencer directed her teasing tone toward the disconcerted Guardian. “I didn’t catch her name. What was it?”
Better to cut things off before they started. “I never did get her name either.”
A delicate eyebrow rose, and fuck, Spencer was trying not to laugh at him. Most other girls would’ve been, should’ve been, disgusted with him. A human girl especially should be throwing her drink in his face and storming off with Random Hookup Girl to dish about how men suck.
He pressed on, might as well lay it all out then and there. “I’ve been known to frequent clubs occasionally for quick sex with anonymous women. All night long.”
A pretty blush stole across her features, but her surprise seemed to be more about his admission than what he was actually admitting to.
“Have you ever gotten any of their names?” Her tone was still teasing, but he detected a hint of curiosity.
“One, and she’s a complete pain in my ass.”
“My kind of girl.” Spencer’s sass never ceased to amaze him. “What’s her name and why didn’t things go anywhere with you two?”
“Kaitlyn and I weren’t looking for anything to go anywhere. Now she’s a coworker of sorts, and my company has a strict no fraternization policy.” There was no concern about any lingering feelings between Kaitlyn and Bennett other than the dose of respect and friendly affection he held for his fellow, spunky Guardian.
“So, is that why you’re out tonight? For anonymous sex?” Her voice was soft, as if she was afraid of his answer.
Seizing the opportunity to destroy a budding relationship with this woman who was supposed to be his mate, he wore his most serious expression. “Yes.”
A fleeting look of bewilderment preceded her utterance. “Liar.”
Well, that backfired. “I’m not the only liar at this table.”
“I have never lied to you. We hardly know each other enough to lie.” Oh, she was cute angry. The fire lit the green hues in her hazel eyes making them sparkle.
“You said you didn’t know those men in the woods.” Granted, he hadn’t smelled her lie but it didn’t mean she wasn’t hiding something. The recruit they had captured expired before any useful information was pried out of him, though they did find out he wasn’t out there targeting Guardians.
“I didn’t.”
“Okay. Why were they after you then?” Let her answer that with no scent of deceit.
“I doubt they were after me.”
Well, now. There it was, the scent of a lie. Spencer King knew there were men searching for her. Did she know they were Sigma?
“Have you ever heard of an organization called Sigma?”
“Nope.” She was the poster child for innocence.
But she was lying. Lying about the knowing the men were after her, lying about knowing about Sigma. Here he was, out hunting for men looking for a fair and petite woman, and he ended up with a fair and petite woman who had men looking for her. And both groups of men were affiliated with Sigma.
Coincidence? It couldn’t be.
“How’s your brother?”
Blood leeched from her face. She nervously glanced around and grabbed her purse, making a move to go.
“Spencer, wait.”
“I need to go.”
The server appeared at the booth, blocking Spencer’s escape. “Hey there guys. How was everything?”
“Oh sugar! I almost forgot the bill.” Exasperated, Spencer rummaged through her purse, but Bennett beat her to it throwing some bills on the table.
“Thanks, man.” The server pocketed the money, not taking his eyes off Spencer, even while walking away. “You two enjoy the rest of the night.”
Bennett gave the server a closer look. He seemed…off. Could he be gathering information for Sigma? An employee would be a good way to find single women and ask them random questions. He should see if the man wore a ring.
No time now though. Spencer exited the bar.
Bennett trotted to catch up with her, but not too fast. The roll of her hips those boots gave her in those jeans—day-um. Her hair hung loose down her back, a silken fall a guy could bury his face in when he thrust into her from behind.
The painful erection he associated with this little human made itself known. Spencer stiffened and she glanced over her shoulder as she walked.
“Thanks for buying me dessert. I’ll talk to you later,” she called back to him.
“No, Spencer, we need to talk now.”
“Sorry, I gotta get home. Cuddles—”
“Apollo is fine. Talk to me now, or I’ll follow you home, Spencer.”
She slowed to a halt, feet from a truck that had seen better days, or hell, better years.
“Fine. We’ll talk in my truck, then you can leave.”
“Do you always park next to dark alleys?” What was the woman thinking? She had people after her and this was the spot she chose?
A stricken look crossed her face as she scanned around. “It wasn’t dark when I parked here,” she said lamely.
“Get in.”
Bennett waited until she shut the door before walking around the front to the passenger side. Slowing in front of the alley entrance, he cocked his ear to listen into the darkness.
As he climbed into her truck, he examined the extended cab while she glared out the windshield.
“I happened to be out tonight looking for some men that were brought to my company’s attention. They work for Sigma and seem to be hunting a woman. Want to tell me why?”
He didn’t think she was going to answer him. Studying her profile, he was struck by her natural beauty. Sun-kissed hair framed a face that required no makeup, a natural blush highlighted her bronzed skin, and long eyelashes rimmed her brilliant, intelligent eyes.
If he was receptive to being mated, this woman was a fine specimen, despite her secrets. Too bad he’d rather go feral and be put out of his misery before facing that heartbreak again.
“I thought you were in real estate?” she challenged.
“I think you know I’m not,” he countered.
“Tell me first what you know of my brother.”
Clever move. “Ronnie, if that’s his name…hell, is Spencer yours?”
“Yes.” That’s all he was going to get.
“Ronnie Newton is locked up in a padded room at the psych ward in Freemont’s hospital. He’s a hard guy to talk to, but he told me I needed to find his sister before Sigma did.” He closely watched as her jaw clenched and unclenched with his words. Her eyes fell closed and when she opened them again, she continued to glare out the windshield.
“We don’t know why they’re after me. They seem to think I mean bad news to their organization.”
“How long have you been in hiding?”
“The last twelve years or so. When I was thirteen, my grandparents were killed along with my aunt, she was only eighteen. We didn’t know why until my family was attacked, and it seemed they were targeting me. My parents, Ronnie and I got away and went on the run, and I’ve been in hiding ever since.”
“And you don’t know why it’s you specifically?”
Spencer paused, formulating her words. “We’ve heard varied reasons, but none of them make sense.”
“Be honest, Spencer. You know about us.” It wasn’t really a shot in the dark, and it would explain a lot about her trust in him taking care of the bodies at her farm. Most human’s first words after something like that would’ve been “call” and “police.” She uttered those words half-heartedly after a bit of chit-chat.
With a sigh, she slumped back in her seat. “You mean, have I learned about other species in this world? Yes.”
“And I am?” he prompted.
She finally faced him, her gaze sweeping his face. He liked her perusal. “Since I talked with you in broad daylight, I woul
d guess you’re a shifter, not a vampire.”
It was like a huge boulder lifted from his shoulders. The burden of keeping his non-human status a secret while helping her ate at him. He would’ve been anticipating the tearful denials and hysteria that followed an eventual revelation.
But here she was. Sitting in a truck cab, announcing that she knew of his world, and there was no disgust on her face.
Before he realized what he was doing and to stop himself from such a monumental error, he leaned over to take her lips with his own.
Her startled gasp opened her lips enough so he could sweep his tongue inside. Twining his tongue with hers, he reached over to haul her across the cab and onto his lap. She settled on top of him, her knees straddling his hips, her hands running through his hair while his reached around to cup her top-notch ass.
His erection was killing him. Leaning back so he could thrust up into her jean-clad valley, he attempted to ease the pressure by rubbing against her center. Spencer ground down against him, rocking with his movements.
Moving his hands from her delectable bottom, he glided them up her slender waist to cup her supple breasts through her shirt.
Moaning into him, his responsive little mate was making the most erotic sounds. The sensation of her rocking on him…better than anything he had experienced in a long time. Fuck…in forever. If she kept that up, he would put prepubescent adolescents to shame and cream his own shorts with nothing more than a little clothed heavy petting.
He thumbed her pert nipples through the soft fabric and she rode him faster, he arched higher into her. Deeper, he plundered the sweet depths of her mouth, chasing the end waiting for them both; the sweet ecstasy of coming in a mate’s arms.
If Bennett was in his right mind, he wouldn’t have allowed this. Absolutely not, not with touching, not with kissing, and certainly not without penetration. But the feel of this woman drove his common sense away.
A shocked gasp tore Spencer’s mouth away from his before she cried out her release. The sight of her wanton ecstasy pushed Bennett past his limits until he came in his pants, grateful to have chosen the dark denim designer jeans to pair with his forest green pullover.
The Sigma Menace Collection Page 38