She smiled and Brady immediately wanted to send Jasmine home and cancel their dinner plans.
“Wow…” he said as he slowly walked over to her, looking her up and down. “You look...wow…”
“You’re a man of many words, aren’t you?” Casey took his outstretched hands and gave him the same frank appraisal. “Good thing you’re cute.”
“I prefer ‘classically handsome’, but cute’s fine, too.” He urged her closer to him, still smiling as he gazed into her eyes. “You look beautiful,” he said softly.
“So do you.”
“Can I kiss you, or would that ruin your makeup?” Brady leaned closer until his lips were a breath away from hers.
“I’ll take that chance.” Casey’s eyes flashed teasingly, and she softly brushed her lips against his.
“Hey! Uh-uh! None of that!” Jasmine put her hands on their shoulders and separated them. “I did too good a job on her makeup for you to go messing it up before you even get out in public.”
Brady chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Thanks, Jazzy,” Casey said and smiled.
“Anytime.” Jasmine gathered her makeup and garment bags. “Just remember, if you get anything on my dress, I’m sending you the cleaning bill.” She pointed at Brady with mock seriousness. “Take care of her, Boss.”
Brady looked over at Casey, still smiling. “I’m planning to.”
Brady looked at the meager bits of food on his plate and grimaced. He looked up at Casey and saw that she had the exact same expression on her face. She picked at her plate with a fork, frowning in confusion.
“Um…” She glanced up at Brady and smiled. “Not that I don’t appreciate dinner, but…”
“But what the hell are we eating?”
She tapped the tip of her nose. “Bingo.”
Brady sized up the restaurant. The customers were expensively dressed in tailored suits and designer dresses. Most of them were either on their phones ignoring each other or arguing while knocking back thousand-dollar bottles of wine. Why had he thought Casey would like it here?
“This place is a little snooty, huh?” Brady picked up a tiny carrot from his plate, wrinkling his nose at it.
“Just a little.” Casey leaned across the table. “I think that lady over there is wearing the Hope Diamond.”
“How common of her,” Brady said as he tilted up his chin and imitated a Harvard underbite. “You only wear the Hope Diamond to charity events, not dinner, darling.”
Casey laughed loudly, and all over the room, conversations stopped, forks clinked heavily against pricy china, and everyone turned to look at her. She cheerily waved at them, getting cocked brows and frowns for her efforts.
“I think we need to get out of here,” Brady whispered. He slapped two hundred-dollar bills on the table and took her hand. “Let’s make a run for it.”
An hour later, they sat together on a park bench, eating hot dogs under the glow of a sodium lamp.
“Much better,” Casey said as she finished her hot dog. “Lovely restaurant, by the way.”
“I hear it’s where the elite meet to eat.” Brady grinned and quietly studied her for a moment. “I guess you can tell that I don’t do well in fancy situations.”
“Neither do I.” Casey glanced down at herself. A blob of mustard had fallen onto the bodice of her dress. “The last time I got so dressed up was my prom.”
Brady laughed and Casey scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he settled his arm around her. The night was warm, but there was a coolness to the breeze that reminded them that winter was coming soon.
It was the perfect moment.
“Casey, I…” Brady trailed off as he saw the look of absolute disgust on Casey’s face. He turned to see what she was looking at and his words died in his throat.
Evan Wallace. Standing just under the next streetlamp over. His clothes were filthy, and he looked as if he’d been sleeping on the street for weeks, but the smug smile on his face was unmistakable.
“Brady, no.” Casey held his arm tightly. “Not here.”
Brady felt hot rage creeping up into his chest—the dragon’s need to breathe fire and destroy the enemy. It would be so easy to just end it right now. He would learn to live with the guilt on his conscience if it meant that Casey could be safe again.
Wallace raised a hand and waved. His voice whispered in Brady’s mind, and from the look on her face, Casey’s, too.
Don’t have too much fun with her, pretty boy.
I’ll see you soon.
24
Casey
“I thought he was gone,” Brady said in a tight voice. He paced the floor of his apartment, tie loose and shirt collar unbuttoned. “You said he was gone!”
“I said I thought he was gone,” Zack said quietly, not rising to Brady’s anger. “I also said he could have just gone to ground.”
Casey curled up in the corner of the couch. She had changed clothes the moment they got back, trading her heels and sleek dress for fuzzy slippers and oversized pajamas. She had never seen Brady so angry before. He’d called Zack before they even left the park bench. She had wanted to call the cops, but he reminded her: shifters take care of their own.
“What can we do now?” Casey asked calmly.
“There’s not much we can do. Unless he does something first.” Zack glanced uncomfortably at Brady, then Casey. “Right now, we’ve got nothing to arrest him on.”
“Bullshit!” Brady barked, driving his hand through his hair as he continued pacing. “He was right there, Zack. Right there! I could have ended all this tonight.”
“Yeah,” Zack said mildly. “And you’d be in jail because it would look like you jumped some innocent homeless guy.”
“Maybe that’s what he wanted,” Casey said. Brady and Zack both looked at her, waiting. “Maybe he wanted to trap you into doing something so I would be left alone.”
“That sounds about right,” Brady said sourly.
“He’ll fuck up eventually,” Zack said. “From what you’ve told me, he’s too cocky not to mess up before too long.”
Brady kept his back to them, leaning stiff-armed against the mantle of the fireplace. He lowered his head for a moment. Casey could feel the rage pouring off him. And she knew what was fueling it.
“Thanks for coming over, Zack,” she said as she rose from the couch. “I’ll...take it from here.”
“Sure thing. Anytime.” Zack strolled over to the door, waiting for Casey to undo the many locks. Out of Brady’s earshot, he leaned forward and spoke softly. “Call me if you need anything, okay? Day or night.”
Casey nodded and managed a smile. “Thank you, Zack.”
“Don’t mention it.” Zack grinned again as he walked out the door.
Casey immediately relocked all of the locks. She turned to Brady, still leaning against the mantle. Silently, she went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek between his shoulder blades. Tension hummed through his body like electricity.
“You okay?” she asked softly.
“No.”
“You know there was nothing you could have done tonight, don’t you?”
Brady turned to face her, slipping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight embrace. They stood that way for a while, silent. Casey wondered if he was taking strength from her or if she was taking it from him.
“I can’t lose you,” he finally said, whispering into her hair.
“You won’t.” Casey closed her eyes, greedy for his warmth, his touch. “Wild horses and all that.”
He chuckled softly. “Yeah,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Wild horses.”
“I really wish you would come with me to the club tonight.” Brady slipped into a suit jacket, straightening his cuffs as he turned to Casey. He wore a simple button-collared blue shirt and jeans. Casey wondered if she would ever get tired of looking at him.
“I’ve gone to work with you every night.” Casey str
olled up to him, straightening the collar of his shirt. “There’s only so much partying a person can do locked up in your office.”
“I don’t like leaving you here alone.” Brady frowned. “It’s only been a week since we saw that asshole—”
“And he’s stayed away. Zack’s guys haven’t seen him at the club. Neither one of us has seen him wandering around in the wild. Maybe he’s gone for good this time.”
“And maybe you’re being a hopeless optimist.”
Casey smiled and eased her arms around his neck, leaning in close. The truth was going to the club every night exhausted her. She was feeling more side effects from the baby now, and it was getting harder to keep them under wraps. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed with a book and wait for Brady to get home.
“Have a good night,” she said. “And be sure to save some energy for later. I’ll wait up for you.”
Brady grinned, sliding his hands around her waist and over her buttocks, pulling her closer. “Big talk from a little lady.”
“We’ll see. We’ll see.” Casey smiled as their lips met, a soft kiss that spoke volumes.
“I’m still not sure about leaving you here alone.” Brady’s frown returned. “Wallace could still be out there.”
“I’m sure he’s found a new coed to torture.” Casey forced a smile, even though the thought of Evan Wallace roaming free terrified her. “I’ll keep the door locked.”
“Still—”
“Brady...this is one of the safest apartment buildings in the city. The doorman looks like a pro wrestler. Nobody’s getting past him.” Casey quickly kissed him again. “I’ll be fine.”
Brady’s frown deepened. She knew that he was going to do as she asked. He just wouldn’t like it.
“I’ll be home early,” he said, grudgingly releasing her and walking toward the door. “Do not open that door to anybody but me.”
Casey snapped off a smirky salute. “Yes, sir.”
He hesitated a moment at the door, simply gazing at her with an intensity that made her suddenly self-conscious. She laughed.
“What’s wrong? Do I have something on my face?”
He shook his head slowly. “Nah...just wanted to take one more look at you.”
Casey’s smile softened. “See you later.”
Brady gave her a quick wink and stepped out the door. A half-second later, he poked his head back inside. “Lock the door!”
“Yes, sir.” Casey joined him at the door and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Now, go to work.”
He finally closed the door behind himself and Casey engaged all five of the locks. She could hear him on the other side, waiting to hear the last click before leaving.
Casey idly wandered through Brady’s apartment, unconsciously resting a hand over her still-flat stomach. She was going to have to tell him eventually, but she wasn’t looking forward to it. So far, everything seemed to be normal with the baby; she’d gone to a doctor immediately after returning to New York, and he’d judged her and the barely-there baby to be fine and healthy. The morning (and afternoon and evening) sickness would probably pass after a couple of months.
She stopped at the floor to ceiling window that overlooked Central Park, refocusing her eyes from her own pale reflection to the city beyond. Brady would make a wonderful father, she had no doubt about that. But he had yet to actually tell her he loved her. If he even did. Sometimes Casey thought she saw love in his eyes, but she’d been hurt too many times before to be able to just assume his feelings for her.
I need to talk to Jazzy, she thought, turning away from the window. She picked up her phone to call her, but hesitated when she looked at the window again. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm. Would it really be that bad if she left the apartment to visit Jazzy? Brady wouldn’t like it, but she was starting to feel trapped inside. She missed being able to stretch her legs and walk in the sun, the way she had in Brady’s world. She missed having the freedom to go where she wanted, do what she wanted. Yes, Wallace was out there somewhere, but what were the chances he would be able to find her among the millions of people living in the city?
And Brady didn’t necessarily have to know, did he?
She decided instantly to do it. She wasn’t made of delicate glass. She wanted her life back the way it was before Evan Wallace decided to trespass in it. And as much as she loved Brady, she couldn’t let him make decisions for her.
She locked the door behind her when she left.
The sun was warm on her shoulders as she walked along the block. She felt as if she hadn’t been around actual, real people in years. It was a beautiful day, the kind of weather that makes New York feel like a movie set instead of a city. Jasmine’s apartment was a fairly long way away from Brady’s, but it felt good to stretch her legs a little.
She stopped at an intersection, waiting for the green light as a group of people assembled along with her. She heard a little girl crying to her mother because her balloon got away. Poor kid. Casey glanced up and saw the red balloon drifting away in the wind.
And as she turned back to look at the streetlight, she saw him.
Maybe. Maybe it was him. Maybe she was so keyed up that every man with dark hair looked like him. The man she saw had been tall, but she’d only seen a flash before the crowd swallowed him. The light changed and she was carried along with the others, heading straight towards Evan. She couldn’t stop, couldn’t turn around.
He wouldn’t do anything in broad daylight, would he? Not with so many witnesses around.
Would he?
She looked around as she stepped onto the curb, moving out of the stream of pedestrians to the doorway of a deli. He was gone. If he had truly been there, he was gone now.
Casey kept her head on a swivel as she continued to Jasmine’s apartment. Every dark alley made her tense up, ready to run if she had to. Every tall man with dark hair had the potential to be him. Confidence began to curdle into regret. This was a bad idea. She should have stayed at the apartment and asked Jasmine to come to her.
Too late now.
Casey walked as quickly as she dared, unable to shake the sense that she was being watched. As she approached Jasmine’s building, she thought she saw a man with dark hair dart into a bodega. You’re being ridiculous, she thought. It’s just your damn imagination.
Still, she was relieved when Jasmine opened her door.
“So, you haven’t told him yet?”
Casey shook her head and took a sip of tea. Jasmine was curled up on one end of her couch. Casey sat in an overstuffed armchair wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket. Being at Jasmine’s made her feel safe. It made it feel like her old self, before bear shifters and dragons had entered into her life.
“Not yet.” Casey half-smiled. “I can’t seem to get the timing right.”
“What timing? You walk up to him and say, ‘Hey, I’m knocked up. What are we gonna do about it?’” Jasmine smiled when Casey laughed. “I don’t think he’s going to have a bad reaction to it.”
Casey shrugged. “I know. It’s just…” She sighed. “I’m still getting used to the idea myself. I didn’t know shifters and humans could even reproduce. How does that work?”
“Well,” Jasmine said, “when a daddy shifter loves a mommy human very much…”
Casey threw a pillow at her and laughed. “Stop it!”
“Okay, okay…” Jasmine held her hands up in surrender. “The way I understand it, shifters and humans are compatible...when the shifter’s in human form. A shifter and a human will have a normal, human pregnancy. Two shifters will have whatever their species have: a litter, an egg, whatever.”
“An egg?” Casey said, raising her brows. “You’re telling me I could lay an egg?”
“I assume Brady was in his human form when you two did it?”
Casey laughed again. “You assume correctly.”
“Then he was functioning as a human man, not as a dragon.” Jasmine shook her head. “Generally, if we mate in human form, we
have human babies. If we mate in our shifter form, we have shifters. Sometimes, there are exceptions.” Jasmine smiled. “It can get complicated.”
“Truer words…” Casey said with a sigh. “Do you think I made a mistake leaving the apartment?”
“Do you think you made a mistake?”
“I think that if I hadn’t gotten out of there, I would have lost my mind.” Casey smiled faintly. “How terrible, being trapped in a luxury apartment with a gorgeous man.”
“There are limits to everything.” Jasmine drank some of her tea and was silent for a moment. Casey could tell that she was hesitating for a reason.
“Just say it,” Casey said and smiled, curling her legs beneath her. “Spit it out already.”
Jasmine leaned forward to set her cup on the coffee table, then sat back and fixed Casey with a formidable look.
“Do you love him?” she asked.
“Yes.” Casey didn’t have to think about her answer. “I do.”
“What about him?” Jasmine asked quietly. “How does he feel?”
Casey shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s love, but—”
“But you’ve got a baby coming.” Jasmine took a deep breath and sighed. “Case, you know I love Brady like a brother, but I will kick his ass if he hurts you.”
“You’d have to wait your turn,” Casey said, smiling faintly. “Everything just feels insane right now.”
“Case...” Jasmine’s voice was soft. She leaned forward and took Casey’s hand. “Are you happy with Brady?”
Casey nodded. “I am. I really am.”
“Then try not to torture yourself with the whole ‘he loves me, he loves me not’ game.” Jasmine’s smile widened. “It will work out. I know it will.”
Casey’s hand unconsciously went to her belly again. She still hadn’t fully grasped the enormity of it all. She was going to have a baby. Brady’s child. They were going to be parents. She was going to be...a mom.
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