She peeked out the screen door that led to the backyard, where Albert had been on a call for the last thirty minutes. As she eyed him with anger in her eyes for arranging to bring in more people to Glasgow, she couldn't help but notice that he had a way of making her feel hot and bothered just by standing a few distances away from her.
She was certain that she was attracted to the man, and that may not be entirely because of their mate bond. She'd seen werewolves who were mated together, yet still reject one another. The bond was strong, but it always left you with a choice to make, and with or without it, she most definitely would've chosen him. The attraction had been instant with Albert. And why would it not be? He was a fine man who put down bad guys for a living. Every woman's superhero. But what she couldn't ascertain was if the feeling was mutual. She wondered if she'd imagined his frustration at their situation this morning. She was being difficult, and truly he'd been right. He hadn't handled the situation according to the modus operandi of his profession. He has been subtle with her, trying to get the information he needed without putting her through the stress that comes with the normal process.
She sighed and went back to the kitchen, rearranging--something she did when she was deep in thoughts--the dishes she'd already washed and stowed away. The screen door creaked open and slammed shut again, startling her. She moved out of the kitchen and met him back in the dining area.
"Are you done?" she asked, arms crossed over her bosom.
He nods and glanced at his timepiece. "Well, let me do the dishes, and then we'll talk." he proceeded towards the kitchen. "You can keep me company if you want."
"That won't be necessary." she pulled out a chair and sat. "I already took care of it. We should just dive right into the interrogations."
"I told you not to--" he sighed, and shook his head. "Okay," he said grudgingly, moving back to the seat he'd vacated earlier.
"So, what do you want to know?" she asked.
He took out a pen and notepad again. "Everything," he said. "From when I met you at the first scene. Walk me through your story again."
She sighed. "I went for a swim. Didn't notice the body but found out later about her death."
"How?"
"Huh?"
"How did you find out about her death?"
"The details are a bit vague but I--"
He chuckled. "C'mon, I know it's been almost two weeks, but I'm sure you'll remember every single detail of such a horrifying event if things really went down that way."
Her lips thinned. "So are you saying, I am lying?"
"Are you?"
Of course, she was, but it irked her that he didn't believe her. Eyes hot and her face distorted, she glared heavily at him. "Why are you so freaking annoying? Do want the story, or you'll rather figure it out yourself."
"Let me hear what you have to say. I'll put the pieces together."
A frown creased on her face, but she continued. "I stumbled upon the body, called the cops, you arrived, I came out, fainted, and you caught me before I hit the ground."
He scribbled down something. "Is there anything else you remember from that day?"
"Like what?"
"Did you see anyone else at the scene?
"No."
"Did you see the murder weapon? The gun."
"No."
"Tell me about the second scene. What were you doing in the forest."
"I'd just closed from Morey's--"
"The salon where you work?"
"Yes. I--Wait, how did you…?"
"Small town." he waved it off. "Go on."
"I was driving by the area when I heard the gunshots. They were loud, as loud as the others have been. The few people around at that time knew what had happened and dispersed. I knew I should have just driven off to safety like everyone else, but I needed to see if I could catch the killer. So, I went--"
"--into the woods." he finished off for her. "And almost got yourself killed. That was a stupid thing to do. You're not a cop, neither are you a superhero in a cape. You had no business wandering in there to save the day."
"I--"
"No, I'm not done." he cut her off sharply, temper rising. "If I'd been a little late, you would have died out there. I don't think you understand the gravity of what you've done."
"No, I wouldn't have because--"
"Because what?"
Her mouth snapped shut immediately. She'd been about to say Delano was there, and she would have gone to the Emirl either way. But Albert hadn't seen him, except of course, as a wolf.
"You're right." she sighed. "I would've died out there."
"No, you were about to say something because what?"
"B-because, I would have called the cops. My phone was there, and the scratch wasn't so serious."
"Walk me through this." he set the pen aside. "You wandered into the woods and then what happened? How were you injured?"
She shrugged. "I followed the path until I found his body."
"You saw detective Larson's father?"
"Yes, and it was a horrible sight." her face contorted with the pain as she remembered how she'd found him.
A knife twisted in his chest as he ached to offer her comfort, but he didn't move. He'd crossed numerous professional lines lately, and until he'd figured out what her deal was, he decided to keep a distance between them.
"Did you touch him?"
"I don't think so. I can't remember."
"So, what happened next?"
"I heard footsteps running towards me, but I couldn't see much then. It had gotten considerably darker, and so I ran. Around that time, the police had already arrived. I heard the sirens. I felt a sharp pain by my side and I collided with something. I think I passed out because the next thing I remember was crying out for help and you were running towards me. You know what happened next."
He took the pen and scribbled down some more information. "Where did you park your car?"
Her brow creased. "Err, the second street. Why?"
She knew he'd asked. Albert was smart, and as usual, hoping to catch her in her lie.
He shrugged. "I didn't notice it at the entrance."
"Yeah. I figured it was safer to park away from the scene, just in case the killer came out that way. It wouldn't take much to find me with my number plates."
"Hmm." he snapped the book shut and rose to his feet. "You need to stop plunging headfirst into danger. As a matter of fact, leave the danger to me. I'll take my leave now."
"Wait, so soon?" she got to her feet quickly. "I mean, you are not going to question every little detail I gave? That's not normal."
"I don't have any reason to.....yet."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course."
"Excuse me." he picked his notepad and made his way to the door.
"Wait!" she called out to him before he could twist open the knob.
He turned to her, brow raised as she approached him. "I don't think I've properly thanked you for saving my life."
"It's nothing." he sent her a small smile. "I was just doing my job."
"Of course." her face fell slightly.
He pushed away from the door and moved toward her, his suit pants stretched taut across his long legs. "But I'll do it over and over again, anytime you need me," he reassured her.
Her lips twitched with a smile, and her stomach pitched like a boat on choppy water at the thought of what she was about to do next.
She walked into his arms. She was loving the solid feel of his chest against her body, and his thighs against hers. Rising on her tiptoes, she whispered in his ear, "Thank you."
He leaned back so he could look at her. His gaze traveled over her features before settling on her mouth. Desire pooled at his center, bubbling like thick, hot, chocolate sauce. Then his hands moved to her hips. She leaned into him, anticipation making her body limp and her legs weightless.
His head came down, and his lips skimmed along the crease of hers. They parted, and his tongue slipped in, dancing with hers, sucking, biting, then soothing.
He groaned and moved his mouth down the side of her throat. She tipped her head to the side and sighed at the decadent swirl of his tongue on her neck.
Then she felt the bulge of his sex against her, and goosebumps skittered over her skin. Her breath labored in her chest. She tightened her arms around his neck, kissing him with all the sexual need she hadn't realized had been building.
But before things could go any further, his phone rang in his pocket, and they broke apart quickly. She stepped away from him, face flushed, as he turned to receive the call. He hung up a second later and turned to her. "I'm sorry about that. I need to leave."
About the kiss or the call? She couldn't tell.
"It's fine." she ran to get the door for him, bright red with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry for--"
"No, it's fine. Really, you should get going."
His stomach sank. He preferred not to leave things like this, but he'd already complicated things as it were. "Thanks," he said and brushed past her.
She slammed the door and groaned, just as her phone buzzed in her pocket.
Chief McCarthy.
PLEASE COME TO THE PRECINCT NOW. I HAVE SETTLED YOUR REQUEST CONCERNING YOUR WORK WITH ALBERT.
~•~