Page 12 of No Strings Attached

Mort typed on his computer and something printed off behind him. He brought the paper back to his desk and handed it to Sam. “I just need you to pay the impound fee and sign the release papers.”

Sam’s jaw dropped when he saw how much he owed. “I can’t afford this!”

His debt just kept piling up. He wasn’t even sure how he was going to pay his hospital bill, and now the cops wanted two hundred dollars before they would give him back his car.

Morgan took the paper from Sam. “His car wasn’t supposed to be impounded.”

“No one told me that.” Mort appeared uneasy. “That’s how it was processed. I’ll need Sheriff Harper’s approval for an override, and he left to have lunch with Julian.”

There was no use hanging around if he couldn’t get his car. Sam started to head outside then stopped.

Daryl was still parked across the street. Sam’s hand dropped away as he spun and sat on the bench across from Mort’s desk. How in the hell could his life get any worse?

Chapter Four

Morgan wasn’t the type of person who forced people to do things they didn’t want to do, but seeing his mate sitting there looking so lost was killing him.

He set the papers down on Mort’s desk and joined Sam on the bench. “Look, you don’t know me. I get that. It’s hard to trust strangers, even if they’re a cop. All I’m saying is, you’re healing from a pretty nasty wound. You don’t want to end up back in the hospital because you tore your stitches or got an infection.”

Sam gazed up at him with those deep blue eyes.

“Take my offer, Sam. Use my spare room for as long as you need it. Hell, half the time I’m at work, so it’s not like we’ll be up under each other. Most days you won’t even see me.”

“It’s not like I want to be homeless,” Sam said to him. “I’ve tried finding work, but no one is hiring.”

Turning sideways so he could face his mate, Morgan said, “I tell you what. You need a place to stay, and it would help me to have someone run my errands while I’m at work, cook, clean up the place, do my laundry. I just never have the time.”

That wasn’t a lie. Morgan clocked a lot of hours at work, and when he was home, he was too tired to do everything that needed to be done. He had a load of dirty laundry at home right now, and it would be nice to have dinner waiting for him.

“I’ll pay you,” he offered.

“I think staying with you is payment enough,” Sam said. “Not that I’ve agreed to this.”

Morgan waved him off. “Nah. You have needs, and it won’t hurt my wallet to give you a weekly pay.”

Not only would Morgan feel better that his mate was under the same roof, but they’d also have a chance to get to know each other. Morgan had more money than he knew what to do with. He didn’t even have to work, but he had a fulfilling job where he could help the community in a town he called home.

And if he could get Sam to trust him enough, then maybe the guy would open up to him and tell him what was going on. Morgan didn’t know if the threat against Sam had passed or if his mate was still in danger.

Sam looked toward the exit, then down at the floor. “Why would you trust a complete stranger in your house? You have no idea what I’m like. What if I rob you blind?”

Morgan shrugged. “My gut tells me you’re not the type to fuck over someone who’s helping you.” He tapped Sam’s upper arm with the back of his hand. “I’ll sweeten the pot.”

One of Sam’s brows arched. “How?”

“Instead of giving you your first week’s pay, I’ll pay what you owe on the impound fee. That way you’ll have a car to run errands.”

Morgan knew he could get Sheriff Harper to do the override, but even if he didn’t, two hundred bucks wasn’t going to break him.

Sam winced as he shifted his weight on the bench. Right now all Morgan wanted was for his mate to rest and recover. He was also going to make sure the human made his follow-up appointment with Dr. Baldwin.

“No grilling me about what happened?” Sam asked.

That seemed to be very important to his mate. Morgan wanted answers but not at the expense of Sam walking away. He had a feeling the guy would agree to his terms, but he sat there with his heart beating a little faster waiting to see if his mate would say yes.

“Not if you don’t want to talk about it,” Morgan answered as the phone rang and Mort answered it. “You haven’t done anything illegal, Sam. You’re the victim. I’m not going to lie. I’d like to know, but I won’t press you about it.”

“Do you throw parties?”

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