Page 25 of A Wolf's Heart

I turned away from him and got out my own coffee pod. “I prefer this coffee,” I lied. “Sorry, nothing against you.” I loved coffee in all forms, from anywhere. Even the cheap truck stop coffee just off the highway. What I didn’t like was that, already, I seemed drugged around him, and I hadn’t even drunk what he was offering.

Weylin didn’t argue or seem hurt. I went about my business prepping Max’s breakfast and fed him before fixing up my steaming travel mug of happiness. “Are you hungry? Have you had breakfast?” I asked, not wanting him to think I was being a spoiled brat for declining the drink he brought me.

I turned around to find Weylin staring at me.

“What?”

“You don’t know the significance, do you? Of one mate offering the other food.”

Oops. “No. You’re going to have to forgive my ignorance. I don’t know much about shifter customs.”

He leaned his hip against the counter. “This is more fun than I figured,” he mumbled. “I’ve eaten breakfast, but I would eat again and again if it were by your hand.”

My cheeks flamed red at the intensity of his words, my eyebrows going up in surprise. “Easy there. The only things I have are frozen waffles or toast with butter.”

A relaxed grin took place on his lips. “I haven’t had waffles since I lived in the orphanage.”

Oh. “Do you want…”

“Please.”

I got to work tossing four waffles into the toaster from the freezer, his eyes tracking my every movement. “Why are you here?” I finally asked.

“Generally, I like to meet with my partners before debriefing.”

Debriefing? Seriously? Ignoring his double entendre, I crossed my arms. “Partners? I was kicked off the case. I spent most of yesterday watching all my work from the past month be stripped away.”

Weylin raised a shoulder, taking a sip from his coffee. “Yes, well, we hadn’t realized you were a shifter then. That changes things. I looked at your track record as well—you’re a decent detective.”

Decent. Gee, wow, what a compliment. I threw a frozen waffle in the toaster, and he turned to mush. I solved murders and took down bad guys and, suddenly, I’m just decent.

“Did I offend you?”

“Oh, no. Not at all.” The waffles popped, and I quickly buttered them before placing them on a paper towel. “I'm going to the precinct now. You know, to do adecentjob at the profession I’ve spent over a decade working at.”

I gave Max a pat on the head, grabbed my coffee, and left the house. I locked the door once Weylin stepped out.

He grinned. “So, I did offend you.”

I wasn’t going to play games. I walked to the car, but before I could open the door, he stopped me. “Detective…investigator? Officer? Whatever your title is, I have a job to perform. I don’t mix business and pleasure. I don’t play around when it comes to my work.”

“So, you find me pleasurable?” I gave him a not-so-pleased look.

“We’re taking my car,” he said with a sigh.

I glanced over at the Mercedes parked behind me. “No, thanks. I’ll meet you there.”

He leaned down, so his sweet blue eyes were in line with mine. “Get in my car,” he whispered.

The words pulled at me. I wanted to turn around and get in his car; however, while my wolf greatly enjoyed Weylin leaning into my space, close enough to feel the warmth of his breath, she merely fluffed her fur in his face.

I smiled at him, as sweet as I could muster. “Weylin, while I appreciate you wanting to drive me, I want my own car with me, so I don’t have to rely on you to get whereIwant to go. Last week, you three were discussing my death, as though it was as significant as making a grocery list. I shot you with a fatal bullet, so clearly, I don’t trust you. I will meet you at the precinct and invite you to my desk, where we can go over the case. I will not be spending personal time with you.” For the most part, my wolf agreed with my words, until I spoke the last bit.

Weylin stared at me, surprised. “Interesting,” was all he said before sending me a wink and walking to his car.

On the car ride, I ate my waffles and drank my coffee, keeping an eye on my rearview mirror as Weylin followed. I wasn’t sure why, but my wolf wanted to play, even just a little. I turned down a road leading away from the precinct, and still, he followed. Hmm.

I began weaving in and out of back roads. It was a Monday morning, and not much was going on around town, so I picked up my speed again, trying to shake my tail. It became a game of cat and mouse. In my rearview mirror, I could see Weylin’s grin grow as he followed me around.

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