Page 12 of Rugged

Her face relaxed, and she laughed. “No. But I did just meet you.”

She blushed and glanced away.

Good. She had good instincts. She’d just let herself go with me because she sensed on some level we were made for each other. Except she was human, and the doubts were starting to show. She was a good girl, I could tell, and good girls didn’t get eaten out in their employer’s entryway by a stranger.

Except she had. And wanted more. I just had to keep that wild streak going. To have her keep letting out her innerbadgirl.

“Baby, you’re safe with me. I swear, there’s no guysafer for you. I will defend you against” —I stopped myself from sayingyour no-good, most likely dangerous bossor any other promise that would sound too intense—“you know, burnt cookies and blaring alarms.” I grinned. “And, hell, anything that you say no to. Including me.” I raised my brows. “That’s a promise.”

She gave me a gentle shove and a smile. “I’ll shut these. You go and shut the back doors.”

Hell, yes.She wasn’t throwing me out.

My smile grew wider.

She trusted me.

I tipped my hat. “Yes, ma’am.” I jogged to shut both sets of French doors, taking the opportunity to send Rob, my alpha, the short text while there.

Chapman’s not here.

Now he knewI wasn’t dead and could notify the Council of the dead end.

When I returned, I swung Lyssa up into my arms, and she gasped then laughed. Oh, that was a sound I didn’t know I needed to hear. It soothed something in me. “Now, which way is your bedroom?”

She tipped her head toward the kitchen.

I carried her that way, and shepointed me toward a spacious caretaker’s suite located past the laundry room. Like the rest of the place, it was appointed in luxury, with a two-sided gas fireplace that could be seen from the bedroom and the bathroom and a jacuzzi tub big enough for two. When I got her back to the bunkhouse at Wolf Ranch, I wondered if she would think it would be roughing it. Rob hadn’t spared anything when he made the well-appointed building, with a huge main common area that served as rec room, kitchen, and dining space in one. There were also large bedrooms for all the hands, but I was the only one staying there at the moment. While there was a fireplace in the main room, there wasn’t one in the room Lyssa and I would share. Nor a jacuzzi tub.

“Damn. Nice digs.”

“I know, right?” Lyssa sounded in awe but then seemed to collect herself. “I mean, I love it. It’s a great job.”

“How long have you worked for Mitch?”

“Just a few months. To be honest, I’m not sure how long it will last. I guess he goes through caretakers pretty fast.”

I frowned. Was that because he was a volatile boss? Or was he making them disappear, like the shifter females he’d sold on the black market? That made my wolf hackles rise. I didn’t like Lyssa working for this guy. Nor the fact that if I hadn’t been assigned to come hereto search for him, I’d never have found her. She could have remained in danger.

I wanted to punch a wall and never let Lyssa go at the same time.

I had to talk myself down.Chapman isn’t here. Your mate is safe. You’re an enforcer. Your alpha and the Council trust you to keep everyone safe. You’ll never let anything happen to her.

Based on the evidence, he’d probably be dead soon. In a matter of days, he’d be before the Council, and this would all be over. The threat to my mate would be gone. Permanently.

Right now, she was in the safest place she could ever be. With me. And I had far more pressing matters to deal with than another enforcer finding the asshole at a different location. Like, my mate’s sexual satisfaction. Then, figuring out how to make her fall in love with me.

She grabbed my hat as I laid her down in the middle of the king-sized bed and tossed it onto the floor.

I kicked off my boots.

“I hate that you covered yourself back up, baby. Lemme see those tits again,” I ordered as I pulled my wallet from my pocket, grabbed the condom there, and tossed it onto the bed beside her. Hopefully, she didn’t find me too crass.

She didn’t. The scent of her arousal bloomed as she peeled her shirt off over her head and threw it onto thefloor. Her pale pink bra barely contained the full swells of her breasts.

“Fuck, that’s pretty.” I yanked my own shirt open and wrestled out of it as I climbed onto the bed.

She looked down and mumbled, “It’s, um, I didn’t know I’d have company…”

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