Page 8 of Secret Shifters Next Door

The man stepped up off the road onto our lawn and crossed the last few feet in a couple of strides. He stopped, four feet from me, and stared at me again. The look on his face was not a welcome one. He looked pissed. Yanking a bandana from his back pocket, he wiped dirt and grass from his hands, looking down while he cleaned. He was clearly trying to figure out what to say.

Finally, he looked back at me, and said, “So… what the hell are you doing here?”

He spat the words at me like I had gone on some personal attack, as if my presence here was an affront to his very being. Irritation replaced my fear and panic.

I crossed my arms. “Well, the same could be said about you.”

He held up a hand and shook his head. “Nope, don’t try that shit. I’ve lived in this town for fifteen years, and I’ve lived in that house…” he pointed back across the street, “…for over three years. When I moved in, this house…” he waved at my new home, “…was empty. Now, somehow, a chick I hooked up with forone nighta couple of months ago has moved in across from me. Eighteen hundred miles away from where we first met? In a fucking one-horse town with less than five thousand people? A town almostno onehas heard of? How does that make any damned sense?”

There was no way to explain it other than a coincidence, but my God, how could something like this happen by coincidence? My head was pounding with an oncoming headache.

Holding up my hands, I said, “Okay, look. I know this is weird, but we got here a couple of days ago. This is all just a… coincidence.”

By sheer force of will, I didn’t wince as I said the words. One look at his face told me that he didn’t believe it for one second.

Continuing, I said, “Seriously? How the hell could I have tracked you more than halfway across the country? I didn’t have your phone number or address. Shit, I don’t even know your name.” A wave of shame slid over me, but what was done was done.

His eyes were still full of suspicion. It was almost like he was paranoid––a very far cry from the suave, confident man I’d met in New York that night.

“Lady, I don’t know why you’re here, but I need to make one thing clear. What we had that night was just that.One night. No replays, no extra fun. I don’t need you getting any ideas about us. If you’re looking for round two, you’re out of luck.”

The man—Christ, I still didn’t know his fucking name—was pretty full of himself. “You really think I moved all the way across the country with my girls to stalk down some man? Just to ride his cock one more time? I’m a little offended you would even think that, honestly.”

He sighed. “You aren’t the first woman to stalk me, and I’m sure you won’t be the last.” He chuckled humorlessly. “This really is a bit much to hook up one more time.”

That did it. I was no longer surprised, shocked, or confused. I was pissed. He hadn’t been spiteful or mean when he said it. It was very matter-of-fact and straightforward, like it was obvious that was what I wanted.

“Listen, prick, you need to watch how you talk to me. My daughters could hear you.”

We both turned to look at the house and saw the girls peeking through the curtains by the door. Catching sight of us, they ducked away. He laughed, and it was actually a good-natured chuckle, but the look of happiness vanished quickly. Instead of pushing things, he started backing away.

“I’ll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine.”

He spun on his heel and walked back to his house. I watched him go, and my hand swept across my belly unconsciously. Well, after that, there was no way I was going to tell him about the baby. The decision was made. He was mad enough to think I wanted another roll in the hay. I couldn’t imagine what he’d say if I tried to convince him he may have gotten me pregnant.

THREE

TATE

It took all my control not to slam the front door as I went inside, leaving my mower in the yard. I stomped back and forth across the living room. Every few paces, I glanced out the window at the house across the street. What the fuck was happening? This was absolutely crazy. Batshit crazy, to be exact.

I went to the kitchen and yanked a beer out of the fridge, downing it in three fast gulps before I grabbed a second and flopped down on the couch. All I wanted was to get my mind off it, but that wasn’t possible. I actually had to think harder on it, especially considering the information Miles had given us about the missing shifters. Was this woman involved? Was she a hunter? That sounded crazy, but maybe. Could she have marked me as a target in New York? Followed me all the way here? But what about the kids? They were too young to be hunters.

Sipping at the beer, I pulled my phone from my pocket. Maybe Miles had been able to dig up that info on her. I dialed and took another drink as it rang.

“Tate?” Miles answered.

“Yeah, hey… did you get a chance to look into my new neighbor?” I didn’t go into the fact that I’d fucked her seven or eight weeks before. No need to muddy the waters.

“Actually, I did. I’ve been compiling all the information into a file. I can email it over in five or ten minutes.”

“That would be great.” Unable to control myself, I added, “Did… anything seem weird?”

A pause, then he replied, “Not really. Pretty standard stuff. I’ll send it as soon as I get all the files into one folder.”

“Okay, cool. Thanks, man.”

“No problem.”

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