Page 46 of Bear Facts

Chapter Fourteen

Lindsay Cummings was heat personified. She was Feline, her wildcat a lynx, which was small and lithe. Lindsay in human form sometimes resembled a cat, with her narrow face and pointed nose, sleek golden hair, big green eyes, and a smile that could knock a man out at ten paces.

She liked to wear tight clothing, as she was now—jeans that hugged her hips topped with a bright pink fuzzy sweater. She loved to dance, and to laugh and shriek while doing it.

Lindsay was also gentle, kind, and amazingly compassionate, especially with the orphaned cubs she and Cassidy took turns looking after.

On the other hand, Lindsay could party like nobody’s business. Xav had more than once awakened on the floor of his apartment after an all-night bar crawl with Lindsay—alone, his shirt gone, his mouth on fire, and no memory of how he’d gotten there. One morning when he’d peeled open his eyes, wondering why his wrist burned so much, he’d found a small tattoo of a cat’s face on it. No idea where it had come from.

Xav had considered having the ink removed but ultimately decided to keep it. A souvenir of a night that must have been wild.

“Working late?” Lindsay leaned on the doorframe in a provocative pose. “What does a girl have to do to get you to call her? Run a secret mercenary agency?” She cocked her head. “Hmm, there’s an idea.”

Xav rocked back in his chair without turning the computer screen on again. “How did you get in here?” he asked as though merely curious. “There’s a pretty sophisticated lock on that door.”

Lindsay shrugged, the sweater rippling with her lush body. “I watched you open it the other day and memorized the code.”

Xav had to laugh. “Thank you for reminding me I should change my code every day. I’m lazy about that.”

The tension he’d sensed behind her sexy stance eased. “So, you’re not mad at me for stalking you?”

“I didn’t say that. Were you stalking me?”

“Well, yeah.” Lindsay sauntered into the office and rested one hip against his desk. “You never call. You never text. You don’t even send suggestive emojis.”

Xav suppressed a grin. “Shifters aren’t supposed to have phones that can receive suggestive emojis.”

“Shifters aren’t supposed to do a lot of things.” Lindsay hoisted herself to sit on the end of his desk and crossed her long legs. She wore high-heeled boots that were good for the winter rains as well as for looking great on her feet.

“I’ve been busy,” Xav said, then added quickly, “That’s the truth, not an excuse. Diego has had me hopping on a couple of projects, and then Eric gave me a quest today that’s eating all my time. Believe me, I’d rather be out dancing with you.”

“You still can be.” The sparkle in Lindsay’s eyes promised another crazy night. “Vegas is a twenty-four-hour town. Something’s always open.”

Xav grinned. “Like tattoo shops?”

Lindsay reached for his hand and turned it over, brushing her fingers over the tatt on Xav’s wrist. Xav had gone to a tattoo artist to have the ink finished in several shades, including giving the cat lovely green eyes.

“This was your idea, you know,” Lindsay said. “You insisted on a lynx.”

Xav attempted to ignore the hot tingles running from his wrist down his spine to his cock. “I don’t remember it at all, but I believe you.”

Lindsay caressed the lines, and Xav’s blood heated to furnace level. Good thing it was somewhat dark in here. The desk light didn’t push the night back much.

“What do you say?” Lindsay asked casually. “Let’s blow this joint and go out on the town.”

Xav let out a sigh of true regret. “I can’t. Eric wants a dossier on this mercenary woman, and I can’t give him an incomplete one. He’ll know.”

“So, you’re not going out with me because you’re fascinated by another woman?” Lindsay’s tone was teasing, but her voice held some strain.

“Althea is pretty interesting,” Xav said. “Though not in the way you mean. Her dad founded her mercenary company, and she took it over when he died. From what I’m reading, all her dad’s cronies assumed she’d sell the business once she inherited it, or at least have one of them run it for her while she stepped to the sidelines.”

“Because she’s a woman,” Lindsay said in understanding. “Lots of humans think like that.”

“She surprised them all.” Xav turned on the computer screen and scrolled through his report. “She fired a lot of people she called dead weight, and then she expanded. Not rapidly, just slowly and steadily. Now, she has some of the best strategists in the world working for her. Her troops always complete their missions successfully.”

“Good for her,” Lindsay said with true admiration. She leaned to peer at the screen. “Though the idea of private human armies running around makes me a little nervous. What if someone hires her to take out Shifters?”

“From what I’ve learned, Althea’s choosy about which clients she takes on. No slaughtering villages of families so that mining companies can claim the land. Instead, she helps those villages get rid of ruthless dictators or clears out drug lords so people can get back to farming or whatever they do without having to worry about dangerous guys.”

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