Page 9 of Combust
When he bent to retrieve it, the goosebumps on his bare ass reminded him that he was flashing three pretty shifter gals, not to mention the sour-faced cop. Nothing to be done for it, though.
“I’m Cade Hunter,” he said. He flipped open his wallet to display his Texas driver’s license, and handed it to the cop.
“Want to tell me why you and Mr., uh—” The cop, whose name badge said “Jacobsen,” glanced in Andrew’s direction.
“Andrew Brunborn,” said the other shifter. He’d retrieved a piece of his tattered shirt and was holding it strategically over his family jewels as he bent and rummaged through the shredded remains of his jeans, presumably hunting for his own ID. He looked up at the cop and added in a proud tone, as if it meant something, “Of theSpokaneBrunborns.”
“Brunborn. Right.” Jacobsen didn’t look impressed. He turned his attention back to Cade. “So, Mr. Hunter, what just happened?”
“I happened to see that the lady here,” Cade tilted his head in the brunette bear goddess’s direction, “seemed to be in a lick of trouble. So I—”
“Trouble?This guy barged in on a private conversation I was having with Ms. Swanson, and attacked me!” Andrew interrupted. He glared at Cade. “And who the hell do you think you are, anyway?”
“I’m Cade Hunter,” Cade repeated, “and that conversation didn’t seem none too friendly. Not when the lady was tellin’ you to let go of her, and you were clingin’ to her like a burr.”
The cop’s eyes widened a little at this.
Swanson?Cade wondered if the brunette was related to his new boss. It was a small town, and bear shifters typically stuck together in clans, so probably yeah.
Way to make a first impression, he told himself, sarcastically.Naked and all scratched up in a bar’s parking lot.
“Hunter?” Andrew’s lip curled in a sneer as he looked Cade up and down, taking in every tattoo and every scar. “Of what clan?”
Almost as an afterthought, Andrew pulled his ID from a card holder pocket on his fancy phone case, and passed it to Jacobsen.
Great. The question every shifter asked Cade. The one he didn’t have a good answer for.
“No clan,” he said shortly.
He couldn’t help shooting a look in the gorgeous Ms. Swanson’s direction.
Her finely-shaped dark brows drew together in a frown. He knew what she was thinking…that he’d done something terrible to get himself kicked out of his clan. He usually didn’t bother to try and explain himself.
But this woman was different. She didn’t know him from Adam, but for some reason, he wanted to make a good impression on her.
“I’m not an outcast,” he said, defensively. “They’re all dead.”
Not that he thought she’d believe him. No one ever did.
Andrew sure didn’t. He gave an incredulous huff. “Riiight,” he drawled.
At almost the same moment, Ms. Swanson said, “I’m so sorry.” Her shell-shocked expression softened.
If she’d been magnificent while angry, now she was…well, Cade didn’t have the words to describe it.
He only knew that he wanted to wrap himself around her sweet, curvy body, and cover himself in her scent. She smelled like fresh bread and cookies, with just a whiff of coffee and chocolate. It stirred up memories of the home he’d lost so long ago.
He fought the urge to step forward and bury his face in the glossy dark auburn hair that fell in waves to her shoulders.
“But, really, you shouldn’t have interfered,” she continued, her expression shifting from sympathy back to upset and angry. Cade could smell the lie on her, but he couldn’t blame her. She crossed her arms. “I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Andrew was clearly That Guy who always needed to drop in his two cents. “Officer, I’m telling you this—thisperson…just attacked me out of nowhere while I was saying goodbye to my date.”
“So, Mr. Hunter here started the fight?” Officer Jacobsen asked, keeping hold of Cade’s wallet and Andrew’s ID.
“Yes!” Andrew snarled, just as Ms. Swanson said, “Not exactly.”
“I thought he was attackin’ Ms. Swanson, and I was just tryin’ to help,” Cade said.
