Page 51 of Sear
“That time already?” He looked surprised, then got quickly to his feet. “Thank you for dinner,” he said politely. “I have to go read my girls their bedtime story now.”
She rose, too. They stood for a moment, an awkward silence stretching between them.
Then Lucas rounded the table and bent to give her a disappointingly chaste kiss. “See you tomorrow, Malia. We’ll talk more then. Sleep well.”
Then he was gone, leaving her to stare after him.
My first night as a mated woman, and I’m going to be spending it alone?
Chapter 14
The night air was heavy with moisture and the fragrance of evergreens as Lucas left Malia’s cabin and crossed the short distance to his own place. The lingering scent of cooked meat from Malia’s porch grill followed him, and the rumbles of thunder sounded closer now.
His cat wasn’t happy about Lucas leaving their new mate, but he figured that she probably needed some time to digest everything that happened.
Lord knew, he sure did. Because he was a fucking idiot who’d let his dick—and his damned sneaky cat—lead him into trouble.
You wanted her, too, his cougar pointed out.You should be happy that her wolf accepted the mating bond.
The beast still sounded smug and not at all sorry for throwing Lucas’s undercover investigation—not to mention the rest of his life—into complete upheaval.
The worst part was, Lucas couldn’t argue with that. He’d wanted Malia since first laying eyes on her at that club. His need for her had only grown every time they’d encountered each other.
Under other circumstances, he would have counted himself the luckiest man on earth to court and win someone like her, a fellow law enforcement professional with the kind of family and community that would welcome and nurture shifter children.
But the timing sure sucked.
In a town this small, and with so many shifters, word of their mating was certain to get around quickly. He shuddered to think what Bickham and Silvers might overhear at a restaurant or café.
Should I consider my cover identity compromised and bail on this investigation?he wondered.
An Ordinary investigator would.
If something went wrong while he was out in the middle of the forest with Bickham and Silvers, even Lucas, with his enhanced strength and speed and the backup of his cougar, would be in serious danger.
The two men might be Ordinaries, but they were both armed with high-powered hunting rifles and ammo intended to take down big game with a single shot.
It would be the smart thing to do. Taking down a brazen poacher like Bickham wasn’t nearly as important as Lucas being able to return home safely to his girls…and his new mate.
If I told Tringstad that I blew my cover, then I could come clean with Malia, too.
It was tempting.Shit.
He knew he was close to cracking this case. All of those tedious hours with Bickham and Silvers were paying off. He sensed that the two of them seemed to trust him completely now.
Just another couple of days, and Lucas was sure he’d get the evidence he needed for actual criminal charges against the pair, instead of mere citations and fines.
Let’s see how things go tomorrow,he told himself.If I think they’re getting squirrelly, I can always jump ship. But I don’t want to throw away all of my work so far if I don’t absolutely have to.
Back inside his cabin, he pulled out his tablet and video-called Taylor and Savannah.
As he listened to their breathless anecdotes about their respective days at preschool and first grade, he wondered when it might be appropriate to mention his new mate to them.
His dating life had been sparse since his divorce, and he’d never introduced any of his rare dates to his daughters. He had decided early on that they would only meet a girlfriend if he was sure that the relationship was serious.
Now, all that had changed in an instant. He had a mate. And that was until “death do us part.”
When story time was over, his dad entered the guest bedroom to tuck the girls in.
