Page 35 of Corbin
What had caused the change of heart to be more accommodating?
Did she know he had a motorcycle and not a sedan? He doubted she’d ride on the back of his bike, but decided to let her think he had other wheels.
“Sure.” He waved his hand in the direction of the retail shops. “Ladies first.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “A gentleman? What pack has taught their males manners?”
Catching her sarcasm, he stopped before snarling a reply. He’d been thrown to worse than wolves by her father’s men. Memories of that time flooded him, and he had no trouble treating her like a suspect.
He leaned in and warned, “Don’t assume I’m a gentleman.”
That shut her up. She headed back in the opposite direction.
Just when he thought he had everything under control, his gaze locked on the swing of her hips. Damn, that woman was hot. She might be psychopathic, too, but his body didn’t care what his brain thought. He searched the woods to keep from tracking the sway of her sweet bottom. This job sucked.
They trudged along without speaking until they exited the woods.
He walked over to his bike in a surly mood and lifted his helmet, offering it to her. “Why don’t you put this on?”
She looked around in both directions, mumbling, “Adults don’t have to wear helmets here.”
Was she expecting someone? “I have to ensure your safety no matter what.”
She snapped back at him, “Yet again, I must remind you I’m a shifter capable of protecting myself. If I fall off, my bones will heal.”
“You’re being obstinate for no reason. I have orders to follow. Have you ever considered being nice to us little people?”
She drew back at his words. Then she leaned to look past him.
He heard a vehicle coming their way from behind him and turned.
Ah, shit.
A police cruiser rolled up near his bike and parked.
He swung back to her and recognized the sedan approaching from the opposite direction. “How would your driver know where you are?”
Her lips parted when she looked over her shoulder.
While she was ignoring him, Corbin turned to the cops.
Car doors slammed on the police cruiser. He stared at the two officers headed his way. She never used a mobile phone while he had eyes on her. How could this be happening? He asked her, “Where’d the cops come from?”
For all her bravado, she had the guilty look of someone caught. “I, uh, well ...”
She shoved her hands into her pockets, and her shoulders drooped.
He recalled when she’d put a hand in her pocket right before her attitude had changed from confrontational. Fury burned off any sympathy he’d had for her. “Ah, shit. What have you got? Some kind of save-me button that pulls in law enforcement?”
“That’s not what—”
Her driver walked up to them. “Eirene? Is he creating trouble for you?”
Corbin answered, “No, I was the sap stuck with protecting her.”
Not acknowledging his words, the driver said, “Come on, Eirene.”
The first officer addressed Corbin. “Step away from Ms. Givenchy, sir. Is that your motorcycle?”
