Page 18 of Shifter For Hire (For Hire 2)

It’s not right.

Maybe with some time apart to get her mind together, she would appreciate him better. Space could also help her to reassess, as Janessa kept pushing her to do, whether Skip was the right man for her. Not to mention questioning herself about whether their meeting was a coincidence or Skip’s ulterior motive.

“Did you notice he hates wearing shoes?”

“Is that a characteristic of shifters?” she snarked.

He flushed. “I don’t know why you’re criticizing everything I say. You used to hang on every word I spoke.”

“I’m tired of arguing with you. We need to take a break. Go home.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I don’t want you here. Please, leave.”

“So you’re breaking up with me—over him?”

The nasty tone to his voice shocked her, but she shouldn’t be surprised.

“Now that I think about it, you’ve been putting me off a while, making excuses. You knew how much I wanted a baby, and you kept saying we aren’t ready. You don’t want to get married because we’re not ready. You disappear and call me afterward, talking about you had an urgent tip you had to follow up. I feel like I’ve been asleep all this time, and I’ve had it.”

“Because something better came along?”

She started to move past him to leave the bathroom. With him blocking the entrance it made her feel closed in. He placed a hand on the doorjamb to stop her. “Are you running away, Lachelle, or do we talk it out?”

“I just said I’m done. Move, Skip.”

“No, we’re talking.”

“Not interested.” She shoved him, but he didn’t budge. “Move!”

“Don’t be stupid. You don’t know him.”

“And you do?”

“I know he’s suspicious. Why did he know about that bomb, Lachelle? Because he’s a cop? No. If he did, they wouldn’t have had civilians around. They’d have locked down that building and had the bomb squad look for it. How did he know about it?”

She ignored the question.

“Let me ask a different way. How do you know he knew? I bet it wasn’t because he told you.”

Something must have registered in her expression because he looked triumphant. She sure wasn’t going to tell Skip about the way Gerard sniffed the air and jumped on her to protect her seconds before the bomb went o

ff. The fact was he did try to protect her, and she wouldn’t overlook that part.

He protected me, so I’m going to protect him for now.

“You’re out of your head,” she explained to Skip like talking to a child. “I’m not. So get lost. Go home. I need time off from us. Is that plain enough for you?”

He punched a hole in the wall. “Don’t patronize me!”

Her eyes hurt she widened them so much. He had never been violent around her, or showed such anger as to punch a hole in the wall. She could fly off the handle enough to throw a plate if she wanted, but not him. This was new, and she didn’t like it.

“You’re going to pay for my wall. The management company isn’t going to pin the repair on me.”

“Forget the wall.”

“I won’t forget it. You’ve gone over the deep end, and I’m saying get out. What’s so hard to understand?”

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