Page 23 of Shifter For Hire (For Hire 2)

She confused him. He tried to figure her out but failed and decided the simplest thing to do was to answer her questions. “Yes, they are real, and I’ve been hired to find them all.”

Chapter 9

Lachelle dug her feet in the warm sand. Water rushed up toward her, but she and Gerard sat far enough back from the shore not to get wet. She loved the sound of the waves and the otherwise still night around them.

In the sky, the moon shined brightly, and she could easily make out Gerard’s face. He seemed to be thrilled that he could sit barefoot and squish sand between his toes. After a moment, he stood and unbuttoned his jeans.

She yelped. “What are you doing?”

“I’ll swim. Do you want to come?”

“You’re going to get arrested for skinny dipping out here. I know no one is around, but they could come along at any moment.”

He pointed to the boulders to their right. “It’s very rough, the water. No one will see. I come here often, and I’ve never been arrested.”

“Shouldn’t you uphold the law?”

“Which law?”

She blinked at him. “Indecent exposure for one.”

“I will wear my boxers—for you.”

She snorted. “Meaning you don’t usually.”

Sure enough, he stripped down to his underwear. She told herself to look away but failed. Gerard’s body by moonlight was amazing, all taut and sinewy. She imagined if she touched him, his skin would be tight. From what she could see he didn’t carry any excess weight. She couldn’t say the same about her thighs.

He strolled toward the water, and she called after him. “That water looks too choppy. I don’t care how strong a swimmer you are.”

“See for yourself.”

“No, thanks.”

He turned to face her, standing a few yards from where she sat. Water lapped at his ankles. A feeling came over her that something monumental was about to happen. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

His skin shimmered in a way it didn’t before. She squinted and got up to her knees. He raised his hands just enough to draw her attention, and she caught her breath. The taut skin changed.

She couldn’t say if the scales with a silvery undertone came from inside or just appeared. Like a domino affect, one chased another all along his arms and down his legs, up his neck and across his face.

While he stayed in the shape of a man, she could see that he was anything but human. He turned toward the water. No tail or wings appeared on his back as he advanced deeper and deeper into the ocean.

&nb

sp; At some point he disappeared beneath the waves. She jumped to her feet and stretched to her toes to try to find him. He was nowhere in sight. Her heart raced. Had he drowned? With waves crashing violently against the rocks, there was no way she could rescue him. She ran down to the water’s edge.

“Gerard!”

She considered phoning 911 as the minutes ticked by and still he didn’t surface.

“Gerard, where are you?” Barefoot but still dressed, she waded out into the water. The inky water stretched out as far as she could see. She called him again, and fear threatened to choke her.

Just as the fear surfaced in her gut, he burst out of the water. Majestic wings on his back flapped hard, dislodging beads of water. He shot forward faster than she had ever seen a bird fly. Before she could even react, he landed hard in front of her and grasped her arms.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

She panted. “You scared the crap out of me. Don’t do that again.”

He nodded. “I won’t. I didn’t know you would be afraid so easily.”

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