“Hi, Heath,” she croaked. Zoe cleared her throat and smiled at her friend. “You look great in that uniform.”
Zoe glanced over at Rollo who’d stopped in his tracks. Angus was waiting expectantly for Rollo to speak, but Rollo’s eyes were trained on Zoe. She could feel the heat of his dominant energy rolling in waves across the room. She felt like a deer in headlights, pinned to the floor by his animal magnetism.
Why was he here? Did he know?
“Angus,” Rollo said, as if suddenly remembering where he was. “I came down here to ask you a few questions about woodworking.”
“Shoot,” Angus replied.
“Take a look at this Louis the Fifteenth chest of drawers,” Rollo said, showing Angus some eight by ten glossy photographs. “I’m investigating a case involving one of these chests. It has a secret compartment. Are you familiar with this style of furniture at all?”
“I am familiar with the style and construction. As a matter of fact, Zoe and I were just talking about this exact subject,” Angus said, giving her away.
Zoe gritted her teeth, but pretended it was just a toothy smile as she looked up at Angus and Rollo. She could feel perspiration trickle down her arm under her coveralls, and she fidgeted where she stood. She drew on all of the skills she’d learned over the last seven years on the road and told herself to play it cool.
“We decided to make a chest with a secret compartment for our first project together,” Zoe said.
“That’s one crazy coincidence,” Heath said, his hands on his hips as he looked around the woodshop.
“That is quite a coincidence,” Rollo said, his eyes burning into Zoe.
“What did you want to know?” Angus asked.
“I need to know more information about how the secret compartment is constructed and how one might break into it.”
“I can tell you what I know,” Angus said.
Angus, who usually wasn’t a big talker, began to rattle off the details of the construction of a Louis the Fifteenth chest with a secret compartment. Heath listened intently and Rollo continued staring at Zoe.
Zoe felt tension hang like a heavy mist in the air. Her jaguar has been roaring and clawing ever since she’d picked up Rollo’s scent. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her the entire time he’d been in the workshop. She couldn’t get the look on his face out of her mind. It was somewhere between astonished and aroused. Not just aroused, full of lust. It was almost as if she could hear his grizzly growling inside her own mind.
They were both shifters. It was different when both mates had animals within. Shifter mates could sense each other in deeper ways than any human ever could. She could almost sense his heart beating and his blood flowing through his veins. She could smell his arousal, and it only heightened her own.
“That’s very interesting, Angus,” Rollo finally said as Angus expounded on the marvels of the wood joints used in the 18th-century. “I think I have everything I need.”
“Any time,” Angus said, slapping Rollo on the back with his big hand.
Rollo was anything but small, but even for a shifter Angus was big. The impact forced Rollo forward, and he came that much closer to Zoe. He straightened his tie and cleared his throat as he looked at her.
“So you have an interest in Louis the Fifteenth secret compartment chests?” Rollo asked her.
“A minor interest,” Zoe said, shrugging.
“You said they were your favorite,” Angus said. Zoe’s jaguar growled.
“Could we have a word in private?” Rollo said to Zoe. “Heath, wait here. Zoe, follow me.”
“What?” she said, following him out of the woodshop and around the side of the building. There was a strip of lawn that led toward a wooded area. Rollo continued walking, and she followed him until they were at the edge of the forest.
“What do you want?” she said again.
“You know why I wanted to speak with you in private,” he said.
She didn’t know. Was it because he knew she’d taken the jewels? Was her cover blown? Or was it because he still wanted to date? Neither of those options were any less daunting.
“Did you come down here on purpose?” she said, deciding to play the defensive card.
“I had no idea you would be here, if that’s what you’re suggesting?”
“I told you, I’m not ready to date right now,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she pursed her lips at him.
“I came down here to ask Angus about the Louis the Fifteenth secret compartment chest. A subject that you seem quite familiar with. I wonder why that is.”
“We should stop beating around the bush,” Zoe said, trying to change the subject. “You and I both know that we’re mates. Now that we’ve met, there’s no way of avoiding it. What do you propose we do now?”
Rollo drew back, his face changing from scrutinizing to confused. “Why do you think I signed up for Mate.com in the first place, Zoe Bright?”
“Probably for different reasons than I did. But usually people sign up for those things because they want to find a romantic relationship. Shifters, as we both know, usually want to settle down and start a family.”
“You are a shifter,” Rollo countered.
“But I’m not just any shifter,” Zoe purred, leaning toward him.
She could smell his arousal rising off him and sense the tension in his muscles as they coiled, ready to pounce on her. She slid past him, brushing slightly against his arm as she walked towards the forest.
“I’ve seen the world. I know what’s out there. I also know that shifter marriages don’t always work. My father was a jaguar like me, and my mother was a grizzly like my brother Corey. Their relationship didn’t work out. My father was a gambler and a lady’s man, and he never stayed home. He left my mother destitute with two children, but she always took him back. It was heartbreaking to watch my mother suffer all my life. So you see, you may be my mate, but that doesn’t mean that I belong to you. It doesn’t mean that we’ll have a happily ever after.”
She heard him turn behind her and felt his hot breath blow over the back of her neck.
“Your brother found a mate and he was a notorious bachelor. If Corey can settle down, so can you.”
She turned around, looking up at him through her thick, black lashes. She flicked her tongue across her lip and stepped close to him. They were so close she could feel the heat of his body radiating off of him, filling her with his warmth.
“Corey and I are very different people. Or haven’t you heard? I’m a bad girl. I traveled the world doing whatever I please for seven years. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, Commander,” Zoe purred.
He moved in closer until their faces were only inches apart, and he whispered into her ear. “I’m going to find out,” he said.
She took a step back and giggled as she turned away. It was getting too intense, and if he got any closer she might just throw herself into his arms. Her jaguar filled her mind with images of unzipping her coveralls and dropping on her knees in front of him. He caught her arm gently but firm and stood beside her.
“I’m going to take you out to dinner tomorrow night,” he said. “And you are not going to say no.”
She turned to look at him as her mouth dropped in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to be so forceful. She wanted to hate it, but the truth was, she loved it. She licked her lips and laughed.
“So I can’t say no, huh? Where are you going to take me that’s so great?”
“I’ll take you to the lodge. We’ll have some of Shane Keenan’s special rock lobster. Then we’ll take a walk in the moonlight and see where our animals take us.”
She ran her hand up his chest, feeling the hard planes and his muscles under her palm. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so turned on. Every fiber of her being wanted to strip naked and make love to him right there on the grass. Everything else be damned. Her sex throbbed between her legs and the musky scent of Rollo’s body made her eyes roll
back in her head. He caught her chin in his hand, tilting her face up to look into his eyes.
“Say yes.”
Rollo Morris was obviously a man who was used to getting what he wanted, and Zoe wanted to give it to him.
“Yes,” she breathed.
She was under the spell of his body and yearned for him to touch her. But he pulled away, nodding his head.
“I’ll pick you up at the Institute at seven o’clock tomorrow night. Be ready.”
He turned away and strode over the lawn and into the SUV without looking back. Zoe stood staring, watching him the whole time. As he pulled out of the parking lot his eyes blazed up at hers, and they locked for several long seconds before he turned the car around and drove away.
Chapter 6
Rollo couldn’t keep his mind on anything else since he’d spoken to Zoe and finally gotten her to agree to a date with him. Sure, he had his suspicions. That was part of the reason he’d been so forceful with her. Part of the reason. She had become an unofficial suspect in the jewel theft case, but more importantly, she was his mate.
He needed her.
Every second he spent without mating with her was torture to him. His bear would not quit growling. Rollo thought that if he had to listen to his grizzly behaving that way much longer he might lose his damn mind. His intention was to get to the bottom of the case and to take care of his mate. If she ended up being responsible for the theft, he would find a way to make everything right in the end.
What mattered most, was that they were together. She may be reluctant now, but there could be any number of reasons for that. Whatever it was, Rollo intended to find out. He didn’t buy the story about her parents, although it sounded like a perfectly valid excuse. But all of the clues were adding up. Zoe Bright had become his top suspect.
But first, he just wanted to spend one night with his mate. He’d put on a casual suit without a tie and was clean shaven. He clipped on his watch and put his phone in his back pocket before he walked out the door and climbed in his SUV. The drive up to the Institute was nerve-wracking as his heart beat in anticipation of meeting Zoe again.
Seeing her at the woodshop in those cute, girly coveralls with all that black hair of hers hanging in a playful ponytail, had almost done him in. If it came down to it, Rollo wondered if he would be able to arrest his mate if he had to. He knew he would do his job, but he was also already desperately loyal to her. He couldn’t help it; she was his other half.
He pulled up in front of the dormitory section of the Bright Institute for Shifters. The building was a cross between traditional Ivy League university and ultramodern Silicon Valley tech company. There were huge walls of windows that arched up to the ceiling over the entry.
He saw her walk out the front door, wearing that formfitting jaguar print dress and black high heels. Her hair was straight and long down her back, slicked back over her head. She wore deep red lipstick and smoky eye makeup. His cock bulged in his pants as she walked towards him. He hastily scrambled out of the SUV and hurried around the passenger side of the car to open the door for her.
Zoe saw him, smiled and then slinked past him into the passenger seat. He could smell her scent mixed with her citrus perfume. His inner bear growled hungrily. Rollo licked his lips and shut the door behind her as she put on her seatbelt.
As he sat beside her in the car, the scent of her arousal rose off her sexy curves and filled the air with its thick aroma. They stared at each other in the summer evening glow as the light filtered through the cab of the car. Her breasts heaved as she took deep panting breaths and she bit her luscious red bottom lip with her straight white teeth. He wanted to grab her and kiss her, shove his tongue between those lips, and feel her groan under his touch.
“Should we get going?” she finally said.
He turned on the car and backed out of the parking spot and sped out onto the road leading back into Fate Mountain Village. They took the highway a few miles and then turned off on the road towards Fate Mountain Lodge. When they parked in front of the lodge, Rollo hopped out of the car and hurried around to open the door for Zoe, but she’d already opened it and slid her legs around the side. He reached out and took her hand, helping her step down from the high seat and onto the ground in those sexy fucking heels.
Her body was so amazing he could barely tear his eyes away from her curves. His hands clenched and unclenched, longing to touch her. He had to hold himself back as the animal inside thrashed in his mind demanding he take his mate right here, right now. Instead, he led her graciously through the parking lot and up the front walkway of the lodge. He opened the front door and escorted her through the lobby and into the dining room.
Fate Mountain Lodge had a five-star restaurant run by the famous Wild Bear chef Shane Keenan. Shane once had a famous cooking show, back before the war. He’d been notoriously bad tempered, and the audience had eaten it up. That was until he’d been outed as a bear and drafted into the military. But now Shane Keenan lived on Fate Mountain and was a member of the Rescue Bears.
The hostess led them to their private table that looked out onto the lake as the summer sun was slipping toward the horizon. The golden glow radiated over the crystal water that stretched out below the lodge. It was a perfect romantic spot for their first date, and Rollo congratulated himself for his excellent planning.
Zoe looked down at her menu as if deep in thought over appetizers. She’d painted her nails the same color as her lips and the sight of her put together like this was a stark contrast from the way she had dressed the day before. But Zoe in coveralls was no less sexy than Zoe in a skintight jaguar print dress, black heels, and red nail polish. He appreciated the contrast because it made him feel like he understood her that much more.
“You said something about rock lobster,” Zoe said, still looking at her menu.
“It’s a Shane Keenan specialty,” Rollo said.
“Who is Shane Keenan?”
“That’s right, you’ve been out of the country a long time. But his show was still on TV when you were in high school.”
“I didn’t watch TV when I was in high school,” Zoe said, finally looking up at him.
“What did you do in high school?” he asked in a low, gravelly voice.
“Get into trouble mostly. Cut class. Spin doughnuts in the parking lot. Make fun of cheerleaders. That kind of thing,” she said, throwing her black hair over her shoulder.
“Sounds like you were quite the hellraiser,” he said, looking her intently in the eye to avoid staring at her magnificent cleavage.
“I still am, officer,” she said.
Rollo knew she was teasing him. She had to know he was onto her. There was just too much evidence to ignore. The faint scent of his mate at the scene. A large cat paw print. And then to top it off, her obvious obsession with Louis the Fifteenth secret compartment chests. It was all adding up and not looking very good for his little kitty. But what was he going to do about it?
Zoe was his mate and therefore he knew she had to be a good person. He could feel the real warmth of her heart deep below all of her sexy bravado. There had to be a reason she had done it. If she just wanted the money, why come to Fate Mountain? Why take an internship with Angus? Why make herself known at all?
“I’m sure we can do something to make sure you behave,” he growled.
“And what makes you think you can do that?” she asked, her green eyes sparking in the golden light of sunset.
“Have you two decided?” the waitress asked walking up to the table. “Or do you need another minute?”
“I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay and the rock lobster,” Zoe said, handing her menu to the waitress.
“I’ll have the same,” Rollo said.
The waitress walked away, and they both watched her until their eyes snapped back and locked on each other again.
“I’m an officer of the law, Ms. Bright,” he said.
“Have I done something wrong?” she taunted.
&n
bsp; Her teasing was getting under his skin, and his face would have been flaming red with embarrassment if there weren’t a tablecloth hiding the massive erection he was packing between his legs.
He gulped, considering what to say next. This game of cat and mouse was more intoxicating than he had anticipated. He wanted to take the handcuffs from his SUV and tie her up somewhere until she told him the truth. Or until she screamed his name with mind blowing pleasure. Whichever came first. He wasn’t sure which one he wanted more.
The waitress walked up to the table and set two glasses of Chardonnay in front of the couple and walked away.
“We’ll soon find out,” Rollo said, taking a sip of his wine.
She smiled, lifting the wineglass to her lips and taking a sip. She was a clever little kitty, and he knew that she would slip from his grasp at the soonest possibility. He had to pin her down and find out what she knew. It was the only way he could protect her. There had to be something else going on besides greed and lust for money. He was going to get to the bottom of it.
“How long have you been in law enforcement?” Zoe asked, changing the subject as she gazed out the window at the setting sun.
“I was a detective before the war. I served as an officer in the special forces. Within two months of joining the Fate Mountain Police Department after the war, the old chief retired and the mayor made me commander. I’m more suited to investigation than administration. But I do my job.”
“What kind of detective where you before the war?”
“Homicide, San Francisco PD. It’s a different world than Fate Mountain Village, Oregon. But after what I saw in the war, I was ready for a slower pace of life. I wanted to settle down like most of the other shifter veterans out there. We want to find our mates, buy homes, start families. What else could you possibly want out of life?”
“Fun? Excitement?”
“How much fun and excitement can one body really stand?” Rollo asked her.
“How much can you stand, Rollo?” she said seductively.
The waitress carried a tray to their table and set their plates of rock lobster in front of them. She asked if they needed anything else, replaced their basket of bread, and walked away.