“You sleep here in that?” Wrath turned his head to face her.
“Yeah.”
He walked to the side of her bed and shocked her by tearing back the covers, exposing her sheets. She stood there mute as he bent over, pressed his nose against the pink material and sniffed loudly. He straightened and smiled as he adjusted the blankets back to where they’d been.
“What are you doing?” It was weird but she wasn’t about to state that aloud.
“I only smell you and the cat. No one has slept here with you.”
Anger stirred. “I live alone. I told you I haven’t dated in a while and I wasn’t lying about that. I’ve told you the truth. You didn’t have to do that to check up on me.”
He closed the distance between them and one hand raised to cup her cheek. “I’m sorry. I was curious. I do believe you.” His hand dropped to his side. “You need to get ready. Is your animal safe in the bathroom? I won’t snarl at it. I was startled and I thought it would attack you.”
“He’s fine in there. He’s an indoor and outdoor cat and I keep the window open in there for him since I don’t have a pet door. He’s probably already fled after the way you and your friends scared him.”
“I am sorry.”
She shrugged. “I should have told you I have a pet. I take it that you aren’t around too many cats?”
“Not small, domestic ones.”
Lauren let that one slide. He wanted her to get ready for work and the team waited in the living room for her. She spun around, jerked open her closet, and grabbed clothes off the hanger. Tiger was gone when she opened the bathroom door and stepped inside. She closed the door while she changed, washed her face, and applied light makeup quickly. Wrath was touching things on her dresser when she stepped back into her bedroom. He spun to face her.
“You put your hair in a bun,” he rumbled. “I enjoy seeing it down more.”
“I have to put it up for work to appear more professional. It’s too curly and tangles too easily otherwise.” She bent by the door, grabbed a pair of black pumps and put them on. “I’m ready.”
Wrath slowly stalked closer to her. The way he moved once again reminded her that he wasn’t a normal guy, and it was kind of hot. She still wished she could see his eyes. He stopped inches away from touching her body.
“You look nice but I prefer you naked.”
Her heart raced and heat warmed her cheeks. She couldn’t help but trail her gaze down his body and then back up. He looked sexy in the military fatigues. The outfit complimented his fit body but she wanted to be honest as she stared at his glasses.
“I like you naked better too and definitely without those glasses. I hate not being able to see your eyes.”
Wrath reached up and removed them. Desire darkened his already deep-brown eyes and instantly made Lauren feel hot all over. He moved closer and her heart rate increased.
“We need to leave,” Shadow called from the doorway.
Wrath tensed and put his glasses back on. Lauren wanted to curse. She was pretty sure Wrath had planned to kiss her but the moment had been killed. She turned her head to shoot Shadow a dirty look but he’d already started walking back down the hallway.
Lauren spun, refused to glance at Wrath, and followed his friend back into the living room. The two New Species turned their heads her way. She wished she could see their eyes but presumed they were looking over her outfit. Brian was the only one not wearing the sunglasses she was growing to hate and he grinned openly at her as his gaze lowered down her body.
“You clean up damn nice, Lauren.” He winked. “You are one attractive woman.”
Wrath growled behind her, probably only inches away. “She didn’t clean up. She changed clothes, bound her hair and put stuff on her face. Don’t stare at her that way.”
Brian’s grin died and he shot Brass a worried look. “He growls at me a lot.”
Brass nodded. “They haven’t been free as long as most of us have been. He’s protective of the female and you need to stop flirting with her immediately. That’s the second warning he’s given you and you should be real careful not to push his patience too far. He will attack you.”
Brian paled and backed a few feet away from Lauren, his wary gaze fixed on Wrath. “I got it. I won’t look at or even speak to her if that’s what you want.”
“Good.” Wrath reached out and grabbed Lauren’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Mr. Adams was outside still when they left and Lauren made sure she waved at him. Yeah, she thought, the neighbors are going to be talking about me tonight.
Wrath helped her into the SUV. The drive to her work was only five minutes away. Brass twisted in the seat to address Wrath.
“No growling. You’re fully human. Remember that.” Brass turned to face Lauren. “We can hear everything near Wrath. He’s wired. Just act normal when you talk to the humans you work with and find out if anyone has seen or heard from Bill. Find out if they know where he is.”
“I got it.” It sounded easy enough to her.
Lauren and Wrath climbed out of the SUV half a block down the street from the office and watched it park across the street. She faced Wrath. “Let’s call you Paul Williams, okay?”
He nodded. “My name is Paul Williams.”
“You’re interested in buying a two-bedroom condo. I have a ton of those listed and they would be in your price range with what you should be making in the military. You are single since you don’t have a wedding ring on. I’m sure no one will really talk to you but just in case it’s better to have our ducks in a row.”
“Ducks in a row?” He arched an eyebrow.
“It’s a saying meaning…well, having your shit together.”
He grinned. “Why didn’t you just say that?”
She smiled. “I’m trying to avoid cussing in front of you. It’s not ladylike.”
His smile died. “I don’t care if you’re a lady or not. I like you.”
She felt heat spreading through her at his words. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Nine
Lauren fought down nervousness as she opened the door of her work for Wrath. He’d tried to open it for her but she’d shaken her head no. “You’re a client. I’m supposed to impress you instead of the other way around. I appreciate the gesture but now isn’t the time to be a gentleman.”
He said nothing as he stepped into the office. Lauren smiled at Kim, the receptionist, and hoped it didn’t appear forced. Her heart raced, she didn’t want to let Wrath or his team down and catching Bill was important to them.
“Hello, Kim. This is Mr. Williams. We’re going back to my office so I can pull up condo listings. Is anyone else in yet?”
“Mel was here when I arrived, John B and John T are here too, and Gina is in her office having a meltdown with a bank manager who is giving one of her clients some grief about their loan.” Kim winced. “Avoid her. She’s pissed.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Lauren took a few steps but paused. “Oh, last night Mel had me show a property for Brent. The guy was interested but he had some questions I couldn’t answer. There are some ugly, large cargo containers inside the warehouse and he wants to know if those are staying or going. Is Brent coming in today?”
“I don’t know. I could page him if you want and find out.”
“That would be great. The man had some other questions so if Brent calls you back, please transfer his call to my office. The buyer is really interested in the property.”
Kim nodded, reaching for the phone. Lauren smiled at Wrath and led him through the archway to a larger room. Lauren spotted John T at one of the computer stations and approached him.
“If you’ll just take a seat here, I’ll be right with you, Mr. Williams.” Lauren directed Wrath to take a chair close to where John T worked.
Wrath sat and Lauren focused on her coworker whom she knew spent time with Brent. They liked to go barhopping together and she figured he might be her best bet at locating the missing monster W
rath hunted.
“Good morning, John. I got a call last night from Mel to show one of Brent’s properties. The buyer is really interested but he had some questions I couldn’t answer. Do you know where Brent is? The buyer wants the warehouse but he wasn’t thrilled seeing huge cargo containers on the property. I don’t know if the owner plans to remove them or if it’s an ‘as is’ deal.”
“He got a call yesterday after work and took off out of here like a bat out of hell.” John shrugged, still typing. “I haven’t heard from him since. He was supposed to show up at the Bugle last night.”
“What’s that?”
He grinned. “It’s our favorite strip bar. We go there a few times a week.”
She tried to appear nonchalant. “Oh. Well, if you can reach him, will you have him call me?”
“Sure.” He reached for his cell, picked it up, and turned in his chair. He spotted Wrath, appeared startled, and dropped his phone on the desk. He fumbled, grabbed it and spun to face the screen again. “I’ll call him now.”
Lauren turned, smiling at Wrath. “This way, Mr. Williams. I’ll pull up those condo listings.”
“Lauren!”
Lauren jumped, turning. Mel stood in her office, staring at Wrath with an odd expression on her face.
“Hi, Mel. This is Mr. Williams. He’s interested in condos.”
Mel smiled but it looked forced. “May I speak to you for a moment?”
Lauren nodded and motioned Wrath toward an open door near the front by the reception area just around the corner. “This is my office. Go on in and I’ll be back in a second.” She moved toward her boss, wondering if she was in trouble for trying to argue the night before over showing the property. “What is it, Mel?”
Mel waited until Lauren was inside her office before she spoke. “Who is he?” She kept her voice down.
“That’s Mr. Williams. He was just stationed in this area and plans to stay a while.”
Mel chewed on her bottom lip for a few seconds then frowned. “He called you and set an appointment?”
Lauren nodded and hoped her boss wasn’t planning to screw her over by trying to steal a client. It wouldn’t be the first time. Of course Mel didn’t realize Wrath wasn’t a real client and she worried what would happen if her boss wanted to show him listings instead.
“How did the showing go last night?” Mel changed the subject.
Lauren managed to hide her relief. “Good. Mr. Herbert is interested in buying the property but there are these large cargo containers left inside the warehouse that he wasn’t interested in. He asked me about them but it’s not my listing. I didn’t know if they stay or if they’ll be removed. He wanted to talk to Brent.”
“I’ll pass that along.” Mel studied Lauren. “Okay. Go ahead and deal with Mr. Williams but I called a meeting in half an hour. You can set him up with some coffee while he waits for you. It won’t take long.” She glanced at her watch. “My office in half an hour and it’s mandatory. You can go show him the properties he’s interested in right after the meeting.”
“Is everything okay? We usually don’t hold meetings when clients are here.”
A smile curved Mel’s mouth. “Everything is fine, Lauren. We had some parking issues come up with the landlord and I swore I’d talk to all the employees. The man is a pain in the ass but we don’t want to lose our lease. It won’t take more than a few minutes. I just want to address everyone at once so no one feels singled out but we both know who the two worst offenders are. Both John T and John B know better than to use the alley. The other tenants complained.”
“Okay.” She left Mel, returned to her office and smiled at Wrath. She sat down at her desk and glanced at the open doorway, lowering her voice. “We’ll be here for at least half an hour. My boss called a meeting and she said it was mandatory. That should mean that he has to show up for it too. He could walk in at any time.”
“Did you hear that?” He seemed to be listening to his earpiece and gave Lauren a slight nod, keeping his voice low too. “They heard.”
“I’ll pull up listings while we wait. We’ll just pretend to look at them to pass the time.”
Lauren had him scoot his chair closer so both of them could view her computer screen. “While we look at condos, we can watch who walks in the door. I never get tired of looking at these. Some of them are kind of cool.”
“I like the curved stairs and the big bathtub.” He pointed at the computer monitor but his other hand brushed her thigh and rubbed before he leaned back in his chair.
They had viewed several listings when Lauren’s phone rang about fifteen minutes later and she answered. “Lauren Henderson.”
“Hello, Lauren. It’s Brent.”
Her gaze flew to Wrath. “Hello, Brent.”
Wrath tensed in his seat and leaned closer. Lauren tilted the phone, hoping he could hear both sides of the conversation.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“Yes. I had to show a warehouse property for you last night. The guy is interested but he doesn’t want the cargo containers. He had some questions about the roof, well, you know the drill, but I didn’t have any answers for him. He wanted me to get the answers and meet with him today.”
She looked at Wrath for direction and held up her hands questioning about what else to say. He nodded at her. He mouthed “at the warehouse at noon”.
“He wanted me to meet him there at noon today to show it to him during the daylight hours. I told him I’d try to send you instead so you can answer his questions since it is your listing. He seems really hot for the property.”
Brent chuckled. “Great. I’ll meet him instead. Thanks, Lauren. I know we don’t get along but this was really nice of you to call me. You could have screwed me out of the whole thing.”
“It’s your listing, Brent. One day I could have an emergency and you might have to show one of my properties. I would hope you’d do me right.” She refrained from snorting. The guy would have no qualms over stealing a deal right out from under her.
“Thanks. I’ll meet him at noon.” He hung up.
Lauren grinned at Wrath, happy that she’d been able to help him. Brent was a bad guy who needed to be arrested. Bill, she corrected. He was an ex-Mercile employee who had hurt people like Wrath and that just pissed her off.
He smiled and lowered his voice. “He’s going for a noon meeting at the warehouse.”
Lauren suddenly realized how close she was to losing Wrath. “Well, what happens next?” Her gaze fixed on his dark glasses. She whispered, hoping the pain she suddenly felt didn’t sound in her voice. “Is this where you just leave me and go back to your life while I go back to mine?”
“We haven’t captured him yet. You’re coming with me.”
Lauren silently admitted she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Wrath. He leaned closer to her and his hand inched up her skirt, caressing her leg. The desk hid them from anyone walking past her office and she stared at the sunglasses she hated, knew he watched her back, and could feel the desire they both shared sizzle between them.
She decided to tell him the truth. She’d miss him and hoped they could see each other after they captured Bill. “I—”
“Lauren?”
Lauren jumped, startled by her friend’s voice. Wrath jerked his hand away from her leg as Amanda stepped into the office. The other woman’s eyes widened as she openly gawked at Wrath and licked her lips.
“I’m with a client, Amanda. Mr. Williams, this is my best friend, Amanda Davis.” She hesitated, giving her friend a frustrated look. “This isn’t a good time. I’ll call you later.”
Amanda didn’t budge but she did puff out her chest. “Hello, Mr. Williams.”
Lauren gritted her teeth. Amanda was eyeing Wrath’s body as if he were a pork chop, which she loved.
“Please tell me that you’re single.” Amanda sat in the chair by the door, crossed her legs and seemed to get comfortable.
Wrath smiled. “I am.”
Amanda glanced toward the ceiling. “There is a God.” She laughed and batted her eyelashes at Wrath. “I’m single too. And looking.”
Wrath kept his smile in place. “Okay.”
“Amanda,” Lauren said in a tight voice, “Mr. Williams is a client. What are you doing here so early?”
“I was bored and thought I’d come to see if you could have dinner with me this evening before the movie.”
“I’m busy. As a matter of fact I’m going to have to cancel our movie plans. We’ll go tomorrow instead.”
Amanda pouted.
“I’m showing Mr. Williams some condos.”
Amanda grinned. “I have a condo to show you. Mine.” She winked. “I think you’d particularly enjoy my bedroom.”
“Amanda,” Lauren warned. “Stop.”
Amanda ignored her. “Want to go home with me and see my bedroom, gorgeous? Why buy one when you could just move right in with me? I think you’d cheer my place right up. You work out a lot, don’t you?”
“Amanda!” Lauren was getting pissed.
Amanda flashed her a smile. “This is why you’re single. I’m trying not to be. Hush. He’s all big and single. How many chances do I have to try to lure him home with me?” Amanda grinned at Wrath. “So, what do you say? Want me to show you my condo today? We could leave right now.”
Wrath stopped smiling. “I appreciate the offer but Lauren is going to show me condos today.”
“I want to show you more than just a condo.” Amanda smoothed down her shirt, shoving her chest out again. “And I know I want you to show me more than a condo.” Her gaze dropped to his lap and stayed there.
“Amanda!” Lauren gasped.
John T came to the doorway. “Meeting time, Lauren.”
Lauren stood, shaking with anger. She turned to Wrath. “I shouldn’t be long.” She spun, giving her friend a glare. “Amanda, knock it off and behave.”
Amanda grinned. “But I don’t want to be good.” She winked at Wrath. “I want to be bad. Verrrry bad.”
Lauren stormed out of her office, silently swearing to kill her best pal later for hitting on Wrath. Amanda should never hit on one of Lauren’s clients but she could have laughed that off. What wasn’t funny was that she’d gone after Wrath. Her anger burned.