***
The door eventually shook as someone knocked on it, startling Angela. She’d been in the bathroom doing last-minute touchups. She didn’t wear makeup, but she wanted to ensure her hair looked perfect, that her teeth were clean, that sort of thing.
“Coming!” she called, hustling over to the door. “Who is it?”
“Pizza delivery,” Noah said back, pitching his voice to sound closer to that of someone going through puberty.
“Oh God,” she said, opening the door. “Is this where you tell me you’ve got a big sausage one for me?”
Even before the words were out of her mouth she clamped down on her lips, horrified at the suggestion she’d just made.
“Um, I hadn’t been intending on going there,” Noah said with a polite cough. “I thought that might wait.”
“Yeah, I’d been intending to wait before I made any overtly sexual jokes too,” she said, deciding to just address it head-on. “But apparently I’m just too filthy-minded it would seem.”
“Ah, so dirty jokes are your specialty?” he inquired with a grin.
“No, just badly timed embarrassing remarks,” she shot back.
Noah laughed and she moved aside, allowing him to enter the unit. It wasn’t much, but it was hers. The buildings were all alike, with units that were long rectangles. The entrance was on one short side, opening immediately into her lounging area. Past that was the kitchen along the right and a slim table on the left. Beyond that was the walled-off area for the bathroom, and a hallway on the left that led to the bedroom located at the rear of the unit.
That was it, nothing crazy to see, and each one was laid out the exact same. It was what had allowed the shifters to construct so many buildings in such a short period of time to house all the women once they’d first been discovered and freed. It might not be her ideal home, but Angela wasn’t complaining one bit. It was free, and the Cadian shifters had said they would pay for her to live there for as long as she wanted, including and up to the rest of her life if she so wished.
They’d also made it clear the buildings weren’t likely to last more than a few years, but at that point they hoped to have more permanent homes ready. A number of women had already managed to re-establish contact with families and friends back home and had left the complex. More and more were shacking up with locals, whether they be human or shifter, and she had no doubts that the Cadians had hoped this would be the case.
“Cute place,” he remarked.
“Thanks. I’ve tried to make it my own as best as possible.” She waved a hand around the interior. “I’d give you the grand tour, but you’ve already seen the best parts.”
Internally she winced at the way that opened her up to a remark about the bedroom in conjunction with best part, but Noah didn’t take that route. He didn’t ignore it or let her off the hook either, but he thankfully refrained from making a suggestive comment.
“I know, it was when you opened the door,” he said softly.
She batted him with her arm—but not too hard, it was a good line after all—and laughed. “Okay there, playboy. You’re already in my house.”
He grinned.
“But good answer,” she said, letting the back of the hand she’d swatted him with linger for just a few seconds on his heavily muscled chest, feeling the curve of his pectoral.
“I aim to please,” he replied. “I’m a terrible shot, but my aim is pure.”
She giggled. He was funny. That was good. Very good. Angela couldn’t stand boring or unfunny men. During her pregnancy she’d been talked into going on a date with a local, a human. She hadn’t precisely hated every minute of it. The food had been good, and the walk had been during the summer, which was just lovely. But other than that, the entire thing had been a disaster of epic proportions. Including his complete lack of a sense of humor. It had been painful trying to spend time with him. He’d been so serious.
Noah wasn’t like that though, she could tell immediately. He was much more at ease, relaxed, and willing to enjoy everything. Humor was essential to Angela, even more so now that she was a mother. Laughter allowed her to relax, to unwind, and simply love her life. She couldn’t date a man who didn’t make her laugh.
“Well, I guess you’ll just have to put in lots of practice,” she told him, tapping him on the chest with the same hand and then kicking at his boots. “Get those filthy things off and come sit down. I’m exhausted.”
It wasn’t a lie. She was tired. Curling up on the couch, possibly even within his arms just sounded like a fantastic idea. He could hold her tight while she passed out during the movie later. For now though, drinks and small talk.
“You drink beer, correct?”
“Absolutely, but I didn’t bring any.”
She smiled. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. Which is why I went and got you a couple of bottles.”
She withdrew a huge clear bottle from the fridge, popped the top, and walked it over to him.
Noah turned from where he’d been sitting on her couch and his jaw dropped open. “That’s shifter beer!” he exclaimed. “How did you get shifter beer?”
Angela waggled her eyebrows. “Every lady has her secrets.”
It wasn’t much of one. She’d gone to one of the local joints that imported the stuff, dropped Hector and Gray’s name a few times, and they’d been more than willing to give her three bottles of the stuff to take. She’d paid, of course, but Rachel would help her fulfill her word. With the weekend coming up soon and new shifters arriving, she would have Hector tell them to go to the bar and spend some money. Everybody would win. Not that she was going to tell Noah all that of course.
“You are a resourceful woman, Miss Breeson,” he said formally before tilting the bottle in her direction and taking a pull. “Ahhh,” he said, smacking his lips. “Now that’s good beer.”
She eyed the amber liquid contained within. “Right. I’ll take your word for that. Hopefully it doesn’t burst your bubble that I’m not a beer drinker.”
He smiled. “No, I think I’ll manage. Are you going to come join me?”
“Probably not.”
She laughed at the puzzled expression on his face. “Of course I am. I’m just being a good host and serving you a drink first. Now I’ll get my own and then I’ll come sit awkwardly far away while we try to decide if we’re comfortable sitting close to one another or not.”
Noah grinned. “Perfect, I love awkwardness, especially when it’s acknowledged and brought into the open. Makes it even more cringey.”
“Now you understand. Which, by the way, is why I like cheesy rom-com movies and the like. Especially the ones with awkward-aged teenagers and stuff. The more painful the better.”
“I don’t watch movies, but I can understand exactly where you’re going,” he said, lifting his beer again.
Her cup filled with water and three ice cubes, she went and sat down on the complete opposite side of the sofa from him, setting her drink down on the little end table she’d gotten from Hector and Rachel for her birthday.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding,” he said, eyeballing the empty space between them.
“Nope, not at all. Just wait until the movie starts. I’m not moving.”
“Man, that’s weird. I could have sworn that this was a date when I agreed to it.”
“Whatever gave you that impression?” she asked lightly, looking anywhere but at him for the moment, just to make it funnier.
“Probably the fact that you gave me your number, then when I contacted you, you asked me to come over to your house. That’s a pretty date-like thing to do,” he said levelly.
“Damn,” she said with a snap of her fingers. “Busted I guess.”
Noah grinned and tapped the sofa closer to him, indicating she should slide over. Angela shook her head, then moved the throw pillow that had settled on her left between the two of them. The big shifter eyed her move, pondered holding out, and then accepted defeat all within a few short moments. It was kind of cute how clearly it all played out across his face too, but she resolved not to embarrass him by saying so. Especially now that the big, delicious frame of his was sliding over the couch, closing the space between them until he was seated right next to her.
“This better?” he asked wryly.
“Oh, much,” she said, taking another sip of her water. Once she’d set it down she eased her weight around until she could sort of lean up against him. It wasn’t full-on cuddling, but it was certainly a lot more body contact than they’d shared besides hugging. Noah’s hand made its way to her leg just above the knee and she rested one hand on it. There was no linking of fingers, but they just sort of enjoyed the newfound closeness between them.
“So, tell me about your job,” she said at last. “Do you like it? How’s it going? Are Hector and Gray giving you a hard time still?”
“Umm.”
She frowned, looking up at him. That wasn’t the answer she’d expected at all. By all accounts Hector and Gray loved their job, stating it was extremely easy and enjoyable. Did Noah not like it? Was he going to request a transfer back to Cadia? She almost sat up and pulled away with him before he could even respond, her mind coming up with all sorts of nightmare scenarios.
“I like it.”
Angela felt herself relax noticeably as he admitted that.
“The people are good,” he continued. “Gray and Hector are excellent mentors and really have it all nailed down at this point. There’s no denying that at all.”
“So are you going to stay?” She hadn’t meant to blurt the question out, but it would make a big difference on how a lot of things proceeded from there.
“I…think so,” he said, sounding confused. “If I don’t, it won’t be because of my choice. I think.”
“Spit it out,” she said. “Just tell me what’s up. Maybe it’s something I can help explain or something, since I’ve been here for closing in on a year now.”
He looked over and down at her, his face all bunched up in consternation. It was easy to see him wavering back and forth between whether he should tell or her keep whatever it was to himself. Eventually his curiosity won over, but she could tell it had been a close battle.
“They’re keeping us at arm’s reach,” he said at last. “They welcomed us warmly and openly, attempting to bring us into their circle. But ever since something came to light, they’ve stopped that, and really reversed it a lot too. They aren’t being rude to us…but I think it would be acceptable to say we’ve sort of gotten the cold shoulder.”
That didn’t sound like Hector. Or Gray. Why would they be doing that? She decided to ask.
“Well, I overheard Andrew telling them something,” he explained. “I probably wasn’t supposed to overhear it, actually I definitely wasn’t supposed to. But I did, and I think it’s the reason why.”
“Which is…” she prodded when he didn’t immediately explain.
“They seem to think that Cadian Intelligence has planted a spy in the new set of guards that were sent here.”
Angela forced herself to stay relaxed, to not go still and reveal that she knew more than she was probably supposed to.
Quick. How would an ignorant person act when given that question? Do that!
“Um, Cadian Intelligence?”
“Yeah. You humans have them too. Spy agencies and the like. Though ours is mostly focused on internal things of course, since we don’t really have diplomatic relations, except with other territories, and they’re pretty spread out. Since we don’t have planes and such, we’re not really worried about being invaded.”
“Oh. That makes sense I guess. But why would they send someone here?”
The truth was, she already knew exactly why. Or to be more precise, she knew several reasons why they might do that. Which is exactly why Angela was suddenly feeling much less open and friendly with Noah, though she couldn’t let it show. After all, what if he was the spy, the one sent here to bring down her friends and the little community they had built on the north end of the city?
As a human, Angela was aware she wouldn’t be touched by the Cadians, even though she was aware of the nearly dozen shifters and any associated mates who were living together there. The majority of them, the Koche brothers and some rescued shifters from a now-defunct shifter territory like Cadia to the east, were all secreted away there. They didn’t want to go back to Cadia, instead choosing to live in Cloud Lake among humans, where they were free to live as they wished.
But she couldn’t divulge that to Noah. Nor could she even let him suspect that she knew. Thankfully he appeared to be more caught up in the fact that Hector and Gray were treating him with a little more caution now that they’d found out. It seemed to be really bothering him. But why would he feel so bummed out? He must know that they might consider him to be the spy.
“I’m not sure,” he said in answer to her earlier question of why. “I’ve heard rumors, but nothing with any serious force behind it. Stories of rogue shifters living here in secret, that sort of thing.”
Angela let her eyebrows lift high in surprise, which was fairly easy to do. The rumors were almost uncannily close to the truth. How had word gotten out, she wondered?
“That seems a little far-fetched, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t Hector or Gray have noticed that by now?” She wasn’t sure how to proceed at this point.
“Maybe.” He fell silent.
“Are you the spy?”
Uh-oh. The question just sort of slipped out at an unexpected moment, catching both of them off guard. She thought about trying to take it back, to tell him that she didn’t mean to ask it, but decided almost immediately against that. The question was out there, and so be it. She looked up at him, her eyes focused on his face for any telltale sign.
“What?” he asked, stunned. “No.” His eyebrows suddenly furrowed as he frowned in unease. “Wait. Do you think I am? Is that why?”
She stared at him for a long time before answering. Reading people had always been something of a specialty of hers, something she’d been naturally good at doing. Knowing if they were lying or telling the truth and their body language. Right now her gut was telling her that he was telling the truth.
It was backed up by the genuine-sounding discomfort he’d evinced earlier at the way Gray and Hector were treating him. She felt like a spy may not think to act like that. They would be expecting that sort of treatment, and so it wouldn’t bother them.
“I had to ask,” she said at last, deciding to trust her gut. It was a crazy thing to do, she knew, but there was something about Noah. Something just blunt and honest, as if he was terrible at lying. “Tell me a lie,” she asked.
“What?”
“Tell me something untrue.”
“I wasn’t nervous at all about coming over here to see you today.”
She noticed the way his eyes crinkled slightly as he spoke, and she could just see it immediately in the bright blue of his eyes that he was lying to her. He had been nervous. Very nervous.
“Well, it’s good to know that you had some butterflies too,” she said flirtatiously, letting him know that she’d decided to accept him as telling the truth. It was a risk, but like he’d told her the other day, she’d never know happiness unless she exposed herself to the possibility of hurt.
I’m not sure this is quite what he meant by that. Don’t you think you’re going a little overboard on throwing yourself out there for him? What if he can lie better than you think? What if he is the spy?
She ran through that scenario in her head. The worst that would happen is that she would be hurt when he left Cloud Lake. Angela still wasn’t going to reveal any of the information she knew about the shifters to him, not until the spy had been found and dealt with, however that was going to happen. No matter how much she wanted to trust him, she wasn’t going to endanger her friends for him until she could be one hundred percent certain.
“You know that until the spy is discovered, you won’t be free from suspicion. Even from me. I’m willing to take your word for it, to believe you, but I’ll never be one hundred percent certain until all is revealed.”
Noah looked a little hurt. “I know,” he said glumly.
“I’m not kicking you out,” she told him. “I told you, I’m choosing to believe you. To act like you aren’t the spy. Which means our date is still on, by the way. I cleaned this entire apartment in preparation for you coming here, mister, so don’t you think you’re getting away without having dinner and keeping me warm during a movie. Got it?”
He grinned. “Are you sure though? If you’re uncomfortable with me being here, I can go, no hard feelings. I totally understand.”
“No,” she said softly. “I’ve read you. You’re telling me the truth, unless you’re a fantastic liar the likes of which I’ve never encountered before.”
“I’m fantastic at many things,” he admitted. “But lying is not one of them. Never mastered that skill, to be honest with you.”
“While I’m sure there are situations where it can come in handy, I must admit to being glad you’re a horrible liar. It’ll make my life way easier when I ask you if my jeans make me look fat.”
A sudden look of terror crossed his face. “No, please don’t do that to me. That’s unfair!”
She laughed and rested her hand on his forearm, her fingers not even wrapping halfway around it. “And I’ll know what you say when you try my dinner.”
The gulp from Noah trying to swallow was audible enough for her to hear.
“What, um, what are we having?” he asked with extreme trepidation.
“Homemade spaghetti and meatballs with fresh-shaved parmesan cheese,” she said proudly. “I went all out.”
The rumble from his stomach was more audible than the gulp. “Yum,” was the only response she got. It was also the best one he could have given.
“It’ll be ready shortly, actually,” she said, glancing at the clock “So take your beer and go be seated at the table. It’s just baking in the oven.”
“Do you mind if I go wash up first?” he asked, heaving himself to his feet and then turning to lift her up as well.
“Oooh,” she said at the way he just sort of flexed and she popped to her feet. “That was fun. And yes, the bathroom is the open door down the hallway before the bedroom,” she said, pointing. He nodded and headed off that way.
She gathered up Cooper and seated him at his chair at the table. He was going to need to be fed at some point before they settled in to watch the movie, but for now he should be okay. She hoped.
The rest of dinner and the evening passed fairly uneventfully. By the end of it she was curled up next to Noah, his arm wrapped around her, Cooper sleeping peacefully nearby, much to her relief. As the end credits began to roll she stirred slightly and to her surprise a huge yawn escaped her.
“Oh, pardon me,” she said softly, not wanting to wake the baby if at all possible.
“You’re excused,” Noah rumbled equally quietly. “This time.”
She gave him a look but he just smiled, letting it wash over him.
“I don’t want to get up,” she said. “But I think it’s time now.”
It was, in fact, past time. Her usual bedtime was at least an hour earlier on most nights when she could manage it. The morning was going to come swiftly, but she had no regrets. The time had been well spent.
“I agree. I need to get going anyway. Early morning shift, so I’ll have time to nap for an hour or two before heading on duty.”
They both rose from the couch, Noah once again lifting her to her feet with an easy flex of his arm that reinforced to her just how small and little she was compared to him. It was a nice feeling, one she’d forgotten.
“I’m glad you finally figured out your phone,” she teased as he slipped his boots back on.
Noah met her eyes briefly, his smile disappearing into a serious look. “Me too. But please, let’s not get any more complicated with technology. I don’t know if I can handle that.”
She giggled lightly. “Okay, not for a while then, I promise.”
He stood up, shaking his head. “Well, last time you gave me something, with the number. I think it’s only fair that this time I return the favor.”
Before Angela could even ask him what he meant, Noah stepped forward, one hand sliding up behind her head. He tilted it backward and without further pause kissed her full on the mouth.
She inhaled sharply as his warm lips covered hers, moving softly against her as she responded instinctively. Her body didn’t move, but her lips did as she struggled to get over the surprise.
It was hard. He was so hot, his touch nearly scalding her as he slid a second hand into the small of her back and pulled her tight to him. A little cry of delight escaped through their sealed lips as she finally got back into the driver’s seat of her own body. Angela’s hands came up and linked around his neck, holding on tight.
Noah growled and the hand on her back tightened and abruptly she was lifted clear of the floor as their kiss deepened, his tongue pressing into her, exploring with restrained tension. She moaned as he bit down on her lower lip, giving it a gentle tug before coming back to her for a few seconds.
She shivered as his lips trailed fire across her cheek and jaw before finding the ultra-sensitive skin of her neck and collarbone, causing little goosebumps to rush down her spine in conjunction with the chills as he breathed hot air across her flesh. The rush caught her up in it and swirled her mind into mush.
If he pushed it, Angela knew she wouldn’t stop him. He could take her right then and there, as long as he held her up so her weakened knees didn’t collapse. Images of him bending her over the couch and ripping her clothes off flashed through her mind and she almost tried to tell him to do it, to make her his, to do whatever he wished to her.
But Noah stopped it. He set her down, his teeth nibbling gently on her bare earlobe before he whispered to her. “I’ll message you so we can get together again soon.”
Then the door opened and he was gone, disappearing into the night before she could come up with a witty reply. Or try to. Her current brain function was next to nothing.
“Okay,” she said weakly long after the door was closed.
That would be nice.
Still in a daze, she wandered back into the main room, bending over to collect Cooper and heading to the bedroom. A smile slowly spread across her face as she closed the bedroom door behind her.
She was going to have some good dreams tonight.