Last night was one of the best nights of his life even if it was slightly torturous, but he still got to sleep curled up next to her and wake up with her arm lying over him. If only he hadn’t still been in dog form he could have rolled on top of her and kissed her awake.
He laid still, watching her sleep, studying the paleness of her skin, the freckle next to her left nipple and the soft curls nestled between her thighs.
After a while he heard a soft moan pass her lips just before her eyes fluttered open. She reached out and felt for him, he immediately crawled closer so he was plastered to her side. “Good morning, I hope you slept well in this strange place. My aunt is great company but I slept much better with you than her. At least you don’t snore.” She scratched just above his tail, how did she find the spot already? Without any way to control it, his leg started shaking, that damn spot got him every time. It reminded him he wanted to ask one of the wolf shifters if they had that same problem. “Oh, you like that, don’t you?” The soft tinkling of her laughter made the embarrassment worth it. “Okay, enough of this, let’s get the day started. I should probably be dressed before someone comes to pick you up.”
Caeden yipped in agreement, he definitely didn’t want anyone else looking at his mate.
He stayed in bed and watched as she felt through her dresser drawer and rubbed her fingers against each one. Curiosity was getting the better of him, as soon as he heard the shower turn on he quietly shifted and looked in her drawer. Each article of clothing had a label ironed on with braille on them. He assumed each label said the color of the item. Impressed, he gently laid the clothes back down and shifted back.
Even if he had taken care of himself last night, he was still feeling needy. He knew it wasn’t right but he walked into the bathroom and sat in front of the shower. The curtain was frosted, blurring her image just enough to make him feel less guilty but clear enough he was able to watch her outline as she lathered bubbles all over her body.
He watched as she pulled the shower head off the base and rinsed. He envied each bubble that got to slide down her luscious curves. The wand worked its way down till it stopped between her legs. Caeden’s head turned, ears perked, trying to comprehend what she was doing. When she released her first moan, he figured out what was happening.
For five agonizing minutes, he listened to her gasps of pleasure and watched her outline as her hand squeezed a nipple. His animal was begging for him to shift and replace the shower head with his mouth. His mouth watered at the idea of marking her and making her his mate.
As she climaxed, his own breathing came out in short pants. Her last shout was his name and thank god she said Caeden, not Thumper. Excitement coursed through him realizing she was just as needy for him as he was for her.
As soon as the shower shut off, he ran back to the bed and laid quietly, staring toward the bathroom. As if his desire couldn’t build any more, she walked in front of the sink and bent over with her hair flipped in front of her. She brushed her hair as the blow dryer sent it swirling. The urge to mount her was overwhelming, she was already in position and the man wanted it as bad as the animal.
Frustrated with himself, he jumped from the bed and went to the living room; he had to get some space from her. When he was back as Caeden, he was going to speed up his seduction of her, he wasn’t going to survive if he had to wait much longer.
As she stepped into the living room fully clothed, a knock on the door got both their attentions. Being the dutiful guard dog, he let out a few barks and went to the door to smell who was there. He heard Brogan announce himself. At least Koira hadn’t opened the door before that, she really wasn’t as worried about her own safety as she should be.
“Good morning, Deputy Taggert, please come in.” Koira stepped back and opened the door wider. Brogan gave him a shit-eating grin, he had a feeling his friend suspected just how sexually frustrated his night had been. Being a shifter, he could probably smell the sex still on her from her orgasm a few minutes ago.
“Good morning, ma’am. We may be meeting like this a lot for a while so please call me Brogan. Caeden said you are special so I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a lot more of each other, too.” Brogan wiggled his eyebrows at Caeden, “I can’t stay, I’m just here to get Thumper and take him to work. Caeden texted that he’s on his way so he’ll be here soon.”
Koira didn’t even try to hide her smile at hearing Caeden’s name. He smiled at Brogan with satisfaction. She turned and kneeled down, “Come here, Thumper.”
He walked closer and nudged her arm with his head. Her arms circled his neck, “I’ll miss you, buddy, be safe.” She stood up and listened as the dog walked by her and out the door. “You be safe, too, Brogan.”
“Of course, ma’am, have a good day.” Brogan and Caeden waited quietly till she closed and locked the door.
“Come on, let’s get you changed.” Brogan held open his truck door and let Caeden jump in. He shifted immediately and grabbed the clothes off the back seat. Brogan climbed in the driver's seat. “I picked up some muffins if you want to take them in with you. And can I just say how unfair it is that you are getting paid to hang out with your mate twenty-four hours a day.”
“Hey, don’t be mad at me, I didn’t choose this assignment.” Caeden bent over and tied his shoes.
Brogan’s cell phone vibrated in the cup holder. “Morning, Sheriff.”
Caeden waited and watched anxiously as Brogan’s face shifted from a smile to a frown. “He’s here with me, he’s just about to go inside with her.” Brogan gave Caeden a grim look. “I’ll fill him in then get to the station.”
“Well?” Caeden pounced before the call had fully disconnected.
“He got a call from the captain where Koira’s from. They discovered the body of one the detectives assigned to her case. They confirmed it was murder.”
Emotions flooded his mind, the cop in him knew to stay calm but the animal was furious.
“Apparently it was leaked that there was a witness in hiding. Sheriff said based off the scene, we should assume she was killed to get information on Koira. He must be trying to tie up loose ends. He’s going to assign someone to sit out front here and they’ll tail you guys if you go anywhere.” Brogan grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll take as many shifts as I can but I have to keep working with Cadence to find Jericho.”
Caeden could see the guilt in his friend's eyes. “I appreciate it but don’t worry about us, you need to find your mate.” He grabbed the box of muffins off the back seat and climbed out. “My phone is still inside; can you ask the sheriff to text if any more information comes in? Oh, and can you let Constance know I’m not going to say anything to Koira unless she wants me to?”
“Sure thing, man, have fun and let us worry about the case.” Brogan reached out and shook hands with Caeden.
He was so grateful that he had been accepted so quickly into the town and could count Brogan as a friend. He blew out a heavy breath and rolled his shoulders to get out some of the tension that had quickly built up.
He had to be more vigilant than ever but he still planned to seduce his woman. An image of her bent over the bathroom sink was all he needed to focus on his plan again. Time to enact Operation Make Her Pant.