Go Fetch ! (9 page)

“Well, luckily this isn’t that bad or that deep. It could have been a lot worse.”

“I know.”

“Any chance I could talk you into delaying going to Seattle?” Miki knew this was coming, and why she originally had no intention of telling Sara anything.

“No. There isn’t.”

Sara covered the wound with Neosporin and a bandage. “Then can I strongly suggest…”

“I’m coming with you.”

Miki and Sara looked up startled. Even Zach stood up a little straighter and stared at
Conall
. Miki shook her head. “I appreciate the offer,
Conall
. But no. That’s okay. Thanks anyway.”

Conall
looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “I’m not asking you.”

She heard Sara sigh as she felt the blood rushing to her brain. She tried for calm. “I don’t care if you’re asking me or not. I’m politely turning you down.”

“I’m going. It isn’t up for discussion.”

She glared at
Conall
as Sara finished up the bandage on her arm. “Perhaps you didn’t hear me clearly.”

“No. I heard you. And I’m ignoring you. I’m going. So get the fuck over it.”

Sara cleared her throat. “I need you to move your fingers.”

“What? Why?”

“I need to make sure that the bandage isn’t too tight.” Miki lifted her hand up and gave
Conall
the finger.

“Well, that works.” Sara leaned back on the couch.

“I don’t need a babysitter,
Conall
. And I especially don’t need you.”

“You’re not going anywhere without me. Not until we know what’s going on.”

“Back off.”

“No.”

Miki stood up and walked up to
Conall
. She stared up at him. “You so don’t want to play this game with me, Viking. You just don’t have the brains for it.”

***

Well that hurt. Of course, he wasn’t being rational. He was egging her on. But
Goddammit
. Seeing her in pain. Knowing they touched her. That they could have killed her. As it was, he was barely holding the wolf in. The wolf that wanted to start tearing through the streets looking for the assholes who did this to her. The wolf that wanted to drag her back to his den and keep her safe forever.

But none of that would happen. Whatever had attacked her was long gone and Miki wasn’t letting him drag her anywhere now. He was still surprised she let him get away with it this long.
Conall
leaned down, his face inches from Miki’s. “Bring it on, sweets. I’m more than ready for you.” They stared at each other for at least a full minute. Then, with a snarl, Miki stalked off. She opened the door, but
Conall’s
voice stopped her. “Maybe I wasn’t clear. You’re not going anywhere without me. And I mean anywhere.”

Miki glared at him. Then she slapped her leg. “Well come on, boy! Come on. Time for your walk.” She stormed out the door. “And don’t forget your leash!”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zach wince. But he didn’t flinch.

Sara stared at him from the couch. “You know, you could have just
asked
her if you could come along.”

Of course, he hadn’t actually thought of that as an option.

Sara shook her head. “Asshole.”

***

Miki stared at the pathetic excuse of a dog watching her from the foot of her temporary bed. “All right. If you must.”

The beast clamored on top of her bed and settled in at her feet. She’d never had a dog before. She’d always left that up to Sara. But, especially in the mood she was in, she found him quite comforting. Considering what Sara had to live with when her grandmother was still alive, she wasn’t surprised that she always made sure to have a dog. And she understood why her heart went out to the abused, the deformed, and the freakish of the breed.

She turned the light off and settled in. Her anger had tired her out and she would probably get a few hours sleep. Good. She didn’t sleep often, but she was glad when she did. It was a respite from her brain.

She felt the dog jump down from the bed. “Hey, Roscoe. Where
ya
goin
’?” She thought he’d spend the night. Keep her company. “Oh, whatever.” She settled back down and was just drifting off to sleep when she felt Roscoe return. He jumped up on the bed and settled down right behind her. His snout against her ear, his furry forearm across her waist.

“Watch the wet snout, beast.” Then she was asleep. Oddly comforted by Sara’s freak dog.

***

Conall
nudged Miki’s door open with his snout and walked out into the hallway. He had a couple of hours before they had to leave for the airport and Miki’s alarm was just about to go off. Zach was heading back to his and Sara’s bedroom with two bottles of water when he stopped to stare at
Conall
. “Have you no shame?”

Conall
shifted and quietly closed Miki’s door. He shrugged and smiled. “Not when it comes to her. No.”

“You better be careful. That woman’s deranged. And mean.”

“Zach,” Sara called from their bedroom, “get your tight ass back in here!”

Conall
crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Yes, O Great leader. And yours is so stable.”

Zach snorted. “At least
I’m
getting laid.” With that, Zach disappeared back into his bedroom.

“Asshole.” He glanced back at Miki’s door. It felt so nice sleeping beside her. Even as wolf. She talked in her sleep. She kept spouting equations and formulas. She’d just bark them out of nowhere. It was entertaining, in its own twisted way. He smiled. She’d get over this little anger thing eventually. See that he was just trying to do what was best for her.

Hell, how mad could she be?

Chap
ter Five

So far, it had been the longest day in his recent memory. From when Miki “accidentally” spit Cheerios at him during breakfast. To when she “accidentally” told the airport cops he was carrying heroin. To when she “accidentally” told the check-in staff at the hotel that she was only 13 and that
Conall
was her pimp. Oh, and that she was planning to bring a few “johns” into their four-star hotel. Would that be okay?

And no matter how much he wanted to wring her neck, he wouldn’t. Even though she was making him
friggin
’ nuts, he’d be damned if he let her see that she was getting to him.

Although she was. And not in the way she wanted to either. If anything, he wanted her more. He liked that she didn’t take shit from anybody, especially him. He liked that she was mean as a snake when provoked. He liked how she smelled when she was pissed off.

And she was royally pissed off.

He wondered how much longer she could be mad at him. A day? A year? A lifetime? He wouldn’t put it past her. He sensed the girl could hold a grudge.

He pulled a pillow over his head and tried to think about anything or anyone other than Miki Kendrick.

But that lasted all of five minutes. Then he was obsessing over how hot she was.

Just a dog with a bone
.

Well, she had to eat sometime. And except for the Cheerios, half of which ended up on the first shirt he wore that morning, she hadn’t eaten a thing. She’d even passed on the airplane peanuts.

He threw the pillow off and went to the door that connected the rooms. He took a deep breath and knocked.

“What?”

The fact that she answered him at all was a darn good sign.

Conall
pushed the door open. He’d made it clear she better not lock it. If anything happened he needed to get to her. Of course, that was the time the heroin incident came up. Thank Loki he had connections in the police department; otherwise, he would have endured a very unpleasant experience with a man wearing a surgical glove.

As always, she was on her laptop again. Her wounded arm, un-bandaged and already healing, did not prevent her from hours and hours of typing. She’d been on that thing since they’d arrived at the airport back home. He was surprised the fucking thing hadn’t fused with her body.

“Hungry?”

“No.”

He took in a breath to control his desire to wring her neck. He gazed around the room. She hadn’t really unpacked. She just had her suitcase open, clothes already lying around. She was a messy girl. He did notice the garment bag she had hung up. He was assuming those were her clothes for her meeting. Underneath them were two pairs of pumps. Both black. One had heels that were about four inches high, the other five inches.

He looked away. He had to look away. If he started imagining those great legs of hers wearing those shoes, he was going to do something really stupid. “You
gotta
eat,
Mik
…and don’t throw anything at me.” He could tell she was looking for something to chuck at him.

“Fine. I’ll eat.”

“Good. I’ll order something in. We’ll eat together.”

“I don’t want…”

“Must you argue every
fuckin
’ thing with me?”

“Fine. Whatever. Let me know when it’s here.”

She went back to her laptop and it was like he no longer existed on her planet.

***

He was like a rabid dog. Her own personal
Cujo
. Constantly lurking around. Constantly watching her. He was driving her nuts.

She was still so pissed she couldn’t see straight. It was like he’d taken over her life. He was the big man and he was going to take care of the weak human female. She would have punched him in the stomach, but one look at that body and she knew she’d just hurt her hand.

Of course, if she had her brass knuckles… Sara had thrown that “big
ol
’ bear” theory at her again before she left with him for the airport. “He just wants to protect you.”

Were these people blind? Could they not see past those rugged good looks, innocent smile, and that rock-hard ass? Clearly not. Clearly, she was the only one who could see him as the predator he truly was. He was the wolf and she was the cottontail just trying to make it back to her burrow…unsoiled.

Not easy when he smelled so good. Looked so good. God, did he look good. Miki just didn’t understand this. She’d believed herself immune to any man’s charms.

“Dead below the waist” was how her last boyfriend put it. And at the time, the insult had been devastating. She didn’t cry about it, mostly because she didn’t cry about anything. But Sara and Angie knew something was up and they quickly dragged it out of her. She should have known that their silence was not a good thing. When the guy woke up with no body hair and his penis glued to his stomach, Miki didn’t ask questions. She just pointed the cops to the bar full of bikers she’d been serving that night and comfortably settled down to a life of computers and Mr. Happy for those rare occasions when she felt an overwhelming need. Then
Conall
kissed her that last night Sara’s Pack was in town. Suddenly Mr. Happy was going through an enormous amount of batteries, and when she was asleep her fingers were getting quite the workout.

It wasn’t fair really. Why couldn’t she have this reaction to a nice guy? Not a predator
pretending
to be a nice guy. What more could she be to him anyway, other than a challenge?

Well, he’d started this. He thought he could treat her like one of those vapid whores he fucked who couldn’t think for themselves. But everybody knows or should know…you never mess with a woman from Texas.

***

Two hours and a crap load of Italian food later;
Conall
was starting to feel a whole lot better. She didn’t make it easy, though. But he found a way in. He screwed up facts. It absolutely drove her nuts. So he did it often. First about politics. Then about stuff that Sara had told him about the three friends growing up together. Before she knew it, Miki was talking to him and beginning to relax.

And soon she was asking him questions. She asked about his family. About Pack life. About Zach and Sara. And a lot of questions about being wolf. What did it feel like to change? What was different when he changed?

She was the most curious female he’d ever met. She was constantly thinking. Constantly analyzing. He wondered what it was like in her head since it seemed like there was non-stop activity.

He also asked her some questions about herself. He liked hearing her talk. Hearing her views on the world. And she had many. She also mentioned something about a photographic memory and being in one of those high IQ clubs until rude behavior got her tossed out. Not surprising. The woman was amazingly blunt. There were very few things she wouldn’t say.

It was late. Almost midnight. They’d finished eating and were now just sitting at the small table in his room.
Miki’d
leaned back and put her feet up on his chair, right by his thigh. She was wearing her Doc Martens and white sweat socks with baggie black shorts and an army green T-shirt. He loved it when she wore shorts. He loved her legs. While they talked, he began to run his hands against her calves and he took it as a good sign that she didn’t slug him.