belonged there and began to rub my shoulders. “Mike’s going to be several hours, so he’s going to drop your keys off to me in the morning.”
“All right. Sara and I will stay at the office,” I said.
“You can’t sleep at the office,” Beau argued, putting his warm arm around me. He gestured at Sara, still huddled in the car, her legs tucked underher. “She looks a little freaked out. Wouldn’t you rather stay in a nice, comfortable hotel room?”
I glanced over at my sister. She was a dainty, fragile sort, so unlike me with my tall, sturdy frame. Tonight she seemed even smaller, staring at the house with worried eyes, waiting for Mike to discover her secret and ruin her life. She was shivering, too.
I sighed. “She could use a good night’s sleep. Thank you. We’ll stay at the hotel.”
He nodded and pulled me against him, tucking me under his chin and cradling my body to his.
I stiffened a little, but he only ran his hands gently up and down my back. It felt lovely and soothing, and I finally relaxed a little.
Unfortunately, snuggling with a man was not the way to get rid of him.
At the hotel, Beau got us the room adjoining his. The hotel room was lovely, the blankets turned down, and fluffy robes hanging on the back of the bathroom door. I felt sleepy just looking at the big, plush bed.
“I’ll be on the other side if you need me,” Beau said, standing in the doorway that connected the two rooms. “Sleep tight, ladies.”
With a wink at me, he closed the door.
As soon as he was gone, I slumped on the edge of the bed and sighed. “God, I wish he wasn’t so hot. That would make this all so much easier.”
Sara tapped her ear, indicating that his shifter hearing could hear our conversation.
Oh, well. It wasn’t like I’d done a good job hiding it anyhow.
She moved to the closet and opened it, scanning the contents. Then she turned to me and mouthed, “Are there extra blankets?”
“Why?” I mouthed back.
She gestured at herself. “I still smell like whatever was in the house,” she mouthed, her voice barely audible. “I need to shower and get the stink off of me. But if I do …”
She’d smell like herself again. And if I slept next to her all night, I’d smell like her, too, because I didn’t have any other clothes to sleep in.
Should I go downstairs and get a third room? Beau was sure to be curious if I did, and we would have to be more cautious than ever.
Unless … he’d already figured out that Sara was a werewolf? I discarded the thought. He’d have questioned me about it immediately if he had, or demanded to speak to Sara. Our secret was still safe.
Sara trembled slightly as she stared down at the bed, knowing she couldn’t get into it and relax.Knowing that our being here wasn’t a full reprieve, that in the next room was a man who could give away everything we had worked so hard to conceal. As I watched, she rubbed her arms. They were covered in goose pimples, a sure sign that she was about to shift due to stress.
I waved a hand to get her attention, then gestured at the connecting door. “I’m going to go sleep with Beau,” I mouthed. “You take this bed.”
Her eyes went wide with shock and she forgot to whisper. “Bath, what—”
I cut her off with a quick wave of my hand, then mouthed, “Not like
that
!” I moved closer to her to explain my plan. “I’ll just tell him that you snore and I won’t be able to sleep. It’s perfect, because if I sleep in the same bed as him we’ll have the same scent, and he won’t suspect a thing.”
It
was
a perfect plan, but it wasn’t why I wanted to sleep next to him. I wanted to sleep next to him because the very thought made me shiver with excitement.
“Bath,
no
.” Sara mouthed the protest. “What if he’s a creep?”
I shook my head. “He’s not a creep,” I whispered back. “He’s nice. He won’t do anything.” I decided not to mention the whole “in heat” thing.
She didn’t
“All right. Sara and I will stay at the office,” I said.
“You can’t sleep at the office,” Beau argued, putting his warm arm around me. He gestured at Sara, still huddled in the car, her legs tucked underher. “She looks a little freaked out. Wouldn’t you rather stay in a nice, comfortable hotel room?”
I glanced over at my sister. She was a dainty, fragile sort, so unlike me with my tall, sturdy frame. Tonight she seemed even smaller, staring at the house with worried eyes, waiting for Mike to discover her secret and ruin her life. She was shivering, too.
I sighed. “She could use a good night’s sleep. Thank you. We’ll stay at the hotel.”
He nodded and pulled me against him, tucking me under his chin and cradling my body to his.
I stiffened a little, but he only ran his hands gently up and down my back. It felt lovely and soothing, and I finally relaxed a little.
Unfortunately, snuggling with a man was not the way to get rid of him.
At the hotel, Beau got us the room adjoining his. The hotel room was lovely, the blankets turned down, and fluffy robes hanging on the back of the bathroom door. I felt sleepy just looking at the big, plush bed.
“I’ll be on the other side if you need me,” Beau said, standing in the doorway that connected the two rooms. “Sleep tight, ladies.”
With a wink at me, he closed the door.
As soon as he was gone, I slumped on the edge of the bed and sighed. “God, I wish he wasn’t so hot. That would make this all so much easier.”
Sara tapped her ear, indicating that his shifter hearing could hear our conversation.
Oh, well. It wasn’t like I’d done a good job hiding it anyhow.
She moved to the closet and opened it, scanning the contents. Then she turned to me and mouthed, “Are there extra blankets?”
“Why?” I mouthed back.
She gestured at herself. “I still smell like whatever was in the house,” she mouthed, her voice barely audible. “I need to shower and get the stink off of me. But if I do …”
She’d smell like herself again. And if I slept next to her all night, I’d smell like her, too, because I didn’t have any other clothes to sleep in.
Should I go downstairs and get a third room? Beau was sure to be curious if I did, and we would have to be more cautious than ever.
Unless … he’d already figured out that Sara was a werewolf? I discarded the thought. He’d have questioned me about it immediately if he had, or demanded to speak to Sara. Our secret was still safe.
Sara trembled slightly as she stared down at the bed, knowing she couldn’t get into it and relax.Knowing that our being here wasn’t a full reprieve, that in the next room was a man who could give away everything we had worked so hard to conceal. As I watched, she rubbed her arms. They were covered in goose pimples, a sure sign that she was about to shift due to stress.
I waved a hand to get her attention, then gestured at the connecting door. “I’m going to go sleep with Beau,” I mouthed. “You take this bed.”
Her eyes went wide with shock and she forgot to whisper. “Bath, what—”
I cut her off with a quick wave of my hand, then mouthed, “Not like
that
!” I moved closer to her to explain my plan. “I’ll just tell him that you snore and I won’t be able to sleep. It’s perfect, because if I sleep in the same bed as him we’ll have the same scent, and he won’t suspect a thing.”
It
was
a perfect plan, but it wasn’t why I wanted to sleep next to him. I wanted to sleep next to him because the very thought made me shiver with excitement.
“Bath,
no
.” Sara mouthed the protest. “What if he’s a creep?”
I shook my head. “He’s not a creep,” I whispered back. “He’s nice. He won’t do anything.” I decided not to mention the whole “in heat” thing.
She didn’t
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