He stared at her until she began to squirm uncomfortably.
“One step at a time, wife. ”
Meka flinched and turned away just in time to catch NeeCee laughing at her. “Oh, this is rich. A marriage and a family counselor that doesn’t want to be married. If only your patients could hear you now.”
“Shut up, NeeCee,” she grumbled. Meka would be the first to admit she had hang-ups when it came to love and marriage.
Becoming a shifter wasn’t going to magically change that.
“As your husband, I have to agree with my new baby sister-in-law, even if she is a brat…”
“Hey! Watch it, wolf-man. I’m trying to help you,” NeeCee protested.
“…let the pack deal with this. Come live with me until this is over with. Hell, I have money. We can buy our own land and build our own house.”
“I think you staying at your place until this is over is an excellent idea. In fact, NeeCee, you should go home, too. You’ll be safer. What?!” Both NeeCee and Chad were shaking their heads.
“I’m not going anywhere,” NeeCee began.
“I’m your last line of defense, babe. My orders are to protect you and I can’t do that if you’re one place and I’m another,” Chad stated firmly. He had that look in his eyes that said hell would freeze before he changed his mind. That left NeeCee to convince.
“Nin-Nee, please. Go home. As much as I love having you here, I’d rather you be safe.”
“Uh-uh, no doing, so you can quit with the baby names.
Besides, who’s to say this woman won’t just follow me and arrange a little accident once I’m away and supposedly safe? At least here I have protection. If you’re guarding Meka, who’s my guard?”
“Why, darling, I thought you knew. I’ve been ordered to watch your luscious body around the clock, and I’m a stickler for following directions,” Bull informed her with a leer.
“If that’s the case, why don’t you go…?”
“NeeCee!”
“What! He started it,” she grouched.
Meka sighed. “I guess we’ll all be staying at my place. Oh, joy,” she muttered sarcastically.
Chapter Twelve
Chad looked at Bull. “I need to call this in. We probably won’t get any usable prints off of it—too many handlers—but it still needs to be entered as evidence.”
“While you’re doing that, I’ll go up front and see if the receptionist remembers who delivered them. Someone had to sign for it. Flora’s Flowers…isn’t that the name that was on the flower box left on Meka’s porch?”
“Yeah, but it may not mean anything. Over half the deliveries in this room came from that particular florist,” Chad said in disgust.
“Maybe, maybe not. At this point, doesn’t hurt to check.
Hey, my succulent piece of rich, dark chocolate, you want to come with me? After I handle business, I’m headed over to the diner to pick up dinner. You can help me carry the food.” He waggled his eyebrows at NeeCee.
Chad laughed, knowing that despite his antics, Bull had it bad for NeeCee. He’d never seen him work so hard to get a woman’s attention.
NeeCee rolled her eyes. “He’s full of it. I don’t know how you stand to work with him.”
“Are you coming or not?”
“Yeah, hold your horses. I’m coming. It will do me good to get out of here for a bit, and I’m getting hungry.” She grabbed her purse off the end of the bed.
“So I’m full of it, hmmm? Full of charm, sex appeal, animal magnetism? So good of you to finally notice,” Bull commented as he escorted her out the door.
“Actually, you’re full of sh…” The door closed on her answer.
Tameka groaned. “You know they’re going to drive us crazy, don’t you?”
“Nah, they’ll have sex and that will be the end of it.
NeeCee’s only fighting because she wants him as much as he wants her,” he pronounced sagely.
“Whatever.”
Obviously his mate didn’t believe his analysis of the situation. He grinned as he pulled out his phone and called Rome.
“Rome.”
“It’s me. Meka got a delivery. Send someone to tag it for evidence.”
“So this woman knows where your mate is.” Chad’s heart thudded. “Shit, I didn’t even think about that.
It’s from Flora’s Flowers and has a note attached, threatening to eliminate those closest to Meka until she gives her what she wants.”
“’Bout like we’d expected. Flora’s Flowers, you said? Hold on.” He could hear Rome rustling through papers.
“Bull thinks there may be a connection. I’m not so certain.
Half the deliveries in here are from them.”
“Bull just may be on to something. A Flora’s Flower’s delivery van came through the roadblock we set up after your ambush. It was one of the ten vehicles that did, and the driver was an older female in her late forties or early fifties. The age range fits our suspect,” Rome mused.
“Yeah, but…you really think this could be the woman we’re looking for?”
“It makes sense. A delivery truck driver could get in and out of places unnoticed that the average person can’t. I’m headed over to Colbyville to check this out.”
That was one thing he liked about Rome. He wasn’t a desk jockey. He got right out into the field with his men and did what needed to be done. “Before you go, you find out any more from the elders about the woman we’re looking for?”
“Got a name. Someone found an old yearbook and it sparked a memory. Her name was Emily Carstens. I’ve got Reagan on the computer now searching for her. I’ll let you know as soon as she gets a hit.”
“Alright.” He sighed deeply. It really burned him that he was sitting back taking it easy while everyone else was doing the work.
“Chad, I know you want to be out here hunting, but protecting your mate is the most important thing you can do. We don’t know what this woman’s capable of,” Rome reminded him.
“Roger.” He flipped the phone closed, knowing Rome was finished.
“Sounds like you’re getting close,” Tameka murmured.
“They’re the ones close to finding the truth,” he grumbled.
“Awww, poor baby. Stuck babysitting when he wants to be out playing with the big boys.”
“I’ll show you a big boy.” He wrestled her down to the bed and covered her. Once he had her pinned, he asked, “You were saying?”
“I missed you while you were gone,” she confessed. She went all soft and womanly beneath him. He was instantly hard, but then, with Meka it didn’t take much.
“Not as much as I missed you.” He settled in closer, nestling his hardness against the warm heat of her crotch.
She arched into him, rubbing his erection in a manner that made him hiss in pleasure, especially since he was still at a low burn from earlier. “Lock the door and show me how much.”
“Gladly.” He rose and secured the door, stripping his clothes off as he returned to the bed where an already naked Meka was waiting.
She opened her arms and spread her legs, revealing her glistening slit. “Forget foreplay. I need you in me now.”
“Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say.” He dove onto the bed and into his mate in one fell swoop, taking her with the ferocious need that had been building all day.
By the time NeeCee and Bull returned with the food, they’d showered and dressed, and were once more relaxing on the bed, watching television. Chad was glad he had the foresight to hand the plant and card to the guard at the door, just before locking it.
It was amazing since all the blood in his body had been centered below his waist. That was one less interruption to deal with when every moment alone with his mate was precious.