Her mother clearly had other ideas.
Miko turned. Both of the men were still studying her, standing where she’d left them. Though one blushed at being caught staring, the other returned her frank look with a smile. She sank down in one of the two chairs, indicating that they should do the same.
At her cue, the tall one sat, awkwardly. Jeremiah, she reminded herself. “My mother probably told you that I need a big strong man around the house to see to all my needs. She’s wrong. I don’t need anyone.”
Jeremiah rubbed his face, a blush moving across his cheeks. “Actually, she hired us to be your bodyguards for this week.”
Miko sat up in surprise. Bodyguards? But both of them were so attractive. Surely that hadn’t been just luck. “Oh.”
Sam seemed to want to fill the silence with small talk. “This isn’t what I expected,” he said, glancing around her messy house with surprise. “You’re not what I expected.”
Annoyance flared in her. “Oh?” What were they expecting from a were-fox? A room full of sex toys and a guy in latex chained up in the corner? “What exactly were you expecting?”
Sam the blond gave her an assessing look. “We thought you wouldn’t be, you know.” He rubbed his nose and grinned. “Pretty. Young. What with you living out here on your own. Heck, I was expecting a bunch of cats and some knitting.”
Jeremiah put his hand over his face. “Sam…”
“What?” His partner looked surprised. “I’m just telling her the truth.”
Miko smothered a laugh. All right, then. They weren’t here to jump in the sack with her, despite what she’d suspected. She relaxed a bit, and wondered briefly if they even knew she came from a family of fox shifters. “And what is this about, exactly? Why did my mother send you to be my bodyguards?”
Jeremiah’s face grew serious, his brown eyes growing darker. “The local hunt club has a new chapter leader. An English one.”
She frowned. “So what does that mean?”
Sam finished downing his iced tea, then reached across her low table to grab Jeremiah’s and drink it as well. “Rumor has it that he’s started a fox-hunting club.”
Her breath left her lungs. “Fox hunting? That’s…that’s not allowed. It’s illegal.”
“It is illegal,” Jeremiah said calmly, glancing over at Sam, then back to her. “But we have it on good authority that it’s happening, nevertheless. Another were-fox – Hayami – was chased through the woods by several men on horseback with hunting dogs.”
Miko sucked in a breath. No wonder her mother had sent them. “Hayami’s my cousin. Is she all right?”
Why hadn’t anyone told her? Her mother had said nothing on the phone, simply started in on her usual tirades, and Miko hadn’t known to ask. Guilt surged through her. She should have known that Hayami had been attacked, but…she didn’t keep up with her family. It was easier than answering nosy questions, seeing her cousins and mother with an endless string of men, the appraising looks she got from their dates, and her own involuntary response.
Her mother seldom took Miko’s opinion into mind, choosing to drop by – or send people by – to remind her exactly who and what she was. Family was complicated. Family expected things. Family expected her to embrace her nature fully, and she’d spent years fighting that very thing. Still, hearing that her cousin had been hunted filled her with fear and a little bit of shame. She hadn’t known.
“She’s fine,” Sam assured her. “But until this gets this sorted out, other shifters have been assigned to shadow the local foxes.” He gave her a sideways glance and muttered. “And you are definitely a fox.”
“Sam,” Jeremiah warned, then gave Miko a bit of an embarrassed look. “You’ll have to ignore him. He’s a blowhard, but harmless.”
And they expected her to smile prettily and ignore that obvious invitation? If so, they didn’t know were-foxes. Even though a small voice in her head said she should ignore it, she couldn’t help but turn to Sam and give him an equally assessing look. Her gaze crossed over his shoulders and down to his crotch, and focused there. “He’s not bothering me. I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”
At that, both men’s eyes gleamed.
It was strange, adjusting to having two men in the house when before it had only been her. She wasn’t sure if she liked the intrusions or not.
“Can I set my laptop up in here?”
Miko glanced back to see Jeremiah re-entering the house, a large leather satchel slung over one shoulder, a garment bag across the other. Obviously, he was ready to stay at her place a few days.
The sight irritated her. "I don’t have a choice, do I?" How would she possibly concentrate with strangers crawling all over her house? She needed silence to concentrate, and just knowing they were there was already like a burr stuck in her coat.
He gave her an almost apologetic look, deep brown eyes mild. "I know you don’t want us here, Ms. Westwood, but we’ll be out of your house as soon as we know you’re safe."
"I know you’re just trying to do your job, even if it’s an annoying one." Miko swept past him, opening the door to one of the guest rooms and indicating he should enter. "But please, don’t call me Ms. Westwood." It did, indeed, make her think of gray-haired cat ladies.
Or her mother.
Again, the soft, gorgeous smile. "Miko, then."
The soft ripple of his voice did dangerous things to her insides, and she clamped her legs tight together to quell the ripple of desire. "That’s right," she said, trying to keep her voice light. She moved out of his way as he entered the room and set his things down.
"Where are we staying?" asked Sam from behind her, and Miko turned. He lounged against a wall, that same sly, charming grin on his face. A grocery bag of clothing slung over his shoulder. No computer for him, and his sunny curls were a mess, his shirt un-tucked. She guessed that he was the type to go through life charging ahead, whereas Jeremiah was the cautious partner.
For some reason, she liked the thought of that – they were like a study in opposites. Sam with his charming, boyish grin and devil-may-care attitude. He’d be a spontaneous, inventive lover. Jeremiah would be more thoughtful, slow and seductive and devoted entirely to her body.
Not that she was thinking about things like that.
Flustered by how quickly her thoughts had turned to sex and mating, Miko stepped aside and gestured at the room occupied by Jeremiah. "I’ve only got one guest room."
He tilted his head, grinning. "Got room in your bed for me?"
It was on the tip of her tongue to blurt out a ‘yes’, but two things stopped her. One – she didn’t want any strings on a relationship right now, and having Sam in her bed for an unknown number of days could end up being awkward. And two, the thought of aggressively selecting Sam over Jeremiah with the soulful eyes felt somehow wrong.
She liked them both, and at the same time, was irritated at both for being here. Her fox instincts told her that either would be a good mate and a strong sexual match for her, and both were clearly interested. Even if she did feel like picking one, which would it be? If she picked one, would it destroy his relationship with the other? The were-fox in her was possessive; she wanted both men. And most men? Didn’t want to share their bed – or their woman - with another man. Sure, it was a great storyline in pornos, but she’d quickly found out that reality was far, far different than the movies.