Mara rolled up the sleeves of Harry’s shirt, fighting the impulse to bury her nose in its collar. “Nina, we’re just prolonging the inevitable. I was a nervous wreck today—all day. I couldn’t stop worrying about what a horrible liar I am, or about getting caught lying. I’m here to tell you, I’d suck so hard at being a spy. I can’t do this forever. I’ll end up with a werewolf-sized ulcer.”
“We’ll figure it out, Mara,” Harry insisted, the forceful tone he used giving her delicious chills. “We’ll find a way to present this to your brother and whoever these people are you’re so sure are going to put you in jail, and we’ll make them listen. I don’t know anything about your legal system, but I’m not giving you up. So while I can’t believe I’m saying this, let’s hear the Crypt Keeper out.” He frowned.
Harry’s words, again said with so much conviction he seemed as surprised by them as she was, had her wondering where this refusal to let her pay for her crimes was coming from.
Mara sighed, partially out of relief that Harry appeared to have gotten control of his angry barbs, and partially because there was no convincing anyone this was going to come crashing around their ears sooner rather than later.
“Fine. Shoot, but if the heat gets turned up, I’m turning myself in. I don’t want Marty and Wanda in trouble with the pack for protecting me. Fair?”
“Yeah, yeah. What the fuck ever. Now quit clangin’ your cup against the bars on your cell and listen.”
Harry leaned in, taking Carl, who napped on his shoulder, with him.
Mara leaned in, too, crazy curious to hear her plan to sneak Harry into Pack without every werewolf within two hundred feet of him smelling his scent.
“Short-Shot—meet your new boyfriend.” Nina grinned—wide and beautiful.
Well, thank God someone had finally heard her carnal request.
CHAPTER
9
“This is crazy.”
“I dunno. Personally, for me anyway, this is the best werewolf day ever.”
Mara blushed, her cheeks hot, her mouth like the Mohave Desert. “It’ll never work.”
“We won’t know until we try. Hey, don’t forget my back.” Harry paused, a low rumble emitting from his chest, sending vibrations of warmth to hers. He lifted his arms high, the stretch of his navy suit spanning the width of his broad back. “Yeahhhh, like that.”
“I protest.” Well, that probably wasn’t being totally honest with herself, but for the sake of her pride, and the maniacal gleam in Nina’s eyes, she protested.
And besides, did you hear yourself, Mara? Weak. So weak.
“Really? I don’t.” Harry’s reply was thick and deep, rumbly and delicious-gruff.
“Dude, stop complaining and rub—all over him. Everywhere,” Nina ordered, swirling a finger around.
Mara fought a groan as she stiffly shimmied up and down Harry’s body just as they prepared to leave for work. After clueing Marty in on Nina’s plan to keep the pack at bay, and finally convincing Harry to let Wanda take Mimi and Fletcher home with her, they’d all gotten a decent night’s sleep at Mara’s cottage—including Carl, who loved sitting on her enormous cushioned window seat and watching the snow fall outside while snuggling under a down comforter.
Now, they were in the middle of her living room at seven in the morning, leaving her scent on Harry and her acutely aware hormones in a pile of screaming nerves.
The brilliant idea behind it?
To fool all the werewolves at Pack into thinking Harry smelled like a werewolf because he was doing one—the lesser of two evils. Theory being, Mara would probably warrant less trouble from the council if she slipped up and began a relationship with a human.
The pack didn’t love humans and werewolves mating. They especially didn’t love it in a working environment due to the risk someone would become spiteful and angry in the event of a messy breakup and reveal their status to the world at large out of revenge. But they’d like this idea a whole lot more than they’d like knowing Mara’d turned Harry with a homegrown baby serum.
In short, her punishment would be far less severe. A slap on the wrist at best, versus a prison cell and meals served on a tray with dividers.
Harry wrapped his arms around her, leaving her breathing choppy. He smiled down and winked, his voice all crushed velvet and smoky. “Just making sure we’ve covered, you know, everywhere.”
Everywhere was pretty well covered on Harry’s fit, hard, luscious body. If she managed to survive staying out of the council’s reach, she was never going to survive claiming every square inch of his rippling mass with hers.