Carson took his time answering, straightening his pants and pulling his shirt off, dropping it on the cum streak across the rug. He nodded. "Yes. I'd like that," he finally said.
Jared nodded, the tension in his neck easing. Odd that he'd been worried. "It's Friday, two days after our rescue tomorrow." He grimaced. "Speaking of which, I sure hope we get done with the rescue before nine." At Carson's lifted brow, he grinned. "It's Terry's bachelor party." He suddenly grimaced. "Damn, I hate clubs. Too many people to keep track of." He started tucking his cock into his jeans, but paused when he saw Carson's thunderous look. His shaft twitched and he struggled not to leer at the man. Well, well! I thought out-of-control-Carson was hot. Angry Carson is stunning!"What's wrong?"
The wolf shifter's eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath. "Nothing. What time should I pick you up from your hotel? Do I need a tux or will a suit do?"
Letting the odd reaction go, Jared replied, "A suit is fine. If you want to go early with me, pick me up at two in the afternoon. I'm at the Holiday Inn Express."
Carson nodded. "I know the one. I've set up the meeting with Pascal for four o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Once you disable the outside security, a pair of shifters will enter through each side door and four through the front. There won't be much time before an alarm sounds and more security will try to come from the lower levels. We need to secure the elevator before then."
Jared didn't blink at the man's sudden shift from sexy lover to wolf enforcer. He'd had to make that kind of radical change enough times himself. Besides, for some reason Jared knew Carson was uncomfortable, perhaps even regretting their time together. It filled Jared with an unfamiliar emotion, something difficult for him to define, but he knew he'd have to figure it out eventually.
"Thanks for the romp, Injun," he murmured. "I'll see you tomorrow." He leaned close and brushed a quick kiss over the lips of a surprised Carson before slipping out the door.
Jared hiked silently through the forest, his mind running in circles around what had just happened between them and what it would mean for his future. When he slipped behind the wheel of his Porsche, he knew only one thing for certain. Even though he'd first used the derogatory term for Indian to rile Carson, now he used it as a term of endearment and he'd never given a pet name to anyone before, ever.
Never in his wildest imagination would Jared have thought he'd willingly walk into a police station and yet here he was. He needed someone to talk to about this situation with Carson and Grady was the only one he could think of. While waiting for easily the most uptight woman he'd ever seen to acknowledge him, it occurred to Jared that he'd never imagined he'd let another man fuck him either.
A smirk curled his lips just as the woman, Michelle the nameplate said, looked up at him. No wonder she was so unhappy. Her brown turtleneck sweater looked uncomfortable and restrictive. She frowned at him. "Can I help you?"
Jared gave her a benign smile. "Is Detective Stryker in, please?"
"Yes. Who should I tell him is here?"
"Tanis." No way in hell was he telling his real name to
this woman and he knew his non-descript clothes would make it difficult for her to remember him within an hour. He'd use the art of plainness more times than he could count over the years.
A moment later, he spotted Grady striding between desks toward him. The detective paused in front of him, for a second a frown marred his brow as he discreetly scented the air around them. Well, shit. I should have thought of that. Damn shifter noses.
"Follow me, please," Grady ordered. Jared didn't bother replying, just followed the big tiger between desks and into an office. He closed the door behind him, turned around and discovered Grady in his personal space. The shifter sniffed his neck and frowned. "Who is she?"
There was no point in pretending he didn't know what Grady was talking about. He just hoped the man wasn't too shocked that the gender was wrong. He forced a smile. "Carson."
For a second, confusion clouded the detective's features, then his brows drew into a glare. "Holy shit! Carson Angeni? I know you made out the other night, but what the fuck? I thought you weren't gay?"
Uncertain what to say for a moment, he glared at the floor. Finally, he lifted his gaze and pegged Grady with a frustrated look. "It's your bloody Fate that chooses. Why don't you ask her?"
That had Grady's jaw dropping. "You mean you're Carson's fated mate? Holy shit!" Grady hissed again. He paced away from him, turned back and ran a hand over his jaw. The right jab to his stomach took Jared completely by surprise. Pain exploded through his ribs as he bounced against the wall.
"Fucking hell, man! What the hell was that for?" he snarled after he could catch his breath.
"You knew," Grady snapped. "You knew Carson thought he was your mate last night when you asked about him, didn't you? Why didn't you say anything?"
Growling in frustration, Jared dropped into a chair. "Of course I knew!" he declared. "I overheard Carson telling his alpha after the meeting." He frowned. "How the hell was I supposed to know he'd go all feral on me when I pushed him a bit?"
That had a corner of Grady's lips curling and one brow ratcheting up in a look of disbelief. "You pushed him a bit? We both know better than that."
"All right, so it was more than a bit," he muttered, throwing up his hands.
"You fucking challenged his wolf, didn't you?" When Jared glanced away, Grady growled. "Un-fuckingbelievable. I'd belt you a new one, but then Carson would have my hide!" he nearly roared. He paced his office for a moment, before clenching his jaw and glaring at Jared. "What about after your vacation? You're leaving in four days. What then? Now that you're mated to him, he's only able to get it up for you!"
Jared's eyes widened as he realized what he'd, however inadvertently, pushed Carson into. "That sucks!" he whispered.
"Fucking right, it sucks!"
Jared groaned and ran a hand through his short, dark hair. After a frown, he realized the unfamiliar feeling he'd been experiencing was guilt. He lifted his head and grimaced. "I can do my line of work from anywhere, but Carson seems a little straight-laced. He's probably not too pleased with the idea of mating an assassin, huh?"
Grady snorted. "Ya think?"
Jared glared angrily. The man didn't have to sneer at his line of work that quickly. Some people really needed to die. Sure, he'd taken a couple questionable hits when he was first starting out, but after that he'd always researched who they'd asked him to kill before accepting the contract. If the punishment didn't fit the crime, he didn't take it.
Jumping to his feet, Jared slammed his fists onto Grady's desk. "I do what needs to be done. He's a fucking wolf enforcer. Certainly he's had to kill a few people! So he didn't do it for money, they still needed to die!"
Grady lifted a hand. "Keep your voice down, Tanis."
Growling softly, Jared paced the tiny room. After a moment of silence, he rounded on Grady. "What the fuck am I supposed to do? Give up my way of life because of fucking Fate?"
He watched Grady's shoulders drop and his brows crease. It took him a long time to meet Jared's gaze. "I can't answer that for you."
Chapter Six
"W
hy'd ye mate him?" Carson turned to see Declan slip between the trees behind him. His alpha wore all black, like himself. A pair of wolves was stationed at every side entrance, while Grady and Lyle and a couple more wolves were waiting at the front.
He sighed, returning his gaze to the camera on the edge of the Crystal Lake Corporation's property. He was impatiently waiting for the nearly silent hum of power to disappear, his signal that Jared had succeeded in his task of shutting down security.