He took a walk to check on the guy watching the hotel, standing for some time gazing at the window to her room.

“Lights went off before nine. No movement since.”

“Good. Thanks.” He ambled back home, hoping she got some rest because morning would come early and she needed it.

She was awake before six, restless. Wanting to see him. God. God. God. Why did it have to be Josh? Why did he have to be so nice and helpful on top of a heaping spoonful of gorgeous?

And why was it so hard to stop thinking of him? When she’d been with Mark, it hadn’t been so intense. She’d loved him and they’d had a healthy sex life and all that jazz. But when he’d gotten the job in Seattle and asked her to move with him, she’d known it was a step she wasn’t willing to take.

She’d loved him, yes, but it hadn’t been enough.

Josh though? Well, she knew him. Or a version of him.

She rolled from bed and pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She’d work out in the hotel gym. She’d been lucky to have caught Charlie yesterday. If she hadn’t been in shape she might not have. It was a good reminder how important that part of the job was.

Plus, she thought once she got running on the treadmill, it was always a good way to take her mind off things. To just let go and give over to her body.

But of course her body wanted to think about Josh too. She should feel guilty about the kiss, shouldn’t she? After all she was supposed to have been entirely focused on Allie, and instead she made out with an ex-boyfriend.

There had been hours upon hours she spent with Josh back in the day. Lying on a blanket looking up at the stars as she poured out her hopes and dreams. When he’d left that had been what she’d missed so much. Being able to have that depth of connection with someone else.

She was close with Allie, but it hadn’t ever been the same as those times she’d spent, falling in love with Josh under the stars. Though she supposed not for him either, because she’d been falling for him and he’d just walked away.

Which wasn’t entirely fair. Now that she’d heard the whole story, she’d understood. If she had been human, he couldn’t have told her. Couldn’t have come back to Roseburg to do what? His life was better here in Portland without a doubt.

She’d missed him a great deal. And there’d been this comfort and connection with him the day before. She could talk with him about all the craziness of the case. No one else really but him.

He’d listened. And helped. Had put aside his own job to help with hers. To help not just because it was these dangerous mages, but because she’d asked him to.

At least thinking about him had made the five miles pass relatively easily and quickly. She headed back up to her room to find him standing at the door.

“Is everything all right?” Great, she looked like a sweaty mess.

“I was about to ask you the same. I was worried when I couldn’t hear movement inside.”

“I’m not that…oh you have super hearing. I forget about that. I need to shower and we can get moving.” She unlocked, and he followed her inside, standing very close. But the only thing that bothered her about it was she had to have been smelly.

“You probably don’t want to stand so close. I just ran five miles.”

He stepped even closer, and she couldn’t do anything else but watch, fascinated as he closed his eyes, bent and breathed her in. “You smell delicious. Woman. Magick. Hard work. Your muscles are loose and warm. You still smell of sleep.”

She gulped, licking her lips. She knew what else he was going to smell because he’d already told her he could scent her arousal, and she was that all the sudden. Hot. Nipples hard and tingling, her pussy slick.

“Jesus, this is fucking torture.” He shook himself a moment and stepped back. “Go get showered or I’m going to do what your body is begging me to.”

She blinked at him, mouth opened. She should have been outraged. Denying that claim, but she’d have been a liar and they both would have known it. He wasn’t angry. His words were tortured.

She willed herself into the bathroom and showered quickly, turning the water ice cold at the end before she headed back out to him.

“I’m sorry,” he said as she entered the room.

“For what?” She checked her weapon before sliding her shoulder harness on. They needed to go back to that gas station. She also needed to check in with Pam at Portland PD to see if they’d received any new info.

He moved to her, tipping her chin up, and all the hard work the cold shower had done fell away as want slammed into her again. “I shouldn’t have said that. You didn’t deserve it.”

Unable to help it, she smiled. “Yeah? You think I’m too fragile to face that I was hot for you and you knew it?”

He groaned. “Why do you do this to me?”

She got serious. “What?” Without meaning to, she reached up to touch his cheek, and he leaned into her palm.

“I want you. A whole lot.”

She’d be such a liarpants if she denied she wanted him right back. But there were other things right then to deal with.

“Yes. I want you too. But, Allie. I need to focus on that right now.”

He swallowed, and she breathed in deep as he slid an arm around her waist, dipping his head to kiss her. His progress was slow enough that she could have stepped back or stopped things.

As if.

She tipped her head up, pressing herself closer, and when his lips came down on hers, it was like everything sort of clicked into place. He was like the thing in her life she hadn’t known she was missing but now she did.

His tongue slid over the curve of her bottom lip, and she opened to him, sucking it inside her mouth. He grunted, pressing his cock against her belly. Her nails dug into his sides, holding him close as his taste filled her.

The hand he had at her back slid down to cup the swell of her ass, hauling her closer. She wanted him to toss her on the bed and fuck her senseless, exhaust her. But they didn’t have time for that. Not right then.

He broke away, breath coming fast. “That was…it’ll get me through the next hours.” His eyes held that light she’d already begun to associate with his wolf. “We should go. Pam is going to meet us for breakfast. I hope you’re hungry, this place serves a great breakfast.”

“I’m beginning to think all the places you eat serve heaping plates of food.”

He slid a hand over that rock-hard belly and grinned like a pirate. “A benefit of shifter metabolism.”

She grabbed her stuff and followed him out into the hallway. Damon already stood near the elevator. She waved.

“Morning.”

He nodded her way. “Morning, Michelle. Listen,” he said as they all took the elevator to the lobby, “my mate, my wife, she’s a witch and she wanted me to invite you over when you got a chance. She’s excited to meet you and said to tell you there’s a sizeable community of witches here in Portland. They’re affiliated with Clan Owen.”

“Oh. Well…thank you. Thank her, I mean. I don’t know how long I’ll be around, but I appreciate the invite and I’m always happy to meet other witches. I don’t know very many.” Her mother pretended she was human. The only other witches she was close to who didn’t hide it were Allie and Kathy.

Damon’s gaze shifted to Josh quickly before he replied. “I’ll tell her. Just let me know. Maybe we can grab a coffee. Or you two can have a drink since Josh and I can’t really get drunk.”

She smiled. “That must sort of suck.”

Josh patted his belly again. “There are other benefits. I’d rather be able to eat like a horse.”

She snorted a laugh. “You ate like a horse before you got bit too.”

He grinned. “Yeah, but that seventeen-year-old-boy metabolism only lasts so long.”

They drove over to a small diner where she ordered a pot of coffee and a stack of pancakes. Damon and Josh of course ordered enough food for four people but the server didn’t even bat an eye.