It was a carefully balanced life that left no room for complications like fated mates. Especially not fated mates who hosted morning television shows and smiled like they'd never met a storm cloud they couldn't brighten.
"Dawson?" Parker's voice came from the doorway, making me nearly drop my coffee mug. "You got a second?"
I turned to find him leaning against the frame, still wearing his on-air clothes—a pale blue button-down with a striped tie that brought out the warmth in his brown eyes. The shirt was well-tailored and emphasized his broad shoulders. His black hair was slightly mussed now that he'd run his hands through it, destroying whatever the hair and makeup people had done earlier.
My wolf took one look at him and started pacing beneath my skin. He told me Parker was special but I did the shifter equivalent of sticking my fingers in my ears and repeating in a sing-song voice,I can't hear you.
"I'm working."
"I can see that." He moved into the room without invitation, and suddenly my private sanctuary smelled like citrus andsomething sweeter. "I wanted to apologize for cutting you off during the segment. I know it frustrates you."
That caught me off guard. "You're aware you do it?"
"Of course I am." He perched on the edge of my desk that was too close for comfort. "But we only have four minutes for the weather. If I let you give the complete forecast with all the technical details, we'd need twenty."
"Accuracy requires context."
"Accuracy requires viewers to actually be watching when you deliver it." His tone was gentle. "If I lose them because we're talking about atmospheric pressure systems for five minutes, then the accurate information doesn't reach anyone. You're brilliant, Dawson. I'm just trying to make sure people stick around to hear it."
I wanted to argue, but he had a point. A frustrating, logical point that my wolf seemed to find oddly attractive. Damn him.
"There's a storm system in the Gulf. It's developing faster than initial models predicted."
Parker's expression changed immediately, the perpetual sunshine dimming to something more serious. "How worried should we be?"
"On a scale of one to ten? Currently a five, but it could escalate to an eight or nine if conditions hold." I pulled up the latest satellite imagery. "See this here? That's a sign of rapid intensification. And the sea surface temperatures are nearly perfect for a major hurricane."
He studied the screen with more focus than I'd expected. "What's the timeline?"
"Seventy-two to ninety-six hours before we know the likely track with any certainty. But if it comes our way..." I highlighted the cone of uncertainty on the map. "We'll need to prepare for significant impacts."
"Extended coverage. We should start planning now." Parker straightened. "I'll talk to Isla about clearing the schedule for the rest of the week."
"I'll need more time on air to provide proper updates."
"You'll have it." He stood, and for a moment we were close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his skin. "We're a team, Dawson. Even if you don't like how I present things, we're both trying to serve the viewers."
My wolf whined, wanting me to lean closer, to breathe in more of that citrus-sweet scent. But I forced myself to step back instead.
"Fine. I'll have updated models by this afternoon."
"Great." He smiled and it was more genuine than his on-air expression. "And Dawson? I know you think I'm just some cheerful fool who doesn't take things seriously, but I do. I care about getting it right. I also care about making sure people are listening when we do."
He left before I could formulate a response. My wolf was interested in following him and learning more about why his scent made us want things we'd long ago decided were impossible.
I forced my attention back to the weather models, but the data blurred in front of my eyes. Instead, I kept seeing Parker's expression when he'd looked at the satellite imagery and how his natural optimism had given way to genuine concern.
Maybe he wasn't as shallow as I'd assumed.
My phone buzzed with a text from Tony, one of the other local shifters I occasionally ran with.
Full moon is this week. You in?
I typed back a quick affirmative. I needed to shift and to let my wolf run off some of this restless energy before I did something stupid.
The afternoon passed in a flurry of model runs and data analysis. The storm system was definitely strengthening, and three of the five major forecast models now showed it tracking toward our region. By evening, I had enough information to justify a preliminary statement.
I was preparing the graphics when Parker appeared in the doorway again, this time carrying two takeout containers.
