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“Abuelo, can we talk about this later? I just wanted to get you the food because I way overordered. And then I need to get back to work. Oh crap, where’s she going?” My protectee was strolling down the sidewalk, unprotected. “Abuelo, I have to follow her. It’s my job.”
“And who is stopping you? Go after your mate. And tell her why.”
“I can’t tell her. Abuelo, do you know much about her family?”
“No, she only had her mother, and then she has no one.” And that was all I had time to ask, as the gap between us was widening, and I’d already lost sight of her in the light foot traffic. “I have to go.”
“Go! But I want to talk to you when you get home. I want to hear everything you can tell me that does not violate your contract with your new job.Mijo, she is your mate, and I believe you know that. So tread carefully. And keep her alive!”
I was already too far away to answer.
My mate, if there was any chance she’d accept me as such, led me to the post office, the grocery store—where she bought bacon; maybe the cook was right about being short—and a few other errands before returning to the diner and taking up her work there again. In all the time she’d been out, nobody had approached her and I saw no signs of trouble.
I continued to watch, moving the car a few times to avoid attracting attention, and four o’clock, when she said she’d get off, came and went. Finally, about a half hour later, she came out and started for the parking lot beside the diner. From my current position, I could see her car and had been able to all day. The dossier also had given me her color and model car and license plate. It was a twenty-year-old Toyota.
I considered my beloved copper-colored Challenger. It was anything but subtle, and even with moving around, it would have been easy for someone to notice me. If I’d thought I’d get an assignment right in my own neighborhood, I’d have bought something else by now. Abuelo’s late-model sedan didn’t fit in any better, or I might have considered borrowing it from him for the weekend. If Emmalise had happened to notice me getting in it this morning and saw me following her, she’d probably just assume I was heading home to get ready for our date.
Mates didn’t usually date, but humans did.
When Emmalise left the parking lot, I followed, close enough to protect but hopefully far enough back not to be noticed. I really needed a different car if I was going to be doing anything in surveillance in the future. Or I could rent one. As soon as she was in her house, I made a quick dash to mine to change clothes and put together some sandwiches for our hike. It was a simple picnic, but her safety was more important than fancy food. I’d take her out for a good dinner next time.
Chapter Nine
Emmalise
“This is some car.” I’d seen it around town, I realized, once he pulled up in front of my house. “Wow.”
“Oh yeah. Do you like it?”
“Yes. But isn’t it kind of, well, city for around here? Like every time you get in it, you have to wash it to keep it looking like this?”
He chuckled. “Not every time, but I do try to keep it up. Maintenance and all that. I like a well-maintained vehicle, and I’ll admit I have a weakness for power.”
We drove along the highway to the bridge over the canal and then he turned onto the dirt road. “You really need a junker for this kind of stuff.”
“Probably, but I wouldn’t take you out in anything junkie. What kind of a first date would it be if we broke down?” He carefully drove along the rutted road, and I saw him wince as we bounced over some rocks. “Of course, there is something to be said for a four-wheel drive. I think you’re right. But for now, we’re here.” He stopped by a tree. “You sure you’re not too tired to hike?”
“Not at all.” I hopped out and took a deep breath. “It smells so nice here, much fresher than the diner. I’m glad to have a chance to get outside. I live here in this beautiful place, and I don’t get out nearly enough.”
“Then let’s go.”
We strolled along the canal until the sun was hanging low and then crossed the canal and hiked back toward. He’d made some sandwiches that we ate along the way, promising something better next time. He wanted a next time. And so did I. Also, his sandwiches were awesome. When we reached the car, he also reached for my hand.
“Is this all right?” His eyes were pools of heat. And I knew “this” meant more than our linked fingers. Firm fingers whose grip was stroking my libido as much as my hands.
Was it all right?
“It’s all right.” The words were just past my lips when his crashed down on them. And my eyes fluttered closed. He tasted even better than he smelled, and when he let go of my hand to gather me close to his body, my heart rate hit a dangerous level. I wasn’t very experienced, but I’d kissed a few guys over the years. I’d never been all that impressed.
This was what it was supposed to feel like.
His hands glided from my shoulders down my back and to my bottom where he kneaded muscles tightened by hiking I didn’t do nearly often enough. I might have purred. I did make some sound, and he pulled back and studied my face. “Did you…”
“Wouldn’t you purr if I gave you a deep massage in sore muscles?” I ducked my face, embarrassed. “Anyway, it felt good.”
“Well, yes, I’d purr, but you? Is there something you want to tell me?”
“What?” I thought I’d misheard, and since he’d returned to kneading, I just wanted to lean into the moment. His hard chest under my cheek, heart beating a steady, if speedy, thud was lulling me even more into sensual bliss. “Tell you something? Like what?” Gods, did my behavior tell him I was a virgin? “I don’t want to tell you anything.”
