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Silence followed, and I worried I’d have to push her a bit. I was about to backpedal when Tori surprised me. She moved closer to me, wrapped her arms around my neck as she rose on tiptoe, and kissed me soundly.
I tightened my hold on her and hugged her close. It didn’t last long, but gasps and whispers suddenly lit up amongst the townsfolk. To me, it was all background noise. My wolf was pleased that this wild minx was publicly showing a preference for us. I, myself, was thrilled to taste her again.
I lowered my forehead to hers, brushed her hair behind her ears, and cupped her cheeks.
Tori peered into my eyes. So many questions danced in the depths of her eyes, but now was not the time to fine-tune our story or devise a game plan to move forward. The dark circles under her eyes didn’t escape me, nor did the constant biting of her inner cheek and fidgeting fingers and jittery legs. She was clearly exhausted, shaken, and dressed in random clothing that I now recognized as Mateo’s.
My wolf wasn’t too pleased to see her in another man’s clothing, but I paid him no mind. It was better than the alternative. I was relieved the town’s favorite French bartender, who was well-aware of shifters, hadn’t said a word about her ensemble at the crime scene earlier. That would’ve caused mayhem, and I wouldn’t know where to start squashing anything that would’ve been said.
“Thank you,” she mouthed as we stayed in our little cocoon longer than necessary.
Smiling at her, I mouthed back, “No, thank you.”
She rolled her eyes, grabbed my hand, and stepped back.
“It’s been a really long night,” I said. “Why don’t you go back to the B&B, get cleaned up, and rest before the town hall meeting?”
Her mouth opened in a yawn, and she turned her head into my shoulder. “Good idea.”
I wanted to cuddle up with this adorable woman while she rested, but she wouldn’t go for that, and I had a lot to do before tonight’s meeting.
“You know, since we’ll be acting the part of lovers, it’d probably be best if you moved in with me,” I murmured, already prepping myself for the inevitable pushback. “The townsfolk would expect that, and the shifters, well…they know alphas like to keep their mates close by for protection. Being apart could do our story more harm than good.”
I laid it on thick. I wanted nothing more than to have her in my home. Well, that wasn’t true. What I really wanted was her in my bed every night, but I was taking small steps.
Her living at the manor was the first step. That would create many scenarios and opportunities for me to accidentally bump into her and soften her up. Slow, small steps. I’d teach her she could trust me, because right now, she trusted no one. Not even herself.
The night we’d spent together was a permanent fixture in my mind, but this ruse wasn’t about repeating that night. It was figuring out how she ticked. What else was this mysterious little shifter hiding? I wanted access to all parts of her. Never had I ever wanted to know somebody so intimately and thoroughly, but then no one else was so intriguing to me. Her depths beckoned me to start digging and unearthing all her secrets.
Tori’s face flushed red, and I wondered where else that blush had bloomed.
Shaking her head, she huffed at me. “That absolutely doesn’t need to happen. We’ll talk about this later.”
After giving me another quick peck on my lips, she hurried over to Margo and Diana. The feathery feel of her lips on mine lingered as I watched her walk back to the B&B. I wondered if she realized the goodbye she’d given me was one people would expect from an honest relationship, if she was that good at selling a story. I wouldn’t harp on it, though. I wanted to see if she’d let her guard down, and where this could end up.
Margo and Diana flanked her as they walked, keeping their arms around her. She was so small compared to them, but her large, energetic life force more than made up for her petite size. I was grateful to the two amazing women for looking after Tori. I didn’t know anything about her, but I knew for a fact she had nobody. Until now. Now, she had the three of us.
The three women made it into the B&B without being accosted. I’d fully expected somebody to hassle her and had been ready to jump in. When the door closed behind them, I let out a breath.
I’d breathe a lot easier when she lived with me. We’d be having that conversation again. Our ruse wouldn’t last if she didn’t. People would talk and question our engagement’s legitimacy if my fiancée was barely scraping by and living in the B&B. As a man, especially an alpha, that wouldn’t fly with me if we were in a genuine relationship.
It didn’t sit well with me now. More so, there was a killer loose in Blackwood Creek. Tori was an easy target for them now if they wanted to frame her, or worse, come after her.
I turned my attention to the crowd lingering outside the crime scene, and for once, I scrutinized every individual. One of them had to be the killer. I’d never been one to speculate and jump to conclusions, but it was different now. They’d all tried to pin this on Tori; I wouldn’t stand for that. I’d do anything and everything necessary to keep her safe.
My wolf huffed as if saying, “Damn right.” He was also paying close attention to every individual. He wanted to do this the shifter way, but I shut him down. We needed to be smart about this. Tori wasn’t the only one at risk; we had the whole shifter community to think about. Just because Tori was a priority didn’t mean we could cut the cords to all our other responsibilities.
I still couldn’t quite fathom how Tori had become so important to me and how protective my wolf and I had become of her. She didn’t see us as her alpha.
Yet,my wolf mumbled.
But she was a wolf out on her own who needed my protection. I’d give it freely and happily for her. I’d do anything it took to keep her safe.
With insufficient time to work things out, I got to work. Tori didn’t stray far from my mind, but clearing her name and making her safe motivated me to buckle down.
Clawson moved through the crowd, getting everybody’s statements, while the deputies and forensics collected evidence and took photos of the crime scene.
People who weren’t part of the earlier crowd came up to me, wanting reassurances, and I did my best to stop the panic. I told everyone I spoke with that there’d be a meeting at the town hall tonight and they’d get further updates then.
