Fighting For Their Mate (16 page)

When she finished, she wrapped her head in one towel and dried with the other. Just as she stepped onto the bath mat, she realized her dilemma. Once more, she’d forgotten her clothes. Damn. Trauma had a way of erasing her thoughts.

Then she remembered she’d asked to dye her hair. Since she’d have to shower again to rinse out the coloring, it might be wise to stay wrapped in a towel. Ford hadn’t put any moves on her the last time they were alone, so hopefully, he’d be good again.

Bailey opened the door and sucked in a breath at finding him patiently waiting, holding out the box of dye. “Thought you’d need this.”

“I do.” When she slipped the container from his hand, their fingers touched and she swore a spark tripped up her arm. It must be the carpet. So what if she was standing on tile. “Ah, thanks.”

“Have you ever dyed your hair before?”

She didn’t know why he asked. Had she looked unsure? “No.”

“Need help?” He grinned and every thought flew out of her head. It wasn’t the suggestion that shocked her as much as the way his eyes lightened and his face transformed into a man of fun and even kindness.

That was the last thing she needed—the help or his definition of fun. The kindness she wouldn’t mind. “No. I’ll manage.”

Because she needed to read the instructions first, she stepped over to the sink that stood at the end of the room. Ford moved out of her way and back to the window to peer out. That action didn’t help calm her. When he closed the curtain and returned to the table, she let out a breath.

The instructions were self-explanatory. Pour on goo; let it sit for twenty-five minutes, and rinse. Easy peasy. After she pulled on the plastic gloves they supplied, she squeezed the tube of dye into the plastic container. She lifted her hands to douse her head and immediately realized her dilemma. The towel had almost dropped. Crap. She refused to put on her garbage bin clothes again, and she wasn’t ready to ruin a good outfit.

“Looks like you could use an extra hand,” Ford said, materializing right behind her.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that.” That was pissy of her, but she didn’t like being surprised.

He had the nerve to laugh. “It’s part of my charm, darlin’.”

Charm? What charm? She did need help, though. Her dad had taught her there was a time to be stubborn and a time to accept assistance. “If you insist.” She peeled off the gloves and handed them to him.

With care, he slid them on and grinned. He then waved his hands, looking rather silly. “I’m a stud in these, aren’t I?”

He must be trying to put her at ease, and it partially worked. “A real Don Juan.” She had to smile. His antics were surprisingly charming.

“Let’s see if we can transform you into an auburn beauty.”

Good luck with that. Auburn, hopefully; beauty, never. He squirted the color along her part and spread the dye downward, acting as if he’d done this before. Maybe he had since he never tugged or hurt her. She closed her eyes when some of the liquid dripped, but he quickly swiped it away before the dye reached her brows.

Once he emptied the bottle, he rubbed her scalp. “All done.”

If he let go, her pile of hair would fall. “You didn’t happen to buy a hair clip, did you?”

“Was it on the list?”

“No.”

“We’ll get one for you later.”

She needed one now. “May I have one of the gloves?”

“Why?”

“I need to hold up my hair for twenty-five minutes.”

“Sit on the toilet and I’ll take care of you.”

For almost half an hour? It was hard enough to be around him for a few minutes, let alone in that tiny bathroom for an eternity. If she didn’t need his help, she wouldn’t have agreed. With care, the two of them moved into the small bath area where Ford seemed to dominate the entire room. Had she had space, she would have twisted to the side and had him stand behind her. With that out of the question, he straddled her and kept his gaze upward. He smelled like the pine-scented outdoors. From this angle, his shoulders appeared broader and his legs thicker.

She dared to lower her gaze.
Fuck me
. The bulge in his pants had dread mixing with lust.

Don’t go there, girl
.

Too bad the rational side refused to make an appearance. Her twenty-three year old brain couldn’t stop imagining what he’d be like in bed. The unknown fascinated her. She’d probably never be with someone as virile again.

I’m with Tyson.

Even she didn’t know what being with Tyson exactly meant. These men had saved her and she’d had fantastic sex with one of them, but that alone did not a relationship make.

Bailey studied Ford. Why wasn’t he looking at her? Was he afraid of his own powerful desires? Or didn’t he want to make her more uncomfortable? She wished she could get a handle on him. He often went from stern to jovial and back in a flash. At least with Tyson, she could guess what he’d do.

“When’s Tyson coming back?” She’d feel better with both of them there. Besides, it was safer talking about his brother than about what Ford wanted, or what he believed Statler would do next.

As soon as he looked down, her nerves turned jittery. Now she was the one to glance away. “He’s covering for me,” Ford said. “Ty’s spending the night at the lab.”

Oh, shit. Her heart jumped. That meant she and Ford would be alone. A sliver of reason intruded. She had nothing to worry about. Ford would keep his distance. He’d promised.

But do I really want that? He intrigues me. I can’t forget he saved me—twice. But I can’t have him. I’ve chosen Tyson.
“Does he have to?” She looked up, hoping he was kidding.

“’Fraid so. It would look a bit suspicious for him to leave when we have our rooms provided for us. We’re trying not to draw attention our way.”

“Oh.”

Ford checked his phone. “Your time is up.”

Good. Then she could be by herself for a little bit. “I need to rinse.”

He looked away again. “Right. I’ll just wait in the other room.”

Bailey couldn’t recall when Ford had seemed this ill at ease. Perhaps it was this mate thing. The verdict was still out on that concept—love her forever, always want to protect her? It was too hard to believe. Had they just told her that so she’d feel comfortable around them? The part about them wanting to protect her at all cost did ring true. The rest? She wasn’t sure. If it were true, it would complicate things.

She closed the door and stepped back into the shower. After rinsing the excess dye, she dried off. Okay. She’d officially lost it. Once more she’d forgotten to grab her clothes. It shouldn’t matter. He’d seen her with the towel around her for the last half an hour.

She covered herself once more and stepped into the room. On the bed were piles of clothes, neatly organized into tops, bottoms, underwear, socks, and pajamas. He even had a warm jacket and a pair of decent looking shoes. Impressive. This must have set him back.

“These look great. Thank you.” The number of clothes was far more than she’d expected. “Be sure to leave me the receipt. When this is all over, I’ll pay you back.”

A flash of something crossed his face, but it was gone before she could attach a name to it. While none of the clothes were what she’d have picked out, she was thankful for anything clean. She grabbed a pair of cargo pants, a long-sleeve T-shirt and underwear. “I’ll go change.”

“You can change in here instead of the cramped bathroom.”

She stilled. Ford’s words sounded like a command. No way would she drop the towel. “What if I don’t want to?”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself, but sooner or later we’ll be together, you know.”

“No, I don’t know.” He was taking the mate thing a bit far. “Listen. You’re a nice guy. A really nice guy.” Ford stood and her heart beat faster. “You saved me from certain death and I owe you.”

“You do, but I don’t want someone to like me because they owe me.” He moved toward her but then stopped.

Crap. Her mouth wasn’t working like it should. “Good. I’m glad you understand.”

He worried his lips then nodded. “Are you cold?”

Her core was actually hot, but her feet and hands were quite cool. In fact, she had goose bumps across her shoulders and down her arms. “Yes. That’s why I need to change.”

Ford edged closer, his gaze never leaving her face. “Perhaps you should dry your hair.”

“Yes, yes. That’s a great idea.” Anything to get away from this intensive attraction between them. It was like he was a space ship and had tossed out a tractor beam and was drawing her closer.

Move
. Bailey spun around and dashed to the counter where a hair dryer was attached to the wall. Why did Ford suddenly seem so big? So powerful? She grabbed the dryer, turned it on, and bent over. The blast of heat on her head was welcome, but the cold air snaking across her upper thighs and naked butt was not. She immediately stood, not wanting to give him a show.

Like an animal on a hunt, he came toward her, and she turned off the dryer. No words formed. He slipped the dryer from her fingers, rotated her shoulders so she faced the mirror, and flipped the On switch.

“Thought you’d be more comfortable if you had two hands on that too short towel.”

He’d seen her partially naked. Fuck. Heat raced up her face. “Yes.” She grabbed hold, but her heart kept slamming against her ribs.

With one hand he held the dryer, and with the other, he lifted and dropped her hair. She was transfixed with what he was doing. The girl in the mirror wasn’t her. The auburn hair gave her face a more angular look, slimmer, prettier. Having blonde hair had washed her out.

“Yes, you are beautiful,” he said quite matter of factly.

“I wasn’t thinking that.”

He chuckled. “Yes you were, because it’s true. I saw you studying each part of your face. Your eyes sparkled as if you were pleased with the result. The transformation is stunning, but you were just as lovely before.”

Who was this man? One minute Ford was this super tough guy, and the next, he was being rather beta. The combination intrigued her.

Once he finished drying her hair, he snapped it into place on the wall, and then turned her to face him.

“Hmm. Needs something.” He rushed to the bed. Plastic rustled. He returned with a pair of black glasses. “Try these on.”

“I don’t wear glasses.”

“You do now. We don’t want anyone to recognize you, remember?”

Smart. They were rather ugly, but that was the point. She slipped on the frames and faced the mirror. She was instantly reminded of her Aunt Jane. “Wow. I look different.”

“I like them.”

Bailey turned her head right then left. “I do, too.”

“To complete the look, I should ask Ty to get some Goth makeup or something.”

“I normally don’t wear much makeup, so if I went with something heavy, I’d really be in disguise.” She liked the idea of hiding in plain sight.

She was about to say that if she could go with Tyson, she could pick out some clothes that would really change her appearance, but then she decided against it. Ford had tried to find nice things for her to wear, and she should let it be.

She scooted past him to pick up her clothes. As she bent down to retrieve them, Ford placed his hands on her shoulders. Her pulse spiked. Slowly, he lifted her to her feet. She could tell from the way he was cupping her shoulders, and how his breathing had suddenly increased, that he wanted her. Badly.

Tell him no.

I don’t want to.

She would regret what came next, but something powerful inside her was pushing her to experience him. This might be the only time she could be with two remarkable guys. As long as they weren’t together, she’d be fine.

“Turn around, Bailey.”

Tremors shot up her body. God, what that man could do to her.

Traitor
.

Just because she liked Ford didn’t mean she liked Tyson any less, right? They’d already said she was meant for both of them. If Ford did nothing for her, then her decision to hang around Tyson would be easy. Besides, this tension between them was driving her crazy.

She faced him. “Yes?”

*     *     *

Rumors were running rampant about The Pack spies, and everyone at the lab seemed to believe the story that Dram and Tony worked for General Armand. Given this was what Ty wanted, he should be elated. Unfortunately, Statler wouldn’t leave well enough alone. The text Ty just received ordering him to Statler’s office confirmed it. His gut was churning, but so far, he was able to stay calm.

“Right this way.” His secretary led him into the office then quickly closed the door. It sounded as loud as the lid of a coffin slamming shut.

“Tyson, having those Pack members infiltrate our lab without our knowledge worries me.” From his clenched fist and the way his hair was sprouting, Ty had to say it was more than worry.

“I agree, sir.” What else could he to say?

“I want you and your brother to beef up the training sessions. Start doing two-a-days beginning tomorrow.” When his immediate superior questioned him this morning about Ford’s absence, Ty had said his brother wasn’t feeling well. Given werewolves healed quickly, that excuse wouldn’t work longer than a day. “The Pack knows our location. I bet they’re mounting an assault as we speak. We need to be ready.”

“Should I have more men to patrol the perimeter? Or install more cameras?”

Statler shook his head. “No. If they show up, I want it to look like business as usual for Hoffman Furniture. Check that all of the surveillance cameras are in working order. I’ll be calling a meeting with all security to come up with a plan should The Pack try to take us down. Dismissed.”

While he was happy to get the inside scoop, if and when Statler called the meeting, this new development would cause more problems for the General. He and Ford needed to act fast. Tyson nodded and hurried out before Statler asked about Bailey and the cleanup.

Ty wanted to contact his brother to let him know about this meeting, as well as their new teaching timetable, but he had to be careful. There were eyes and ears everywhere. Even a text might be intercepted, but it was a chance he had to take.