Max wrapped the cloth around his hips and rushed to his room. He pulled on a clean pair of jeans before grabbing a short-sleeved T-shirt. He dragged the top on as he headed toward the front entrance.
“Coming!” he called when the knock came again.
Just as he reached for the handle, he caught the scent of his Alpha outside. Max took a deep breath and opened the door.
Alpha Shawn stood on the porch holding a takeout container with three cups and a bakery bag. He held them up in offering.
Max grinned and waved the man inside. “Hey.”
“Max, I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Of course not. Please come in.”
Alpha Shawn walked through the entry and into the kitchen. Max followed behind, both pleased to see his Alpha again and nervous at the same time. Alpha Shawn had a way of making Max confess things he would rather keep hidden. He’d been doing his best to avoid his Alpha since he’d returned home.
It figured that as soon as he was starting to pull his head out of his ass he’d actually not be able to steer clear of Alpha Shawn. While his Alpha set the coffees on the island countertop between them, Max walked to the cabinet to pull out some plates.
“I don’t know if Cassie is awake yet, but I can check.”
Alpha Shawn shook his head. “No, it’s okay. I’d like a few minutes with you anyway.”
Max nodded. His Alpha didn’t just stop by for no reason. Everyone in the Pack knew that their leader was always looking out for them. Even Max knew that he could only hide for so long.
“So how are you doing?”
“I’m fine,” he assured his Alpha.
Shawn leaned against the counter and lifted an eyebrow. “You sleeping okay?”
“Sure,” he lied. “Some nights are better than others, but I’m handling everything.”
Instead of calling him on his lie, Shawn just shook his head. “I have no doubt that you’re handling everything, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help if you need it. It takes a strong man to lean on others.”
He sighed. “I know… I just need to figure things out.” There was no use pretending. His Alpha had that stoic look on his face whenever he was determined to get through to one of the Pack members. “I just need more time.”
“Okay.” Shawn smiled. “I won’t push right now. You know you can always talk to me, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“All right.” Shawn lifted the lid off one of the cups and Max followed suit. The smell of the fresh coffee was good and his stomach growled. “I brought some of muffins too.”
“Thanks, man.” He dug into the bag and chose one of the banana-nut muffins. He bit into it and moaned. God, those were so damn good.
“How are things going here?”
He chewed and took a long sip of his coffee. Alpha Shawn wouldn’t know what had taken place between him and Cassie the night before, but Max still found himself shifting his feet nervously. “I…uh…well…we…”
“Max?”
As he took another drink, he mentally cursed himself. “Everything is okay. I’ve only just really started. I have some ideas on how to increase security and add a few more cameras without being too intrusive.”
“Good, good. After this mess is over, I hope to talk you about the rest of the Pack.”
That sounded like his Alpha wanted more than just a favor. “Well, you know that I’m happy to help in any way that I can, but I’m not a security expert or anything. Don’t you have people for that?”
“Yes, but they’re not Pack. I want someone who I can trust to oversee them.”
“You want me to do it?” Max asked in disbelief. That was a major responsibility. He wanted to contribute to his community, but he wasn’t sure he could handle such a large job.
“Absolutely.”
“I’m not sure I’m the right person,” he said honestly.
His Alpha didn’t know everything that was going on in his head. If he did, there was no way Shawn would want him.
“You’re the perfect person. You’re a strong leader, smart, dedicated, loyal and compassionate.”
He felt himself blush at the compliments. Even though he knew he wasn’t those things, at least not anymore. “I’m not sure.”
“It’s something that I want you to think about. Take care of things here and see if you can find out who broke in to Cassie’s studio, then make sure your sole focus is to protect her. The rest will work itself out.”
He sure as hell hoped so. He nodded.
“I knew I could depend on you.” Shawn patted his back as he passed Max. “I’ll show myself out. I want to stop by and have a quick word with Alex while I’m here.”
Max stood speechless as Shawn did, in fact, leave on his own. He wanted to be polite and at least walk the man to the door, but he couldn’t seem to make his feet work. His Alpha’s words were still bouncing around in his head.
Shawn believed in him. He wished he was as sure as his Alpha. Before his last mission had gone to shit, he’d had the confidence that Shawn was showing in him. He’d even been a little bit cocky. It was weird how one day could change all of that.
All he’d ever wanted to do was make a difference. To help people. When he’d left Canyon, he’d been a young man determined to show the world what he’d been made of. He’d joined the Navy and had known just weeks into boot camp that he’d found his place in the world.
He thrived at the physical part of training. He enjoyed pushing his body to its limits. The brothers he’d connected with were like an extension of his Pack. He’d been overseas and still thought he would spend his entire life in the service.
Eight years after he’d first joined, he’d applied to the Special Forces Units. It had taken everything he had to make it mentally and physically. Even so, he had never felt better in his life. The first several missions had been simple gathering of intel. He hadn’t really been in danger. Then he’d been transferred to his new team and everything had changed.
Under the cover of night, he’d found himself in some very fucked-up situations. Still, every time he’d made it back home, he’d been proud. When he’d been promoted and given his own squad, he’d vowed to bring each member home with him every time.
In the end, he hadn’t been able to keep that promise to his fellow soldiers. He might have brought Evan’s body back, but it had been under his command that the man had died.
He closed his eyes, fighting back the memories, but they still bombarded him.
They’d dropped inside the enemy lines in the pitch blackness of night. The coordinates that they’d been given had just been a rough estimate. It hadn’t been known whether or not the hostages were dead or alive.
But they’d had to try. That’s what they did.
So he’d led his small band of men deep into the jungle to complete their task.
It had been sickening-hot. The air so thick it had been hard to breathe. Sounds they’d only heard a few times had followed them as they’d traveled farther and farther into danger.
Even when their boots had hit the ground, he hadn’t felt good about the mission. Something, some small part of him, had known there was just something off. He’d ignored the feeling and followed orders. He would always regret that.
They’d walked for two hours before they’d started to hear signs of life from humans instead of just the jungle animals. Max had stopped his team’s forward movement with a fist in the air. He’d been well known for his above average hearing. No one had known he was a shifter. They’d just teased him that it was his gut instinct, but they’d always followed him. Max had let them believe that.
* * * *
Max took point and methodically moved his men into position. They were just south of a small group of tents. One old, beat-up Jeep was parked to the side and it was filled with guns and ammo. They would need to secure that vehicle first. But that was a sure sign that the rebels were very well armed.
A few rough-looking men sat around a fire smoking and talking. He motioned to his team to drop and wait.
One by one their targets went into one of the sleeping areas. A large tent on the far side looked like their best bet of where to find the hostages.
He crawled over to Evan and the youngest member Jon Banks. He gave the hand signal for them to approach, and after receiving nods of affirmation, he crept back retaking his position.
Waiting until all was calm, he blew out a breath, and sent his unit in.
Jose Sanchez guarded the vehicle while he and Matt Wallace covered Evan and Banks.
The shouts from the large tent alerted not only his team but also the enemy.
All hell broke loose, but Max had a clear view of the hostages running with Evan and Banks, so he motioned Sanchez to set the explosive and take out the extra guns and ammo they’d taken. There wasn’t enough time to secure the weapons on the bodies, but they needed to ensure that they couldn’t be turned against them.
He and Wallace used their own rifles in the firefight and before he knew it, the huge explosion rocked the night.
“Move! Move!” he screamed. Max kept close bringing up the rear as they disappeared into the darkness.
* * * *
If only things had ended there.
Max shook himself out of his thoughts. He knew he had to let go of what had happened. It wasn’t easy. He relived that day over and over.
Pushing himself away from the counter, his stomach was in knots. The first part of their mission had been a success. The rest had been one fuck up after another. He had to keep himself busy to prevent himself from thinking about where things had gone wrong.
He picked up the extra coffee Alpha Shawn had brought then started down the hall.
If Cassie was awake, he’d give it to her. If not, he would check to make sure everything was secure.
He tapped softly on her studio door, hoping if she wasn’t awake he wouldn’t bother her. He heard movement in the room and cracked the door.
The patio door was closed and the room was much the same as it had been the night before. Except for one thing.
Sitting in the middle of the room on the easel was a painting. It wasn’t one of the half-finished pieces he’d seen earlier. No, this was amazing…just amazing.
He pushed the door all the way open so he could get a better look.
He recognized the canyon cliffs of their home. The colors blended together so seamlessly it was almost like he could reach out and stroke the hard ridges of the cliffs.
Standing strong and powerful in the center of the canvas was a huge black wolf.
He nearly dropped the Styrofoam cup as he felt compelled to get closer.
It was the most astounding thing he’d ever seen. Inside his body, his wolf stretched in need. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told Cassie he sensed the animal inside. But it was like she’d been able to peer deep inside him and paint how he pictured his wolf.
“Do you like it?”
He heard Cassie behind him yet couldn’t look away from the wolf staring back at him. He even recognized the gaze that met his in the mirror. “Yes.”
She moved closer, bringing the heat from her body next to his.
“After you left, all I could think about was showing you my vision. It was like I could see him and I wanted you to be able view your wolf through my eyes,” she said quietly.
Max nodded. “It’s remarkable.” He turned suddenly and grabbed her to yank her forward. He slammed his mouth down on hers and kissed her hungrily.
Chapter Six
Cassie had been so scared about showing her newest piece to Max. She hadn’t expected such a passionate response when he did see it. She found herself pressed to Max as he ravaged her mouth. God, it felt so good. She’d never experienced such an overwhelming need for another person like she did with Max.
She gripped his shirt with her fists to keep him from stopping. They’d touched on some sensitive subjects, but she knew there was more going on with him other than his non-shifter status. She wanted to know everything that made him tick. She’d realized that the night before. Max was everything she had always desired in a mate. They weren’t ready to declare their love for each another, but she thought they might get there one day. There was a pull between them. And needed him more every minute she spent with him.
He had one arm around her waist anchoring her, but she wanted his full body not just his mouth. She drew her lips back and looked down. His free hand still held a to-go cup.
He noticed her gaze. “Coffee.”
Nodding, she took the cup from him then placed it on the shelf behind her. “Now,” she said, framing his face with her hands. “Let’s do that again.”
She was the one to kiss him this time. He didn’t hesitate to get right back to where they’d left off. Their mouths were fused together as Cassie rubbed against him.
He moaned and she swallowed the sound. He tasted so damn wonderful. Like coffee and something banana with just a hint of a spice. She could lose herself in his flavor and wouldn’t regret it at all.
He pulled at the hem of her T-shirt until he managed to get it hiked up. At the first touch of his rough palms on her stomach, she began whimpering.
“Oh, hell,” he panted against her lips. “You feel so good.”
“Yeah.” She leaned harder into him.
The doorbell rang. They froze.
“Maybe they’ll go away,” she said hopefully. She didn’t want to stop. Yes, they probably weren’t ready to just fall in bed together, but the attraction between the two of them sizzled.
Max started to step away from her and she tried to hide her disappointment.
“It’s probably for the best,” he replied. “I need to check in with Alex about the additional cameras and look for weak spots.”
She understood that he had a job to do. However, it didn’t stop her from almost obsessing about having his hands on her.
Cassie tugged her shirt back down then smoothed the material just as she heard the front door open.
“Cassie?”
“In the studio,” she called out. “That’s James, my assistant. He has a key,” she explained to Max.
He nodded. He turned to walk away but paused at the painting again. “That is truly beautiful.”
“Thank you.”