“You nearly done?”
Chad leaned on the wall, arms folded, and got in the way. The man wasn’t close enough for Jared to shove the toilet plunger over his face, but the thought was tempting. “It’s not working. Looks like we’ll need a snake.”
“Why don’t you go get one?” Chad suggested.
He could do one better. Jared pulled out his phone and texted quickly. “It’ll be here in a minute.”
Chad frowned. “Really?”
“Really. It’s called delegating, Chad. You should try it sometime. I’m here, elbows deep in a project, so one of the guys currently walking the floor will bring the things we need. How long have you been working on this ship, anyway?”
Okay, he wasn’t being as polite as he’d been the day before. But knowing the creep had been after Keri made Jared’s fur stand on end which, when he was in human form, was a really uncomfortable sensation.
“This is my sixth trip. I did five with Tessa’s brother. Now there was a guy who knew how to run things.”
Not if he hired you four more times.
“Tessa seems to be doing a great job.”
“She’s a girl.”
Jared kept his mouth shut but his brain screamed
good observation, genius
.
Chad didn’t need any encouragement. “Always that type. Get the job because they’re family, you know. Flash a little hip, and then poof, they’ve got the position someone more competent should have.”
“Really. Were you looking for her position?”
Chad laughed. “Me? Nahhh. I like coordinating behind the scenes. The front-line stuff was Tony’s place. He was good at it. Should come back.”
Jared wasn’t going to waste air responding. The guy clearly wasn’t listening to anything but his own voice.
Silence reigned except for the sloshing water as he worked the stopped-up water lines. Who knew that the summers he’d spent hanging out with the pool staff would have taught him so much about plumbing? Life really was an education.
The door squeaked open behind them, and instant delight hit at seeing Keri step in, followed by a quickly beaten-down urge to kill as Chad peeled himself off the wall and sauntered into her path.
And stopped.
“Holy fuck, you smell like him.” Chad pointed to Jared. “You been turning me down to hump a grease jockey?”
Keri planted both hands on her hips and glared. “You’re in my way.”
“Really, Keri, really?” Chad inched aside but raised his volume. “All this time? You choose that mongrel over me?”
Jared watched intently, just to make sure if Chad did do anything inappropriate, he’d be able to leap from the maintenance hold and rip the ass’s head off. And because he was paying close attention, he saw it all, like poetry in motion. Keri timed her step past Chad so her hip connected at the perfect angle to send him sprawling into the open space that was filled with overflow from the stopped up pipes.
Two additional careful steps brought her safely over the piping lining the floor, then she kicked slightly, like a dog covering her business, and Jared clamped his mouth shut to stop from roaring with laughter.
She reached out the loops of metal he needed for the job. The sweet smile on her face let him know she was content to have put Chad in his place all on her own.
“Here you go. I was headed this way, and thought I’d stop by to say hi.”
“Hi.”
There was dirty water around Jared’s feet, a slightly nasty smell in the air, but having Chad on his ass and her mate grinning back at her made the moment pretty damn bright. “I’m not going to kiss you. Not right now.”
Jared shook his head. “Save it for later. Having a good day?”
Before she could answer, a growl rose behind Keri. Chad stumbled to his feet, cursing loudly.
Jared leaned to the side. “I imagine the cruise labour relations has rules about that kind of language. I might have to put in a formal complaint if you keep it up.”
Chad flicked his fingers and dirty water sprayed everywhere. “You two deserve each other.”
He spun and exited the room, his jeans soaking wet.
Keri sighed. “I’m sorry, I guess I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Well, it’s not as if I’m worried I’m going to get fired. He’s a jerk. Don’t worry about him.”
She nodded as she found a dry spot on top of one of the mechanical boxes.
“Still, unless you’re going to…” Suddenly it hit her. “Hey, why did you go back to work this morning anyway? You’re right. It’s not like you need the job, and you don’t have to hide that you’re not Mark anymore. Tessa is cool with it.”
Jared pointed at the door briefly. “Chad would probably try to have me arrested for evil impersonation or something. Besides, there’s only so many workers doing maintenance, and if I cut out, they’re going to be swamped. I can handle another five days.”
Warmth trickled through her. “You’re one of the good guys, aren’t you?”
“In spite of having money, you mean? Yeah, I guess. It’s what I’d want others to do.”
“My comment had nothing to do with you having money. I think I like you, Jared Gilliland.”
He stopped in the middle of feeding the plumbing snake down the drain to turn his full-wattage smile on her. “I like you too, Keri Smith.”
He stared for a minute, and she could feel his gaze on her lips, her body. Like a laser beam heating her up. “Stop that.”
“Can’t help it. If you mean the looking at you. You just…” He jerked his head away. “My wolf is not helping matters. We need a little time taking a run. When do we hit the next dry land?”
Even the mention of a run made something leap inside. “Ketchikan. We make port around seven tomorrow morning. We depart eight p.m.”
“Then it’s a date? I’m not on shift until afternoon. Can I entice you to explore the island with me tomorrow morning?”
“Sounds wonderful.”
She curled her arms around her legs and luxuriated in her happiness. Her wolf stopped making filthy suggestions of how to seduce her mate and instead preened in having chosen such a good match.
Yeah, yeah, you know everything.
Her wolf agreed completely.
“You get the stolen stuff back to Tessa?”
She nodded then realized he couldn’t see her as he’d turned his back to continue working. “First time I’ve seen her get snarly in a long time. She’s very pissed off someone would dare to try to set up my mate for a fall.”
“Well, people didn’t know I was your mate, did they?”
“No, but she’s still pissed.” Keri had to smile. “It’s funny. I started this trip wondering if I was going to have to hold Tessa’s hand the entire time, but the more demands made on her the better she’s stood up to the challenge.”
“She’s got the training, right? You said she graduated with honours?”
“Yeah. She’s totally got the skills, only she’s always comparing herself to her big brother who is like Mr. Perfection. That dude is freaky. It’s not his fault that he’s good at everything he does, but it…” She didn’t want to seem disloyal to Tessa.
Jared dragged back hard on the snake, pulling something through the pipes. “It makes it tough for the people who follow behind? Yeah, I can see that. Especially in shifter families, it can get tough. Although cats are usually less into the ‘I have bigger fangs than you’.”
“Tony isn’t competitive at all. He’s this big old friendly pussycat, which is part of the reason I think he did such a good job coordinating. Everyone liked him and they worked hard for him.”
Jared tugged again, making a little more headway. “What’s the story with Chad, then? He doesn’t seem the type to be best buds with someone like Tony. Chad’s the opposite of an overachiever.”
Another tug. Another. Keri watched in fascination as he worked. “Nope. Makes perfect sense. Tony was too softhearted to fire Chad’s ass. But to be honest, it sounds as if the way Chad’s dealt with you this trip is the first time he’s really stepped over the line. You know, acting like a shithead.”
“Oh, I’m getting special treatment? How simply marvelous.”
Keri snorted, the sound escalating into a cry of surprise as Jared gave one final tug and the stuck object burst into view.
An enormous, sodden stuffed polar bear with a ragged snout stared forlornly at them both as they laughed. Thievery and brother’s evil friends completely forgotten in the moment of growing together.
Jared rested his muzzle along Keri’s back, both of them still breathing hard from chasing each other through the tall timbers of the forest covering the mountains behind Ketchikan. They’d found a small open space overlooking the town, the highway between them and the brightly coloured square houses built in layers over the steep hillside.
“That was amazing. And just what I needed,”
Keri all but purred as she settled more comfortably.
Even speaking into her mind was more effort than he wanted to make. Lazy contentment poured through every one of his muscles, the morning sunshine bathing them with warmth. The harbour lay below them, not close enough for any more than the faint sound of human voices and wheels over the docks. Three massive ships stood in waiting, their passengers pouring through the small town like an invasion.
And every day that same invasion would repeat itself, but unlike the Vikings or Goths, these raids brought energy and finances to the people who lived and loved the remote land.
He would miss the North terribly if they left, and suddenly that had to be part of what he shared with her.
“Keri—we can live anywhere we want, you know that, right?”
She quivered under him.
“I hear the words, but the pictures are not registering properly yet.”
“I understand. And I’m not pushing but need you to know I really love this kind of thing. The wilderness, and the small towns. The ability to shift and be completely wild within five minutes of leaving my house—if you’ve only experienced that kind of freedom while on a holiday, maybe you can’t understand, but this is home for me.”
She rolled belly up, and his wolf trembled to control the howl of delight that wanted to escape. Then she wiggled around and licked his muzzle, and he was even more floored.
“I have no home. No place that calls me to be there on holidays and special events. You are my mate, and while I want to have conversations about what’s happening in our life, I’m too damn happy right now to try to figure out things I should complain about. I’m a wolf, Jared. I like dirt under my paws and the sun warming my fur. If you want to live in the North, I’m good with it. If you want to take me to expensive places in Europe, I’ll just have to grin and bear that.”
She was all soft against him and he stared over the water contently. They watched the action for a good twenty minutes, Jared enjoying every one of the deep breaths he took that allowed more and more of her scent to fill his head.
“Too funny. Look.”
Keri patted a paw toward the main street.
“Paws suck as fingers. What are you trying to show—wait a minute. Is that Chad sucking face with someone?”
Keri wiggled with her laughter.
“Oh wow, it’s Eden from housekeeping. She’s been all over his ass from what I heard. Chad was complaining about her to Tony between trips a while back, and Tessa mentioned it was happening this trip as well.”
Jared examined the near-to-sex-on-the-street happening up against the back wall of the side street.
“He doesn’t seem to be complaining anymore.”
He was getting a little turned on. It had nothing to do with Chad—ick ick and triple ick—but everything to do with the fact he was picturing putting Keri into that same position up against the wall and doing a little enthusiastic sun-worshipping himself.
“Is your wolf happy? Shall we go grab a quick lunch?”
Keri was on her feet and racing down the path to where they’d hidden their clothing.
“I say skip lunch and we can have sex until it’s time for your shift.”
Even as they sprinted down the hillside, he couldn’t believe his incredible good luck. He loved being a wolf. Loved having a mate.
And lunchtime trysts with his mate? Oh yeah…he was sure he was going to love those too.
Chapter Eleven
Tessa wrinkled her nose as she accepted the handful of jewelry Keri passed over. “It just doesn’t make any sense. I had a couple of the best noses on the ship go through all the crew quarters, and it’s impossible to figure out from scent alone who’s been stealing and hiding things. And when they were only hiding it on Jared, it was one thing. But now that it’s spread to you?”
“That’s why it’s got to be a plant.”
“It’s driving me crazy how they’ve managed to stay one step ahead of me.” Tessa offered another piece of chocolate.
Keri turned it down flat. “How the caffeine in that stuff doesn’t make you crawl the walls, I’ll never know.”
“Who says it doesn’t? I’m actually half-comatose normally.”
Keri blew a raspberry then rose to her feet as Jared approached.
“May I interrupt?” He kissed her cheek and Keri sighed like a lovelorn schoolgirl.
Tessa raised a brow. “You seem capable of doing anything you put your mind to. Including mucking up my well-running cruise.”