flexible. Handy for when he needs to handle pack business. It also means he has a delightfully ripped physique that only hints at the incredible strength he has as a Were. His baby blue eyes sparkled with laughter when he saw me struggling with the suitcase I’d packed. He immediately came over to give me a distressingly chaste hug and to take up the handle in one hand, lifting the heavy bag with ease.
“Hey, love, let me get that. Ready to go?”
I smiled and got up on tiptoe to give him a peck on the cheek. “Of course. I’ve been dying to get out of here.”
“Don’t forget to leave me your keys,” Sara called from her office.
I slapped my forehead and dug around in my purse while she tore herself away from the skip-tracing program she was running to see us off.
“Thanks for watching my stuff while I’m gone. No road trips to California while I’m out.” I grinned as I tossed her my car keys.
“No worries of that,” she said, laughing as she caught them. She slid her hands into the pockets of her jeans, following us out of the office and down the stairs. “Too much work to do. I can’t wait ’til Thanksgiving rolls around. Your mom cooking again this year?”
“Heck yeah. Hopefully my dad’s lightened up by then. Mom’s finally talking to me again.”
My parents had both nearly had heart attacks when they found out I was associating with Others. After my stint in the hospital from being beaten to crap by a Were, they’d given me ten kinds of hell about how I was living my life. When they found out I’d contracted myself to Alec Royce, they’d come within inches of disowning me. Thankfully, my mom was coming around and had decided I wasn’t about to sprout horns and a tail or drag the minions of the Devil to the dinner table with me on family outings. The jury was still out with my dad.
“You’re his only daughter,” Chaz said, frowning. “I don’t think he’ll be able to stay mad at you too much longer. Besides, you’re alive and unhurt. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
“Not where Others are concerned. He’s not very liberal about that sort of thing.”
Sara clapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it; he’ll get over it Remember that time he bailed us out after the party at NYU? He was only pissed off for about two weeks, then he was laughing over it with us. This can’t be that different.”
“I don’t know,” I muttered, flushing under Chaz’s sudden, intense scrutiny. “Maybe you’re right. I’m probably reading too much into it.”
“That’s the spirit!”
I mustered up a smile and climbed into the Jeep as Chaz tossed my bag in the back and slid into the driver’s side. Sara cheerfully waved us off as we pulled into traffic.
“Have a great trip! Don’t get into trouble, ’cause I’m not driving out into the boondocks to get you.”
Laughing, Chaz and I shared a look. The day was full of promise. We’d hit traffic until we got well past the Jersey Turnpike, but after that it should be smooth sailing. We’d taken road trips a handful of times before, but we’d never had so much time together without worry or responsibility. True, his pack would be hanging around, but I was thinking more about the time we’d be spending together—just the two of us.
He shot me a glance. I thought I detected a shadow of doubt in his eyes, but before I could ask about it he spoke. “Have you been looking forward to this as much as I have?”
“You bet. I couldn’t think about anything else all day.”
His expression eased into a wide smile. “I’m glad to hear it. I was a little worried you might get cold feet. Not everyone would be willing to hang around a bunch of Weres when we’re shifted.”
I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve come a long way since the first time we met.”
There was an understatement if ever I’d made one. I still felt a twinge when I recalled some of the unthinking things I’d said in front of Chaz before I found out he was a Were. He’d been persistent in sticking by my side through some tough times, and his loyalty and bravery had shown me that I’d been plenty stupid for breaking up with him after he revealed his true nature. We got back together after I figured out