he was too scared to try for a real relationship with anyone his own age, let alone someone as glorious and wonderful as Judd. This way, Colin could have a little piece of the man risk free. Because it would only be until Colin had learned the basics and then it would end. That was appealing.
Colin decided to be bold and approach Judd with an offer. Wouldn’t it be fun to play the enforcer at his own game? Pretend all innocent, that he had this idea – would Judd teach him sexitimes? He would bat his (nonexistent) eyelashes and pretend he’d never overheard them concocting their scheme.
The very next night, when Judd came back from his first patrol, Colin would go to him and make him an offer. He practiced what he’d say. I’ve been thinking about hiring a professional, and then it occurred to me, when you hugged me and smelled so good, that perhaps you might be interested, Judd sweetie pie. Okay, maybe not sweetie pie.
Yes, this was a good scheme. This would work. And it would maybe turn his brother’s manipulating on its ass. If Colin pretended it was all his idea, it gave him the power, and the ability to impose boundaries.
Bolstered and pleased with himself, Colin was also nervous about the task. He could have done it that very night, but he wasn’t that brave. He needed at least twenty-four hours to come up with a proper plan… and an alternative to sweetie pie… and an outfit. He should wear something sexy, but he didn’t own anything sexy. He scuttled upstairs and hid in his room, upending his closet, just in case.
Everything was blessedly quiet on the property. The stone and sea, the fog and dirt familiar now and comforting. It had been a wild evening. It was nice to have a calm night. The enforcers did find a doe and her fawns attempting backyard infiltration. It wasn’t time yet for full moon hunt, so Judd and Kevin merely chased them off. They then peed the fence line to warn them here be wolves!
It was a good pee.
Judd left Kevin to finish running a wider sweep plus additional urination obligations as needed.
He returned to the pack house first, shifted, but was still wide awake. So he decided to review the new contract. See if there was any way to get out of it. He couldn’t believe he’d accidentally committed them to looking after Colin and Kevin’s mother. Unfortunately, it was ironclad. Like it or not, they had one day’s grace before Lexi Blanc descended upon them.
He was crushed not to find Colin in his usual study spot. He must have gone to bed early, cut up over Judd’s blunder. Accident or not, Lexi Blanc in their lives was Judd’s fault. Judd wanted to approach him about Kevin’s suggestion. Of course he wanted to. Right now. Too eager.
He was a lecherous old wolf.
As a distraction and precaution, Judd focused on learning everything that he could about Alpha Bitch Blanc. He wasn’t great on the internet. He wasn’t incompetent either. He started a file on her, printing out any articles of interest.
Of course, the questions he really had could not be answered by the internet. Why had she demanded Kevin be part of her team? Did she just want to see him again? Check in? Or was she trying to rebuild a lost relationship? Why only Kevin? Did she know Colin was also with them? Colin wasn’t mentioned on the Heavy Lifting website at all, even though he’d built it and acted as tech support. But he was a registered pack member. How much was Lexi Blanc like Colin’s father? Did she only care for Kevin because he was the big, strong enforcer, the perfect werewolf, the golden child?
The rest of the pack often joked that Judd was intent on printing out the whole of the World Wide Web, in case it went away while he slept. It was more that Judd didn’t trust himself to be able to find anything a second time.
Once he had a good stack of things to read, he went back out to the den, settled in for a long night. Kevin would take first shift. In a few hours, Judd would do the rounds again while Kevin napped. Then they’d swap. They tended to keep nocturnal hours. Most of Heavy Lifting’s gigs were at night. Even regular humans did the kinds of things requiring bodyguards at night. So when they were