arms, and never let her go.
She also worked for someone who wouldn’t hesitate to leverage her safety against the pack. Not only was she the human sister of one pack member but if anyone found out she was my mate she’d be even more at risk.
How could I protect her? First, I needed to keep my head. Evolution Defense knew our pack. They’d been watching us. I was sure they knew I was a werewolf. If I started spending time with Madison, it would make her even more valuable to them. But how could I keep my distance? Every minute with her made me want another.
I was fucked, and not in the way I wanted to be.
“I think we’re finished here,” I said. “Thanks for your help.”
She leaned against the stainless-steel sink and crossed her arms. “I see why my brother warned me you had a lot on your plate. You’re on call twenty-four hours a day.”
“I’m the only large-animal vet at my clinic so it comes with the job.” I studied her for a second, wishing I could tell her everything. Baby steps. First I needed to be sure she understood her instincts about her employer were right. “But you work for someone who might be spying on you.”
She grinned, rolling her eyes. “I guess my plate might be fuller than I realized.”
I dropped my hands to my sides, sobering. “You could always quit.”
Her eyes widened as she shook her head. “I just got this job. Besides, even if I wanted to quit, I can’t yet. Deidra is hosting a big fundraiser, and I’ve been invited to network and locate investors for Serenity Farms. The commission would mean I could buy a nice house here. I can’t walk away from that. I’ll just need to be more careful about my communications.”
My pulse pounded at the thought of Madison swimming with all those sharks. “What’s the fundraiser for?”
“Some kind of neurological research, I think.” She straightened, placing a hand on her hip. “Deidra gave me a tour of the main house and asked me to bring Chandler along for the event. I was so shocked she knew I had a brother in town that I didn’t really get a chance to think it through. I mean, he is a news anchor, so maybe she’s hoping he can give her some good publicity.”
Or she knew he was a jaguar shifter whose werewolf wife was expecting. But I couldn’t tell Madison any of that, either. “Your brother has got his hands full taking care of Wendy, but I’ll go with you if you want.”
She stared at me for what seemed like forever. I wished I could read her mind. Was I pushing too hard? I’d never been in this situation before. My dad told stories about celebrating with his brother when he realized mom was his mate. I needed to keep mine a secret. She was right here, the other half of my soul, and I couldn’t tell her.
When she didn’t answer right away, I picked up my keys from the counter, not trusting myself to look at her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to invite myself along.”
I didn’t look back as I walked to the door, but her footsteps trailed behind me. She stopped beside me while I entered in the security code. Her voice was thoughtful and low. I wasn’t sure if she was talking to me or herself. “Actually, I’d like it if you came to the fundraiser with me. It’s just that I feel like I’m missing something here and I can’t figure it out, because when we sang together tonight…”
Her words trailed off, and my heart hammered in my chest. She must’ve sensed our connection, as well. I turned to face her. “There was something between us. I felt it, too.”
Time stretched out as I held my breath, waiting to see if she’d acknowledge it. Finally, she started to nod. “That’s never happened to me before.”
“Me neither.” I swiped the back of my hand across my forehead and risked meeting her eyes. “But that was my first duet. Maybe I’m just a natural.”
She laughed, the sound feeding my soul as we walked toward my truck. She came closer, nudging me with her shoulder. “You might be.”
I stopped at the door, facing her again. Her eyes sparkled in the soft glow of the streetlight and I brought my hand up, sliding one finger under her jaw to tilt her chin toward me. God, she was beautiful.
“If we stay here