The Troublemaker - Cathryn Fox Page 0,70

started on that tonight.”

“Or we could right now. You do have a private office.”

I chuckle. “As tempting as that is, I have hungry diners, and don’t worry, I’ll bring you lots of food.” I wink at him and lust and love dance in his eyes. My God, I love the way this man looks at me. “You’re going to need the energy for what I have in mind.”

“Jesus, Kinsley, you’re giving me a boner.”

I grin. “Good,” I say.

“And they call me the Troublemaker.”

“There are some things you have no trouble at, husband,” I say and a tortured sound crawls out of his throat as I saunter away, giving an extra shake of my ass to the ass man.

“You’re going to pay for that,” he grumbles.

I grin at him over my shoulder, all the love I have for him welling up inside me. “That’s what I’m counting on.”

Afterword

Thank You!

Thank you so much for reading, The Troublemaker, book 8 in my Players on Ice. I hope you loved this story as much as I loved writing it. Keep reading for an excerpt of His Obsession Next Door, book one in my Line of Duty Series.

Interested in leaving a review? Please do! Reviews help readers connect with books that work for them. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.

Happy Reading,

Cathryn

His Obsession Next Door

“What’s gotten into the puppies tonight?” Veterinarian Gemma Matthews asked her assistant as she finished securing the last howling pooch into its kennel.

Victoria gave a mock shiver and shot a nervous glance toward the shelter window. “It’s the moon. It’ll be full tomorrow night.”

Despite the uneasy feeling mushrooming inside Gemma, she laughed at her assistant and followed the long column of silver moonlight illuminating a path along the cement floor. She reached the front lobby of her clinic, now eerily quiet after a demanding day of surgeries, and turned to Victoria. She gave a playful roll of her eyes, and said, “You’ve seen too many scary movies.”

Victoria dabbed gloss to her lips, smacked them together and countered with, “Hey, it could happen.”

Gemma arched a brow, humoring the young girl she’d hired straight out of veterinary college. “You think?”

“Sure.” Victoria’s long, blonde ponytail flicked over her shoulder as she gestured to the no-kill shelter attached to the clinic. “That’s why the dogs are barking.” Her green eyes widened and her voice sounded conspiratorial when she added, “They can sense the big, bad wolf out there, ready to shred a human’s heart into a million tiny pieces.”

“I hate to break it to you, Victoria,” Gemma said, grinning at her assistant’s antics, “but werewolves don’t exist.” Even though Gemma didn’t believe in the supernatural, there was nothing she could do to ignore the jittery feeling that had been plaguing her all day. The truth was, the dogs weren’t the only ones feeling antsy and out of sorts on this hot summer night.

Her assistant held her arms up and jangled the big, silver charm bracelets lining her wrists. “Well I’m not taking any chances, which is why I’ve armed myself with silver.”

Before Gemma could respond, the office phone started ringing. As Victoria turned her attention to the caller, Gemma dimmed the lights and made her way to the front door to stare out into the ominous night. She stole a glance skyward and took in the mosaic of stars shimmering against the velvet backdrop. Even though the Austin night was calm, with not a cloud to be found in the charcoal sky, deep inside Gemma could sense a strange new ripple in the air. It left her feeling ill at ease. She placed a hand over her stomach, unable to shake the feeling that all was not right in her world.

Honestly, she had no reason to feel apprehensive or troubled, considering she finally had everything she ever wanted—her own clinic in the city, a no-kill shelter to help re-home animals, and an upcoming banquet that would hopefully raise enough funds to expand her animal sanctuary before she had to start turning pets away.

Swallowing down her edginess, Gemma set the deadbolt and was about to switch the sign from Open to Closed when a tall, dark figure stepped from the inky shadows. She sucked in a quick breath and felt a measure of panic as the very male, very familiar figure came into view.

Speaking of the big, bad wolf.

“Oh. My. God,” she rushed out breathlessly.

“Is everything okay?” Victoria asked from behind the counter.

Instead of answering, Gemma’s shaky hands went back to the deadbolt, certain she