Underdogs The First Stories - By Geonn Cannon Page 0,27

and then slowly having the volume turned down until it was only barely audible. She breathed deeply and let it out, and her smelling had returned to normal.

She finally left the loading dock and tossed her bag into the backseat of her Rambler Marlin. She and Bryn had been seeing each other for a few weeks, but she wouldn't call it dating. They had sex, went on runs together in their animal forms, had the occasional meal, but it was far from a relationship. She was starting to wish they had defined it if just so she would know what to call what they were currently going through. Was it a break-up or just a drifting apart?

Whatever it was, she didn't expect to be seeing Bryn Decker much longer. She hated being in the limbo area, where they were still together but both of them knew it wasn't going anywhere. She preferred to be free. But that didn't mean she was comfortable being the one to end things. Bryn most likely felt the same way, which put them in the middle of a standoff. Hopefully doing this favor for her would lead to an amicable separation. "No hard feelings, but maybe it's time we admit this has run its course."

Ari started her car after a few false starts, coaxing the engine into a steady rumble, and then pulled away.

Whatever happened with Bryn, consulting a case with the police could pay very nicely indeed. Dale would be thrilled.

#

Natalie woke Dale with a kiss, sliding her hand underneath Dale's pajama top. Dale smiled as her girlfriend's hand pressed against her stomach, pulling her back until they were spooning. Natalie kissed her neck, and Dale writhed under the assault. "You got away from me," Natalie whispered. "Naughty girl."

"Mm." She shifted and turned her head so they could kiss properly. Natalie stroked Dale's stomach. "I have an early appointment. I need to be in by six-thirty."

Dale looked at the clock. It was still ten minutes to six.

"We could have sex, but we'd have to do it in the shower." She pressed a kiss to Dale's cheek just under her closed eye. "Or we could put a pin in it. Wait until this evening and really take our time."

"I'm a big fan of taking our time."

"Okay." Natalie grinned. She slid her hand down, letting her palm mold to the shape of Dale's hip. "Then you better be well-rested. I'll try not to wake you when I leave."

"Okay." She lifted her head for another kiss, whispered goodbye, and lay back down as Natalie slipped out of her bed. Dale switched her pillow with Natalie's, pressed her face against the pillowcase, and breathed in her girlfriend's scent. She drifted back into sleep with a smile, only vaguely aware of the shower turning on.

She must have drifted into a deeper sleep at some point, because the next thing she was aware of was the phone ringing on her nightstand. She sat up, hair draping her face as she looked toward the clock. She swept it back over her head with one push of her hand, grabbing the phone as she realized it was three minutes past seven. She flipped the phone open and glanced toward the bathroom. The light was off, and Natalie was long gone.

"Hey, this is me."

Ari said, "Hey. Something's weird."

Dale pushed herself up and leaned against the headboard. "Is everything okay? Did you go out last night?"

"Yeah, that's all fine. But I'm at work, and the lights are all off, and the door won't open."

"When was the last time you got to work at seven in the morning?" Dale was smiling despite her tone.

"It's a special circumstance. I managed to get a potential case last night, and I thought I would get a head start on it. But now I'm thinking you're full of it, Dale Frye. You always get in five minutes before I do, you just pretend like you've been there for hours to make me feel lazy."

"How dare you." She kicked away her blankets and one of the toys she and Natalie had used the night before hit the floor with a thud. She kicked it under the bed with her foot. "Give me a couple minutes to shower and dress, and I'll--"

"Don't rush. It can wait until eight o'clock or another reasonable time. I can hang out until then."

"Okay. I won't make you wait too long."

"Dale."

"Mm-hmm."

"Don't you think it's odd that I'm the boss and I don't have a key to