She had the sudden urge to skim her fingers over the rough edge of stubble on his jaw—stubble that had once left marks all over her breasts and thighs. She liked that he’d traded his military buzz for a short-back-and-sides haircut; she’d enjoy tugging on the short, dark, ruffled strands during her next X-rated dream.
It was rather sad that he starred in so many of them, but, in her defense, he was achingly hot and possessed a voice that was pure molten sexuality.
Her cat did a long, languid stretch, coming to life at the presence of this dominant, powerful male she recognized well. From minute one, the animal had been curious about him—she was a cat, after all—and drawn to his confidence. Right now, she was curious about why he was there. For that matter, so was Harley. If the dark vibe he was giving off was anything to go by, it wasn’t good.
“Hey, Harley, you played great tonight,” called out one of the regular guests. His friends echoed the sentiment.
She lifted her hand in a brief wave. “Thanks.” She turned back to Jesse and braced herself for whatever had brought him here. “You’re making me super nervous right now. Are you here to break some bad news to me? Has someone been hurt?”
“I won’t answer your questions here,” said Jesse. “Take us somewhere we can talk in private.”
She couldn’t help bristling at his curt, authoritative tone. “Not until you tell me what this is about.” Movement caught her eye, and she tensed. “Is that Bracken and Zander?”
Seeing they had been spotted, the two males came over. She backed up slightly. Not retreating but positioning herself so that she could take in all three males at once. Her cat coiled, ready to strike.
When their greetings only received brief nods, Bracken said, “Look, I know we’re not your favorite people. For what it’s worth, we never once thought you introduced Mia to drugs.”
“We told the adults of our pack that, but they wouldn’t listen,” said Zander.
Jesse stepped closer to her. “But this isn’t about Mia or anyone else. It’s about you. And you need to hear what we have to say. But not here.” Jesse cursed inwardly when she just stared at him defiantly. His wolf liked that she wasn’t easily pushed, despite being annoyed by her lack of cooperation. Jesse was just as frustrated, though most of that frustration was because he was hard as a fucking rock, struggling against an oppressive sexual heat that always struck him around this feline.
At one time, the intensity of that attraction had made him feel guilty, made him feel like he was betraying his true mate, even though she’d died before either of them were old enough to bond. He’d long ago worked past the guilt. “Don’t try to send me away, Harley. I’m not leaving until you talk to me. This relates to your safety.”
Stubborn-assed motherfucker. Harley decided against arguing with him any further. He wasn’t the type of male who could be easily sent away. She exhaled a resigned sigh. “We can use my boss’s office; he’s not here tonight.” She led them backstage and into the small, cluttered office. Folding her arms over her chest, she said, “Well, why are you here?”
Deciding to spare her any preamble, he replied, “I came because I had reason to believe your car was rigged with a bomb.”
Inhaling sharply, Harley opened her mouth . . . but, completely stunned, she had no words. Her cat froze, equally shocked. Finally, Harley said, “Could you repeat that?”
“You heard me, baby.”
Choosing to ignore the way her stomach clenched at the term “baby,” she shook her head. “I don’t understand. Why would you think that?”
“A four-year-old pup in my pack is a Seer. She isn’t able to explain her visions very well yet, but she was clear that your car would ‘go boom.’”
Harley’s brows lifted. “She said my name?”
“No, but she described you right down to having a musical talent.”
“That doesn’t mean it was me. I mean, you have to admit it’s odd that the little girl would have a vision of me, right? I don’t know her. I’m not part of your pack. I’m no one to you.”
“You’re not no one to me,” rumbled Jesse, infuriated that she would ever say that. His wolf backed him up with a growl. “And it was your car in the vision. I know it because Zander checked the vehicle before we came inside.”
She slid her gaze to Zander, who nodded and said, “I disabled the bomb. It’s simple enough for me to remove it without any problem, if that makes you feel any better.”
Um, no it didn’t.
“Who would target you that way?” asked Jesse, prowling toward her. “Has anyone threatened you?”
Harley tensed as he stepped right into her personal space. Not just because it was a very brazen move that could get his eyes scratched out, but because his scent of crushed ripe cranberries, cinnamon bark, and raw sexuality was like a zap to her senses. “Well, sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“I get hate mail from the extremists.”
“Extremists?” echoed Zander. “They’ve been known to use car bombs, so it could very well be them.”
Planting his feet, Jesse folded his arms. “Tell me about the hate mail. How long have you been receiving it?”
“It started recently, when people began speculating if Clive heads The Movement,” she replied. “Before you ask, I don’t know if that’s true or not. Anyway, the extremists have been sending me abusive e-mails.”