For Your Paws Only (Supernatural Enforcers Agency #2) (19 page)

Cutter felt a spark of almost excitement. They were getting closer to an answer; it was tantalizingly within reach. “Who was the guy?”

“One of Maroni’s old men, Sadie told me he looked different, his neck was covered in scars, and he could barely speak, but it was him. She isn’t sure of his name.”

“That doesn’t sound like any SEA agent I know,” said Lucie in disappointment.

Cutter tried to smile, but it must have come out as more of a scowl. He was half disappointed, but also half relieved.

“Does Sadie have any idea why Clayton suddenly looked for her?” he asked Primrose who shook her head in response.

“But at least we know it’s one of Maroni’s men doing this,” offered Lucie optimistically. “We just need to catch him, right?”

“I wouldn’t even begin to know where to look,” he started despondently. “I need to think about this.”

“You’re not going to tell anyone about Sadie,” barked Primrose. It was probably meant to be a question, but it came out as an order.

He opened his mouth to snarl at her but, much to his chagrin and his wolf’s fury, Lucie hugged her tighter.

“We won’t, of course we won’t,” his little hedgehog soothed. “Maybe the two of you should come home with us?”

Cutter gave her a cutting motion across his throat that just made her frown.

“I appreciate the offer,” said Primrose, “but I’d rather stay here. I have portable heaters, and the bathroom is just down the way. The owner of this place is easily bribable; a number of married men end up living here after their wives kick them out,” she told them scornfully.

Primrose pressed herself against Lucie, enjoying the comfort the small shifter provided. Cutter stepped up to the intertwined women and forced them to pull apart. He put his arm around Lucie and tucked her into his side, placing his big body between the two women.
What?
Was he getting all jealous and territorial just because they were hugging?
Nuh-uh, no way
. His wolf howled – the beast was all for being jealous and territorial.

“Take care we’ll be back in the morning to check on her, right?” mumbled Lucie whose face was currently planted in his chest area.

Cutter gave her a sour look but agreed when she looked up and gave him the full force of her big baby blues. With that, he dragged her away before his little hedgehog decided that Primrose needed another hug.

*

“Well, at least we’re making progress,” offered Lucie as Cutter hauled her over the fence. He did consider just asking Primrose to give them the code to get out, but this was more fun. He cupped her ass cheeks, giving them a light squeeze that was totally necessary.

“Yeah, we eliminated our only suspect,” he replied gruffly as she scrambled onto the roof.

He clambered up the fence with ease, reveling in the impressed expression on her face and more than a little self-satisfied at the hint of arousal he scented.

“But we have this new suspect – the scarred man.”

Finally back in the ice cream truck, Lucie tried to inject him with some optimism. A lost cause as far as he was concerned.

“Yeah,” he muttered.

“You were hoping it was going to be the mole?”

Cutter sighed. “Yeah, there’re just too many things that don’t make sense, and I just… I don’t know how it all pieces together.”

“Let’s go home and get some rest, it’s been a long day already.” And it was still early afternoon. Lucie stared out the window, pensively.

“Sadie will be okay, thanks to you,” he murmured, guessing the direction of her thoughts.

“Primrose would have taken her to the hospital in time. I just can’t help but feel… anger at what happened to her.”

His wolf whimpered helplessly as Lucie shivered. “Maroni’s in prison.”

“Yet, she’s still in danger.”

Cutter pressed a chaste yet tender kiss to her temple, and she wiped away a tear.

He started driving home and after a couple of nose blows, she said, “I forgot to tell you Avery’s message. She wanted me to update you on the hedgehog’s murder.”

“Fuck, I’d forgotten all about that.”

Lucie proceeded to relate the progress Avery and Wayne had made, informing him about the DNA on the toothpick belonging to someone called Bruce Knightley.

Cutter pondered that name; it certainly sounded familiar.

Chapter Eighteen

Cutter and Lucie let themselves into her house through the garage, sneaking in like thieves in the night. Except they weren’t thieves, and it wasn’t night. Lucie laughed at acting so stealthily around her own house, but Cutter grunted and growled until she gave in.

As they approached the door to the kitchen, Cutter froze, and his wolf growled lowly. He scented unknown males. Lucie bumped into his back.

“Wha…”

Cutter spun and clamped a paw over her mouth. She peered at him wonderingly before the saucy minx kissed his palm.

Caught between a disapproving frown and slack-jawed lust, he snapped into action as he heard a crash in the kitchen. With a snarl telling her to stay where she was, he crashed through the door taking too preppy-looking male shifters by surprise.

The smaller male - a raven shifter - let out a yelp as Cutter threw him against the refrigerator. Multitudes of colorful fridge magnets scattered across the room.

“Eric!” roared the larger male – a fucking lion shifter Cutter noted before body slamming him.

Cutter was kneeling on the lion’s neck before he heard his hedgehog’s disgruntled squeak.

“Oh my god! Baby, no, that’s Xander.”

His wolf howled in outrage before, with renewed murder in his eyes and started applying more pressure.

“Cutter, stop!” she yelled.

With an enormous amount of regret, and a monumental effort to contain his wolf, Cutter backed off as Lucie and the raven shifter twittered over Xander.
Fucking Xander
. If he started telling Lucie to her face that he loved her, Cutter would fucking murder the cat!

Lucie, wisely, took a step away from the two males and placed a hand on Cutter’s trembling chest. Perhaps she sensed his displeasure, or it might be the constant, low rumble emanating from his mouth.

“What are you guys doing here?” she asked, training her eyes on Cutter.

The raven shifter inspected Xander’s neck. “Didn’t you get our message?”

She cocked her head to the side. “No, what message?”

“I left you a message on your answer machine telling you that we were coming by,” rasped Xander.

Lucie raised an eyebrow at Cutter and pouted her lips together. Yeah, she was mad but all he could think about was how kissable she looked at that moment.

“No, for some reason I didn’t get that message.”

The raven looked over Cutter appreciatively. “New boyfriend?”

“No,” blushed Lucie.

“What’s it to you?” demanded Cutter, clinging to his outraged beast.

The two males gave each other significant glances, and in unison they said, “New Boyfriend.”

Cutter bared his fangs. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Cutter!” Lucie gaped at him. “This is Xander, my ex-husband.”

She wiggled her eyebrows up and down. She might as well have said ‘hint, hint.’

“You better be as gay as she said you were!” ground out Cutter.

“Cutter!” Her voice went up about two octaves in shock. The two males just stared at him in surprise.

What? He wasn’t ripping them apart them apart for intruding or declaring their love for Lucie – even though his wolf wanted to. His mood was actually kind of mild. That was probably due to her hand still innocuously placed on his chest.
Yep, it may be hard to believe, but this was a mellow kind of rage.

“I promise you I’m gay,” said Xander with only a hint of amusement. “I have a boyfriend and everything – this is Eric.”

The raven shifter pouted as he pulled Xander to his feet. “The
boyfriend
– but I prefer the term life partner.”

Xander snorted. “Yeah well I prefer you not bringing takeaway curries into the house, but we don’t all get our way.”

They smiled at Cutter, who seethed in return.

Lucie was chewing on her lip so hard it was almost raw red. “Umm, what brings you guys by? I thought you weren’t back until next week.”

Xander smiled. “We cut our visit to Eric’s parents short.”

Eric nodded. “My mom won a trip on a Caribbean cruise at bingo.”

“How lovely! Millie must have been thrilled,” gushed Lucie.

“So we came home early, and we thought we’d swing by to pick up Delmonte, regale you with our trip to Italy and treat you to dinner,” said Xander.

Eric grinned. “Of course, if we knew you had company…”

Lucie flushed a delightful shade of pink over her neck and face, and if they didn’t have intruders –
or company, whatever
- Cutter would have instantly delved into her shirt and investigated how far reaching the flush was. Fuckers, ruining his fun.

“Well,” she began, shyly, “we’re just going to get changed, how about we order some takeaway when we come down? Not Indian,” she added on seeing the moue of distaste on Xander’s face.

The other two men agreed and watched as Lucie tugged on Cutter’s hand, leading him away from the kitchen.

Xander frowned as Cutter passed him. “Hey is that my sweater?” Cutter snarled. “Nope, never mind, my mistake.”

She didn’t speak a word as they walked upstairs; she didn’t utter a peep as she pulled him into the bathroom and not a syllable passed her lips as she started stripping out of her clothes. He expected recriminations for attacking and then snarling at her friends, but nothing came, and it made him extremely nervous.

“Aren’t you going to yell?”

Lucie slipped off her oversized t-shirt. “I’m sorry, I forgot they had a key.”

“What’s happening?”

Torturously slowly, she pushed her shorts down her legs and kicked them away. She bared her sweet mound to him, and he could see the glistening, pearly evidence of her arousal clinging to her curls. “I’m getting naked.”

“I can see that,” he replied, a little more hoarse than he would have liked. “You never told me your ex was a lion shifter.”

“Because it makes no difference.”

His wolf almost swooned as she unhooked her bra and let it flutter to the floor. Was there a lack of oxygen in that room? Because there felt like there was a lack of oxygen.

Lucie stepped into the shower and turned on the spray. She squirted some shower gel in her hands and, never breaking eye contact, she let them wander over her breasts.

Cutter swallowed as he watched her hypnotic movements. Just moments ago his wolf had been furious but the tension was almost fleeing his body; it was being replaced by a much more pressing and enjoyable feeling. “Wha… what are you doing?”

“Having a shower. Aren’t you going to join me?” She batted her eyelashes.
Minx
.

“Won’t they be waiting for us downstairs?”

“They’ll keep.”

One hand travelled down her stomach to tap her clit; she let out a breathy moan. Within seconds, he was pulling off his clothes and pinning her to the wall of the shower. He plunged two fingers into her tight sheath and she rippled around him.

“So wet, so ready,” he crooned against her mouth. “Ready for me.”

“Yes, only you, always you,” she babbled as his fingers pumped in and out of her.

She pushed her hips against his hand as tiny claws sliced through her fingers into his shoulder. He pushed his palm against her sensitive nub, making her arch against him, crushing her plush breasts against him. He dipped his head and laved each of her creamy orbs with his tongue. Her bucking motions against his hand went wild and she grasped his head, clutching him to her. He sucked as much of her flesh into his mouth as he could before releasing it and nipping little love bites around her nipple.

“Going to… almost…” she panted.

As he felt her cresting, he thrust a third finger inside her, and she came, jerking against him almost violently. He withdrew his fingers and drove his aching manhood inside her; her orgasm made her almost painfully tight, and he fought the urge to come straight away and let her milk the essence from his body. Determined to last, he gritted his teeth and held still as her inner muscles clamped and suckled at him.

When she finally calmed and slumped against his body, he gripped her hips and began rocking in and out of her body. Soon enough, her legs were wrapped around him, and she was racing toward another climax. As she screamed in ecstasy, Cutter roared and spilled himself inside her.

For the first time in his life, he had an urge to sink his teeth inside the quivering woman he held in his arms and make her his forever.

*

Once Cutter relaxed, dinner was actually quite a pleasant experience. Xander and Eric bore him no ill will, although they couldn’t help chuckling as he scooted his chair right up next to Lucie’s and dropped a proprietary arm over the back. He was hardly the chattiest of wolves, but he listened, and he laughed, and he didn’t do anything crazy like hit anyone –
again
.

She was thankful that the SEA had not made the hunt for Cutter public. It might have been a bit tricky trying to explain why Cutter’s face was currently plastered all over the TV for being a wanted fugitive.

Delmonte made an appearance part way through dinner, cuddling up to his owners, fawning over Lucie and spitting and Cutter. Xander and Eric fussed over the oversized cat, telling him how much they missed him while Cutter rolled his eyes and returned the hiss the animal gave him.

When it came to saying goodbye, Xander gave Lucie a big hug and told her how much he liked her new boyfriend. Lucie didn’t have the heart to correct him, so she just said thank you.

Lucie found Cutter in her room, sitting on the edge of her bed after she waved a final goodbye to her friends. She only hesitated briefly before pushing her way onto his lap. What? Who knew when she’d have the opportunity again? Her hedgehog agreed – enjoy every moment while she still can. She quivered excitedly as she felt his arousal, thick and hard beneath her buttocks. Cutter let out a martyred sigh and wrapped his arms around her.

She curled her fingers into his sweater. “What are you doing hiding up here?”

“I didn’t want to watch those bozos pawing at you,” he admitted, gruffly.

“They’re gay bozos – and they’re not bozos! We were hugging goodbye – it’s what friends do.”

“I don’t do that with my friends,” he replied sullenly.

Lucie giggled. She imagined watching Cutter and Gunner hug would be a strange sight to behold. Although, she certainly didn’t want him to start hugging Isis or Avery; her little beastie growled at the thought of those long-legged felines touching her wolf.
Maybe she could see where he was coming from.

“They’re like brothers to me. Xander’s family aren’t exactly thrilled about him being in a relationship with a man, Eric’s live in Canada, and I don’t have any family so we all kind of stick together.”

Cutter cupped her face, bringing her gaze up to his luminous green eyes. “You don’t have family?”

Her face dropped unhappily. “My parents died when I was 10, after that I went through a few foster homes.”

“I had no idea,” he muttered, tensing in annoyance. Her hedgehog mewled. Annoyance at her? Surely not.

“I ended up at a really nice home with a lady called Mae – we called her Aunt Mae. We stayed close until she died a couple of years ago. I do keep in touch with a few foster brothers and sisters, but they don’t live in Los Lobos anymore.”

Cutter stroked her cheek and in a surprisingly cutesy move, kissed the end of her nose. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I should have known.”

Oh, her little honey bunny!
He was angry at
himself
for not knowing.

Embarrassed, he cleared his throat. “What’s with the animal dream house?” He nodded at her little doll house – or rather, hedgehog house – and also her pride and joy. Hey, kids’ toys aren’t just for kids.

“Oh, I used to have one when I was little, but after my parents died I went into foster care, and I couldn’t take it with me. I used to love it, so after I got a job, I bought one. I still play with it now. You’re never too old.”

“I have a son,” he blurted abruptly.

“What?” Her head snapped up so quickly she swore she got whiplash. “You do? I never heard that, and I thought I knew everything a stalker could about her prey. How am I just hearing about this? What happened?”

Cutter chuckled hollowly. “There’s not much to tell. After Annie got knocked up… uh, after she found out she was pregnant we got married. It didn’t take long for us to realize that had been a mistake, but we both loved him, so we tried to make it work for his sake.” He let out a long breath. “And then there was the whole Maroni thing… After that, she was… she was scared of me… and she was scared I’d hurt our baby. So she left me, took our baby boy, found someone else and joined his pack.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want your pity,” he snapped.

To his surprise, Lucie bopped him on the head. “That’s not what it is you dummy.”

Cutter tried to bare his fangs at her, to show her he was a big bad wolf, but he couldn’t help the smile that lifted the corners of his mouth. She imagined she was the first hedgehog ever to hit him, although it was only playfully.