Shifted Perceptions (Alpha Division) (4 page)

“I’m going to bed. You can sleep on the floor or outside.” I grabbed a pillow and threw
it at him, along with the comforter. I didn’t care if the maids had washed it or not. He could take it or leave it.

Leaning down, Paul picked up the pillow off the floor where it had landed at his feet. Ignoring the comforter
, he placed the pillow by the door and laid down. I scoffed, but didn’t say a word. Of course he would block the exit, but I could still leave through the bathroom window if I had to.

Pulling the cool sheet up to my chin, I lay back and stared at the ceiling, not able to sleep. Though I was still angry, my body hummed with arousal.
My nipples were hard and begging to be teased, and I had to fight not to rub my thighs together. The smell of Paul’s own arousal filled the air around me, making it harder to turn it off. All I could think about was wrestling with him on the floor again. Only this time, without clothes. Flesh against flesh, as we rolled and twisted, rubbing against each other. I hadn’t wanted to think about it at the time, but the way his hard cock pressed against me as we fought...

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, shutting out the images flashing in my head. It was just another case of attractio
n that could not come to fusion. I would not sleep with a traitor.

Chapter 6

Paul was right. God, that felt wrong just thinking it. And I definitely didn’t want to admit it aloud. That would have been a disaster, on top of expanding his ego to massive proportions, though, I wasn’t sure it could get any bigger. However, I did tell him everything that had happened since I arrived in Cedar Hill, leaving out my attraction to Stone, of course. He didn’t need that information. It wasn’t really important and though Paul was fairly new to the Alpha Division, he knew how things worked. Attraction on either side could be used, and often was, to gather information.

Shifters were
more open about our sexuality than humans, so sleeping with the enemy to get what we needed wasn’t a big deal. It just came with the territory. That’s why members of the Alpha Division rarely sought out committed relationships. Cheating didn’t sit right, not with me at least, so I planned to stay single. The Division was my life and I liked it that way.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about Jordan and Alex’s decision. I heard they informed Teij they were completely committed to Sam. I understood that and admired them for it, but did I agree with their relationship? I was on the fence. I loved Sam. She was sweet as candy. Giving, beautiful, and was beginning to become a good friend. But bringing her into our world was crazy and dangerous. I sure as hell wouldn’t have done it. Though the baby did make a difference, I think they just loved each other too much to stay apart. And that scared me. Love wasn’t for me, unless you
counted the job. That was the only relationship I desired.

“Let me guess,” Paul said, as I finished telling him about the bar I visited last night. “You’re going to wait and see if this Stone guy comes to you first.”

“Yep.”

“I’m not sure that’s going to work. You barely spoke with him. Maybe you should go to that bar tonight and make contact again. Talk with some of the others and see if you can get in through them.”

I had purposefully left out the part where Stone probably recognized me also. Paul would have seen that as a huge problem and maybe it was, but I had a feeling it was going to work to my advantage.

“It will work, you’ll see,” I said without explanation.

I could tell Paul was exasperated from his long winded sigh, and the way he shook his head. I watched him walk to the back of the room and stand near the bathroom door before walking towards me again, and I got the feeling he didn’t like being held up in the room. We’d been there all morning. My fault. Not only because I needed to get him caught up, but I also had a feeling patience was going be a virtue in this case.

Paul stilled just as I turned my head toward
s the door, listening as footsteps approached. Looked like I was right. As if I wouldn’t be, I thought with a smirk. I noticed Paul glaring at me before he spoke softly, “One human, one wolf shifter. I’ve been wearing the scent eraser, so that shouldn’t be a problem, but I’ll be in the bathroom. Call out if you need me.” I raised an eyebrow, but nodded before he turned and strolled away, shutting the bathroom door silently behind him.

I sat and waited for the knock, then took my time standing and walking slowly to open the door. Two
men stood in front me, their scents familiar. They were the ones following me the day before. One was pretty damn large, topping six feet, five inches, sporting a bald head and a scowl that could only mean he had just sucked on a ripe lemon.

The other was only a couple inches taller than me and had a softer expression, a smile that said, trust me, I’m not a bad guy. Only it didn’t reach his eyes. Believe it or not, the smiling one was who I was keeping my eye on. Because even though puckered lips had muscles bulging
beneath his black tee, almost ripping the fabric, he was only human.

“Can I help you?” I asked sweetly.

Puckered lips smiled, or I think he did. It looked more like he was choking on that lemon. Poor guy. “Stone wants to see you.”

I stared at him. That was it?

When I didn’t respond, he snarled, “Come with us.”

“Uh, no. I’m sorry, but I don’t know who you are, or who this Stone guy thinks he is
, but I’m not going anywhere,” I said, crossing my arms.

Smiley’s smile actually got bigger
, as he lifted his hand in a placating gesture that did nothing but make me want to roll my eyes. “Miss, you can–”

“Foxy,” I corrected.

“Excuse me?” he asked, his smile drooping a little.

“My name is Foxy, no
t Miss.”

His lips pinched in disapproval and I smiled at his obvious irritation. “Well,
Foxy
, you will come with us whether you like it or not. Make this easy, will you?” His smile returned, but this time something dark lay behind it.

I leaned
my shoulder against the door jam and sighed. “Sorry, but I’ve never been easy.” I could almost hear Paul’s snort from the bathroom. “So, you tell this Stone guy that if he wants to see me, he knows where I am. Unlike the two of you, I’m not his lap dog.”

I couldn’t tell if puckered lips’ expression changed, but smiley sighed and shook his head, his smile brightening.
With a raised eyebrow, I waited for his response. Instead, puckered lips charged.

Were these guys serious? They didn’t know who they were messing with. Before he could take two steps, I had straightened, kicked out and landed my booted foot solidly in the center of his chest, sending him flying off the metal railing behind him. A surprise shout escaped him
, before the loud thud of his landing echoed off the concrete walls. I shrugged and gave smiley a smile of my own. Puckered lips would probably be alright. It was only a two story drop.

“That was uncalled for,” Smiley said.

“You think so? Cause I don’t. “ I twisted swiftly, landing an elbow to his nose.

Groaning in pain, his hands flew up to cover his bleeding nose
, as he staggered back. I didn’t give him time to recover. I came at him hard. First with a jab to the stomach and once he bent over, I punched his nose again, loving the sound of breaking bone in the morning.

“Fuck!” he shouted just before he swept his foot out at lightening speed, taking me down. I landed on my back, half way in my room and half in the outside
breezeway, but I wasn’t there long. I rolled backwards and hopped to my feet, spun, and completed a roundhouse kick to his thick, unsmiling head. Comically, he too went backwards, falling from the railing to thud on the pavement below.

I looked over at the two men trying to get to their feet and shook my head. “You tell Stone, that is not how you treat a lady!” Lifting my chin, I turned on my heels and went back into my room, slamming the door behind me.

“Are you crazy?” Paul yelled, as he flew out of the bathroom.

I rolled my eyes
and sat down to catch my breath. “Keep your voice down.”

“They’re long gone,” he growled. “I thought you wanted them to take you into the gang?”

“Don’t be obtuse, Paul. Do I look like a woman that would do his bidding? And why would he want that type, man or woman, in his organization? He needs tough bitches, and that’s what I’m going to give him.”

Paul’s jaw tensed
, as he ground his teeth together. What the hell was he so pissed about?

Jabbing his finger at the door, he hovered over me like a damn father scolding his kid. God, he drove me nuts.

“Now
, those guys are going to be gunning for you. It won’t matter if you get in with their group, you’re the girl that dared to kick their asses and they’ll want revenge.”

“So
? You’re right, I was the girl that kicked their asses and I’ll do it again if they come at me,” I shrugged.

Paul’s arm fell to his side
, as he shook his head. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“You’re not listening. Just listen to what I’m telling you. You need to be more careful. These guys will not take what you did out there lightly. I’m just trying to help you.”

Standing up, I crossed my arms and scowled. “Why would I listen to the likes of you? I don’t need, nor want any kind of help
you
of all people would be dishing out.”

Paul’s face lost all signs of anger. Instead, his expression flattened, showing nothing. Completely empty.
It was creepy as hell, and a little sad. Maybe I was too harsh. “Listen, Paul...” I began, shifting my feet as I tried to find the acidic words of an apology.

His head jerked once to the side, telling me silently to shut the hell up. At least his eyes still showed that much.
Then he turned and walked away toward the door that adjoined the next room over. I watched, my brows drawn as he pulled it open, then the other, opening it up to the room next door. What the hell?

“You
jerk! Why didn’t you stay in there last night?” My fists squeezed together at my sides, itching to punch that arrogant smirk he sent my way. But he was gone before I could move, slamming the door behind him.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Damn, that man was going to be the death of me.

Chapter 7

Waiting sucks!
But I knew Stone would come. He had to, now. His henchmen were wounded, because of little old me. Stone would come, if only to cuss me out, but I had a feeling it would be more of a pat on the back. Men like him didn’t care about people, only power and if a strong fox shifter gave him power, then woman be damned, he would be intrigued.

I actually spent
my time doing girly things. I took another shower, seeing how the one the night before was so short. I blow-dried my hair and brushed it until it shined, then pulled it up into a pony tail. I hadn’t had it this long in a while and the color wasn’t half bad either. Of course, the red was closer to my natural color and because of the way I got teased for it, I usually dyed it blonde and wore it short and out of the way. The only reason it had gotten shoulder length was because I hadn’t had time to get it cut. The red was for the mission, but as I looked at myself in the mirror, it was starting to grow on me. Maybe I’ll keep it, I shrugged.

Sitting on the bed, I pulled my knees up and leaned over to paint my toenails. I chose a dark purple and was meticulous
, as I went over each nail. I heard the connecting door open, but I continued on, ignoring him.

When the silence stretched, I couldn’t help but
look up at him through my eyelashes. He was watching me, of course. He never stopped, it seemed.

“What do you want?” I asked.

A low, tortured groan coming from his side of the room had my head lifting up in surprise. His eyes were dark, as they looked at me and I glanced down, rolling my eyes with a sigh. I forgot I was half naked, wearing only my panties. I didn’t care, but I wished he’d stop looking at me like that. Like it was the hottest day of the summer and I was the only popsicle in town.

“That is not an appropriate question in this situation,” he said and I couldn’t hold back my snort. Finishing the last toenail, I capped the nail polish bottle and swung my legs over to stand.

“Pink lace?” he asked incredulously. “I took you for a black cotton type of girl.”

Throwing my hands on my hips, I glared at him
, though it did no good. “And no bra?” He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you girls wore those everywhere and all the time. Even to bed. ”

“I’m a woman, not a girl.”

“You’re absolutely right about that.”

Ignoring his smirk, I continued, “And not all
of us wear a bra.” I cupped my breasts in my hands. They were barely big enough to fill my palms. “And there’s no point when you’re this small,” I said, slightly chagrined. I shook my head. Small was better for the job, I reminded myself.

“They’re perfect,” Paul
’s soft voice caused my head to snap up. What was his game?

“Stop looking at me like that?” I growled.

“Like what?”

“You know...” I huffed and snatched my jeans off the dresser and began pulling them on.

“For a shifter, you sure are stuffy about the whole naked thing.”

“No, I’m not,” I gasped. “I just don’t appreciate the disrespect.
You shouldn’t be staring at me like that.”

“Like what?” he repeated.

“
Grrrr!
You know what! We’re not a couple. We’re not lovers. So you should be pretending I’m not naked, not ogling me like some lusty teenager. You’re a pain in my ass,” I grumbled, as I grabbed my T-shirt and threw it over my head.

I stiffened
, as Paul was suddenly at my back, pressing against me. His face was bent to my neck, not touching, but I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin, as I fought not to shudder.

“I would love nothing more than to be a pain in your ass,” he whispered in my ear. I sucked in a sharp breath
, as I felt the soft caress of his finger against my ass cheek. A tingle shot up my spine and part of me wished I hadn’t put on those jeans. “Right after I beat it red and hear that cutting voice of yours crying out for me to stop... or continue. You’d want more, wouldn’t you? You’d beg for it.”

I spun around, my breaths coming in pants
, as I narrowed my eyes, glaring daggers as he smirked down at me. “What...”

“
Your smart words and stinging tongue are going to get you spanked, sweetheart, so I’d watch that mouth.”

“Excuse me?” I snapped. “Don’t
talk to me like that, you ass–”

“Don’t.” That one word had my mouth snapping shut. “Do not finish th
at sentence, Terry, or I will bend you over that bed right now. I’ve had enough of the way you talk to me and I
loathe
being called an asshole.” His eyes darkened, as he glared down at me and I knew he meant it.

We stared at each other, his
body stiff, waiting to see what I’d say, what I’d do, while I did my best to catch my breath. My chest was heaving, my breast rising and falling fast, bringing his attention to my hard nipples poking through the thin T-shirt and calling out for him to grab me.

He was trying to scare me and he was. He was scaring me right out of my panties.

When the knock sounded, neither of us moved, just continued to glare at each other. My body begged me to move toward him, to snatch his hand and bring it between my legs, make him finish me off after all the teasing he’d done, but my brain screamed at me to think first. Sleeping with Paul would complicate everything, not only the mission, but my life.

My brain won and I stepped back, turning my head to break eye contact
, as another knock sounded at the door.

It was Stone. I could smell his
seductive scent, hints of cedar and sandalwood. I didn’t think my panties could get any more soaked. I was wrong.

I looked back at Paul to tell him... I wasn’t sure what
I was going to say and I guess it didn’t matter anyway, because he was gone and the door to his room was shut.

Things were getting too heated with Paul. That was not good, meaning I needed to do something about it. If my nagging is what brought on the sexual tension, then maybe
I just ought to keep my mouth shut. Harder said than done, but I had to.

Sighing, I opened the door for Stone and smiled. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked sweetly, looking up his lean form. He wore casual clothes today, dark jeans and a cobalt blue button down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, showing off the sharp muscles in his forearms. I licked my lips, before making eye contact. He looked good like that. Casual, yet put together.

Though I didn’t have any complaints ab
out his attire the night before, he was looking more comfortable today. Did he have a meeting last night? Was that why he was dressed in business attire? Maybe with his boss?

“Someone informed me that I wasn’t much of a gentleman,
and I came to make amends.”

I raised an eyebrow playfully, though inside I was thinking
,
What the hell? No yelling, threatening to kill me if I messed with his men, no chastising at all? And on top of that, an apology?
I mentally shook my head and decided to roll with it.

“They were right. So what do you plan to do to apologize?”

Stone smiled, it was only slight, but enough to know he was pleased with my reaction. “I was wondering if you’d like to get a drink with me tonight?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I’m a busy woman,” I said
, as I leaned against the door jam and crossed my arms. “What’s in it for me?”

“Free drinks
, for one, and maybe dancing, if you play your cards right.”

“I see. Well, in that case, I happen to be free tonight. Where and what time?”

“I can come pick you up.”

“You mean you’ll send a couple of more pieces of beef jerky to get me? That might not be a good idea, considering.”

I grinned, as he threw back his head and laughed. The jovial sound echoed off the concrete walls, causing the deep laughter to surround me. It took all I could not to close my eyes and just feel it. Feel it enter my bones with a shudder, until I was rolling in the baritone waves.

“You are really something, you know that?”

I blinked a couple of times, bringing me back to reality. “We’re back to that, are we?”

“What? Oh, yes, guess we are. So, will we be
something
together, Foxy?” His voice had dropped, the husky timbre making my heart throb painfully in my chest.

Trying to keep my coo
l, I licked my lips and grinned, “For tonight, at least.”

“
I
will pick you up at eight then.” Dark gray eyes smoldered down at me, making me think of a whole lot of naughty bad things.

When he left, I leaned against the closed door and blew out a breath I hadn’t known
I was holding. That man was trouble with a capital T. I was going to have to be careful around that one. The chemistry was off the roof and I knew for a fact we would be testing that chemistry out soon—in bed—or on a table—or the floor... Hell, I didn’t care where, as long as that’s where it stayed.