The Geek Job (11 page)

Bad wolf. Stop baiting the human.
Lexie couldn‘t wait until the full moon came and went so she could put her wolf to sleep. This close to the forced change, her wolf sat too close to the surface, just waiting for a chance to take over.
Not
happening, my inner bitch, so settle your furry ass down.

Anthony is off limits.

Lexie choked down the breakfast using her coffee to wash it down. Thank god, she‘d requested red meat for lunch and dinner. She‘d starve if she had to rely on Anthony for sustenance, well, other than the wiener type.

Appalled that she couldn‘t keep her mind out of the gutter, she stood and didn‘t remember her lack of pants until she noticed Anthony‘s gaze riveted on her crotch, and of course, said crotch immediately got wet.

―I‘d better finish getting dressed,‖ she mumbled turning to leave. As she walked back to the bedroom her keen hearing caught the sound of him groaning and a thump as if he‘d banged his head on the table. She couldn‘t help the smile that tilted her lips.

She slipped her pants back on, making a mental note to herself to find out where the hell her bag with her change of clothing had gone. Her shower had refreshed her, but without clean underwear, she felt scummy.

She jammed her feet into her boots and grabbed her jacket. Then she retrieved her revolver from under the pillow and slid it in the special holster inside her jacket. She also patted her pants and coat sleeves to check that her silver blades were present. It never paid to go to work unprepared.

She returned to the main living area to find Anthony standing by the large floor to ceiling window. She cursed under her breath.

―Do you have a death wish?‖ she barked.

He turned with a puzzled frown.

―The window? Like, hello, would you like to paint a larger target on yourself for any snipers that might be outdoors?‖

He gaped at her for a moment, then her geek found the nerve to laugh.

―This isn‘t funny, Anthony,‖ she growled.

He snorted. ―Yes, it is. I mean, seriously, snipers? First off, Mr. Thibodeaux has excellent security, and second, these windows are bullet proof. Apparently, you aren‘t the only paranoid one around here.

―Laugh all you want, my giant geek, but bullet proof glass doesn‘t stop everything.‖ That shut him up and she slapped her hand on the console to call the elevator.

―You need to be put into the system for it to work…‖ He trailed off as the light turned green and the door opened.

Lexie bared her teeth in a smile that made him flinch. ―You might be good at what you do, but I‘m wicked at what I specialize in. Now get your ass in this elevator.‖ She hated scaring him, but he needed to understand she was in charge; that, and she couldn‘t keep allowing him to tempt her. Shyness was one thing—she found it cute.

But fear? Fear brought out the monster in her.

They travelled down in silence, and when Anthony entered his lab, she followed him. When he darted a look at her, she again bared the smile that freaked him out. ―Don‘t mind me. I‘ve decided, given your inability to follow common sense where you safety is concerned, I‘d better stick close by.‖

He grunted in reply and then proceeded to ignore her as he flicked on monitors and read the screen results.

―Impossible,‖ he mumbled.

Curious, Lexie wandered over to see what had his briefs in a knot. ―What‘s up?‖

―The results of your DNA test.‖

Lexie froze. She‘d heard mention of her DNA the day before, but ignored it because she‘d figured she misunderstood. ―Where did you get my DNA?‖

Anthony flashed her a brief look she didn‘t understand before concentrating on the screen again. ―I came home covered in it when you got shot.‖

―And, what? You just decided to use it?‖

Panic fluttered in her breast. The decision to tell him or not about her alter ego was no longer a choice. Her secret was about to see the light of day because of bloody science.

He shrugged. ―I thought you were dead.

It was my way of preserving a part of you.

Anyway, the how and why I got it aren‘t the interesting parts. What I‘d like to figure out is why your DNA is twined with that of a wolf‘s?‖

―A wolf‘s?‖ Lexie‘s laughter sounded brittle even to her. ―That‘s crazy.‖

―Exactly, and yet…there‘s no denying it.

Somehow my samples got contaminated with wolf genes and, even stranger, they merged with yours in a most fascinating double helix.‖

―Wow, that is weird.‖ Lexie walked away lest her relief at his obliviousness become too obvious.

―It‘s weird alright, but at the same time, it gave me a fantastic idea on how to deal with Mr.

Thibodeaux‘s condition.‖

And with those words, her geek went to work, bustling from work station to machine, to computer then back. Lexie perched on a stool and kept one eye on him as she used her BlackBerry to check on emails and other items that required her attention. She also tapped back into the lab‘s security network, checking for anomalies and weaknesses in the system. During her middle of the night check, she‘d easily hacked into the main system using some blackmarket hacker apps and added herself, along with a few surprises.

A few hours after their arrival in the lab, a buzzer sounded and Lexie jumped up, glad to have a reason to move.

Anthony peered over at her and smirked.

―That‘s just the lunch bell.‖

―Oh.‖ She scowled at him. ―Well, come on then. I‘m hungry.‖

―And if I say I‘d rather stay and work?‖

Lexie‘s stomach rumbled and shredded her patience. ―Unless you want me to embarrass you by carrying you over my shoulder to eat, then you‘d better pause whatever you‘re doing.‖

―Oh, please. Like you could carry me.‖

―You‘d be surprised at what I can do,‖

she muttered under her breath. Thankfully, she didn‘t have to show him because he typed a few keystrokes then came toward her. She ignored how cute he looked with his hair standing up wildly in Einstein fashion, and how his blue eyes shone with excitement. She clamped her desire down tight and followed him as he led the way to a secure room setup as a dining area replete with a dining table and another large window overlooking the grounds.

Lexie sat him at one end of the table and then positioned herself square in the middle facing the view outdoors. She wanted a direct line of sight just in case.

Dishes covered in silver domes waited amidst cutlery and napkins. Lexie slapped Anthony‘s hand away and lifted the covers, sniffing the food for traces of poison.

Anthony assumed she smelled for a different reason. ―Smells like chef outdid himself, and look, no mini assassins are waiting on my plate.‖

Lexie shot him a dark look even as her lip curled at his sarcastic humor. She‘d enjoyed shy Anthony at the conference, then the confident one, but this new sarcastic side intrigued her. It proved he had a backbone hidden somewhere inside his geeky body.

Seated in front of olfactory heaven, Lexie dove in. The chef thankfully knew how to prepare his beef and Lexie groaned as she chewed, her tongue and taste buds dancing as they met red meat heaven. Anthony stared at her as she devoured her meal and after a few bites she stopped. ―What?‖

Shaking his head as if startled, he dropped his gaze. ―Sorry, just wondering about a few things.‖

―Such as?‖ She asked feigning disinterest as she resumed her meal.

―Do you live around here when you‘re not working?‖

―Kind of. I‘ve got a place in the city, but it‘s more a crash pad than anything else.‖

―What about family?‖

She stopped eating again and gave him a pointed look. ―What‘s with all the questions?‖

He shrugged. ―Just making polite conversation and wondering how your parents feel about renting yourself out.‖

The jibe stung and, as if ashamed of his comment, Anthony ducked his head, but he couldn‘t hide the red creeping up his neck. She bit back a smile.
My geek has more backbone than I keep
giving him credit for.
―My mom keeps waiting for me to settle down, but I‘m not the type.‖ Her mom also lamented the fact her daughter had a brain and wouldn‘t do her duty to the pack. As for her dad, he just muttered that she‘d settle down once the right wolf came along who could beat the stubbornness out of her. And they wondered why she avoided coming over to visit.

The conversation stalled, and Lexie concentrated on filling her belly. She scraped the last bite off her plate and leaned back with a happy sigh. ―That chef is a bloody genius.‖

Her happy belly held her as Anthony spent the next few hours in the lab. Boredom set in quickly as she watched Anthony bury himself in his work. To keep herself entertained, she did yoga, stretching her limbs and arcing her body in complicated poses which relaxed her.

―Must you do that,‖ he sputtered after a while.

Lexie, pretzeled into a yoganidrasana position, grunted. ―I‘m bored and I need exercise.‖

―Fine, then we‘ll hit the gym. I need a break anyhow.‖

Unfolding herself carefully, Lexie‘s keen sight didn‘t miss the tent in Anthony‘s pants.
I
guess it wasn’t what I was doing that bugged him, but the
fact he wanted to do me.
Her nipples tightened at the thought.

He brought her to a new part of the building which housed a state of the art gym. Her geek stripped his coat and dress shirt off, leaving him clad only in his slacks and a t-shirt. He set the treadmill and began to run, his eyes closed in concentration. Just as eager to ignore him, Lexie hit the weights, exerting her muscles as a way of ignoring her other bodily needs.

After a while, a prickling sense let her know he watched her.

―What?‖ she asked through gritted teeth, hefting the weight.

―Um, you‘re awfully strong.‖

Determined to give herself a good workout, Lexie hadn‘t paid attention to the fact she bench pressed more than the average body builder could. Honestly, she hadn‘t really expected Anthony to notice or know the difference.

―It‘s all about technique,‖ she lied getting up off the bench and heading towards the punching bag.

―Why is it I get the impression there‘s more to you than meets the surface,‖ he murmured aloud.

Lexie didn‘t answer. Anything she said other than the truth would have probably sounded false.

*

They fell into a routine over the next few days, one wrought with tension—the sexual kind.

She knew he masturbated nightly in the shower, and wished she dared do the same, but she didn‘t want to risk rousing her passion any more than it already was. The imminent full moon pressed on her and she knew she wasn‘t completely successful at hiding her hungry gaze around Anthony. And stupid human that he was, he didn‘t run away.

She successfully fought off her urge to tear his clothes off and fuck him, but the tension in her body took its toll. Even worse, she could tell he fought the same battle.

She had no idea what he did hour after hour in the lab, but she knew he‘d made some kind of progress because he worked at a frenzied pace, muttering to himself and working late into the night. Of Frederick, their employer, she saw neither hide nor hair, although she did catch glimpses of his guards and minions. They wisely made a wide berth around her, knowing her reputation—smart because, in her current frame of mind, any wrong move, look or word would have been deadly.

The day of the full moon, Lexie paced restlessly and Anthony looked up from his work long enough to notice. ―Are you alright? You‘re acting like a lion in a cage.‖

Lexie almost snorted. Change the lion to wolf and he‘d hit the problem dead on. ―Listen.

There‘s going to be a bit of a change tonight. I‘ve got to go out for a while.‖

―Going on a date?‖ Anthony tossed the words at her casually, but she could see the tension in the tight way he gripped his pen.

Jealousy—how yummy. Lexie mentally shook herself. ―No, I‘ve got some business to take care of. I want you to lock this place down tight when I leave.‖

―But how will you get back in?‖

―Don‘t worry about me.‖

―You know it‘s been three days since you arrived and more than that since the attempted kidnapping and shooting at the conference. Don‘t you think you and the boss are being a tad paranoid?‖

She stalked toward him, her wolf side growling when he backed up from her. She crowded him and leaned in close, close enough to smell his fear—and excitement.

―Listen here, my giant geek.‖

―I really wish you wouldn‘t call me that.‖

Lexie lost her patience. She grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him close. ―You. Are. In.

Danger. Just because you‘re not seeing the violence directed at you doesn‘t mean it‘s not happening. In the days since I‘ve been here, we‘ve intercepted one bomb, two assassins and one really ugly shirt. So do not tell me you‘re not in danger.‖

―Uh, if you say so.‖

This close to him, her emotions swirling, she couldn‘t stop herself from leaning in the last inch that separated them and pressing her mouth to his. He hesitated at first as she slid her lips along his, her tongue coaxing him to open wide.

Lexie, no longer quite in control, pressed herself closer, and gave a grunt of satisfaction at the feel of his hard cock pressing against her belly. It only took a few seconds more before he relaxed, giving her access to his tongue as his arms came to wrap around her.

A fever caught hold of her and she felt her claws and canines extending as her wolf pushed, make that demanded she claim this man.

She wanted to shred his clothes from him and ride him hard as she sank her teeth into his skin and…

With a snarl, Lexie pushed away from him. She turned and gave him her back, knowing she couldn‘t hide the changes in her body from him. She didn‘t dare look at him less she completely lose her mind and do what her pulsating body demanded.
Fuck him. Mark him.

Keep him.
Her wolf‘s needs and desires came through crystal clear. Lexie fought her inner bitch, but she could feel the tide of the battle shifting away from her, putting Anthony in danger.

―Get up to your apartment, now.‖ She held herself stiffly as she faced away from him.