Targeted By Love (Between the Greys #1)

9. Maynard

9

MAYNARD

A tantalizing scent needled me, telling me to wake up and not waste a minute of the day. But I’d snatched little sleep during the night, even though my beast was in his fur and wrapped around whatever the delicious aroma was coming from.

My sleep-befuddled brain clawed its way to consciousness. My wolf was awake, saying he’d never been to sleep, and how could I snooze when we were cuddling our mate!

Damn, if I’d been in my skin, I would have leaped off the bed and admired Rhodes from a distance, fearing he’d open his eyes and freak. But I wound back the events of yesterday and last night, with images of my mate wide awake and snuggling with my beast.

What human cuddled a wild animal, closed their eyes, and slept apparently peacefully? And he’d pulled one of my beast’s front legs onto his chest with the claws dangling over his side

He understands who we are . My wolf was adamant no further discussion about shifters was necessary.

This wasn’t the moment to argue, but I suspected there was a long road ahead. What I hoped Rhodes sensed was that I was “the one” and my beast and I were entangled, we couldn’t exist without the other. It was wrapped up in love, lust, and warm fuzzy feelings.

Did he understand shifters and the process of shifting? No. Was he aware of my dual identity? Not really. But I worried in the cold light of day he would reconsider spending the night with a wolf.

And then there were my brothers. They were wary of me allowing the mating instinct to override our rules and laws. But they were wrong, because mating the one fate had determined was a pillar of shifter society, the other being loyalty to the pack and family. My siblings were being asses and had upturned everything they believed in.

It was ironic that I was the brother who preferred not to have a fated mate and then whammy!

My wolf’s ears pricked at an argument originating from a room down the hall. I detected five separate voices belonging to my siblings, with Boaz’s being the loudest and most forthright.

My beast placed a paw over Rhodes’s ear, but my human mate wouldn’t be disturbed by my brothers howling over the top of one another. Human hearing was frail, and not for the first time, I was thankful our senses were superior, having escaped from more than one sticky situation because of it.

I should leave and take my skin. If he wakes up… I didn’t finish my thought, and my wolf poo-pooed my suggestion.

With my brain refusing to sleep—even though my other half would stay alert—I pondered the muddle I’d made of my life in how many hours? I couldn’t calculate. Less than a day. And while I was certain I could convince my brothers, our parents, the pack, and our Alpha to accept and welcome Rhodes into our midst, I had to deal with the ramifications from the client.

Yes, I’d refunded the money and added a short explanation. Hit not possible . I hadn’t checked that phone since I hit send and shut it off. Warning my family was a consideration, and my folks were on vacation on a damned cruise in the middle of the ocean.

Keeping my business secret was paramount for everyone’s safety, but could I warn them to watch their backs without divulging the details? I reckoned I could.

But Rhodes stirred and his presence shut everything else out of my head except him.

He shouldn’t wake up in a wolf’s grasp .

My beast agreed, and he untangled himself from our mate and padded to the door, shifted, went into the hallway, and locked the door, more for my mate’s safety and sanity than to keep him prisoner.

I pulled on my pants and shirt, ignoring the underwear, and strode into the kitchen. The room was crowded with my siblings jostling for the coffee, the toaster, and Riggs was flipping an omelet that Thiago caught in his mouth. That resulted in a yelling match which I ignored and elbowed them out of the way.

“What the fuck, dude? You’re responsible for us being irritable,” Thiago mumbled as he bit into the eggy mixture.

Despite the upheaval and stress of the last day, I chuckled. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” My siblings were always in an uproar about something. It could be as minor as arguing about chips flavors or as catastrophic as another mafia pack threatening our existence. My situation was… closer to the top end of the scale, though my brothers weren’t privy to what had happened, or in the case of the hit, not happened.

“Hey, Maynard, you can’t just toss a bomb in our midst and waltz in here as though everything is normal.” Boaz was leaning on the counter, sipping coffee and making a face. Ezra had probably made it because he enjoyed his coffee so weak it was almost transparent.

“My mate will wake up and want food, and I intend to make him breakfast.” Not that I knew what Rhodes liked in the morning. Maybe he was a coffee and out the door guy. But I made toast, cereal, cut-up fruit, and grabbed a plain yogurt from the fridge.

Placing the food on the tray, I added a small dish of butter and one of marmalade, plus a small pitcher of milk, and left my brothers who were probably staring at my retreating figure and thinking, “What the ever-loving fuck?”

With the door cracked, I peeked into the room. Rhodes’s eyes were fluttering. He was waking up.

“Hi.” My voice wasn’t much louder than a whisper because I wasn’t certain of the reception I’d get.

“Hi.”

I took in his tentative expression with his eyes darting around the room, his brows furrowed creating adorable wrinkles, and his head tilted off the pillow. But there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. That was a positive and got a thumbs-up from my wolf.

“I was able to get you food.” That might not have been the smartest thing to say because it reminded my mate he was a prisoner. Not that he could forget, being locked in here and all.

“You left.” Two words which lifted my mood. He’d missed me or that was how I interpreted it.

“I did.” Jerking my head at the tray, I removed it from the dresser, but Rhodes’s face registered discomfort, and he wriggled his butt.

“I need to pee.”

I’d never been more thankful for an ensuite so he didn’t have to face the chaos of my brothers. In his eyes, they were the enemy, the ones who’d locked him away. That would take some explaining, but we had bigger issues to hurdle.

My mate returned, and instead of asking if he was free to leave, said he was hungry. I placed the tray over him.

“I didn’t know what you liked. I can make eggs.”

“This is a feast.” He spread butter and marmalade on the toast and took a bite before patting the bed with his other hand.

“You stayed with me last night.”

But I wasn’t me. I thought back to his earlier comment about me leaving.

“You weren’t you.” Rhodes’s hand with the toast paused midair while his eyes locked onto mine. “But somehow, you were still you, if that makes sense.” He bit into the toast and the air crackled with the sharp crunch. The distinct sound created a bridge between the awkwardness of earlier to a deeper understanding of who I was.

“You were aware of that.” It wasn’t a question.

Hey, I’m not a that. My wolf wasn’t pleased at being dismissed.

“I could smell your cologne or whatever it was, even though you were furry.” He shoved the rest of the toast in his mouth. “Am I making sense or did I get a bump on the head?”

He rubbed his brow, removing the furrows. “You can explain later.” My mate was tuned into my emotions because I was reluctant to have the shifter discussion now. That would lead to so many questions and a long-ass explanation.

“You’re not a prisoner. It’s a misunderstanding.”

One of Rhodes’s brows shot up. “Pretty sure I am. Unless you and I interpret the word differently.”

“It’s to keep you safe.”

“That’s what they all say.” He giggled and licked yogurt from the spoon.

“Wait? What?”

“Joking, Maynard.”

“Oh.” Whew! I knew so little about him, and he was aware of even less about me.

“Those five fools you met yesterday are my brothers.”

“Interesting family dynamics.” He studied the remaining food. “I shouldn’t be eating this.”

Shit, did he think my family would poison him? Our relationship was up shit creek without a paddle if he did.

“Wedding brunch. At the estate.”

That was a thing? Shifters didn’t do brunch, though I’d been forced to eat eggs Benedict just prior to a hit.

“Am I free to leave?”

I wanted to tell him that he had to stay here, protected, until we figured this out. First there was the issue with my brothers and the pack. But the more pressing matter was he’d been a target of a hit and the person who’d hired me might find someone else to put a bullet in his head. I needed him in a cocoon of safety or my beast would tear through me and protect him. How did I explain that his safety came above family obligations, both his and mine? But when I gazed into his eyes, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t deny him. He was human and a rule follower, it would scare him more. He might do something rash and he’d have no protection. Nope. As much as I didn’t like it, I had to let him go.

“Of course.” I couldn’t let him go alone. “But I will accompany you.” It wasn’t up for negotiation. If he denied me, I’d hide outside the main building and keep watch for an assailant while listening to the conversation. If he launched into an explanation of what happened last night, I’d yank the fire alarm.

“Hmmm, let me think on that.” His wicked grin told me he’d made his decision. He ruffled my hair. “People might notice you shaved and changed your hair. But we can wink and say you’re working on a special project.” He tapped his nose. “Need to know.”

Crap! If only he knew the truth.