“Thanks, oh, and Carter? Can you bring me some clothes?”
Max expected to hear the man chuckle or to bust his chops about why he was naked, but to his surprise, Carter did neither of those things.
“You got it,” came the reply. “Sit tight.”
Max settled down to wait, his mind spinning with the events of the night and the revelation of his newfound mate. He stayedon high alert, expecting to see the jaguar shifters come back in an effort to finish what they had started, but they never showed up. Then, ten minutes later, as promised, a black sedan pulled up to the side of the curb. Before Max got to his feet, the passenger door opened, and Carter peered out at him.
“Here you go,” Carter said, grabbing some clothes off the passenger seat and holding them out to him.
Max crossed to the vehicle then reached in and took the clothes.
“Thanks,” he mumbled as he took the sweats and t shirt and started to pull them on.
“That cost you, didn’t it?” Carter asked.
Max glared at him. “What, saying thanks?”
Carter shook his head. “Asking for help.”
“Oh.” Max sighed as he climbed into the car. “Look, it’s nothing personal. I’ve just been on my own for a long time, so I’m used to doing everything for myself. I don’t like depending on people.”
“Why not?” Carter asked.
Max shrugged. “In my experience, when you depend on someone, they let you down.”
“Sometimes,” Carter agreed. “And sometimes you can cross the road and get hit by a car. Does that mean you should never cross a road?”
Max grunted in reply.
“Closing yourself off from people might save you from getting hurt, but it’s also a surefire way of never experiencing love, and friendship, and of making true connections withpeople. That’s a lonely way to live, if you ask me.”
Max felt himself getting defensive and opened his mouth to say something along the lines of ‘I didn’t ask you,’ but he closed it again before the words could escape. He didn’t think that Carter was trying to aggravate him. In fact, Max was sure he meant well.
“You might be right,” he allowed, his gaze fixed on the mansion up ahead.
“You going home?” Carter asked.
“No, back to the office.”
“Got it. How did you get here anyway? Didn’t you drive?”
“No, I walked. I don’t live too far away from here.”
“Yeah? Nice area. You come from money?”
Max snorted. “Heck no, and when I said I didn’t live too far away, I meant about a thirty-minute walk away. My place isn’t anywhere near as fancy as the houses around here.”
Carter began to turn the car around.
“No!” Max said quickly, and, if he was being honest, a little too loudly. “Sorry, but could you drive past that house up ahead? The big one on the left.”
Carter stared at him for a long moment then nodded. “Sure.”
They pulled away from the curb and started down the road. As they approached the house, Carter slowed the car to a snail’s pace and Max peered into the driveway. Two guards sporting guns were just visible standing either side of the large gate.
Carter whistled. “Damn, who lives in there?”
“I’m not sure,” Max said, “but I’m going to find out.”
