Jesse Turner was pretty much as he’d seemed in the sheriff’s office—friendly enough, while keeping a bit of a distance. He was just as scruffy now as then, wearing faded, frayed jeans and a blue Henley so well-washed and worn that it looked as if it would fall apart at a touch. Dave was quiet and welcoming, while Tristan was enthusiastic, chatty, and apparently the pack’s goat wrangler, disappearing at one point to chase a pair of determined escapees away from the grill.
He hadn’t met either Karl or Christian yet. From what Jason had said, they were patrolling the pack’s territory, making sure there were no intruders. Riley wondered if this was normal shifter behavior or verging on paranoia. If it was the latter, maybe there was a reason for it. Maybe it confirmed the rumor they had an Argent.
Eventually, the rest of the pack had wandered into the house, ostensibly to bring out food and beer, though Bryce had added, with a wink, that they were mostly going inside to gossip about Jason’s date. That had left Riley momentarily alone.
A moment was all it had taken.
From around the corner of the barn, a big wolf had appeared, silent and purposeful, heading straight for him. Now it was just sitting there. Staring.
“Christian!”
Riley jumped at Jason’s shout. He’d never heard that blistering tone from Jason. He’d never thought Jasoncouldsound angry.
The wolf sitting in front of Riley seemed to grin—though he could just have been showing Riley every last one of his very white, very sharp teeth—before getting lazily to his feet and strolling off.
“God, I’m sorry,” Jason said, sitting next to Riley and shoving a beer bottle into his hand. Which wasn’t really trembling. It was just that the bottle was cold, that was all. “He can be anasshole.”
“So, uh, he wasn’t really going to eat me?” Riley checked.
“He was trying to psych you out. His sense of humor.” Jason sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“No harm done,” Riley said. Aside from the mild cardiac episode and the fact he was ninety percent sure he needed to change his underwear.
He took a long pull from the beer, settling his still-jangling nerves. It was one thing to know Jason was a shifter, and another entirely to be stared down by a fucking wolf with eyes full of challenge and sharp teeth on full display.
Shifters were supposed to be unpredictable and dangerous. But as he glanced at Jason, who was warm and apologetic and more human than most people Riley had known, he thought that wasn’t true of them all.
He glanced around. Although he was checking that the damn wolf really had disappeared, he also noticed a lot of activity over by the grill. “You’re not on grill duty, then?”
Jason flushed slightly. “Apparently, my job is to keep my date happy,” he said. “But don’t panic, I did the prep on the food, so it should be edible. So long as Bryce doesn’t—Bryce!” he raised his voice. “Don’t put the—oh, God, do you mind?” he said to Riley, already half out of his seat.
“Go for it,” Riley said resignedly. He guessed Jason just couldn’t help himself. And it was kind of hilarious, watching mild-mannered Jason boss the rest of them around, shooing Jesse away when he scooped potato salad out of a container with his fingers and leaving Urban looking vaguely amused as he carefully turned the meat in accordance with Jason’s very precise instructions.
Riley settled in his chair and enjoyed the unusual sensation of a relaxing afternoon where nobody judged him or wanted anything from him. It was… nice. Unfamiliar, but nice.
His gaze drifted back to Jason, who was listening to Tristan’s excited monologue with an easy smile as he absently moved the coleslaw away from Jesse. Jason fit in here like it was the most natural thing in the world. As if he wasn’t always waiting for someone to pull the rug out from under him.
What would that even feel like? The voices of the pack rose and fell, soft chatter interspersed with laughter. It would be so easy to relax into it, even though he wasn’t part of the group.
Riley scanned the yard idly, and that was when he caught Matt Urban, no longer at the grill but standing off to one side. The alpha wasn’t joking around like the others. His arms were folded, his gaze sharp and direct as it locked on Riley.
For an instant, Riley froze. Something in Urban’s cool, assessing expression sent a prickle of unease up his spine. He was weighing Riley, taking his measure.
Urban nodded politely to him, but the memory of his gaze lingered as he turned away. Riley swallowed. Maybe that was just Urban’s resting face. Maybe. But the chill didn’t quite leave him.
He was so on edge that he jumped when his phone buzzed with a message. Amy.Need something I can run with for Monday.
To anyone who didn’t know Amy, it sounded harmless. But Riley knew her, and harmless was the last word he’d use to describe her. Well, maybe after ‘kind.’ He’d be fired if he didn’t give her what she wanted. How the other journalists met her arbitrary deadlines rather than letting an investigation unfold at its own pace, Riley had no idea.
But then, other journalists weren’t getting distracted by Jason. By his smile, the openness in his eyes, the way he’d said ‘Just yourself. That’s more than enough.’ No one had ever saidthat to Riley before. Hell, he was damn sure no one had everthoughtthat about him, and it had made his heart skip a beat.
Some part of him knew he was balancing two impossible things, and that whichever of them won, it would destroy the other. He told himself he could balance both, just a little while longer. But deep down, he already knew how this would end.
* * *
A little later, Jason came back, dropping into the chair beside Riley, his face bright and happy. They chatted idly as the sun moved toward the horizon, and the delicious scent of grilled meat began to waft through the air.
“I think we’re ready,” Tristan announced at last, causing a general move toward the grill and the table on which sauces and salads were set out.
