“Uh-huh.” That knowing grin from earlier was back on Mike’s face. “And what’s the other part?”
“Other part?”
“Yeah. You said finding out what she knows was only part of the reason you asked her out to dinner. Any chance the other part might have something to do with how hard you were staring at Ms. Stone’s very fine ass?”
Gage opened his mouth to deny it, but it’d be useless. Werewolves knew when one of their own found a woman attractive. They could sense it like they sensed everything else. Mike had picked up on it the moment he’d seen Gage and Mackenzie together.
“Okay, I admit Mackenzie is attractive. And that might have something to do with asking her out to dinner,” he added when Mike lifted a brow. “What? You don’t think I can have a good time with her and still take care of the Pack?”
“We’d like to think you can, but we’d have to be blind not to see the effect she has on you,” Xander said.
Gage clenched his jaw. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Xander looked to Mike for help, but he just shrugged. “I mean that it seems like she might beTheOnefor you, is all.”
TheOne, capitalTcapitalO. Gage snorted. “You know I don’t believe in that crap. Mackenzie smells great. Doesn’t mean she has some psychic ability to control my mind.”
“Maybe not,” Mike agreed with a laugh. “But that doesn’t mean she can’t control the rest of you.”
“Funny,” Gage chuckled. “Maybe you get a hard-on anytime you’re around a woman who showers more than once a week, but my standards are a little higher.”
It was Mike’s turn to snort. “You mean like a beautiful face, long silky hair, an awesome ass, and legs up to there? Because I couldn’t help but notice that Ms. Stone has that going on, too.”
Gage growled and stepped toward Mike before he even realized what he was doing. Just the thought that his squad leader had been checking out Mackenzie’s ass bothered him way more than it should have. Fortunately, Xander quickly stepped between them.
“Look, Gage, we’re not saying there’s anything wrong with her beingTheOne, if that’s what she is,” Xander said. “The problem is that she’s a reporter who wouldn’t waste a second telling the whole world if she discovered our secret.”
The whole idea was ridiculous. But Xander hadn’t been a werewolf as long as he and Mike had. He was still young enough to believe the urban legend that every werewolf had a single mate out there, and that once he found her, everything would be right with the world. That was bullshit made up by some desperate young werewolves as a way to make themselves feel better about the fact that they could never make things work with a human woman.
“She’s notTheOne.” Gage forced himself not to sound too bitter. For all he knew, Xander was one of those werewolves who hoped and prayed for the legend to be true. “And even if she was, it wouldn’t matter. Protecting the Pack is my first priority.”
“Even if she stumbles on our secret?” Mike asked.
That was a question Gage didn’t know how to answer. When he’d convinced Mike, Xander, and the others to come to Dallas and join a team where they wouldn’t have to hide their identities from each other, he promised to keep their secret. And for eight years, he’d been true to his word. The minute they thought he couldn’t, they’d be gone. He couldn’t let that happen, not after all he’d been through to get them to where they were now.
“She won’t,” he finally said.
“But if she does?” Xander insisted.
Gage met his squad leader’s gaze. “Then I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect the Pack.”
Chapter 4
Mac was still giddy as she stepped out of the elevator and weaved her way through the newsroom to her desk. Today had gone better than she could have imagined. Not only had she learned enough to know there was definitely something shady going on at the SWAT compound, but she was also pretty sure Gage Dixon was attracted to her. Even though he was supposed to be the focus of her investigation, that thrilled the hell out of her. If she was lucky, she might be able to get her story and still stay on Gage’s good side. Right. Like Gage was going to forget she’d exposed whoever was using drugs and gotten them suspended…or worse. But a girl could dream. At least for tonight.
She sat down at her desk and grabbed a half-eaten bag of pita chips she’d stashed in her top drawer the previous day. She hadn’t realized she was starving until she’d left the compound. There was absolutely no way she could make it to dinner without eating. She hadn’t gotten more than a handful of the salty, but supposedly healthy, chips in her mouth when Zak sauntered over.
“Hey, you’re back.” He perched on one corner of her desk. “Ted wants to talk to you.”
Mac nodded and shoved another handful of chips into her mouth.
“So, how’d things go with SWAT?” Zak asked, completely disregarding the fact she was busy with a mouthful of food.
She got enough down to answer. “They went great. I mean, I haven’t learned anything definitive yet, but I discovered enough to certainly pique my curiosity, for sure.”
Zak’s mouth quirked. “You are talking about the story, right?”
“Very funny. Yes, I was talking about the story. What the heck did you think I meant?”
