Chapter 27

I've lost my fucking mind.
That was all Riley could think, the phrase replaying in his mind as he drove through the streets of Calderwood to his house. He didn't usually have hot, scorching, incendiary sex with a woman scant hours after he'd met her. That wasn't his style. But, with Lia, it was almost as if he hadn't had a choice.
Come see my house.
Take off your clothes.
Let me slide my cock into you and never take it out.
Jesus. Just holy Jesus!
At thirty-five, he had certainly been with his share of women, some of them for long periods, others short-term relationships. But none of them had ever affected him right at his core, right smack in the middle of his heart, of who he was, like Lia Popescue. He wondered fancifully if she was a witch who had cast a spell on him. Not that he believed in witches, although since accepting the reality of Mike Volka as a shapeshifter, nothing was off the plate.
All he knew was, since he first saw her, touched her in the library, every fiber of his being, every one of his brain cells had been locked on her, as if they were two magnets drawn irrevocably together. Jamie had told him that's how it was for her with Mike, but Mike was -
Wait! Was the same thing going on here?
No, no, no. Not probable. Too farfetched.
But still, there was something slightly otherworldly about Lia Popescue. And, she was researching werewolves. Popescue was a Romanian name, like Volka. He'd been studying Romanian history after learning about Mike, fascinated about the otherworldliness of it, the paranormal aspects of much of its history.
No, no, this is crazy. Accepting the fact of one shifter in his town and in his life was extreme enough. But two?
"A penny for them." Lia's soft voice broke into his thoughts.
He reached over and took her hand. He felt the fine tension running through her, obviously a result of his prolonged silence. "Just thinking how you never can tell what fate will bring into your life. And how lucky I am it brought me you."
"Are you sure?" she asked. "I wondered if maybe you had some regrets about jumping into this thing with me."
Questions? Yes. Reservations? Some, but this - thing - between them, whatever it turned out to be, was so strong he had no desire to deny it.
"I'm sure." He squeezed her hand. "I may have a lot of questions, but not about what we've got going between us." He lifted her hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. "It may have hit with the force of a freight train, but I'm not running away from it. Now. Let's get you checked out of the bed and breakfast and pick up your car."
When they pulled into the library parking lot, Jamie was leaving the building. She stopped on the sidewalk and looked over at them. Riley knew she was expecting some kind of report from him. He hoped the vestiges of the afternoon weren't evident on his face. He had work to do before he could get into that with her.
"Wait here a minute while I talk to her," he told Lia. "I'm sure she was expecting me to get back to her before this." He grinned. "We have been gone a long time." Then, his face sobered, and he locked his gaze with hers, trying to convey his emotions. "But make no mistake. It was worth it."
She nibbled her lower lip then nodded. "Okay. I'm trusting your judgment."
"I won't disappoint you." He climbed out of the car and walked over to where Jamie waited.
"You've been gone a lot longer than I expected," was the first thing she said. "I thought you were taking her for a quick lunch to give her the third degree."
He chuckled. "I don't think the third degree was called for, Jamie. I think she has honest intentions she went about stating poorly. That's all."
She cocked an eyebrow. "And it took you all afternoon to discover that? I thought you were really good at your job, Riley."
"I spent a lot of time talking to her," he soothed her. "I didn't want to rush it. You asked me to check her out thoroughly, and that's what I did."
Jamie studied his face, scrutinizing him. For a brief moment, Riley wondered if what had happened during the afternoon, the connection he and Lia had made, was written there plainly for her to see.
"There's something different about you," she said at last. "What happened with you and the stalker this afternoon?"
Riley gave her a smile he hoped was reassuring. "We had a nice long talk about a lot of things. Trust me, Jamie. I have your best interests at heart. I'll call you later or stop by and let both you and Mike know what the deal is."
She sighed. "Okay. I trust you, Riley. You know that. So, whatever you tell me, I'll believe."
"I know a lot of this is worry over keeping Mike's secret, and you have to believe that's a top priority for me. But I don't believe that's a worry here and, when we talk, I will tell you why."
"Okay. But you'd better call later." She gave him a hug. "Thanks for watching out for me."
"Always," he assured her.
He waited until she got in her car and drove away before motioning for Lia to join him.
"So, am I cleared for landing?" she asked, only half joking.
"No, but you will be." He cupped her cheeks with his palms. "We still have a lot of talking to do, Lia. You know that. Despite what's happening between us - or maybe even because of it - I have a lot of questions. Okay?"
She nibbled at her lower lip, a habit that, for some reason, he found unbelievably erotic. His cock, which should have been well satisfied by this time, leaped to attention and pushed hard against his fly, demanding release. He sent it a stern message to cut it out and take a break.
"Lia?" he prodded.
"Um, yes. Sure." She nibbled her lip again. "I know I owe you a real explanation. Especially with" - she waved a hand in the air - "what's happening between us."
"Good enough. When we get home, we'll have dinner." He couldn't help grinning. "I don't know about you, but I worked up quite an appetite."
Her answering grin was almost shy. "Me, too."
"I want to make a quick stop at a market near me to pick up some dinner." He smiled at her. "Good food, good wine, and good conversation. Sound okay with you?"
She nodded. "I can do that."
"Then let's get going."