“And the body won’t?”
Wheeler sniffed out a laugh and then groaned. “I have to clean up his house of pain so we can keep our noses clean. Might have to torch it. We should have called cleaners.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Jericho growled.
Reputable cleaners would open an investigation, so usually the shady cleaners were called when someone didn’t want the authorities sniffing around. But it wasn’t a good idea to involve those guys in too much of your business; some were corrupt and not above a little blackmail. Jericho couldn’t risk anyone finding out. Even though Hawk had taken them into captivity, there was an off chance Jericho could receive a jail or death sentence. The mess he’d left in that basement left no question that Jericho’s wolf had carried the matter beyond self-defense.
“Has Izzy ever told you she loves you?”
Jericho shook his head.
Wheeler stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankle. “And you would have proposed to a woman without knowing how she felt about you? Jesus. You’ve got big balls.”
Jericho wearily pushed himself off the floor to go to his room. He still had a throbbing headache from the drugs, but the thought of someone trying to hurt Isabelle when he wasn’t there to protect her made him sick to his stomach.
He stopped at the door and spoke without looking down. “Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith. I don’t need to hear what I feel in my heart.”
Chapter 24
“I’m so sorry, Rosie. I wish I knew how long I’m going to be away from work, but the last time I was in heat it went on for two weeks.”
I heard her curse in Spanish.
“Usually it’s just a couple of days,” I assured her.
Which was a lie. I’d always gone through my heat cycle alone, so it lasted longer than those who were mated.
I switched on the light in my motel room and sat on the bed. I had requested the last room on the second floor. While I wasn’t on the Breed side of town, I didn’t want to risk a Shifter with a strong nose walking by. There were many rogues on the streets, most of whom didn’t abide by the laws.
“Rosie, if Jake’s mad and wants to fire me, it’s all gravy. I can hardly blame him after everything that’s been going on these past few weeks. Just let me know ahead of time so I can start searching for another job. I swear I’m usually one of the most dependable girls you could ever meet. I won’t—” I breathed a sigh of relief to hear the understanding in Rosie’s voice rather than anger. “Yes, okay. I’ll call you later when I know more. Bye, Rosie.”
Three days had passed since I’d left Jericho. He’d given up calling me after one attempt. No surprise there. Once again, I’d bailed on him. I wanted to sock myself over the head, but getting over my heat cycle quickly became a bigger priority. It struck me that morning like a tsunami—tingles surging between my legs and my muscles clenching with need.
Biology at its finest.
Shifters didn’t have to guess when they were their most fertile; the scent attracted Shifter males within a certain proximity. Other Breeds were oblivious to the change in our scent, although Chitahs were sensitive enough to detect our amorous emotions. Jericho once told me the scent of a woman in heat was comparable to the most heavenly nectar settling on his tongue, thick and sweet.
I lay down and took a deep breath as I shoved my face into a musty pillow. The last wave had hit two hours ago. It usually began slow and steady, desire flooding my senses until it reached a crescendo. The only way to abate the discomfort and decrease the duration was to have orgasms, and I won’t deny that I’d always felt guilty doing that on my own. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but when in heat, it felt mechanical—a means to an end. One year, I ignored my needs to see if it really made a difference. The yearning became relentless, and it was one of the longest cycles I’d ever spent in heat.
I moaned against the pillow in frustration when a knock at the door startled me. My heart raced, and I hopped out of bed and peered through the peephole. Relief swam through me at the sight of a familiar face, and I quickly unlocked the door. “Thank you so much for doing this, Ivy.”
She gracefully breezed around me, her braid swishing behind her back. Ivy set down two bags of groceries on the table.
When I closed the door, she tossed her purse in the chair.
“I’ll pay you as soon as I get back to work. I’m a little short right now; the guy wanted every dime in my wallet to put down on the room.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said with a wave of her hand. “It’s inconsequential. These are things you need, and I’m more than happy to help.”