Page 9 of A Cougar's Kiss
There was an immediate exhale on the other line.
“Look, just keep doing your part and I’ll do mine.”
“That’s what you said the last time before you got hemmed up by Rome and his goons. Now you’re acting like you’ve got to stay stuck down there, when we both know you could be out anytime you felt like it.”
Keller’s fingers gripped the phone, his lips going into a tight line as he recognized the truth in the other shifter’s words. He could have left Oasis whenever he felt like it and Rome would never find him—or it would take him a very long time to find him—and when he did, Keller’s job above ground would be done.
“Plans change.” He spoke through gritted teeth because he’d never liked changing his plans. Getting off track and letting a spirited little jaguar distract him wasn’t high on his list of crowning achievements either. “But we’re still a go. I’ll be at the rally, ready to take the Ruling Cabinet down once and for all.”
“And then what? Are you really prepared to go against Rome Reynolds and the Assembly?”
“Rome rules in the old-world way, down here in Oasis. He can have his underworld reign, but I’m not inclined to hide from these assholes anymore.” Vengeance boiled in the pit of his stomach like hot lava, pride bubbled at the surface. Keller would never forget what Ewen Mackey had cost him, or what the fight against the humans had cost his family. Sure, Rome had strong feelings against acting on revenge, but Rome hadn’t lived Keller’s life. He hadn’t lost the things Keller had and he damn sure didn’t feel the pain as raw and deep as Keller did. So, to hell with the Assembly Leader and whatever he thought about him, Keller’s goal went well beyond Rome Reynolds and beyond the sexy Shya Delgado.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t get distracted this time.”
“Don’t piss me off,” was his immediate reply.
Keller disconnected the phone and stuffed it back into his pants pocket. Once he removed his clothes to shower, he would put the phone in the box buried in the panel he’d dug into the wall of his bedroom. That’s where he kept his weapons and a second transmitter. Stepping out of the closet, Keller frowned at his.
He’d once been a billionaire living in a high-rise condo building in Miami. Parked in the building’s garage was his vintage Aston Martin Valkyrie and Bugatti Chiron—both in pristine condition—and his day-to-day ride, a fifteen-year-old Hummer which had been upgraded with the same specifications as the Tracer’s driven by the Shadows in Oasis. He loved cars and bikes and had been planning to find a storage place to really get into collecting before that sunny afternoon when Ewen Mackey had waltzed into his office for the first time.
That would go down as one of several days Keller would never forget.
Now, he had no cars, bikes or condo. He’d been all over the world preparing himself for a war that kept alluding him for one reason or another. And he was living in this room that felt like a posh jail cell. Why? Because his association with Decan and Gold had taken on more emotion than he’d planned. Closing the closet door and going to the wall to put the transmitter away, Keller sighed heavily. Plans changed, he just needed to keep his head above water and change with them.
Taking Shya in the conference room on a table felt like he’d taken a huge gulp of water and was just barely resisting the urge to choke it up.
After securing the transmitter and pressing the wall back into place he dragged his hands down his face and took a deep breath.
“Dammit!”
His hands smelled like her. A simple soft fragrance, not too floral and not the plain clean scent of the soap that was kept in the main supply hall for all the citizens of Oasis to gather. Shya’s scent was unique and now it was on his skin. Well, not for long. He stalked into the bathroom ripping off his clothes and boots before climbing into the shower.
Scrubbing that non-descript soap over his body Keller was determined to wash the remnants of what could turn out to be the biggest mistake of his life off every part of his skin. What had he been thinking?
That it had been way too long since he’d had soft thighs wrapped around his waist.
Why her?
Because she’d been in his peripheral for the last three months. Walking by, giving him a shy smile, appearing at the gym with her curious gaze burning into his skin every second of his workout. He had no idea why he saw her at every turn, or why his body reacted to her each time he saw her. His mind knew the deal—she was not only younger than him by almost ten years, but she was also fragile. He’d heard the whispers around Oasis about the poison that had almost killed Shya when she was born and he’d seen firsthand how her parents doted on her, keeping her in a cocoon within Oasis while praying for her continued health. While Keller had always been picky about the women he decided to sleep with, Shya had entirely too many red flags for him to ever consider. Until tonight.
His head dropped to his chest as he let the water drench his hair and hopefully his mind, because he had no idea why he’d made such a foolish and colossal mistake. One which he unfortunately, could not simply walk away from. He would have to deal with Shya first thing in the morning. He had the rest of the night to figure out how exactly that was going to be done.
