Page 16 of Red Fury

“Well,” she says, smoothing down her skirt, “I should let you get back to your…duties.”

She brushes past me to enter the bathroom, and I can’t help but turn to watch her go. That skirt hugs her body perfectly, accentuating an ass that could stop traffic.

My dragon purrs, and I have to force myself to look away. I can’t be seen ogling my boss’s PA.

“Marsh.”

I turn to find Jake Reynolds, one of the other protection specialists, approaching from the front of the aircraft. He’s former Secret Service, and takes the job seriously. I made it my business to know every single person on this jet.

“Reynolds. Everything good up front?”

“All quiet. Wanted to go over the protocols for when we land. Harrison’s got back-to-back meetings starting at four, then the dinner event at eight. There is a full security sweep of both venues when we arrive, but I want to make sure we’re all on the same page. Have you read the briefing?”

“Yes. I’m going over everything again just to be sure.” I glance at the file on my seat.

“Good man.”

“Anything else?” I ask.

Jake grins and glances toward the bathroom door, which is still closed. “Yeah, actually. I noticed you checking out Harrison’s PA,” he talks under his breath.

Damn! I need to be more careful.

“Can’t say I blame you.” He whistles low. “Claire’s a sweet piece of ass.”

My dragon snarls, and I have to work to keep my expression neutral. “Yeah…well… Just being observant. It’s all part of the job.”

He laughs. “Oh, come on, man. Every guy on all the teams has noticed her. Hell, I asked her out myself about a month ago. So did Peterson and Williams. She’s not having any of it, though.” He sighs. “Pity.”

Something hot and possessive unfurls in my chest. The idea of other men approaching her, asking her out, touching her…it makes me want to shift and tear them apart.

What the actual fuck!

Then again, she is a fellow shifter and a female, at that. My dragon doesn’t seem to care that she’s a Draiger. He wants to protect her, anyway.

“She hasn’t shown a shred of interest in any of the guys, even though there isn’t a ring on her finger.” He shrugs. “Maybe she bats for the other team. It has to be that.”

“Maybe she just isn’t interested. It could be that she’s focused on her career.” That, and she isn’t into puny humans.

“Not interested in anyone at all? Nah…that doesn’t fly with me.”

“The way I see it, we’re here to do a job. I’m certainly not interested in pissing in my own backyard. Maybe she feels the same way.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Jake says, but his grin doesn’t fade. “Still, if I had the chance, I’d love to tap that. Bet she’s a wildcat between the sheets, you know? All that control has to falter sometime.”

My hands clench into fists before I can stop them. Why does every cell in my body want to rip Jake’s head off for talking about her like that?

He’s a pig, that’s why. He has zero respect for her, which is just plain damned wrong.

“I hear you, but let’s just focus on work, shall we?” I push out, realizing that I sound a little hard. “I need to focus. Today is my first day, after all.”

Jake holds up his hands. “Of course. If you need to discuss any aspect of that brief, come and talk to me.” He winks at me.

“Thanks. I will do.”

Right then, the bathroom door opens, and Shadow emerges, looking as perfectly composed as ever. Our eyes meet for a split second.

She moves past us with a polite nod, returning to her seat and immediately focusing on her laptop. But I catch her glancing in my direction once, quickly looking away when she realizes I’m watching her right back.