Page 15 of Stripe for the Picking (Paranormal Dating Agency #92)

TWELVE

RYLAN

R ylan's pulse quickened as he approached their workstation area thirty minutes later, carrying two paper bags from the café down the street.

The military locker room shower had done nothing to cool the fire burning through his veins after their intense arena session.

If anything, the brief separation had only intensified his need to be near Wren again.

She sat hunched over her holographic display, completely absorbed in her work.

Her green short-sleeved blouse showcased her curves in ways that made his tiger roar with approval, and the modest neckline revealed just enough cleavage to drive him to distraction.

Her tight khaki pants emphasized her long legs, and her dark brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail that left the delicate curve of her neck completely exposed.

Mine, his tiger growled.

Rylan forced his breathing to remain steady as he set one bag beside her workstation. "Thought you might be hungry."

Wren looked up, her green eyes lighting up with surprise and something that looked like delight. "You brought me lunch?"

"Same sandwich you enjoyed on your first day here." He couldn't quite suppress the satisfaction in his voice. "Figured you'd worked up an appetite after our trial run."

"I'm starving, actually." Her smile was radiant. "That trial run was incredible, Rylan. Your abilities in the arena, and the way you moved through those obstacles like they were nothing. I was seriously impressed."

Heat slowly crawled up his neck at her praise.

"It was only because you made me look good.

Your maneuvering of the environment and the way you anticipated what I needed before I even realized it myself.

.." He shook his head, genuine admiration coloring his tone.

"You were masterful. Like you'd been doing it for years. "

A pretty blush stained her cheeks as she unwrapped her sandwich. "Well, I do love a good challenge."

Rylan watched her take the first bite, transfixed by the small sound of satisfaction she made. Every tiny reaction from her seemed designed to test his self-control.

"Wren, I owe you an apology."

She paused mid-chew, tilting her head questioningly.

"For yesterday. Dismissing you so abruptly from work." He ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair, disrupting the order he usually maintained. "I was feeling overwhelmed by you unraveling this conspiracy with Arvox and fending off cyber attacks I couldn't after weeks of trying..."

And I was about to kiss you senseless right here in the middle of Defense Nexus, his tiger snarled. Still want to.

"I just felt a bit embarrassed," he finished lamely, hating how inadequate the explanation sounded.

Wren's expression softened. "You would have figured it all out eventually. Though sometimes a fresh perspective helps. When you're too close to a problem, it's sometimes hard to see the obvious."

"That's... actually very true." Relief flooded through him that she wasn't holding his behavior against him.

"So anyway, I was wondering if you would like to come over to my apartment tonight?

I could make us dinner. My treat for all the help you've given me these past three days, and a thank you for agreeing to be my partner for the Trials. "

Her smile was like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. "I'd really like that."

She said yes. His tiger practically surfaced right then and there. My mate in my territory.

For the rest of the afternoon, Rylan found himself completely unable to focus on work. Every time Wren asked him questions about the evidence they were building against Arvox, he managed to provide coherent answers, but his mind remained fixated on the evening ahead.

Wren in my apartment. Wren close enough to touch.

His tiger wouldn't sit still beneath his skin either, anticipating having their mate in their sanctuary in just a few short hours.

"You seem distracted," Wren observed around four o'clock, her voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"Just thinking about dinner preparations," he lied smoothly, though not entirely untruthfully.

As the twin suns began their descent toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of lavender and rose, Rylan saved his work files and turned to face Wren.

"We should wrap up for the day," he said, standing and straightening his tall frame. "Head to the market off-base to pick up ingredients for tonight."

Wren's eagerness matched his own as she quickly logged off her systems. "What are you planning to make?"

"Something that'll remind you why Nova Aurora cuisine is superior to Earth food." He flashed her one of his rare genuine smiles. "Think you can handle a little culinary adventure?"

"Commander, I think you'll find I can handle anything you throw at me."

The challenge in her sweet voice sent heat rushing through his body. If only you knew what I really wanted to throw at you tonight, his tiger rumbled.

"Let's go find out," he said, gesturing toward the elevators.

Rylan's heart thundered against his ribs as he guided Wren through the streets of Nexus toward the market. Tonight could be the night—the night he finally told her what she truly was to him.

My fated mate.

The city around them transformed as the twin suns dipped below the horizon. Yellow and blue neon lights flickered to life, casting shifting patterns across Wren's beautiful face as she craned her neck to take in the futuristic architecture towering above them.

"So Kael really told you about the time I got stuck in the ventilation system during my first week?" Rylan asked, mortification heating his face as they approached the market's entrance.

Wren's laugh was like music. "He said you were so determined to prove yourself that you crawled into a maintenance shaft that was clearly marked 'authorized personnel only' and got wedged in there for an hour."

"One hour and forty-seven minutes," Rylan muttered. "And I was trying to fix a comm relay that had been malfunctioning for weeks."

"Did you fix it?"

"Yes."

"Then I'd say mission accomplished, Commander." Her green eyes sparkled with amusement. "Though Kael mentioned something about you emerging covered in blue dust that took days to wash out of your hair."

"Kael talks too much," Rylan grumbled, but he couldn't suppress his smile. This playful and carefree side of Wren was intoxicating. Away from the pressure of Defense Nexus and the looming Trials, she was simply... magnificent.

Inside the market, vendors called out their wares in melodic voices while holographic displays showcased exotic ingredients that didn't exist on Earth.

Rylan selected items with practiced efficiency—crystalline spices that would enhance the Novian fish fillets, violet grains that would complement the protein, and bottles of Sidaii wine that glowed faintly in the artificial light.

"Are you going to tell me yet what you're making us?" Wren asked, examining a particularly luminescent vegetable with scientific curiosity.

"Nope, it's a surprise." He paid the vendor and gathered their purchases. "But do you think your Earth palate can handle some real flavor?"

"Commander, I think you'll discover that everything about me is far more adventurous than you realize."

Her words sent heat straight to his core. Everything she said seemed specifically designed to trigger his desire, and his tiger was growing more impatient by the minute.

They left the market and walked back toward the residential sector, their conversation flowing easily between teasing banter and genuine curiosity about each other's worlds.

Rylan found himself relaxing in a way he hadn't in years, simply enjoying the company of the woman who'd turned his ordered life completely upside down.

But as they approached the final block before the military base entrance, Rylan's enhanced senses detected something wrong. A shadow moved against the natural flow of pedestrians, too purposeful and too focused. His tiger instincts sharpened to razor focus.

"Something's not right," Wren whispered beside him, her voice tight with tension.

"Stay close to me," Rylan commanded. He shifted the shopping bags to one hand and moved protectively closer to her, his body automatically positioning itself as a shield.

Protect the mate. Defend what's mine.

Suddenly, a masked figure burst from the nearby bushes, moving with predatory intent straight for Wren. Rylan's vision went red with protective fury.

"No." The word tore from his throat as primal instinct took control.

Adrenaline surged through his system as Wren stepped backward, her self-defense training evident as she automatically shifted into a defensive stance. But this threat was beyond what she could handle alone.

No one touches what's mine.

Rylan moved like lightning, placing himself between Wren and the attacker just as the figure shifted into tiger form.

Without conscious thought, Rylan's own transformation rippled through his body—bones elongating, muscles expanding, and his black and gold striped coat emerging as his tiger burst free.

His roar shook the nearby buildings.

The enemy tiger was smaller and less experienced, clearly not expecting to face a large and formidable shifter.

Rylan struck with deadly precision, his powerful frame dwarfing his opponent as he drove them back with raw, unrestrained strength.

Every move was calculated to protect, to dominate, and to send a clear message. Touch my mate and die.

Through his tiger's heightened senses, he was acutely aware of Wren watching him—her sharp intake of breath, and the way her heart rate spiked not with fear but with something that smelled suspiciously like arousal. Even in his shifted form, her reaction sent satisfaction coursing through him.

She's not afraid. She's fascinated.

The attacker, clearly outmatched, broke off the engagement and fled into the shadows between buildings. Rylan pursued for several strides before his protective instincts overrode his hunting drive—he couldn't leave Wren vulnerable, even for revenge.

He shifted back into human form, and pulled on his boxers, tactical pants, and boots, which were thankfully mostly intact.

Though his t-shirt had been shredded in the transformation.

He grabbed a spare shirt from his backpack and pulled it on, hyperaware of Wren's wide eyes tracking his every movement.

"Are you hurt?" His voice was rough and low as he closed the distance between them. "Did they touch you at all?"

Wren shook her head, but he could see her hands trembling. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest where his heart still hammered from the fight and the rush of protecting his mate.

"You're safe now," he murmured against her hair, breathing in her scent to reassure both himself and his tiger. "I've got you."

The mate bond pulsed between them like a living thing, stronger than ever after the shared danger. When she tilted her face up to look at him, her cheeks flushed and her lips slightly parted, Rylan felt the last of his control snap.

He cupped her beautiful face in his hands, his thumbs brushing across her cheekbones. "Wren..."

And then his lips were on hers, possessive and urgent, claiming what was his.

She melted against him, her hands fisting in his shirt as she kissed him back with equal fervor.

The sweet taste of her, the feel of her soft curves pressed against his hard body, and the way she made that small sound of need against his mouth—it all combined to make his head spin.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Wren stared up at him with wonder in her green eyes.

"That was..." she whispered, her voice breathless.

"Overdue," Rylan finished, his thumb tracing her lower lip. The mate bond thrummed between them, no longer something he could deny or rationalize away.