Wanted: Wild Thing (Midnight Liaisons) Read Online Free PDF Page A

what I had to look forward to for the next month?
    I was an optimist, though; I’d just have to figure out a way to get Hugh off my tail, or make the best of him being here.
    I snagged the stool and turned around, doing my best to keep the pleasant expression on my face. “Since you followed me, why don’t you carry this?” I shoved it in his hands.
    He stared down at the wooden stepladder. “What is this for?”
    “It’s for you to sit on, since the chairs are uncomfortable.”
    He snorted. “I do not need this. I will stand.”
    “I prefer for you to sit.”
    “A soldier does not sit on the job.”
    “Yeah, well, you’re not a soldier right now,” I snapped, then inwardly berated myself for losing my temper. I needed to be nice. The Ryder everyone knew was sweet and pleasant. I smiled. “Humor me, okay?”
    I swept past him without waiting for an answer.
    In the main office, I could tell from Savannah’s curious look that my hulking “shadow” was right behind me. I pushed aside the two chairs and indicated that he should put the stool down. He did so, but he didn’t sit.
    All right, it was a start—if a crappy one. Irritated, I headed to the coffeepot. I scooped grounds and poured water, then clicked the On button. “You want coffee, Savannah?”
    No answer.
    I glanced over just in time to see her face pale. She pressed a hand to her mouth and bolted for the bathroom again. “I’m going to guess that’s a no,” I said and turned to Hugh. “Do you like coffee?”
    He simply watched me with those cat-eyes. “What I like does not matter.”
    “Oookay, then.” It was getting harder to keep the smile on my face. “Well, I like coffee.” I sat back down at my desk and tried to concentrate. If Hugh was going to lurk around me constantly, I needed a cover story. I cast about for an idea . . .
    Maybe I could tell everyone that Hugh was a shifter. That would work, since he had fangs and, um, stripes. So maybe he was some exotic-tiger shifter who was awkward around humans and needed to be taken under my wing. Except . . . 99.9 percent of the world was human, so he had to have run into people before now.
    Hmmm . . . Maybe he had trouble dating, and I was acting as his life coach?
    I picked up my glittery ruler and began to tap it against my palm. There had to be a good cover story somewhere. I couldn’t tell anyone, Oh, yes, I’m apparently a prize poodle, and when I hit my prime I’ll be worth a fortune, so he’s guarding me .
    Because I didn’t intend to be anyone’s poodle. I was going to figure a way out of this. I was going to find my True Love, and he was going to save me from my curse, and there would be a Happily Ever After.
    The coffeepot hissed steam, a signal that it was about to brew. Before I could blink an eye, Hugh lashed out at the machine.
    Claws flashed and I heard a growl, then there was a gigantic spark and a shatter of glass.
    The lights flickered.
    Everything went silent.
    I stood up, staring at the remains of the coffeepot, which had been neatly sliced in half by Hugh’s claws. He was standing over the broken pieces, big shoulders heaving, fangs bared, looking as if he was about to attack.
    As I watched, another spark flew from the coffeepot, and Hugh raised an enormous, clawed hand.
    “Wait,” I yelped, charging forward. “Don’t touch anything else. You’ll get electrocuted. Just stay right there.” I raced for the back room, flipping the circuit breakers to turn off the power in the office. Once that was done, I sprinted back into the main room . . .
    And stopped. Hugh’s eyes were glowing an eerily bright green, brighter than anything I’d ever seen. Creepy. I had to ignore that, though. I pushed past him and yanked the plug from the now very dead coffeepot, then returned to the back room and flipped the breakers on again, hoping that we hadn’t scared the life out of Savannah.
    I returned to the office as she emerged from the bathroom, a paper towel