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

pressed to her mouth, her eyes wide with alarm. “Everything okay?”
    “Just fine,” I assured her. “Hugh here has an itchy trigger finger, and the coffeepot startled him.” I went to a closet for the broom and dustpan, then held them out to Hugh. “And now that he broke it, he’s going to clean it up.”
    Hugh bared his teeth at me in a snarl. Dear God, they were big; his canines practically looked like tusks.
    I refused to be intimidated, though. He wasn’t going to hurt me; he had to protect me. According to his boss, I was worth more alive than dead, so I gave him a sweet smile and pushed the broom and dustpan into his hands.
    As he glared at me, I patted his arm. “Now, please clean up your mess while I see to Savannah.” I stepped past him and turned to Savannah. “You okay, sweetie?”
    She blinked slowly, leaning against the door frame of the bathroom. Her gaze went to Hugh, then me. “What happened?”
    “Just an accident,” I said in a sunny voice. I moved to Savannah’s desk chair and pulled it out for her. “Come sit down. You don’t look so good.”
    She dropped heavily into her chair, pulled out a bottle of water, and sipped delicately.
    “You need some crackers or toast or something?”
    “I had that earlier,” she said in a whisper-soft voice and took another sip of water. “It didn’t help.”
    I brushed her sweaty brown hair off her forehead. “How about some nice hot tea?”
    “That might help. Maybe with some lemon. Except . . . our coffeepot is dead.” She looked over my shoulder, her brows drawing together.
    I glanced over, too, and saw Hugh standing there, still holding the broom and dustpan and giving them a ferocious frown, the mess of the broken coffeepot still at his feet.
    His bare feet, I just now noticed. They were clawed, as well. Oh, dear.
    Savannah looked over at me, then picked up a pencil and a notepad. She wrote something down, then nudged the pad toward me.
    What is he?
    Savannah was a were-cougar and a member of the Russell family, who spearheaded the Alliance. She was familiar with weres of all kinds—even the more unusual supernaturals, like harpies and satyrs and sirens. There was no doubt that Hugh was supernatural—anyone could tell that with one look at him—but the question was . . . what?
    I didn’t know either, but I intended to get some answers.
    Deliberately misunderstanding her question, I quickly wrote down Customer? “Well, since our coffeepot is dead, I’ll head to the coffee shop for your tea. Hugh, why don’t you come with me? You can finish cleaning that up once we get back.”
    “Oh, no, you don’t have to go,” Savannah protested. It was clear from her alarmed look that she didn’t want me going out with Hugh alone. “I’m fine.” She gave a hard little swallow midsentence, but she kept her brave face.
    “Nonsense,” I told her. “We’ll be back shortly. Leave that mess for us, and if you need to go be sick, just put on the answering machine.” I bounded over to my desk to get my Hello Kitty purse. “Come on, Hugh.”
    I held the door open, staring pointedly at his scowling face. After a moment, he headed out.
    One hurdle down. I followed, telling Hugh, “That’s my car.” I pointed at the baby blue hatchback that I’d put kitty ears and whiskers on, and gestured for him to take the passenger side.
    He simply stared at me, then at the car. Then back at me.
    Sure, everyone mocked the cat-mobile, but it made me smile to see it, so I didn’t care. “Just get in, already.” I pulled open my door and slid into the driver’s seat.
    It was only after I got into the car that Hugh opened his door very slowly and examined it, then folded his immense body into the passenger seat. His knees pressed hard against the dashboard, and his shoulders hunched as he tried to squeeze himself in, the door hanging open on his side. He looked so comical that I giggled despite myself.
    “I do not fit,” he said sourly, shifting in