Boarlander Silverback (Boarlander Bears #3)(18)

Audrey lifted her chin and stuck her hand out for a shake. “I’m Audrey.”

Alison grinned and shook her hand. “I’m Ally.”

Audrey pointed back and forth between Ally and Kirk. “And you two are here to conduct an interview? Oooor…”

“I’m taking her on a date,” Kirk said, sliding his hand in soothing circles on Alison’s back.

“Wait, wait, wait. You two are a thing?” Audrey yelled too loud.

“Audrey! Customers!” an older man called out. He wore a Moosey’s shirt and stood behind a covered grill area outside.

“Sorry, Joey!” Audrey twitched her head toward the counter where, in fact, there was a couple staring up at the menu written on a huge wooden board over a meat cutting station. “Walk with me.” In a whisper-scream, she said, “You two are a thing? Does Harrison know? Or Damon? Or Clinton? Does anyone know?”

“You do. And I’m pretty sure Damon figured it out. And Mason,” Kirk admitted, casting Alison a quick glance. “He’s been my sounding board.”

“You mean he was who you talked to when you were avoiding the hell out of me,” Alison muttered.

“Oh, he avoided you?” Audrey giggled. “That doesn’t work. When a shifter animal chooses a mate, it’s done.”

“Wait, what?” Alison asked.

Kirk pursed his lips and shook his head at Audrey like she was crazy.

“What do you mean when an animal chooses a mate?” she pushed. They were not done with that little bomb Audrey had just dropped.

A sharp rumble came from Kirk’s chest, and the air felt muggier, which made no sense because they’d just come under the protection of the barbecue joint and there were fans up in the top corners of the room.

Audrey’s face had gone comically blank.

Urgently, Alison said, “Tell me!”

“Great dusty balls, I ain’t good at lyin’, Kirk,” Audrey muttered. “You should’ve told her.”

“Dammit, Audrey. She isn’t a shifter like you. She’s human. Different timeline.” Oh, now Kirk looked pissed.

Audrey jacked up her dark eyebrows and looked stubborn. “Emerson is human, and her and Bash’s timeline was just as short as me and Harrison’s. Maybe shorter!”

“Nye!” Kirk said, slashing his hand through the air.

Audrey’s mouth flopped open, and she looked like one of those cartoon characters with smoke blowing out of their ears. With fire in her brown eyes, she rounded on Alison and whispered, “His gorilla picked you. I can tell. You’re it for him, and if you stick around, he’ll be an awesome mate for you. He won’t be able to help himself. Your happiness will be all he’ll think about.”

Kirk wrapped his hands around air in a choking motion. Audrey flipped him off before she turned and made her way behind the counter.

Alison was dumbfounded. Shocked was too small a word. His mate? Mate? That sounded huge. How did she not know the exact meaning of this? She was a police officer. She should’ve been prepped better than this. She should’ve known the culture of the people she was watching, protecting, and conversing with. But with Audrey’s declaration, she now felt in way over her head.

Kirk felt big, and now he would never be able to deny it. She was big, too.

“Your animal picked me?” she asked in a strange, husky voice she barely recognized.

“I was thinking we should split some jalape?o sausage.”

“Kirk.”

“You’re right. Ribs are better.”

“Kirk.”

“Cheesy corn is a must.”

“Kirk! Am I your mate?”

“I don’t want to talk about this here.”

Alison gritted her teeth and squeezed his hands, leveled him with a fierce look. “Tell me quick, Kirk.”

“Yes.” His voice cracked on the harsh word, and now he wouldn’t meet her gaze. Jerkily, he nodded his chin. “I chose you. I didn’t mean for it to happen. Didn’t want it.”

That stung like a slap on cold skin. “Why?”

“Because you can do better.”

“That right there is a bullcrap cop-out. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Kirk crossed his arms over his muscular, barrel chest and sighed. “Because now you’ll be the one running.”





Chapter Ten


“Okay.” In her lap, Alison readjusted the to-go boxes of food they hadn’t eaten. “Okay,” she repeated for the tenth time since she’d found out she was someone’s…mate. That word felt huge.

“You’re freaking out,” Kirk said low. Even though he was the epitome of relaxed, leaned back against the seat of his Mustang, arm draped over the steering wheel as they coasted up the winding mountain road, his eyes had been that eerie yellow color that said his animal was just under the surface.

Posturing seemed to be a big thing for Kirk, but maybe that was important to all gorilla shifters. Or all shifters. Crap on a cracker, she regretted not doing more research. She was a friggin’ cop after all, and she’d just adopted this if-it’s-important-they’ll-tell-me attitude. That wasn’t her. She’d never been a go-with-the-flow type of girl. She’d always been a know-as-much-as-possible-so-she-could-freaking-survive type of person.