back to watch her fall apart. He didn’t
know where this sudden concern was coming from, but he was starting to think
that maybe Grey was responsible for it.
Since they had a
bit of time, Vaile stopped at the diner for a cup of coffee before hitting the
morgue again. Twice in a day was hard for his wolf to deal with. While Grey
went to the bathroom, he ordered them each a coffee and got a slice of cherry
pie for Grey since she didn’t get to enjoy it last time. By the time she slid
back into the booth with her rose-smelling skin, the pie and coffees were
already there, waiting.
‘Did you order
this for me?’ she asked, looking down at the plate.
‘Yeah. I thought
I’d get you a slice since I put you off your food last time,’ he grunted,
stretching his legs out under the table and sinking down lower into the vinyl
seat to watch her.
She looked up at
him and smiled. ‘Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you.’ He broke away
from her stare first, glaring out the window at the snow-draped car park. He
grunted wordlessly at her and took a sip from his mug.
‘Why did you
volunteer to work with me Grey?’ he asked suddenly, unable to stop himself. It
was a question that had been at the back of his mind ever since he first met
her. It was still unanswered, and maybe if she told him she was just doing her
time to get promoted early, or maybe she thought it was a personal test to
survive working with him for longer than a day. But her answer wasn’t anything
like that.
‘I … I like you,
Vaile,’ she admitted softly, looking down and pushing a mouthful of pie around
with her fork. He watched her; his eyes hard, his jaw tense.
‘What?’ he
hissed. He went with anger and irritation because at least that way if he had
misheard her, he wouldn’t feel like such an asshole afterwards.
She looked up at
him, taking in his expression and putting her fork down. She sat a little
straighter in the booth, her chin jutting out like she meant business. ‘I like
you, Vaile, but clearly that’s a one-sided thing.’ Her voice was steady; sure.
‘And that’s fine. I never expected you to find me attractive. I also realise
that our working relationship would suffer should we explore it. So, for the
sake of the case and my career, I will simply say that I like you, but will
take it no further.’ Dropping her eyes to the pie again, she took two mouthfuls
while Vaile could only stare. She liked him? Nobody liked him. He was an
asshole.
Grey refused to
look at him again until she drained the rest of her coffee from her mug and
stood up, clutching her bag to her shoulder. ‘We should leave now if we are to
meet Mrs Mills at the morgue.’ And with that declaration, she stormed out of
the diner.
Vaile pulled
some notes from his pocket and left them on the table. Outside, Grey was
already waiting next to the passenger side. He unlocked it, and they both got
in. She was silent as she buckled up, staring pointedly out the passenger
window. He’d wanted to tell her that she was wrong. He did find her
attractive, but their relationship could never work. He was a completely
different species to her. And even if she did want a fling, he couldn’t give
that to her either. Vaile’s belief that wolves mated for life was so deeply
rooted in his psyche that he couldn’t break free from it. And to make matters
worse, Grey was human. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with a human.
Vaile shuddered
at even thinking those words. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with a
human. Where the fuck had that come from? He was losing his goddamn
mind. With a growl on his lips, he put the car into gear and drove to the
morgue, hating himself for being so naïve—for thinking that he could just work
with her without there being any other repercussions.
Vaile stalked
into the building ahead of Grey. Mrs Mills was waiting for them in the
reception area. She wasn’t wearing her sports gear now. She’d changed into an
expensive looking skirt
know where this sudden concern was coming from, but he was starting to think
that maybe Grey was responsible for it.
Since they had a
bit of time, Vaile stopped at the diner for a cup of coffee before hitting the
morgue again. Twice in a day was hard for his wolf to deal with. While Grey
went to the bathroom, he ordered them each a coffee and got a slice of cherry
pie for Grey since she didn’t get to enjoy it last time. By the time she slid
back into the booth with her rose-smelling skin, the pie and coffees were
already there, waiting.
‘Did you order
this for me?’ she asked, looking down at the plate.
‘Yeah. I thought
I’d get you a slice since I put you off your food last time,’ he grunted,
stretching his legs out under the table and sinking down lower into the vinyl
seat to watch her.
She looked up at
him and smiled. ‘Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you.’ He broke away
from her stare first, glaring out the window at the snow-draped car park. He
grunted wordlessly at her and took a sip from his mug.
‘Why did you
volunteer to work with me Grey?’ he asked suddenly, unable to stop himself. It
was a question that had been at the back of his mind ever since he first met
her. It was still unanswered, and maybe if she told him she was just doing her
time to get promoted early, or maybe she thought it was a personal test to
survive working with him for longer than a day. But her answer wasn’t anything
like that.
‘I … I like you,
Vaile,’ she admitted softly, looking down and pushing a mouthful of pie around
with her fork. He watched her; his eyes hard, his jaw tense.
‘What?’ he
hissed. He went with anger and irritation because at least that way if he had
misheard her, he wouldn’t feel like such an asshole afterwards.
She looked up at
him, taking in his expression and putting her fork down. She sat a little
straighter in the booth, her chin jutting out like she meant business. ‘I like
you, Vaile, but clearly that’s a one-sided thing.’ Her voice was steady; sure.
‘And that’s fine. I never expected you to find me attractive. I also realise
that our working relationship would suffer should we explore it. So, for the
sake of the case and my career, I will simply say that I like you, but will
take it no further.’ Dropping her eyes to the pie again, she took two mouthfuls
while Vaile could only stare. She liked him? Nobody liked him. He was an
asshole.
Grey refused to
look at him again until she drained the rest of her coffee from her mug and
stood up, clutching her bag to her shoulder. ‘We should leave now if we are to
meet Mrs Mills at the morgue.’ And with that declaration, she stormed out of
the diner.
Vaile pulled
some notes from his pocket and left them on the table. Outside, Grey was
already waiting next to the passenger side. He unlocked it, and they both got
in. She was silent as she buckled up, staring pointedly out the passenger
window. He’d wanted to tell her that she was wrong. He did find her
attractive, but their relationship could never work. He was a completely
different species to her. And even if she did want a fling, he couldn’t give
that to her either. Vaile’s belief that wolves mated for life was so deeply
rooted in his psyche that he couldn’t break free from it. And to make matters
worse, Grey was human. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with a human.
Vaile shuddered
at even thinking those words. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with a
human. Where the fuck had that come from? He was losing his goddamn
mind. With a growl on his lips, he put the car into gear and drove to the
morgue, hating himself for being so naïve—for thinking that he could just work
with her without there being any other repercussions.
Vaile stalked
into the building ahead of Grey. Mrs Mills was waiting for them in the
reception area. She wasn’t wearing her sports gear now. She’d changed into an
expensive looking skirt
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