pinch her ass cheeks. The moment she was out of sight, he swung murderous eyes in Wes’ direction.
“Choose your next words wisely,” warned the jaguar as he dropped back into his desk chair.
“Walt?”
“It’s my name.”
“No way? I thought your name was just Diaz, to be honest.”
Diaz fidgeted in his seat. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
The jaguar narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you going to make some comment about Penny?”
“Is there anything I could say that wouldn’t make you smash me in the face?”
Diaz grinned. “Doubtful.”
“She’s…” he considered the next word carefully, “nice.”
The jaguar scrubbed a hand down his face. “She’s perfect is what she is.”
“So… a penguin?” Diaz was always more of the big cat kind of guy. Although, for a while he seemed to be trying out different shifter species. Out of natural curiosity, he said. It was the reason he gave for flirting with the hedgehog shifter nurse – and definitely not because it pissed off the surly wolf shifter who had a crush on her and who eventually mated her.
“You dare laugh and…”
Wes held up his hands. “Wouldn’t dream of it. So you and her… been dating long?” If they had, he had kept it very quiet.
“Since Christmas Eve. I saved her life,” he told him proudly.
Wes snorted. He heard the story of the Christmas Eve hostage situation. According to the tactical officer, Lake, a penguin shifter – who he now knew to be Penny - had raced to Diaz’s rescue on roller skates and saved his life.
“Surprised you haven’t introduced her to everyone.”
Looking back, it was kind of odd that Diaz had been pretty much AWOL from the bar since Christmas. Usually, he was there every night.
Diaz winced. “Yeah, she thought so, too. She was starting to think I was embarrassed about dating her, so I had to bring her here.”
“Are you?”
“No!” roared Diaz, making the tiny office and everything in it rattle. “First of all, I don’t get embarrassed. And second, I would never be embarrassed of her. Just didn’t want any of the assholes who work here sniffing around her.”
Wes noticed that in pride of place on Diaz’s desk was a framed photo of Penny wearing a tiny pair of hot pants, a tight, pink t-shirt that said ‘flappy racer’ and roller skates. It stood out against the photos of Diaz’s many family members and his Corvette. Actually, Penny’s photo was directly in front of the Corvette – the car that Diaz had previously claimed was the love of his life.
Diaz pulled a box out of his desk drawer and opened it to show Wes a ring. It was a dark pearl set amongst diamonds. “I’m planning on asking her to marry me on St. Patrick’s Day.”
Both Wes’ eyebrows rose. Diaz, the biggest hound dog – or hound cat – in the building, a male who rarely even told females his last name, was actually diving into marriage at warp speed.
“Wow, that’s… fast.”
Diaz smiled faintly as he looked at the ring. “She’s my mate. I’m not letting her get away. I’m going to ask her to marry me and bond with me.” He snapped the box shut. “I was just hoping to get it locked down before I had to introduce her to any of my horny bastard friends. Hell, I was hoping to get it locked down on Valentine’s Day, and I would have if it weren’t for that crew of strippers who were breaking into houses, giving people lap dances and stealing everything they could carry.”
Wes nodded grimly. He remembered when Diaz and his team arrested them. He’d never seen so many male thongs or baby-oiled pecs in one room. Some of the women they robbed wrote to them in prison.
“So, how come you didn’t introduce her to my team?”
Diaz scowled. “I’m not sharing her with any of the males in this building. I gave her a tour of the cafeteria, the gym because I knew it would be empty at this time of day, archives where they keep
“Choose your next words wisely,” warned the jaguar as he dropped back into his desk chair.
“Walt?”
“It’s my name.”
“No way? I thought your name was just Diaz, to be honest.”
Diaz fidgeted in his seat. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
The jaguar narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you going to make some comment about Penny?”
“Is there anything I could say that wouldn’t make you smash me in the face?”
Diaz grinned. “Doubtful.”
“She’s…” he considered the next word carefully, “nice.”
The jaguar scrubbed a hand down his face. “She’s perfect is what she is.”
“So… a penguin?” Diaz was always more of the big cat kind of guy. Although, for a while he seemed to be trying out different shifter species. Out of natural curiosity, he said. It was the reason he gave for flirting with the hedgehog shifter nurse – and definitely not because it pissed off the surly wolf shifter who had a crush on her and who eventually mated her.
“You dare laugh and…”
Wes held up his hands. “Wouldn’t dream of it. So you and her… been dating long?” If they had, he had kept it very quiet.
“Since Christmas Eve. I saved her life,” he told him proudly.
Wes snorted. He heard the story of the Christmas Eve hostage situation. According to the tactical officer, Lake, a penguin shifter – who he now knew to be Penny - had raced to Diaz’s rescue on roller skates and saved his life.
“Surprised you haven’t introduced her to everyone.”
Looking back, it was kind of odd that Diaz had been pretty much AWOL from the bar since Christmas. Usually, he was there every night.
Diaz winced. “Yeah, she thought so, too. She was starting to think I was embarrassed about dating her, so I had to bring her here.”
“Are you?”
“No!” roared Diaz, making the tiny office and everything in it rattle. “First of all, I don’t get embarrassed. And second, I would never be embarrassed of her. Just didn’t want any of the assholes who work here sniffing around her.”
Wes noticed that in pride of place on Diaz’s desk was a framed photo of Penny wearing a tiny pair of hot pants, a tight, pink t-shirt that said ‘flappy racer’ and roller skates. It stood out against the photos of Diaz’s many family members and his Corvette. Actually, Penny’s photo was directly in front of the Corvette – the car that Diaz had previously claimed was the love of his life.
Diaz pulled a box out of his desk drawer and opened it to show Wes a ring. It was a dark pearl set amongst diamonds. “I’m planning on asking her to marry me on St. Patrick’s Day.”
Both Wes’ eyebrows rose. Diaz, the biggest hound dog – or hound cat – in the building, a male who rarely even told females his last name, was actually diving into marriage at warp speed.
“Wow, that’s… fast.”
Diaz smiled faintly as he looked at the ring. “She’s my mate. I’m not letting her get away. I’m going to ask her to marry me and bond with me.” He snapped the box shut. “I was just hoping to get it locked down before I had to introduce her to any of my horny bastard friends. Hell, I was hoping to get it locked down on Valentine’s Day, and I would have if it weren’t for that crew of strippers who were breaking into houses, giving people lap dances and stealing everything they could carry.”
Wes nodded grimly. He remembered when Diaz and his team arrested them. He’d never seen so many male thongs or baby-oiled pecs in one room. Some of the women they robbed wrote to them in prison.
“So, how come you didn’t introduce her to my team?”
Diaz scowled. “I’m not sharing her with any of the males in this building. I gave her a tour of the cafeteria, the gym because I knew it would be empty at this time of day, archives where they keep
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