Special Ops Shifters: Dallas Force: The Complete Series Collection (Shifter Nation) Read online

  Vance touched the brim of his hat. “Howdy.”

  “You come here often?” she asked, batting a set of fake eyelashes.

  More often than she did, that was for sure. Vance could see right through her. She was what those in the business called a buckle bunny. Most likely, she’d never pitched hay, cleaned a hoof, or had been bucked off a horse, but she wanted to pretend she had just to pick up guys in tight jeans. Vance knew her type, but he also knew he could be just as shallow. He’d done his share of posing when he wanted to attract the right attention.

  “All the time. The name’s Vance.”

  The girl let out a ridiculous giggle that was cut off by the horn as another racer finished her set. “My name’s Brooke. Do you compete?”

  “I just have a few friends in the business. I raise cattle, but you won’t see any of them here.” Vance’s cattle were well known for their quality beef. He’d been tempted to switch over a small amount of his herd and see what he might be able to make on a good mean bull—the kind that all the showoffs were terrified of—but he was too busy to manage two breeds with entirely different needs. His work with the SOS Force took up enough of his time as it was without having a whole other market to worry about.

  Those eyelashes fluttered again as she ran her gaze across his arms. “I guess all that work makes you pretty strong, huh?”

  Well, damn. He had plenty to do that night when he got back home, but some of his chores might just have to wait, depending on how far she wanted to take this. “Strong enough, I reckon.”

  Brooke giggled again, and this time she dared to run her fingers down his sleeve. “You know, I could really use a beer. How about you?”

  “Sounds good to me.” Vance turned and made his way through the crowd toward the beer tent, shaking his head at how easy it was sometimes. The other guys complained—or at least some of them did, before they decided to settle down—but Vance knew you just had to look for the right opportunities. There were plenty of women out there, and they weren’t all looking for a deep commitment. Girls like Brooke were a dime a dozen. They’d have a good time, and when Vance never called her again, she’d complain to her girlfriends and move on to someone else.

  He was just trying to decide if he was willing to take Brooke back to his place as they stepped up to the back of the line. Someone tapped his shoulder, and Vance turned to find himself staring into a set of very serious blue-gray eyes. He froze like an animal caught in a trap as he studied her, the sound of the rodeo and the carnival-like atmosphere behind them fading to a dull roar.

  “Vance Morris?” she asked. Her sandy hair, the strands varying shades of everything from palest platinum to deepest honey, was tied back in a thick but loose braid. Her plaid button-down was tucked into her Wranglers, which bore faint dust stains on the thighs. She was vaguely familiar.

  “You’re looking at ‘im.” Vance recovered somewhat from his initial shock as he tried to place her. He knew he’d seen her somewhere before. Clearly, his cougar recognized her. The animal inside him, if he were to let it out, would be walking slow circles around this woman. It sensed a familiar beast inside her, which wasn’t always a good combination for solitary cougars. But this time, he didn’t feel the need to back away.

  Her manner was much more professional than Brooke’s had been as she extended her hand. “Delilah Henderson. I believe we’ve met before.”

  Shit. They sure had. It’d only been brief, and Vance wasn’t even completely sure they’d been officially introduced. It was at the end of one of their previous missions, and Vance had noticed her instantly. He’d tried not to worry about it, since he had plenty of other things to deal with at the moment.

  “Excuse me, but we’re kind of busy.” Brooke looped her arm through Vance’s elbow and tucked herself in close to his body. She shot Delilah a possessive look.

  It was a bold move for someone who was practically a stranger, but Vance wasn’t surprised. He didn’t exactly mind it, either, but Brooke wasn’t going to get her way, no matter how much she fluttered her eyelashes or how tight her clothes were. Vance extracted his arm from Brooke’s grip. “I’m sorry. I’ll have to owe you a beer some other time. I’ve got some business to take care of.”

  Brooke stuck out her lower lip, but her eyes didn’t show even the gleam of tears. “Come on, Vance. You promised.”

  “Another time,” he repeated as he stepped out of line and headed off toward the horse trailers. He sensed Delilah walking next to him more than he actually saw her. Now that he knew she was there, Vance figured there was no getting away. A woman like her wouldn’t take no for an answer. He rubbed his hand along his jaw as they stepped into the shadows.

  “I figured I’d find you here.” Delilah folded her arms in front of her, continuing to give him that look. Her lids hooded her eyes, making it hard to tell if she was amused or grim. The vice president of the Dallas conclave looked far calmer than Vance felt, but the tremble of her pulse in her throat told him maybe she wasn’t as unruffled as she wanted to make it seem.

  Vance glanced over his shoulder to make sure Brooke hadn’t tried to follow them. “Not a surprise to find me here at all, actually, but I have to say I’m not sure what brings you to a place like this.”

  Her lips curved into a smile. “I may not look the part most of the time, but I was born and raised here in Texas just like you were. President Whiteside sent me here to make sure we could count on the Force’s help.” Her tone started out light enough, but there was no mistaking the gravity of the last sentence.

  A shiver threatened to twitch down Vance’s spine as he studied her. She was gorgeous, yet not in the same sense that Brooke had been. That girl was only appealing because she was young and fit. Delilah had a knockout body of her own, but the experience and depth in her eyes created a completely different allure. Vance could sense the cougar inside her, and he wondered if she had to struggle as much as he did to keep this professional. He’d only seen her from a distance before, and whatever brief meeting they might’ve had had been busy and cluttered with conclave business. This was different, there in the dark shadows of the trailers with the horses dancing anxiously as their owners leaned on the arena fence or picked up souvenirs to bring back home.

  He cleared his throat. “Look, I don’t know exactly what the situation is, but I’m not sure we should be discussing it here. I should be getting home, anyway. I’ve got chores to do back at the ranch.” He glanced at the sun, which had nearly sunk to the horizon. The truth was that the animals would be fine for a little while. He’d fed them late plenty of other times when he was on a mission or had something come up, but it was a good excuse so he wouldn’t get cornered into anything.

  “I completely understand that; we had a few animals around when I was growing up.” One of her eyebrows quirked up slightly in challenge. “I’ve got time; why don’t you let me help you.”

  His eyes flashed in surprise. “All right,” he drawled out slowly, unsure of exactly what was happening. But as he headed toward the parking lot, there was no mistaking it: Delilah was coming back to the ranch with him. As he climbed into his truck, he watched her get behind the wheel of a sleek black sedan. He cursed as he drove out onto the road, knowing she’d likely be pissed by the time they pulled in front of the barn because that black paint would be caked in dust.

  Her headlights followed his steadily for the short drive, and Vance took advantage of having a moment to himself to try to calm his cougar. He’d noticed the magnetic energy radiating from hers, and he had a feeling she’d picked up on his, too.

  On the whole, he avoided most people like the plague. But Delilah was different. She created an urge deep within his core to reach out, to touch, to explore. One glance from those captivating eyes of hers made his stomach ricochet inside his abdomen

  Hell, he knew what it felt like to be attracted to someone. He was a man, after all, and he most definitely enjoyed the company of women. But this was something else. Delilah wasn’t j
ust a new, shiny toy he wanted to take off the shelf and play with; every second they spent together, a surge of intensity wrapped around him like a lasso, yanking him closer toward her. If he hadn’t been steady on his feet, Vance wondered if he just might have tipped forward and stumbled at her feet.

  Stop it, you idiot, he chided himself as he made the last curve in the highway before turning off onto a gravel road. She’s the vice president of the conclave, and she’s here on business. They need your help, and that’s all there is to it. Control yourself.

  Unfortunately, that was even harder than he imagined once he’d pulled up his driveway and realized Delilah was now on his territory. The big cat inside him knew that a female—and not just any female—was right there, willingly within his boundaries. It put him in charge in a wild, feral way that humans wouldn’t understand, but that Vance most definitely did.

  He waited only long enough for her to get out of her vehicle before he headed to the barn. “You really didn’t have to come out here with me,” he said. “I’m sure we could’ve waited to talk to about this at headquarters or something.”

  To his surprise, Delilah moved in much the same way as Gabe had when he’d visited. She watched him for only a moment before stepping up and pitching in. When pasture grass was short, most of the cattle were fed with big round bails. The cows he was babying got the good square bails Vance kept in the barn. Delilah easily jumped up through several levels of them to retrieve a few from the top, dropping them down to him. “I didn’t want to wait, and I didn’t want to do anything official. This is all supposed to be kept under wraps for the time being.”

  Vance tossed the flakes of hay to the cows, trying to focus on the sweet scent of the dried grass instead of the way Delilah looked as she pounced down the haystack. Human form or not, she was lithe and able. It was hard not to think about what else she might be able to do with that body. “Why’s that?”

  Delilah smiled at the cows as she helped feed them before her face took on that solemn look again. “We’re having some issues with the Austin conclave. There have been several problems, but the one we’re having right now is their refusal to allow us to extradite a known criminal.”

  He thought he was beginning to understand. “So, you want the Force to go retrieve this guy.” That would be an easy enough mission, and it wouldn’t even take them all that far from home base. “Just send the details to HQ and we’ll git ‘er done.”

  “I’m afraid it’s more politically sensitive than that,” she quickly corrected. “I’m not even asking you to do anything specific right now except to be there for us when we need you. It might be tomorrow or it might be months from now. President Whiteside is concerned about the Austin conclave’s plans, and he’d feel better knowing we have shifters like you on our side.” She strode confidently next to him as they headed over to take care of the horses.

  Vance flexed his jaw as he tried to think with his brain and not his groin. “You know the Force has always tried to help any shifter in need, whether it’s someone from a clan or the conclave. In that sense, I reckon you have your answer. But I can’t give you any kind of commitment without clearin’ it with the others.” He wouldn’t say it out loud, but someone in her position should know that. They’d worked with the Force before, and they knew how any group of shifters usually functioned. Vance, Max, and Jack might be a bit of a ragtag bunch, but they still relied on each other and kept the best interests of the group as a whole in mind.

  Delilah didn’t seem to be listening at this point. She was watching the horses as they shuffled along the fence, moving into place according to the order of the team. In the next moment, she’d ducked through the split rails and was running her hand down Cedar’s front leg. The horse easily shifted his weight and picked up his hoof for her. “Do you have a knife or a pick?” Delilah asked as she squinted down at the horse’s foot in the dim light and held out her hand expectantly. “He’s got something stuck in his frog.”

  Who the hell was this woman? Vance reached in his pocket for the knife he carried every day and handed it over. He watched as she glanced at it, flicked it open, and used the tip to fling a sizable piece of gravel out of the v-shaped area on the bottom of Cedar’s hoof. Folding the knife and handing it back to him, she gave the horse a pat and climbed back out of the fence.

  He didn’t want to admit he was stunned, but Vance knew he was watching her like she was some sort of magician. “How did you know?” he asked quietly.

  She was standing close to him, so close that he could feel the heat of her body radiating out into the night, swirling around him before it drifted off into the sky. As she tipped her head up towards his, his heartbeat picked up until he thought it might actually be some other noise from a neighboring farm instead of one that came from inside his chest. “Like I said, we had a few animals around. It’s been a long time, but you and I both know that sometimes an animal just speaks to you.”

  Yeah, like the way his cougar was speaking to him, demanding that he claim her instead of just standing there in front of her like a damn fool. “Still, I’m mighty impressed.”

  “I pay attention to things, Mr. Morris. I kind of have to in my job. I’m sure it’s not much different for you.” Her eyes met his, the stormy blue of them darkened by the coming night. There was so much more hinted at behind those eyes; far more than two people simply talking about business or even horses.

  Vance felt his body leaning toward her, his hands itching to close around her hips and pull her forward. He took a deliberate step away from her and toward the barn. “Yes, speaking of your job, is that all you wanted to ask me? For the promise of some loose allegiance between the Force and the conclave?” Work was a much safer subject than anything else, and he would stick to it as much as he could. Maybe if he could focus on the idea of missions or battles, he could keep his beast in check.

  Maybe.

  He stepped into the barn and flicked on the light. The animals had their own run-ins in the pastures, buildings where they could come and go as they pleased. Vance had long felt these were much safer and healthier for herd animals, who could stand close to each other for warmth or a feeling of security when they needed it. That kept this barn free for a tack room, spare hay, and other equipment. He plucked a broom from a rack on the wall and began sweeping. Vance was just killing time, and he knew it, but there was little else for him to do when it was already dark outside.

  “That’s essentially the idea, yes. It’s just a precaution at this point, and nothing else.” She’d followed him inside, her eyes scanning the room before they slowly lifted up to his. Their color had changed again to one of an almost crystalline blue as she drew her plump lower lip between her teeth. “No true commitment, you understand.”

  His throat went dry. Such a simple thing, the color of someone’s eyes. It wasn’t anything that should matter at all, yet he found himself studying every tiny detail of her. He noted the way she stood, with one knee bent to exaggerate the curve of her hip. Even the way the fabric of her shirt fit over her body was enticing. “Right,” he murmured as he stopped his sweeping, “no true commitment.”

  “We’re just doing what we have to do.” Delilah’s voice was a purr as she watched him, those heavy lids suggesting so much more than what her sweet, pink lips were saying.

  Leaning the broom against the wall, Vance dared to step toward her once again. “I’m glad both of us understand that.” They most definitely weren’t talking about the conclave anymore. At this point, Vance wasn’t even completely aware of what the hell a conclave was. He only knew what she was, and that was because his inner cougar was telling him. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he took another cautious step, gauging her reaction as he did so. “It’s just the way it is.”

  “I know.” Her body fit perfectly against his as their arms moved around each other. Delilah’s lips reached up to meet his, soft and inviting.

  Vance sank into them. This was crazy. Somewhere, in the furthes
t reaches of his mind, he was aware that she was the vice president of the conclave. She was one of the most powerful women he knew, and he had no business standing with her in his barn, exploring the warm heat of her kiss. But all logic and reason were quickly drowned out by the exquisite feeling of her tongue against his own; the way her lips moved to keep him captured in place.

  There wasn’t any choice in the matter; she was his mate. Cougars always knew exactly what—and who—they wanted. While their solitary natures would soon be leading them in different directions, in that moment, she consumed him. Vance reached out blindly and flicked the lights back off before scooping Delilah off her feet, making his way through the barn with the ease of a big cat hunting at night.

  Delilah’s body leaned heavily, desperately into his as she wrapped her arms around his neck and trailed her fingers along his firm shoulder muscles. Her lips and tongue made trails from his jawbone down his neck, pausing in the crook of his collarbone as she inhaled his scent. “I don’t know if you can handle me, Vance,” she breathed against his skin.

  Her words shot through him like lightning, making him rock hard in an instant. “We’ll see about that, now won’t we?”

  He’d reached the spare stack of hay, the good stuff he made sure to keep out of the rain. It was stacked in bales as it’d been when they’d done their chores, but some of it came loose and spread like a pallet on the floor. Vance swung her down so that she landed on her feet, but by some silent agreement, the two of them went tumbling down to the sweet-smelling bedding. Vance kissed her again as he curled his fingers up the backs of her thighs, over the back pockets of her jeans, and up to clamp around her waist just under her shirt. Her skin was like velvet under his hands.