“What if it’s something gross?”

“I’m wearing my gloves and this stupid mask. Besides, I’m in denial. How about leaving me there?”

Gwen chuckled and continued eating while watching Blayne work. “So you really have Novikov’s numbers in your cell?”

“Yep. And I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell your brother about it.”

“Are you kidding? Mitch has no boundaries in general, but when it comes to sports stars, he’s even worse.”

“He should have joined one of the shifter football teams.”

“By the time the pro teams really took off and became legit, he was already a cop. But I think part of him will always regret that he didn’t go the other route.”

“Yeah.”

“So are you two dating?”

“Me and Mitch?”

“No, you idiot. You and Novikov?”

“God, no. Why?”

“He likes you.”

“We’re friends.”

Gwen shook her head and reached for another donut. “Don’t be an idiot, Blayne. The man waited, according to what you told me he said, for fifteen minutes for you to arrive. He’s Bo Novikov. He doesn’t have to wait for anybody. Then, not only does he forgive you for making him wait, he gives you all his numbers.”

Blayne lowered the hammer. “You’re over-thinking this.”

“And you’re not thinking at all.”

“You act like that’s new.” She went back to working on the encrusted pipe. “He’s not, nor will he be, one of my gentlemen callers.”

“Ignoring the fact you keep using that stupid term, why won’t he be one of your gentlemen callers?”

“He’s too uptight. Always telling me to get a new watch.”

“You need a new watch.”

“And he has an unhealthy obsession over his schedule.”

“You mean because he actually follows his schedule rather than randomly changing it when the mood suits him?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. He won’t be happy with a woman unless she’s as uptight and narrow minded as he is. Thank you, but I like my hippy-dippy ways.”

Gwen wiped her sugar- and chocolate-stained hands with a napkin. “You could try this new thing called ‘compromise. ’ It’s all the rage.”

“I know guys like him. I was raised by a guy like him. There is no compromise in his world; there is only submission or death.”

“I knew somehow we’d end up back at your father.” She tapped Blayne’s foot. “And it seems to me Novikov has already compromised where you’re concerned.”

“He’s hoping for a shot at the goodies. Once he gets it,we’ll be heading back to Submission Town, USA, where there is no compromise.”

Gwen’s eyes crossed. “My God, you’re weird.”

“Don’t sound so shocked. You already knew this.”

Blayne finished cleaning off the material around the pipe and hung the hammer from a loop on her pants. Taking hold of the pipe, Blayne twisted and pulled, but the metal was too rusted to the connecting pipe that led into the building. She motioned to Gwen. “Anyone around?”

Gwen walked to the garage entrance and did a quick visual search. Shaking her head, she walked back over. “Nope. It’s clear. And we’re not done talking about this.”

“Let it go.” Blayne twisted hard, her natural strength tearing the pipe away from the other pipe. If the full-human owner had been around, she’d have had to get it off the hard, and much more boring, way.

Holding the pipe in her hands, Blayne glanced at Gwen.

“What?” Gwen asked.

“It’s heavy.” She turned the pipe over and looked inside.

“Be careful, Blayne. Let’s not have a repeat of—”

“Badger!”

CHAPTER 10

Bo banged on the door again, seconds away from tearing it off its hinges when Blayne opened it. Without waiting to be invited, he pushed past her, throwing down his gym bag. He couldn’t remember being this angry before. And, man, was he angry.

“Do you think,” he snarled, “that I offer to help everybody? Do you think my time is so meaningless that I can just sit around at the sports center waiting for you or anyone to show up? I know your concept of time is different from the rest of the universe but I am on a schedule. Do you even know what that means?” He turned around to face her. “Do you?”

One brown eye slowly blinked up at him from a face half covered by an icepack. Surprised, Bo took a step back. “What happened to your face?”

“Badger.”

She’d mumbled so he was hoping he had heard wrong. “Badger? What about a badger?”

“I was assaulted by one.”

“By a badger?”

“Yes. By a badger.” She stepped around him and sat down on a loveseat she was pretending was a couch. Not surprising when the apartment was so small and—Christ almighty!—so messy. Bo looked around and wondered how she even managed to move her body around the room.

“Are you using a slang term I’ve never heard before regarding your assailant or do you mean an actual badger?” he pushed, trying not to think too hard about the horror that was her apartment.

“I mean a badger!” she yelled; then she moaned and curled up on her couch. “Go away, Bo. I want to be miserable alone.”