“A story for another time,” he told her.
“Of course,” she replied, watching as he got dressed and crossed the room toward her to give her a kiss. “The keycard is on the nightstand for you to get back into the room. Be careful today and text me when you have a chance so that I know you are okay. If I don’t hear from you at least every couple of hours, I’ll come looking for you.”
Kat would normally be concerned about a demand to keep in contact so heavily, but these weren’t usual circumstances. She nodded and smiled, already missing him as he left the room. Once he was gone, it was tempting to lay back down and get some more sleep, since she’d slept so poorly the night before. Instead, she got up and showered, getting dressed and retrieving her phone to look up the nearest bank location. It was only then that she noticed the message from her mother.CHAPTER TWENTY-ONETravis
It was all Travis could do to focus on his job, following this vapid, self-indulgent woman around as she barked orders. She was in a mood, and today just wasn’t the day for it. He was overcome by an urge to shift and just scare the holy shit out of her.
He knew it was part of the rut. It made him more aggressive, more protective, but not of some human woman. Instead, it made him agitated that he was having to pull himself away from Kat and her situation to deal with her insanity. There was no real danger to her, aside from breaking a nail trying to flip off a reporter, but she acted as if she had a price on her head.
“Travis, can you come here and help me?” she bleated.
He made his way across the clearing to where she stood in a robe. One side of it was askew, leaving a clear view down the front of her breasts. She made a point of leaning forward to give him a better view, but he wasn’t interested. No human woman could give him half the pleasure of his own kind, and the rut ensured a lack of interest in anyone other than Kat, shifter or otherwise.
“I’ve dropped an earring in the leaves down there. Wardrobe is going to kill me if I lose another one after they had to scrounge about to find a replacement for the one from yesterday.”
It was unlikely that this woman gave two shits about whether wardrobe had to hunt down another earring, and it was likely that if they’d had to do it once, they’d purchased a pair, meaning there was still another one available.
“I’ve got it,” Bob said, coming out of nowhere to help look for the missing earring.
Travis almost laughed. He wasn’t sure what was more amusing: her desperation in seeking his attention or Bob’s quick reaction to make sure she didn’t get it. At the same time, there was nothing funny about it at all. If she got too out of hand, he’d have to set her straight, and that could put this job in jeopardy. He now had more reason than ever to get through these six months and get started on what was looking to be a better life than he could have hoped to find so soon after his release.
The thought of that was another hurdle he knew he’d have to leap. Kat deserved to know what sort of man she was getting herself involved with. The rut had been unexpected, had sped up their relationship in a way that only it could do. That was the purpose of the rut: to seal the fates of two people together.
His phone buzzed, and he snuck a peek at it while Vivianne was busy with her scene. There was no message, just a snapshot of Kat’s beautiful face, smiling at him from his room. He couldn’t wait to get back there, to be with her. A disturbance nearby caught his attention, and he hurried over to see what was happening.
“You can’t just change the lines however you see fit, Vivianne!” the director was shouting at her.
“I don’t see why not. It’s a shit film, and the only reason I took it was because I’m already due to be out here for another project. You should be grateful for me even agreeing to be in this piece of garbage and improving your pitiful writing.”
“Grateful? You’re the worst actress I’ve ever worked with. I wish I’d never offered you the part. As it is, you’ve cost me more than you’re worth.”
“Then find another actress. I quit.”
“You can’t quit. We have a contract.”
“Take it up with my lawyers. I’m going home.”
The director took a step toward her, and Travis stepped between them. He didn’t blame the guy for being annoyed, and she was a complete pain in the ass, but he wasn’t about to let him assault her. Besides, it was his job to protect her, and this was the closest to needing protection she’d gotten since he’d come on board.