Raven Mask (Camren) Book 2

Chapter 9

The bath hadn't exactly cleared my mind, but the coffee Dinah had made did the trick. At least as much as it would. I could still smell the scent of Lauren's skin like some heady perfume.

Dinah was watching me from her perch on the small bar.

"You look," she tilted her head to the side, "unusually relaxed..."

"Unusually relaxed?"

"Yeah. You're not holding your shoulders as stiffly."

Dinah was a werewolf, and our kind pay attention to body language. It didn't shock me that she'd noticed the subtle change. I'd have spotted it in her.

"I told you when we first met you needed a good shagging. Looks like I was right."

I almost spit out the sip of coffee I'd taken. "Dinah..."

She shrugged, rinsing her mug out in the sink and putting it in the dishwasher. "I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed it wasn't my doing."

"Dinah..."

She waved a hand in the air, absentmindedly. "I know, I know. I'm not hurt." She laughed. "My ego is just a little bruised."

"Well, it shouldn't be," I said, remembering what had transpired between us. "You were," I searched for the word, "persuasive."

"Please." She practically snorted the word, pushing the auburn locks out of her face. "You just hadn't ever had sex with another lykos."

I nodded. "There is that."

Lauren walked into the kitchen wearing a pair of tight black pants tucked into knee-high leather boots. The blouse she wore was a metallic silver far lighter than the color of her eyes. The collar and cuffs were folded neatly. She had tucked the shirt into the pants, so that it showed the slim perfection of her waist. The entire outfit accentuated her height and made me think of the word "slinky." The few top buttons on the blouse were left undone, but modestly so, just enough to tantalize and tease. My heart raced at the sight of her.

Dinah shook her head, catching my attention.

"What?" I asked her.

"Ah, amore," she said breathily, touching her hand to her heart.

"I don't like to be teased."

"I'm not teasing," she grinned, "just pointing out the obvious."

"Camila." Lauren caught my attention before I could respond to Dinah. "What do you have planned for this evening?"

"Working on the case."

"Were you off work today?" Dinah asked.

I nodded. I'd asked Stein, my partner at the office, to take over unless otherwise notified. She was a good sport. I'd had too much on my plate the last few weeks to contract any new clients. I was glad Shawn was helping me out, digging up what information he could on Taylor Swift. Hell, maybe he'd have better luck than I did.

"Where's your gun?" Dinah asked.

The green thermal was too tight to successfully cover the Pro.40 in the small-of-the-back holster without a jacket. I hadn't thought to bring my extra gun, and since I wouldn't wear the Mark III without a holster, I wasn't wearing one.

I looked at Lauren.

"You took her gun?" A perplexed look crossed Dinah's face. Her confusion turned to disbelief.

"No."

Dinah looked confused again, trying to figure out what had happened.

"So, then...where's your gun?"