Floating with a Sea Cow - Charlie Richards Page 0,2

I know I didn’t imagine the scent of his arousal.

Yum!

Pushing aside the thought for later perusal, Tyrone stopped before the human. “I need your identification.” He held out his hand.

The human peered up at him. Holding Tyrone’s gaze, he demanded, “Why don’t you tell me why I’m here first?”

Tyrone had to give the guy props. He had balls, what with his show of bravado. The desire to tie the human to his bed and spank his ass filled him. His blood heated at the idea.

“I watched you steal that fish,” Tyrone replied bluntly, forcing his brows to furrow into a frown when all he wanted to do was kiss the scowl right off the human’s face. He wiggled his fingers. “I’d ask if you can provide a receipt, but then you might give me some bullshit story about losing it or throwing it away.”

The man’s eyes narrowed as he leaned forward and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. Holding Tyrone’s gaze, he flipped it open, pulled out his license, and held out the ID to him. He lifted a brow in silent challenge.

Tyrone used his peripheral vision to take the ID, recognizing the defiance in the human’s eyes. The animal he shared his spirit with wasn’t an aggressive beast by nature, but his mate was human. His acute shifter senses told him the male wasn’t dominant, but he seemed to be hiding behind a mask.

He couldn’t help himself.

Continuing to hold the human’s gaze, Tyrone bent at the waist and leaned forward. As their faces drew closer, his mate’s eyes widened. When they were within six inches of each other, the slender human gasped and turned his head.

Tyrone’s heart thudded in his chest at the ever-so-slight display of submission. Excitement filled him. He wanted to nuzzle the human’s neck, lick up the slight sheen of nervous sweat he saw on his skin.

Instead, Tyrone placed his lips a hairsbreadth away from his mate’s ear. “You’re here because you stole a blown-glass fish. I’m Tyrone Coonan, a security guard, and I caught you. I’m going to run a background check on you and decide whether or not to call the cops.” He heard the man’s breathing hitch and had to smile. “Is there anything you want to say in your defense?” Tyrone straightened and finally took a look at the driver’s license in his hand. “Braylon Armando Whitney the third?”

Damn. What a mouthful. No wonder the guy is acting out. And why does that name sound familiar?

Braylon’s nostrils flared as he sucked in a deep breath, his lean torso expanding. He snapped his gaze back to Tyrone’s and opened his mouth. Just as quickly, he snapped it shut again and glared at Tyrone.

Spitfire. Nice!

“Then you enjoy that comfortable seat, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Tyrone held Braylon’s gaze once more. It didn’t take long for his mate to break their stare-down, moving his focus to a picture to his left. His gaze appeared vacant however, and Tyrone could just imagine the wheels turning swiftly in the man’s head.

He’s probably trying to figure out a way out of this.

Turning away from Braylon, Tyrone wished he could offer some words of encouragement. That wasn’t his place, however. He didn’t know the man, his background, or his reasons for turning to petty crime.

So I need to change that. Returning to Eban’s office, Tyrone realized something else. I can’t do that if he’s not here.

After Tyrone had shut the door, he crossed to the desk and handed over the license. He turned toward a chair. Relaxing his bulk into the comfortable seat, he rested his hands on the arms and tapped his fingers restlessly.

“A third with his name,” Eban muttered. “Huh.” He typed at his keyboard swiftly, entering the ID’s information. After a moment, he leaned back in his seat and focused on Tyrone. “This should only take a moment. I also called Kaiser and William. Figured they should be here for this.”

Tyrone nodded as he met Eban’s concerned dark-eyed gaze. “Are you sure he’s the one? Your mate?”

Chuckling softly, Tyrone smirked. “I think once you meet your own mate, you’ll realize how ridiculous that question is.”

“Ha ha,” Eban responded dryly. He still smiled though. “I’m sure looking forward to that day.”

Nodding, Tyrone understood the slight wistfulness that had entered Eban’s tone. Never had he been more grateful than now that Kaiser and William Roush had gathered a number of marine shifters together and suggested they build World of Aquatica. The marine park attracted