Chapter Two

I can't believe I found my mate .

But before Slater could think about the ramifications of that development, he had to deal with this prick.

Mike Fiago stared disbelievingly at his father's retreating form, and then his face collapsed into rage, his eyes shining brightly with so much hatred Slater felt it slashing his own skin.

Kijani walked Mike to their patrol car and placed him in the backseat before returning.

"I know we could have made the decision about Mike, but…" Slater rubbed his hand over his mouth and lower jaw. The frustration and anger were still making his Bengal tiger snarl.

"You did the right thing by calling me," Sheriff Harper said. "Ted Fiago is difficult to deal with even on a good day."

"Not that I'm familiar with the mayor, but won't he be upset you pissed off a wealthy donor?" Kijani asked.

Sheriff Harper chuckled. "I doubt it. Do you know who our mayor is?"

"I know his name is Ezekiel Ryan, but I've never met him or know anything about him." Slater shrugged.

"Same," Kijani added.

Slater and Kijani had started on the same day at the Midnight Falls police department. Neither were natives of this town. After living there for three months, Slater was still getting to know the residents, still building trust and cultivating relationships.

And still getting to know who the troublemakers were.

There were a lot of generational residents who needed time to warm up to newcomers, even if the new person was law enforcement.

"You of all people might like him," Sheriff Harper said to Slater. "He's a white tiger, and he owns Jungle Fitness."

"None of the residents I've met ever mentioned the mayor was the owner of the local gym, and I've never been there." Slater glanced toward the counter and saw his mate watching them. When their eyes met, Alex face doused in flames and turned away, his hands touching the products on the shelves behind him like he was trying to seem busy.

"Zeke is a good guy, with a good heart," Sheriff Harper said, pulling Slater's attention back to him. "He doesn't tolerate bullies, even wealthy ones."

"Excuse me."

All three pinned their stares on Alex. He was so short compared to them that he looked like a hummingbird among eagles.

"I think Mike dropped this. It's the money he shoved into his pocket when he tried to storm out." He held out the bill. "I figured you might need it for evidence or something."

Slater liked that his little hummingbird was so honest.

"Thanks." He took it from Alex and handed the money off to Kijani. "I'm sorry he treated you that way."

Alex looked between them, like he wanted to stay but couldn't think of a reason why. He cleared his throat, crossed his arms, and popped out a hip in a relaxed pose then straightened and let his arms fall to his sides.

Slater frowned when his tiger snarled then batted at his ribs. He'd already realized Alex was his mate, but it was though his tiger was trying to break free. Mentally, Slater tightened the reins, wondering why it was fighting him so much.

"We're going to need a statement from you," Sheriff Harper said to Alex. "One of my deputies—"

"I'll take it," Slater said, finally calming his beast. "I don't mind sticking around. I like the way it smells in here."

Kijani and Sheriff Harper both glanced at him, their eyes asking if Alex was his mate.

A jackhammer couldn't have removed the broad smile from his face or the happiness in his heart. "The aroma is nice."

Alex sniffed the air then frowned, causing the small, faded scar under his right eye to crinkle. "It smells like old coffee and pine cleaner."

It smelled like dark chocolate and desire.

Sheriff Harper grinned with a wink. "Then I'll leave you to it."

Kijani patted Slater's shoulder and whispered, "Congratulations."

"What happened to the guys with Mike?" Alex asked when they were finally alone.

"Since it was Mike who tried to walk out with the beer, they were allowed to leave with a warning to stay out of trouble." Slater led his mate behind the counter then grabbed the metal folding chair tucked against the wall and opened it so Alex could sit.

"I already told you everything." Alex's shoulders sagged as he sat down. "Please don't ask me to write everything down. My hand will cramp up before I'm even finished."

"I'll need you to come to the station to give me an official statement sometime tomorrow. I just wanted to stick around to make sure you're okay." And to spend more time with you.

"Seriously, I'm fine." Alex looked over his shoulder at the parking lot and pressed his lips firmly together. "I have to clean up the mess they left out there."

There were two Styrofoam food containers by the pumps, crumpled paper, numerous cans of energy drinks, and several other items. It looked like they'd emptied their car of trash and dumped it all on the ground instead of in the trashcans conveniently located at both islands.

"If we work together, we can get it done in no time," Slater offered.

His mate's Nordic-blue eyes filled with surprise. "You'd do that for me?"

"It's not fair you have to do the work they should have done," Slater said. "If I'd known, Mike's buddies would've picked up every last piece of litter before taking off."

They walked outside to clean up the litter. Slater was going to write all three citations for littering. And as soon as he found out her name, he would cite the female who'd stayed in the passenger seat the entire time he'd been there.

Alex retrieved the cans and tossed them into the trash. "It would have been satisfying to see Mike cleaning this up after he treated me like I was beneath him."

Slater picked up the food containers, hoping none of the lingering sauce leaked onto him. "I've encountered his type before. Arrogant punks who think their family wealth gives them a free pass to behave like entitled douchebags."

Kijani had tried to deescalate the situation, but Slater had wanted to beat the shit out of Mike for the way he'd treated Alex.

Mike might not be facing harsh consequences for his actions, but if he dared to go near Alex again, he would face a different kind of justice.

* * * *

It was early evening when Alex pulled into the police station and parked, making sure to grab the printed papers from the passenger seat before getting out. As soon as he'd made it home from work, Alex used his laptop to type out the incident at work so he wouldn't forget any crucial details and then printed it.

Once he entered the building, Alex paused in the waiting area as he glanced around. Then it hit him that he hadn't called Slater to find out if the guy would even be at the station.

"Can I help you?"

Frustrated with himself, Alex turned toward the man seated behind his desk. He wasn't wearing a deputy's uniform. Instead, he wore a dark blue polo shirt and the police station insignia added for an air of authority.

On the front of his desk was a centered black nameplate with Mort Smith etched in bold white letters. Alex approached and widened his nervous smile. "I'm here to see Deputy Kingsman."

"Your name?" Mort picked up his desk phone and stared at him. If he was picking up the phone, that meant Slater was there.

"Alex Preston." Heat rushed through his entire body as his heart accelerated faster than a cheetah racing across the grasslands of a savanna.

Calm down before you pass out.

"You can have a seat on the bench while I let Deputy Kingsman know you're here."

As Mort dialed, Alex turned and spotted the wooden bench against the wall, medium-sized potted plants resting on each side.

After leaving work, Alex had thought about calling Slater to set up his first fighting lesson but had chickened out.

What if he wasn't any good at fighting? He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Slater with his pathetic attempts. While Slater was powerfully built, Alex struggled to lift the bucket of ice to refill the soda machine at work.

The central air circulating through the building made the smooth wooden bench cool against Alex's jeans as he sat down, his palms slightly sweating with nerves. He fidgeted with the papers in his hands, the edges sharp against his fingertips.

Just be cool. Don't do anything to embarrass yourself. Just give him the papers and set up a date and time for your lesson.

"You made it."

Alex whipped his head around to see Slater heading his way. His mouth went dry, and he jumped up from his seat, thrusting out his arm to hand over the important statement. But in his moment of panic, the papers flew from his grasp and landed with a loud smack on Slater's face then scattered across the floor like confetti.

Slater's expression of shock was matched by Alex's horror.

"Sorry!" Alex dropped to his knees and frantically scooped up the papers, hoping he hadn't just given the deputy a million tiny paper cuts.

"I can honestly say I've never been assaulted by paperwork before." Slater crouched down to help gather the pages. "What is this, your manifesto?"

Alex clutched the papers to his chest, eyeing the door for a quick escape. "No, it's my statement."

"This novel is your statement?" Slater raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You wrote all this from a brief encounter?"

"I wanted to be thorough, so I made sure to write down every little detail," Alex argued.

Slater skimmed through a page and frowned. "We don't need to know about the slushy machine whirring in the background or how the cold air blew from the vent above your head."

"I've never written a statement before and wasn't sure what was important. Forgive me for including all the details." Alex snatched the papers from him.

"You're the most observant guy I know." Slater chuckled as he helped Alex to his feet. "Most people can't even remember basic details, let alone get them written down. I'm impressed."

Alex was unsure if Slater was mocking him or genuinely amazed. Either way, he couldn't wait for this statement ordeal to be over.

"Let's head to my desk." Slater took the mound of paper from Alex and escorted him into a large, open room. "We call this the ‘desk couple' section," he explained, pointing to the butted-together desks. "It helps with communication and office romance."

At the moment, only two were occupied. One of the deputies was Tattoo Sleeves.

Alex really needed to learn his name. He tried to spot a nameplate but didn't see one.

Slater grabbed a chair by a long table with a mini fridge tucked under it. On top was a basket of snacks, and beside it sat a coffee machine.

It looked like the typical police station Alex had seen on numerous television shows.

"Have a seat, hummingbird," Slater said when he wheeled the chair next to his desk.

Alex raised an eyebrow at the pet name but decided not to comment on it. Instead, he sat down and pressed his hands between his knees, covertly taking sniffs of Slater's enticing cologne. "Are you sure I'm not intruding on your office romance space?"

Slater grinned. "I was joking about that. Besides, I'm the only single guy here."

Was he dropping a hint? If Alex had even a sliver of a chance with him, he'd ruined it by assaulting the guy's face with his papers. "I'm ready for your interrogation."

"This isn't an interrogation." Slater dropped into his own seat like he didn't weigh a ton, surprising Alex when the chair didn't break. The dang thing had to be made of reinforced steel.

"If I'm going to be in a police station, I want the full experience." Alex pursed his lips. "Though we can skip the jail cells."

"I'll give you a tour after we finish this." He winked then pulled up some kind of document on the screen of his computer. "Okay, tell me what happened."

"Well, a sleek silver Lexus pulled into the station, the canopy lights creating a harsh—"

"On second thought," Slater interrupted, "let me just ask some questions."

Alex shrugged. "Don't blame me if the case is thrown out because you don't have all the details."

"A guy tried to walk out with a case of beer, hon. That doesn't exactly qualify for a jury trial."

Why did Slater keep using endearments with him? Maybe he was just one of those people who called everyone hon and sweetie, though Alex had only ever met elderly women who did that.

"Fine, we'll do this the boring way." Alex sighed dramatically. "They pulled in around two in the morning. Chadwick stayed with the car to pump the gas… and his girlfriend."

"That hot and heavy?" Slater arched a thick brow.

"I'm surprised Chadwick's tongue didn't fall off," Alex replied. "The way they were going at it on the back of that car, it won't need a polish for at least a year."

Now Alex found himself imagining it was him and Slater getting hot and heavy, polishing that car to a shine. What would it be like to be wrapped in all those muscles, feeling Slater's lips sucking on his tongue?

Alex needed to stop thinking about it before he popped wood in the middle of a police station. He shouldn't even be having those kinds of fantasies about a complete stranger.

A completely gorgeous stranger.

"You're blushing." Slater chuckled.

"You're rude for pointing it out," Alex countered. "It was just an intimate moment they didn't need to share with the world."

"How impolite of them." Slater grinned. "So, while those two were trying to create enough sparks to make the pumps explode, what happened next?"

Alex recounted the incident, Slater only stopping him when he had a question.

When they were done, the deputy placed an electronic thingamajig on his desk and Alex digitally signed the statement.

"So did a whole squad of lawyers show up to rescue Mike?" Alex asked as he reclined in his chair.

Slater pushed his seat away from his desk and turned to face him. "No one came to save him. Sheriff Harper let him go once he cooled off but reminded him he's still gotta face the judge."

"The sheriff was trying to make a point by arresting him," Alex surmised. He still remembered Sheriff Harper's imposing size and how flawlessly he had handled the situation. Most people would've bent over backward to accommodate someone so wealthy.

"Like I said, very observant." He twisted sideways and shut off his computer before he turned back around. When Slater gave him his full attention, Alex felt those bluish-green eyes envelope him.

"You really didn't have the authority to let Mike go?" Alex glanced at the clock on the wall, trying not to get lost in Slater's intense gaze. Images of their steamy imaginary make-out session on Chadwick's car flashed through his mind.

"Honestly, if Mr. Fiago had been civilized, I would have released Mike to him," Slater said in a quieter tone. "Don't act like an entitled douchebag and expect me to do you any favors."

Alex thought of his own father. "Is it time for my tour?"

His sparkling eyes crinkled at the corners, adding a mischievous twinkle that could brighten even the gloomiest of days. "It'll be a short one since the station isn't that big." He stood, as did Alex. "This is our bullpen, and that's Deputy Denali Davis at his desk pretending to work."

"Stop being so loud or you'll tip off the boss." The deputy grinned.

"This is Alex Preston," Slater announced to him.

Something flashed in the man's eyes before he stood and walked over to them. He stuck his hand out, but before Alex could shake, the deputy dropped it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alex."

That was strange .

"Same." Why was Alex being introduced to coworkers? He wasn't anyone special, yet Slater was calling him nicknames and offering to give him personal fighting lessons.

"You remember Deputy Tenshi from earlier." Slater gestured toward him.

"I remember." Alex smiled at him, relieved to finally know Tattoo Sleeves' real name.

"How're you doing, Alex?" Deputy Tenshi asked. As massive as he was, Alex wanted to snicker at how tiny his desk looked in comparison, imagining the struggles he must face every day trying to fit into regular-sized furniture.

"Glad I don't have to work tonight," Alex answered, still wearing his smile.

The deputy just stared at Alex, his expression unreadable. Deputy Tenshi hadn't seemed that way when he was talking to Mike and trying to calm him down.

Clearing his throat, Alex looked away. Why were both deputies acting weird? He was glad when he and Slater left the bullpen to finish the tour.

"You have tonight off?" Slater asked as they walked.

"Actually, I have the next two nights off." Alex had told everyone he was fine, but he was apprehensive about being alone at work, especially now that Mike was roaming free as an uncaged menace.

"Do you feel up to your first lesson?"

"This evening?"

"There's nothing to be worried about, hummingbird." Slater gently squeezed his shoulder then pulled his hand away, the heat of his touch lingering.

Although Alex liked the nickname, why did Slater keep calling him that?

"But aren't you still on duty?" Why was there so much panic in his voice? Maybe because you're afraid of looking like a complete klutz again today.

"Actually, I just got off duty from working a double." They walked into the break room. "And before you ask, no, I'm not too tired to teach you."

"What time?" Alex asked when he couldn't think of a good enough excuse to back out.

"We could head there now."

"I just need to swing by my apartment first and change into some workout clothes." Alex mentally prepared himself for the inevitable embarrassment that awaited him, but at least he had a handsome instructor to soften the blow.