Patrick grinned. “Pretty sure that only relates to crimes, suspects, and victims.”
Damien started to reply, when a loud crash sounded in the air. He glanced at Patrick, then they both took off running toward the noise.
Chapter Fourteen
Sky spent the entire night frustrated and barely got any sleep thinking of Damien. She had offended Damien and didn’t mean to, well not really. If only she could get her head out of her ass and stop thinking with her hormones, maybe she could be more professional about the whole thing. She couldn’t help thinking about the information she had read before coming to town. Was she judging him too harshly or was he really the guy Lizzie said he was.
After eating her breakfast and spending way too much time thinking of Damien, and her lust for him, she admitted she needed help.
Sky lay on her bed and dialed Gerri’s number. After a couple rings, she answered. “Hello, dear, what’s wrong?”
“How do you know something’s wrong, Gerri?” Sky propped a pillow under her head and put her phone on speaker. She needed to talk, and this could take a while. She might as well get comfortable.
“You’ve called me several times in the short time you’ve been there. So tell me what’s going on.”
Sky scooted up so she could stretch out across the bed. “Yesterday I had breakfast with Damien, and met some of his women. Three of them to be exact. Then we ran into the new Mayor and Sheriff, and they stopped to tell us about a murder. Isn’t that odd they would tell Damien? I mean, why does he need to know? Then he took me for lunch and…it just messed with my head.” Sky stopped rambling and took a deep breath.
“Let’s start with the first statement. How do you know they were his women?” Gerri asked, and Sky could picture the confusion on her face.
“He hugged and kissed each and told them he would see them later. Each one gave me an odd look as we walked in. I don’t know if they were jealous he was with me or what.” Sky tried to recall the expressions on their faces as they walked away but she couldn’t. So much had happened since then.
“I think you need to open up to the possibility you’re slightly jaded when it comes to Damien Grimes. Maybe talk to these women and see what they have to say. You want to interview people in the town anyway to get an accurate idea of who he is.”
Sky could swear she could hear laughter in Gerri’s voice, but she couldn’t figure out why.
“As for the other things, the articles said he appointed the Sheriff and the Mayor, but we both know they are positions voted on by the townspeople. So maybe they are just good friends, and they like to talk. Or he’s such a prominent businessman, they keep him informed since crime would or could affect him.”
Sky sat up, biting her lip. “Fine. I know I’m letting things get out of hand, and I don’t know why he’s getting to me like this.”
“What exactly is it about him that is getting the best of you?”
“He’s just so…ugh,” she growled. “Men don’t usually make me picture them naked, Gerri. I’m not a horny teenager, and that’s exactly what I feel like around Damien Grimes. He’s making me crazy.”
Gerri burst into giggles. “Really? I’m guessing he’s not as bad as you want him to be?”
“He’s been nothing but professional and a gentleman,” she grumbled. “He’s been nice and sweet, and I want to strip him naked and lick him like candy. But I also feel like those articles must be true or else he’d have done something to ensure they stopped writing that stuff about him.”
“Sky, darling, you need to take a breath. Damien is a panther. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him other than his mate.”
“We are never going to find his mate if she reads the crap written about him.”
“Get to know Damien better and make up your mind based on what you see, not what you read. The real Damien will be visible to you. Trust your eyes.”
She groaned. “Fine. You’re being sensible, and I’m being judgmental. But do you think it’s possible he had anything to do with the murder? It was the former Mayor he had displaced.”
Gerri’s laughter rang through the line. “Do you really think I would find a mate for someone who could so easily kill a man? Alphas will kill to protect their mate and their clan or pride, but not just randomly. The Mayor was already gone, what reason could Damien really have, dear?
“Listen, hang up the phone and talk to some of the residents. You need to take a step back and listen with an open mind. It’s possible your past is making it harder for you to be open-minded in this situation, since Damien might remind you of someone in your past, but remember, he is not that person.”
“All right, Gerri, you win. I’m going.”
Was Gerri right? Maybe. She couldn’t deny the fact that she kept thinking of Damien akin to Adam. He’d been a level of wealth she hadn’t ever been in. Just like Damien. When they were together, she’d thought he was just a social man, but she’d ended up finding out he was sleeping with everyone, even the maid. Yes, she was jaded when it came to guys like Damien. All the articles that had been written about Adam had been true. Why would it be any different for Damien?
Sky pulled herself from the bed and over to the door. She paused for just a second, and then pulled the door open. She wasn’t backing out. She had to find out why she was so drawn to Damien, and get the damn interview over so she could stop worrying about him finding his mate. Once it was over, she would have no say, and she could attempt to forget about him.
With that little pep talk, she walked out the door and headed downstairs. It was time to keep talking to the town people. Her view of Damien was changing by the second.
She remembered seeing a little store with a gas station not far from the hotel and decided to head over and grab some candy and, at the same time, possibly talk to a few people. Two men sat by the register talking. The moment she walked in, they stopped and stared at her.
She smiled and waved. They waved back. She walked over to the candy aisle and picked up some peanut M&Ms, her favorite, and some salted nuts. Then she grabbed a Diet Coke from the cold drinks and walked to the front.
“Hello, gentlemen,” she greeted. “I’m in town to-”
“We know who you are,” one guy said. His overalls had the name tag Jimbo on it.
“Yeah,” said the other. “Word travels in a small town.” His name tag read Bert.
“Oh, great. So can I ask you guys a few questions about Damien?”
The men glanced at each other and nodded.
“Sure,” Bert said. “We’re happy to help.”
“Is there anything you can tell me about him that would help me?”
“As a matter of fact,” Jimbo grinned. “Did you know Damien is a flying vampire cat?”
She frowned. “A what?”
“Yep. He’s able to turn into a vampire cat, and he flies.”
Bert’s lips twitched, and then he looked at her solemnly. “It’s true. But he doesn’t kill our animals or anything to drink their blood.”
Jimbo frowned. “No. He…he, uh, gets the fake stuff. Like they put in movies.”