“Well, you have no need to worry that I want anything to do with Jackhole. Even if he was the last dick on earth, I’d become a lesbian for life or subscribe to Dildo dot come.”
Ridge laughed. “There’s all kinds of shit you can buy online, Torr. Um, did you mean come or com? No, don’t answer that. There’s no need to go crazy.” He gave her a brotherly hug, releasing her with a grunt. “You got my tomatoes protected from that little shit you call a pet?” He looked down at the sleeping goat.
She narrowed her eyes, taking a step back. “You leave Mr. Bixley alone, Ridge. He’s my best friend. My partner in crime. My future Goat Pimp.”
Ridge held up his hand. “What the fuck is a Goat Pimp?”
“Well, you see, I plan to have a plethora of baby goats. I’ll need a goat in charge of all of them, which would make him a Pimp.”
The large male she loved like a brother shook his head. “Your thought process is screwed on so many levels I don’t even know where to start.”
“It’s my logic, so you just leave it alone.” She flipped her braid in a dramatic show and stomped around him.
“You gonna put him outside, or is he dinner?”
“Can he stay inside until I get back? I sensed something out there.” Ridge stared through the glass before he nodded. She wouldn’t show it, but her cat relaxed. “Thank you. I need to move my truck back around front. I’m gonna go for a ride on my bike. Thank you for sharing your story. Love you like a brother from another.” She hugged him quickly before he could say something stupid and ruin the moment.
Ridge nodded but didn’t say the words back. She knew he loved her even if he didn’t say it often.
THADD BLEW THROUGH the town, his lion roaring for him to stop. “Fuck,” he growled after an hour of the inner lion bitching he had to put up with. He pulled into a gas station, seeing the stares he got as he kicked the stand down. He almost took his skull cap off and shook out his mane of hair just to give them a little more to gawk at. Jeez, did they not see many large men riding Harleys come through or what?
Lucky for him, they had a pay at the pump, so he didn’t need to go inside and cause an all-out gawk session. However, he felt their stares, heard their whispers. Silly humans.
He tossed his leg back over the bike, lifted his head like he was enjoying the sun on his face when in reality he was breathing in the smells around him, filtering out the ones he didn’t need, categorizing them into little folders in his mind. The Wilder Crew would probably be horrified if they knew his full abilities, which was why he kept them to himself. Letting them see the playful cat was a lot more fun, and healthier for everyone. Ain’t nobody got time, or energy to deal with fainting wolves, and the other menagerie of misfits Hollis and Annie took in. Nah, Thadd liked being the naughty kitty who made others laugh. Besides, he truly was all that he portrayed to them; he was just more.
His Harley fired up with a deep rumble after he made sure there were no other predators in the vicinity. Although he did have a tingle back toward the direction his cat was tugging him. Well, curiosity and cats were always a thing. Only cats did have nine lives, and he’d only lived once so far. With the agility of his species, he let the bike take off, uncaring that it was much faster than humans would go, dodging in and out of other vehicles. YOLO was the saying. Which was really quite stupid for the humans to actually spout off if you asked him. You live every fucking day. Now, you only die once, but YODO sounded stupid if you hollered that, which was probably why they didn’t say it.
About thirty miles after the small town he’d passed, he saw a sign for a town he was pretty sure wasn’t on any US map. “Assjacket, Virginia?” he asked. His bike began to sputter as if it was running out of gas. “What the ever-loving fuck?” He growled, knowing damn good and well he had plenty of fuel.
Thadd eased to the side of the road, looking behind him to ensure he wouldn’t be getting hit by one of the many vehicles he’d passed in his bat-out-of-hell hurry to get back to Where-Ever-Ville. Shit, his cat was hissing inside him, demanding he change. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so damn needy.
“Well, hello there, kitty.”
Thadd startled at the feminine voice to the side of him, recovering quickly when her words registered. He inhaled, scenting wolf, but she wasn’t a wolf. “Hello, female. What brings you out here on this stretch of road all alone? Doncha know it could be quite dangerous for a female to startle a kitty like that?” It wasn’t a threat, really. Alright, it was but she probably fucked with his bike. Not a nice thing to do.
She tilted her head to the side, tiny sparkles drifting from the tips. “Hmm, are you dangerous then?”
Two things became very apparent to Thadd. One, this female wasn’t scared of him. Two, she was powerful. Oh, and three, she was dressed too damn good to be out meandering on a road without some backup. That wolf he scented was male, and he was close.
“Listen, why don’t we cut to the chase, and you tell me why I’m here and stop this.” He waved a hand between them.
The female nodded her head, long red hair shifted slightly yet didn’t appear to get mussed. Thadd could definitely approve of a glorious mane of hair. Had she been a
