Hedging His Bets Read online

  Most of the time. Not now. Now he wanted her to change.

  “Letch? I’m a letch, now? I thought I was charming, irrepressible, maybe even drop dead gorgeous?” Blake frowned a little as the accusation hit home. Did Honey think he was just another letch? That he was just after one thing, and once he’d gotten it, he’d be off before the sheets were cold?

  “Yeah. You are. Just, don’t fuck with her, okay?” Katie’s voice was strangely flat, but Blake latched onto what he wanted to hear. Namely Katie agreeing to what he desired.

  “How about if I promise just to fu—”

  “Don’t push your luck Blake. And watch your ass, because I’m about to hand it to you,” Katie threatened, her voice dropping into a low growl as she began her change.

  “Sweet. Hey, remember to have Bernie drop my bike behind Honey’s shed, okay? I need a getaway in case things go fucked in a bad way.”

  Katie narrowed her eyes and growled at him. He took that as agreement.

  Blake stepped back between the wall and Honey’s car as power rolled through the back alley. Like a sandstorm it whipped around the small enclosure and engulfed Katie’s slender form. Unlike some of the bigger weres, a werehedgehog’s change was elegant and refined. Well, in Blake’s eyes anyway. Pride filled him as Katie managed her shift neatly, yipping as she burrowed her way out of the pile of clothing she’d been wearing.

  Blake gathered up her uniform and put it in the back of her pickup. She’d need it nearby after this was done. Then he undressed.

  “Humph!” Katie expressed her opinion of his clothing-less state with an un-ladylike grunt and a turn of her tiny, spike-covered back. Blake chuckled. Hedgies were small on size but big on personality. And they liked to make their points known. So if you’d pissed one off, it would more than likely sit in front of you and ignore you. Just so you knew it was pissed.

  He threw his t-shirt on top of her clothes in the pickup and, moving as quickly as he could, he shucked his leathers and tossed ’em. Boots and underwear followed, hitting the metal truck-bed with a hollow thud. Closing his eyes, Blake rolled his neck and prepared for the change. He had to be quick. He’d pulled off a lot of strange shit in his life, but getting caught naked behind Honey’s bar was a little too weird, even for him.

  Looking inward, Blake reached for his were side, his inner hedgehog. The power built up under his skin, but he held it in, revving the engine before he released the clutch. He stepped out from behind the truck that sheltered his modesty and let it rip.

  He dropped to his knees as bones popped and slid under his skin. Skin which rippled over his form as he reduced in mass from a six-foot-plus lean, mean sex God (or so he liked to think) to small, cute and spiny. Blake opened his eyes to find eye level was now at his previous ankle height and shook himself in a rustle of spines. He’d never been asked what his change was like, but if he had been, the only way to describe it would be a full body sneeze. One that left his eyes watering.

  High-pitched yipping was his only warning of Katie’s attack. In human form, she was small and delicate, only reaching Blake’s shoulder. In hedgie form though, she was almost as big as Blake himself, and twice as mean.

  “Grrr.” He bared his teeth as she lunged for him, and then battle was on as the two hedgehogs went for it in the dust next to Honey’s car. Three minutes later and Blake was pinned down, Katie’s teeth clamped down on his ear viciously. He was bleeding from several cuts and felt as if he’d been worked over with a piece of two by four.

  Squeaking in surrender he tried to shrug her off, only to get a clawed paw digging in his neck as she chewed his ear some more. Blake winced. She was enjoying this a little too much.

  He was saved, not by the bell, but by the back door opening and Honey’s voice filtering out into the night air. “Yeah mom, the twenty-sixth… Mom? Mom, you there? Reception on this cell is crap. Mom? Yeah, it cut out. Look, I need to drive home, I’ll call you from a land line, okay?”

  *

  Sighing, Honey tossed her good-for-nothing cell phone into her purse. “Horizon has the shitiest cell ser—”

  A tiny yip followed by the lowest, smallest little whimper caught her attention. Honey paused and listened again, standing stock still, trying to find the origin of the pitiful sounds. An animal had to be in trouble, but where?

  She peered into the darkness, searching for the outline of an animal against the dim glow of the parking lot lighting.

  Yip. Whimper.

  She heard it again and she crouched down, squinting and looking for the source of the sounds.

  Yip yip.

  More insistent now, as if the injured animal saw that she was getting closer. She edged nearer to her car and froze.

  There, just under the wheel of her tire, was a poor, pitiful looking hedgehog. Pigmy based on its size, and it had been beaten up. Bless his heart. Not that she knew he was a “he” at all, but she had to call it something. “It” just wasn’t going to work.

  Reaching out with infinite care, she held her fingers within sniffing distance of the injured hedgie. From what she could tell he had a scratch on his snout and a bloody front paw at least. Little one had been worked over by another animal and hadn’t come out on the winning end.

  “Hey, little guy.”

  The hedgie growled and stood a little straighter on its three good legs as if finding fault with her calling him “little.”

  “Okay. Hey big guy,” she tried and didn’t hear an objection. Weird. “What got to you, huh? Who let you out into the big bad world all alone? Something really gave it to you, didn’t they?”

  The little hedgie hobbled forward, quills standing on end as if ready to attack, and growling deep within its throat.

  “Okay, okay, you gave as good as you got. I understand.” She giggled and kept her hand steady as he sniffed her fingertips. She wasn’t about to pick him up without making sure he wasn’t going to nibble her to death first.

  The hedgie licked and then nipped her fingertips, not breaking the skin as if saying “I won’t bite.”

  “Good boy.”

  She placed a hand behind him, scooping him into her palm, and then brought him to her chest, cradling him against her cleavage. The little thing purred in delight when she held it close, quills flattening easily. Not wanting to disturb or stress him any further, she left him as he desired, pressed between her breasts, practically burrowing into her t-shirt with his tiny paw.

  “Okay, Mister. Boobs are No Man’s Land, so let’s chill with the breast action, m’kay?” She joked with the hedgie while she unlocked the door and climbed into her car with great care. The animal in her arms whimpered when she plopped into the seat, and she instinctively brushed a kiss across its prickly head.

  “Shhh. You’re okay. I got you,” she assured him.

  With the hedgie in one hand, she started the car with the other and popped it into drive, one destination in mind. The emergency veterinarian. No way could she deal with whatever this little thing had been through by herself. It needed medical care and now. Waiting until morning wasn’t going to happen.

  Since she didn’t have both hands to drive, Honey navigated the streets with care and made sure she obeyed all traffic laws. She did not want to have a “thing about it is…” conversation with a cop at nearly midnight with a hedgie in her arms. A highly unpredictable hedgie based on the night’s events.

  The hedgehog burrowed further into her chest, nearly tearing a hole in her t-shirt, but Honey didn’t care. He was quiet, so she wasn’t going to bitch about one tiny shirt. Not when his life was at stake!

  Before she knew it, the emergency vet hospital was in sight, and Honey breathed a sigh of relief. Salvation is at hand! Okay, a little overdramatic, but the poor guy was shivering in her arms for goodness sake.

  Once parked she rushed inside, purse dangling from one arm, keys in the other hand and a hedgie who refused to let go of her boobs. Damn it. If he were a guy, she’d call him a horny little bugger. At the desk, she
quickly explained the situation, and the nurse took her to the back right away, not willing to risk the animal’s life even further.

  The hedgie let out a small yip and struggled in her arms. “It’s okay little one, the doctor is going to fix you right up.”

  In the exam room, things got majorly hinky.

  The previously shivering and limping little hedgie seemed to come alive at the mention of temperature taking. It took Honey and two nurses to hold the animal down while another nurse placed the thermometer up the little guy’s bottom.

  Poor thing.

  “Ma’am, if you’ll leave him, maybe he’ll—” The hedgie nipped at the nearest nurse, catching Honey with his claw and scratching her finger in the process.

  “Norman!” Everyone froze. The nurses and the hedgie stared at her. “What? He needs a name, and Norman is as good as any.” She reached for the animal all sprawled on its back and scratched its belly. “Isn’t that right Normy-poo.”

  The hedgehog growled at her.

  She thought he meant it.

  “Ma’am?”

  “Right.” She nodded. “Just, please take care of him for me.”

  “We will. We’ll call the Hedgehog Rescue Lea—”

  Norman snarled and growled, nipping at another nurse.

  “No!” Honey blurted out, not sure what she was about to do, but resolved at doing it anyway. “I’ll take him. I found him. I can take him home. The girls will get used to having a man around the house. Maybe.” She nibbled her lower lip. “Regardless. He’s coming home with me.”

  “Your call,” the nurse mumbled. “But I’d just put the little biting bastard down if I were you.”

  Said biting bastard actually did manage to bite the nurse that time. Good boy! She thought as she left the curtained off area, anxiety rolling off her in waves.

  Out in the waiting room, she waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  Before long a man slumped into a seat not far from Honey, and she couldn’t help but glance at him from the corner of her eye. He was cute, sleep rumpled, light brown hair and a lean body.

  “Hi.” His voice was low, but not whiskey rough like Blake’s.

  She blushed, face heating in embarrassment at being caught looking. “Hi.”

  “Dr. Pearson.” He held out his hand and she took it, shaking amiably.

  No sparks.

  She smiled at him, silence enveloping them as they sat and waited.

  “So,” she felt the need to fill the silence now that he’d started something. She hated uncomfortable situations like this.

  “So.” He replied.

  Great, a stunning conversationalist and he’s sitting next to me.

  “So, I had this hedgehog that nearly—”

  “That would be my Norman.” She smiled, thinking of her new little bundle of quills and spunk. “I rescued him tonight.”

  “So I take it you’re an animal lover?” He smiled, a small hitching of the left side of his mouth.

  Now that she looked at him, she didn’t figure he was horrible looking. Sort of plain in a “boy next door” way. Blue close-set eyes, light brown hair that brushed the tops of his ears, clean cut and all-American from what she could tell. The true opposite of Blake. Maybe…

  “I am,” she smiled wider now, trying to lure him in and maybe snag a date with the semi-attractive doctor. “I have three hedgies at home, and Norman will make four once the nurses and doctor are done with him.”

  “Oh, he’s done, they’re just fighting him into a box for you. They noticed…”

  “Oh! Oh no, he won’t like that. Not at all. He got all growly when I even threatened to put him down on the drive over.” She nibbled her lower lip, worried for the small animal that she already felt so much for.

  The doctor rolled to his feet, and Honey got a good look at him. Yeah, no pitter-patter of her heart, but he was attractive. With the long lean lines of his body, she could see the outline of his chest beneath the blue-green material of his scrubs. But the clothes didn’t allow her to get a good look at his other attributes. If he had any.

  “Here, allow me, I can take you to the back and we can get little Norman for you.”

  “Really?” She jumped to her feet, ready to agree to anything to see her little guy. “Thank you, so much.”

  “Don’t thank me yet, I do have one tiny request in exchange.” The doctor walked her toward the back.

  “Oh?”

  He fished in his pocket and produced a business card. “Call me? For dinner some time, maybe a little dancing. No pressure.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

  “Okay, a little pressure. Just give me a call. No strings.”

  Before she knew it, they were back at the curtained-off area where she’d left Norman, and she could hear low growls and snapping coming from behind the screen. She shoved it aside and gasped. “Norman! Stop that.” He instantly quieted, turning into the meek little hedgie she’d rescued hours before.

  Honey easily scooped him into her arms and was sailing toward the reception area before the nurses could blink, Dr. Pearson hot on her heels. It took moments to pay for Norman’s care, and she was ready to go.

  Just before she walked out the door, she spun and faced the good doctor. “Thank you for taking such good care of Norman and…” Should she? He didn’t make her heart skip a beat, but maybe she needed sweet and stable instead of growly and volatile. “And I’ll call you. Tomorrow.”

  He smiled, beaming at her, and she smiled in return.

  I have a date!

  *

  Honey had taken him to the vet. Blake curled up into a small ball on the drive home and shivered, feeling violated. He didn’t even want to think about thermometers ever again. His butt was strictly a “no entry” zone, thank you very much. This had so better be worth the effort and pay off. Especially after his little checkup.

  “Awww… Poor little Normy. We’re nearly home, baby. Then we can get you settled with a nice blankey and some toys,” Honey crooned as she drove with one hand. Blake would have given her a lecture about safe driving practices, except that she was using the other to hold his porcine form close against her delectable breasts.

  Little? Who you calling little? Blake growled and snuggled closer, right into her cleavage.

  “Okay, okay. Not small… Poor big Normy—”

  Normy? Blake growled again. Norman, what kind of self-respecting guy put up with a name like freakin’ Norman? He and Honey were going to have to have words about her hedgie naming practices when he was able to speak.

  “You’re a touchy little thing, aren’t you? Well Mister, when you can talk and tell me your name, that’s what I’ll call you. Until then, it’s Norman. Or Normy-poo.”

  Blake, my name is Blake.

  She didn’t hear him of course. The number of normals who could hear weres mind-to-mind was relatively few. Zero in Blake’s experience. In fact, were mind-to-mind interaction tended to be dicey, and the only person he could communicate with, with any accuracy when shifted, was Katie. That had to be down to the fact they were both the same flavor of shifter.

  The drive home was fast. Too fast for Blake, settled where he was against Honey’s breasts. He grumbled low in his throat as she turned the car off and climbed out, being careful not to jostle him. On a normal day he’d gripe about that; just because he was a hedgie didn’t mean he was that delicate. But after his experience with the vet tech from hell… Just let that bastard try and euthanize a werehedgehog. Blake would show him exactly what hell was.

  “Here we go, home all safe and sound.” Honey opened the door to the house and stepped inside. They were greeted by a chorus of yips and calls. “Hello girls! Yes, yes, I’ll let you out in a moment. I have a new friend for you so let me get him settled, and I’ll introduce you all.” She sailed through the small house to the kitchen with Blake in her arms.

  Within minutes, Blake was settled on the floor in front of the sofa with
, of all things, a pink fleece blanket, a lurid green squeaky toy, the cardboard inside of a toilet roll and a plate of cat food.

  He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If Katie saw him now, she’d die laughing. Of course, she was going to die laughing when she found out Honey had taken him to the vet. Blake groaned, knowing his cousin was never going to let him live this one down.

  “Here we are girls. This is Norman. You play nice now,” Honey announced from the other side of the room as she opened the holding cage. Blake’s eyes wandered over her, taking note of the luscious curves before a chorus of yips got his attention and three hedgies swarmed toward him, interest in their little black eyes.

  Oh. Shit.

  Chapter Four

  She had a date. As in: semi-hot boy taking her out for a night on the town kind of date.

  Of course, she had to call in reinforcements. Without hesitation, she picked up the phone and dialed the bar, listening as the line rang.

  And rang.

  And rang again.

  Had to be busy there, but she needed Katie like she needed chocolate. Bad.

  Finally, after five rings, Katie answered. “Honey’s, can I help ya?” She popped her bubble gum in Honey’s ear, and Honey rolled her eyes.

  “Hey, chica, emergency here and toss the gum, m’kay?” Honey rushed, raising her voice so she could be heard over the dinner crowd. She didn’t take full days off very often, but a date was one of those times that called for a day of beauty followed by a night of…

  “Ooh. Finally going out with Blake? That is an emergency. You should go see a doctor, STAT.”

  “Funny. Ha ha,” Honey deadpanned. “Seriously. I met a vet when I was taking Norman to the emergency hospital, and we’re going on a date and and and…”

  “Woosah, breathe hon. In through the nose, out through the mouth.” Katie urged her. “Okay, try again. Who’s Norman?”

  Honey followed her advice, breathing deeply.

  Oh! A question she could answer. “A hedgie I rescued last night. I found him in the parking lot, and he was so cute and cuddly. And hurt.” Honey padded into the living room and reached into the cage that housed her hedgies. The girls rushed forward, but Norman huddled in the back, seeming relieved that his companions were otherwise occupied. Feeling sorry for the little guy, she scooped him out of the cage (leaving her pouting girls behind) and held him to her chest, where he always seemed most comfortable. He rooted around for a moment before becoming nestling between her breasts. “He’s so cute, Katie.”