The Turtle and the Hare (Furry United Coalition) Read online

  In reality, Harriet knew she was being held back because her parents were high-ranking agents and didn’t want their sweet baby hare out in the field. They had friends in high places, including her current supervisor, Stan, who helped them keep Harriet attached to a desk.

  If only I could have one chance to prove myself… then they wouldn’t be able to keep up the lie that I’m unfit.

  Harriet let out a sigh as she waited for the café staff to return with the cart of food and drinks. Stan had seemed nervous about the meeting with the bigwigs. It would have been nice if she’d had a chance to at least meet them all before Stan made her leave.

  Her thoughts turned back to the one who seemed to exhale pure sexiness. On her way out, she’d caught a whiff of his musky yet floral cologne that possessed hints of bergamot and Darjeeling tea. The memory of it drove her hare side into overdrive.

  She bit her lip, thinking about touching him through his perfectly prim polo shirt, but then she caught herself. She had to get it together. She couldn’t act like a lovesick puppy for an Adonis she had barely met. Whoever he was, whatever his business there, she had to treat him with professionalism.

  No matter how much she might want to rip the guy’s clothes off and make mad, passionate love to him.

  Mad passionate love? Who am I kidding! I don’t even know the guy!

  And after all her talk with Carol about not wanting a physical relationship!

  Harriet let out a sigh. She’d never met a man who’d made her experience her pure animal side like this. The small glimpse of bigwig had been enough to send heat to Harriet’s nether regions. He’d stirred up feelings inside of her that she hadn’t had in so long…long enough that she’d started to wonder if her libido was broken.

  The world slowed for Lear when a woman with chestnut locks entered the meeting room. Her cobalt-blue eyes instantly locked with his and captured all of his attention. Those eyes reminded him of the Aegean Sea, full of depth and serenity.

  “I’ve got coffee and pastries,” she said, offering him a smile that made his heart skip.

  “Harriet!” Treasure nudged him. “Cousin Lear, this is the girl I was telling you about.”

  The woman—Harriet—passed him a cup of coffee. Lear felt a rush of heat charge through his body when her fingers briefly touched his. Treasure nudged his shoulder.

  When she’d moved on to the next person, Lear leaned over to speak to his cousin. “You are friends with her?”

  “Well, not exactly. We just met. Why?”

  “Because I want you to introduce me.” He looked down at his cup and realized he had already guzzled the entire thing. Lear smiled slightly at the revelation that he’d be able to have her warmth come around him once more for a second pour. His hands started to shake, and he wondered if the jitters he was experiencing were from it or his nerves.

  “More coffee?” Harriet returned to his side.

  “Yes, please, and thank you.” It was all he managed to get out before his throat ran dry. He took in the rest of her, below her glowing blue eyes. She was clad in grey jeans that tightly clung to her curves, a white button-down blouse, and a matching grey blazer. Her smile was just as warm and inviting as her eyes.

  She motioned for his cup, and he gave it to her. His index finger touched hers for another brief moment, and a rush of electricity shot through his hand and down the length of his body until his male appendage strained at the zipper on his Dockers.

  Easy, turtle! he found himself saying to his reptilian side.

  Harriet was doing things to his nether regions that no woman on Skyros ever could. Was it just that she was the first woman his age he’d encountered off his home island? No, that wasn’t it. He’d encountered people in the airport and plenty during his tour at the academy. Harriet was special, and was a hottie, and he found himself wanting nothing more than for the meeting to be over with so he could talk to her alone.

  The woman’s perfume caught his nostrils and transported him back to the salty air on Skyros. She turned around, and her hair blew a gentle breeze over him, sending floral and woody notes into the mixture of the salty sea that had previously caught his attention. She appeared to be everything he wanted, but that couldn’t mean that she was his true mate—could it?

  She is ours! His reptile’s response to him rang through his mind. The tone was firm, and yet, the proclamation made him think he was back in high school, a tiny hatchling experiencing physical attraction for the first time all over again.

  She smiled at him once more before ducking out of the room. Lear let out a breath, as the room appeared to have all the brightness vanquished once she closed the door to Stan’s office.

  “Now you’ve met Harriet. She’s the heart of our tech support. Should you need any help with your academy-issued tech, you can get with her. She’ll take care of your COC,” Stan said as he handed Lear a tablet.

  “Now, where exactly will we be escorting the prince?” Stan asked King Gregor.

  “Just around campus at the moment. We can branch out to the rest of the area in a day or so. Right now, we just want to get the preliminaries out of the way.”

  “Very well, we can start with that,” Stan said.

  “Is there any way for Harriet to be my escort while we are on campus?” Lear asked the question before realizing the words were coming out of his mouth.

  “I’m afraid not,” Stan said. “Harriet is only authorized for tech support.”

  “Are you telling me that your staff is incapable of providing basic information about the campus, its community, and culture? I assumed that would be something everyone employed here would be plenty familiar with.” Lear scowled, more out of the frustration of wanting to see Harriet again than anything else.

  “Prince Lear, with all due respect, she’s just a basic staff member. I’d think you’d want someone with better credentials in this delicate matter.” Stan’s gaze went from Lear to Gregor.

  “Director Cooper has made the arrangements, son, and we should accept their gracious hospitality without asking for unnecessary modifications to the plan.”

  Treasure pointed to something on his new tablet. “Before you go, you should get this looked at.”

  The tablet wasn’t linking up to the WiFi correctly. Lear smiled at his cousin. “Looks like I’m having a WiFi issue. Excuse me for a minute while I talk with Harriet.”

  “I can take a look at it—” Stan started.

  “That’s okay. You said this was Harriet’s job,” Lear replied, already out of his seat and at the door.

  “Don’t forget the COC!” Treasure called out, giggling. “She needs your COC, or she can’t help you with getting that instrument to hum!”

  Lear slipped out of the meeting room. He felt a little silly wanting to strike up a conversation with the woman because he didn’t know a thing about her, but every fiber in his core wanted to just be within her presence for the rest of his natural life.

  A conversation—fuck! What are we going to say? his turtle demanded.

  He approached the front counter, where Harriet sat, typing madly. She didn’t seem to hear him approach, so he stepped up and waited.

  The ledge came up to his chest, and when he peered over it, he saw she had removed her blazer. A hint of cleavage peeked through the conservative blouse, and her gorgeous mounds seemed to strain through her bralette and the paper-thin fabric of the top, requiring him to summon a great deal of strength to not let his eyes focus there.

  “I need your COC,” she said, not even looking up from the computer screen.

  Lear cleared his throat and raked his hand through his thick locks.

  She let out a sigh and pointed at some clipboards before continuing. “Your Complaint on Campus form. I can’t help without your COC.”

  “Ah! I keep hearing about COCs, but I’m not sure what I should do with mine. I have an issue with my tablet not linking up to the WiFi when I type in the password that your boss, Stan, gave me,” he said, offering her
a smile.

  Harriet’s eyes were still glued to her computer as she was clicking away, her hand wrapped tightly around the mouse, and she glided it over the pad with precision. He found himself jealous of that tool, which was getting her full-on attention.

  “I’m not going to be able to get to it till tomorrow morning at the earliest. Too many other COCs I’m dealing with this afternoon—excuse me—evening,” she said as she glanced at the clock on the wall. “Just fill out the top of the form, and I’ll bang that COC out first thing in the morning.”

  “I see,” Lear said, realizing it was the perfect opportunity. “I was kinda hoping you might look at it now, since I won’t be here for more than a night or two. Perhaps I can interest you in some dinner while we smooth out the wrinkles of this COC of mine?”

  Harriet looked up from her screen and saw the gorgeous guy she’d purposefully tried ignoring in the meeting room. She’d checked her email since returning to her desk and saw the dossier on their guest. His name was Lear, Prince Lear, to be precise, and he was completely out of her league by a galaxy or two.

  Which was a bummer, since he was such a stunning specimen, towering over her at likely somewhere around six-foot six-inches—a foot taller than her.

  God, he’s just dripping gorgeousness! Oh, how I’d love to bounce a quarter off of that tight ass!

  “I’m really sorry. I’ve been rude. It’s just I’ve been swimming in COCs all day.” Her throat became dry. He’s definitely a tall drink of water!

  “Sounds like you’ve had a long, hard day.”

  “Yeah, it’s been long. But listen, I will stop what I’m doing and take care of yours right now.”

  “I’d much rather we do this after we’ve had dinner and a little wine. I am not sure about you, but pastry isn’t exactly my idea of something satisfying. Plus, it would be nice to get acquainted with someone on this campus besides my cousin. And I’d like that person to be you,” he said with a smile.

  Her stomach did a backflip. “Sure, I’d like that.”

  He walked around the desk and extended his elbow.

  “Shall we, despoinída?”

  God, that accent is sexy as hell! Harriet could almost imagine the hare in her waving pompoms and doing a split.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “That’s the word ‘miss’ in Greek.”

  “Oh. It sounds beautiful.”

  “I’m glad you approve,” he said with a slight chuckle. “I must admit that you will have to lead the way because I am uncertain as to where to take you. I’m not from around here and am unfamiliar with the local cuisine. I live on Skyros Island in Greece. But if we were there, I’d take you to my favorite place on the island.”

  “Where’s that?”

  “There’s this ledge I like to perch on that overlooks the ocean. Normally I’m too busy to watch the sunset, but the sunrises are absolutely breathtaking. If we were there, I’d plan a little makeshift picnic for us.”

  “Wow.” Harriet fanned herself before continuing. “Mostly we eat at the cafeteria, but if you want to go off-campus, there is a little place called ‘The Hub.’ I mean it isn’t romantic like a picnic in the sunset or anything, but they have decent food.”

  “Harriet! A word, now!” Stan’s voice tore across the room.

  “Shit! Excuse me!” She didn’t want to leave Lear’s side, but flirting with a VIP wasn’t worth losing her job.

  Lear reached for Harriet’s hand. “I’ll go with you. I have a feeling this is about me, anyway.”

  She had a feeling that objecting wouldn’t deter him, so she didn’t bother. She also didn’t bother taking her hand out of his.

  “I’m sorry, Prince Lear. I apparently didn’t make myself clear. Harriet is not your escort.”

  “Stan, he asked where to have dinner. I was telling him about The Hub. I didn’t realize this was an issue. I apologize.”

  King Gregor looked at Harriet and Lear, and his gaze dropped down to their hands. After a moment, he turned to Stan. “I quite like the idea of my son being escorted by Harriet.”

  “But Harriet isn’t a fully licensed member of FUC,” Stan protested.

  “No, but he’ll have a full security detail around, whether or not Harriet accompanies him. I don’t see a problem here.” Director Alyce Cooper entered the office, likely on her way to see what was holding up their guests in Stan’s office.

  “Yeah, like me,” Carol piped up. “One more addition to his security detail won’t ruin anything, and it’s a perfect opportunity for Harriet to get some field training. This assignment is important—you said it yourself. And yet, she’ll have the perfect backdrop for all the backup she’d need if something should go wrong. This will be a good first assignment for her. You know as well as I do that we need to pop her cherry sometime.”

  “All right. I guess we can make a trip to The Hub. I’ll drive you, Prince Lear,” Stan said.

  “That won’t be necessary. I have my own driver available. I’ll take Lear,” Treasure interjected. “Harriet, would you like to ride along with us?”

  “I’d love it if you would come with us,” Lear said to Harriet with a smile.

  A surge of heat rushed to her cheeks.

  “Sure. Let me just get my jacket and purse.”

  She was about to turn on her heel when Stan caught her by the arm. “Don’t screw this up, Harriet. The other agents will be there watching your every move.”

  6

  In the back of the car, next to Harriet, it took every ounce of Lear’s energy to keep his composure in check. He was thankful that Treasure was with them because if she weren’t, he’d find it nearly impossible to contain his fantasies of touching and kissing Harriet. His mother, before she died, had instilled in him the rule of treating a girl as if she were a princess—regardless of their status. Because all women should be treated as precious.

  A princess is the embodiment of her land’s purity. She represents all that is good, and you must never taint that goodness with impure actions. You must learn to never disrespect her in her country’s scrutinizing public eye. Keep your intentions pure until you can make your feelings known behind the privacy of closed doors.

  “So, what made you decide to work for FUCN’A, Harriet?” Lear asked. “Do you come from a long line of FUC agents?”

  “My parents have been with the FUC since I was little. They always assumed I’d be one too, so it’s definitely a family thing, but I’ve never perceived myself as being like them all that much. They are a lot more reserved, whereas I’m more outspoken.”

  That piqued his curiosity. “What makes you say that? You seem pretty reserved to me, far more than some I’ve done the SHIT with.”

  “Shit?” Harriet eyed him cautiously.

  “Yes, SHIT—the Shifter Hellenic Island Talks. We only had a few hares come. They mostly helped patrol the human fishing boats. My mother used to represent Skyros during these talks.” Lear’s hand gestured slightly as he began to explain, and then it casually lay on Harriet’s thigh for a moment.

  Damn it! I shouldn’t be doing this!

  But she doesn’t seem to mind me touching her….

  Even so, he started to move his hand away, but Harriet reached out for it. She held it in hers before she met his gaze.

  “I want you to understand that I’m planning to take this assignment very seriously. My boss and, well, frankly everyone else I’ve ever come in contact with, thinks I’m still a kid. But I am a professional, and you mean the world to me—I mean, this assignment means the world to me.” Harriet swallowed hard.

  “I get that about you already, Harriet. You’ve treated me with the utmost respect. And I can also see that you’re dedicated to your work. I have the utmost confidence that you will see this assignment through in a professional manner.” He gave her a wink.

  “This is my first real assignment, and I promise to keep you safe. That’s all.”

  The car came to a stop, and the driver got out of the front and ope
ned the door for them. Treasure, who’d spent the trip on her phone, smiled at the driver. “I’ll text you when we’re ready to head home, Dayton.”

  “Very good, Princess Treasure of Milos. I will be across the street waiting on your text.”

  The rest of the FUC security detail had also made it. They’d position themselves around the outside of the building, with a few on the inside. There was no need for Lear’s group to wait for them, so they headed into The Hub and toward the bar area. A large mirror and four rows of liquor bottles were displayed as a backdrop to three large flat screen televisions.

  “Drinks and dinner are on me. What does everyone want?” Lear asked as he pulled out his wallet.

  “Oh, I can’t have you paying for me. That isn’t right because you are my client, Lear. I mean Prince Lear of Skyros,” Harriet said as she half curtsied.

  “Harriet, first, I am just Lear. You don’t have to address me as the Prince of Skyros or do any formal curtsey, even though you are quite adorable doing it. And second, regardless of what your boss thinks, I am the one who invited you out to dinner; therefore, I will be paying. I get it’s been forever for me when it comes to dating etiquette, but that still is how a date goes, where the one doing the asking pays, isn’t it?”

  “A date?” Harriet’s mouth went dry, and her eyes widened.

  “Yes, a date. That’s why I asked you to come out with me. I wasn’t making dinner and drinks as an excuse to get you to look at my COC. I really do want to get to know you on a date, Harriet.”

  Lear smiled at those words—wanting to date her. He said it to himself again.

  He was willing to learn about all of her quirks. He also wanted to take the time to discover every other part of her personality before he jumped her bones. He had yearned to utter them to a woman.

  The sisters of Skyros never seemed to care about the process of learning about their mates. A bond to them was either primal or with reason. And mostly, it was with reason. They looked at mating as more of a business deal between the islands rather than a true connection. It saddened him that they thought of their minds and bodies as nothing more than an embodiment of keeping the peace between islands. He always felt like he was a side of beef next in line for purchase at every gala he attended rather than an actual man with feelings.