Taking Shape Read online

  TAKING SHAPE

  Tielle St. Clare

  Prologue

  Edward Branch takes pompous to a whole new level, Nicholas Conner thought, watching his latest client simultaneously raise his chin and look down his nose as he stared at Nick across his ornate, well-polished desk. The smooth surface practically begged to be marred by fingerprints…or maybe it was the owner—a little too slick and smooth—who inspired that response.

  “Now, Mister Conner, your reputation gives me some assurance that you will be able to resolve this issue but I must demand complete discretion and secrecy. Ms. Hayward can know nothing about this investigation.”

  Nick allowed none of his irritation to show on his face. If the man knew anything about the reputation of Conner Investigations, he knew that discretion was their agency’s second most prized skill.

  Get in, blend in and get out without being noticed.

  His family’s peculiar gifts made that part of their investigations routine.

  “Don’t worry. She won’t even know I’m there.” He flipped through the file. It didn’t hold nearly enough information about the target. It had her work history, her address and the reasons AirPress Incorporated thought she was embezzling but none of the stuff he would need—who she dated, what were her habits, what did the inside of her house look like? Nick made a mental list. His brothers and sister were working their own cases but it shouldn’t be difficult to learn what he needed to know.

  “Why not just fire her?” he asked, nailing Branch, AirPress’s president and CEO, with his stare, practically daring him to explain the real reason CI was being hired.

  “A segment of the company is being sold,” Martin Jessup, AirPress’s chief financial officer answered, drawing Nick’s attention to him. That seemed to be the pattern. Branch gave orders but any questions were immediately answered by Jessup. The CFO was used to shielding his boss. The uptight accountant offered a weak smile. “We don’t want any questions about our reputation. Embezzlement is an embarrassment under the best circumstances.”

  “And you know women like this…” Branch interjected. “They sue over any little thing. We have to have evidence—collected by a third party—so she doesn’t have grounds to take us to court.”

  The condescending sneer made Nick’s knuckles ache. His mother or sister would have been over the desk with their fingers wrapped around his chauvinistic throat. Nick settled for placing his boot against the front of Branch’s desk, leaving a visible footprint. It was petty, he knew, but his sister would be proud.

  “We need to move quickly on this,” Branch said. “The sale will be finalized in the next quarter. I don’t want anything hanging over our heads.”

  “We’ll need a few weeks to gather some background information.”

  “That’s fine. Keep Jessup in the loop. I want to keep this perfectly legal so when you want to search her computer here, give Jessup a day’s warning and he’ll arrange it.” Branch rose from his chair and waved to the door, indicating he was done with Nick.

  Nick was slow to come to his feet. He’d never been one to take orders well. Nick made a mental notation to have Jameson check out AirPress and its CEO. Something didn’t quite feel right with this job. His internal sensors were all on full alert. He considered just walking away—they didn’t need the work—but Branch offered access to a whole different clientele.

  Don’t judge the client.

  He heard the mental advice and easily recognized the voice. It was his. He’d repeated as much to his brothers and sister on numerous occasions. Their job was private investigations. Not righting wrongs or criticizing the people who hired them—most of whom were sleazier than their targets.

  Nick said his goodbyes and exited the building. He didn’t go far. It was almost lunchtime and it was a beautiful spring day. Surely Ms. Hayward would take her lunch outside. He waited. Finally, about two-thirty she appeared, walking two blocks to a coffee shop. Nick followed at a distance. She didn’t speak with anyone except the counter staff then took her paper cup and sat by the window. She stared blankly at the world. After twenty minutes, she sighed, stood and went back to her office.

  She walked past him, never seeing him. Her long-legged stride spoke of a woman with energy and determination. He followed her back to the door, trying not to notice the swing of her cute little ass beneath the slim skirt she wore. It wasn’t until she’d disappeared into the building that Nick realized he had spent the last half of her walk wondering how her ass would feel in his hands as he fucked her. He took a slow breath and willed away the beginnings of an erection he didn’t need right now. Just as it wasn’t wise to judge the client, it was truly stupid to lust after a target.

  Though it wasn’t strictly necessary, Nick hung around outside the building, staying out of sight. The building cleared out about six with a few stragglers coming out at six-thirty. No sign of his target. At seven-thirty he finally saw her leave, her briefcase clutched firmly in her hand and her brow furrowed in concentration. From the distance he couldn’t see the color of her eyes but he didn’t doubt they were steady and strong. He smiled at his own musings. He was supposed to be observing her, not cataloguing her. Her long brown hair hung down to the middle of her back, the strands messy and tangled as if she’d run her fingers through the length too many times during the day.

  She opened her back seat and tossed her briefcase in. Her chin tilted up and her head dropped back as if she was pulling the tension from inside body. Nick shifted in his hiding place, watching the lithe form arch and stretch, like invisible fingers were working her spine. Her breasts pressed against her blouse, creating a well-defined line—round and full. She rolled her head to the side and Nick could see the stress slipping from her body. His fingers twitched. It was too easy to imagine him, straddling her back, her tight ass beneath him as he worked the tension from her muscles.

  His cock twitched, liking the idea.

  She’s a target, his overdeveloped conscience chimed in. He clung to that thought as she got into her car. He made a note of the license plate and let her drive away. There was no need to follow her. He could get what he needed off the computer. It was time to learn more about the thieving Ms. Tally Hayward.

  Chapter One

  Tally Hayward rolled her shoulders back, trying to ease the strain in her muscles. Please God, would this week never end? At least it was Friday and she had the weekend to look forward to. She glared silently at the glass walls of her favorite coffee shop. Sometimes she hated work. She loved her job but lately…the pain at the back of her neck shot down her spine. She took a deep breath and forced the muscles to release. The tension eased enough that she could move without wincing. Damn, she needed to relax, in bed, flat on her back. The image made her smile. Preferably with a studly man above me, she thought. Or behind. The spread of her lips widened into a full-fledged grin.

  Her phone chimed once—alerting her to a message. She sighed. Had to be Richard. He did this when he didn’t want to talk to her—to make a clean getaway. He didn’t actually call, he just left messages. She flipped the phone open and dialed her voice mail, listening as her boyfriend’s voice slid through the line.

  “Hi, baby doll.” He used that low sensual tone that Tally called his “don’t you think I’m sexy” voice. It did nothing for her. It reminded her of a bad porn actor. “I just wanted to say I’m off to Chicago. Back in a few days. See ya!”

  A little of the stress in her neck eased. Well, that was one thing she didn’t have to deal with for a few more days—breaking up with Richard. It had been weighing on her mind for the past week. Not that it was a surprise. She’d known for weeks it wasn’t going to work out but she’d stuck it out. She hadn’t wanted to bail on a potential relationship too early. Afte
r all, Richard looked good on paper—great job, nice car, friends with all the right people—and he looked good in person. If ever there was a human model for the Ken doll it was him.

  Complete with being anatomically incorrect.

  Tally covered her mouth to hide her smile and stop the full-blown laughter. That was rotten of her. It wasn’t that Richard was physically inadequate. He had all the requisite parts in reasonably good proportions. It was a rhythm thing. He had none. Or at least none that matched Tally’s. She sighed as she snapped the phone shut. She’d never been bored in bed—until Richard. And he didn’t take suggestions well. Once she’d suggested maybe he go down on her. He’d shook his head sadly and explained that women today were responsible for their own orgasms and surely she didn’t need “tricks” to make her come. Tally rolled her eyes at the memory. She wouldn’t have minded a few tricks. Richard had one trick—fuck, roll over and play dead before slinking away in the early morning hours. Not that she necessarily wanted him to stick around for a second try but still, it would be nice to have her lover smile at her in the morning.

  No, it was definitely time to let him go. Move on. Find someone new. Someone who actually seemed to enjoy having sex with her. He didn’t have to be perfect…just trainable.

  Gorgeous didn’t hurt, with a tight ass and long strong legs. Broad shoulders, large hands. Oh yeah. Mystic blue eyes and black silver-tinted hair. She moaned softly and the sound made her realize she was no longer fantasizing about Mister Perfect—she was staring at him. Her dream man stood in front of her ordering a latte. Again.

  He glanced across the curved counter, his eyes catching hers. His smile filled his face, creating delightful crinkles around the edges of his eyes. Smile lines eased the harsh lines of his cheekbones.

  He accepted his paper cup and wandered around the corner of the bar to where she stood. Slowly she dropped her phone to the counter.

  “Good afternoon.”

  A warm shiver curled down her spine as he spoke. It was like vocal sex. Since the first time they’d spoken she’d become fascinated by the power of his voice. She was pretty sure she could come just from listening to him speak. I wonder if he’s silent in bed—or if he likes to talk, whisper all sorts of wicked things. Not that she would ever find out. They were friends and brand-new friends at that. Casual meetings at a coffee shop did not a relationship make, even if he had started starring in her late night dreams.

  “Uh, hi,” she remembered to answer after a long time.

  “It’s good to see you again.”

  She smiled. He always sounded so sincere when he said that—as if seeing her had made his day better. It certainly improved the hell out of hers.

  “You too.” They wandered over to “their” table. The coffee shop wasn’t crowded. It rarely was at this time of day. They probably wouldn’t have even spoken if the little café hadn’t been unusually busy one day last week. Every table had been full and Nick had asked to join Tally at hers. They’d talked and Tally had been late getting back to work. The next day about the same time, she’d returned to the coffee shop and he’d been there. He’d invited her to share his table even though there were plenty to choose from. Since then, they’d met almost every day and Tally had the sneaking suspicion that he was timing his visits to coincide with hers. If he’d been the least bit creepy or aggressive, it would have bothered her.

  “Are you all right? You’ve got this worried look on your face.”

  She shook her head. “It’s nothing. Stress at work. Stress in the personal life.”

  “Yes, you’d mentioned you were working on a big project. How’s that going?”

  “Fine. I guess. I’m having some trouble with it. Don’t really know who to go to.” She didn’t want to say any more than that. It wouldn’t be appropriate to draw him in. He was a stranger after all. And she wasn’t sure how to explain it. The numbers weren’t adding up.

  She waved her hand to indicate she wanted to change the subject. “I went to that bookstore you recommended,” she said.

  The edge of his mouth bent upward. It was the only sign he’d heard her but she could tell he was pleased. “And did you enjoy it?”

  “Fascinating.” She launched into a discussion of the books she’d bought and the temptations she’d resisted. An hour later, she glanced at her watch. “Eeek, I’ve got to get back to work.”

  Nick stood when she did. He cleared their table and met her at the door.

  She grabbed her purse, digging in the side pouch. “Drat.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, I can’t find my access badge. I hope I left it in the office. The guards know me. They’ll let me sign in today but I need it to get into the building over the weekend.”

  “You work too much from what I see.”

  “I have to get this project done.”

  He looked like he had more to say on the subject but kept his mouth shut. Instead, he tipped his head toward the coffee shop. “Want to get together tomorrow? Here, a little before noon.”

  Tally’s heart leapt into her throat. It was the closest Nick had come to asking her out. She couldn’t actually go on a date with him of course. Not until she’d officially broken it off with Richard. That would be just plain tacky. But coffee wasn’t really a date.

  “That’s sounds great. I’ll see you then.”

  He nodded then turned and walked away. Tally couldn’t resist watching him. Pure masculine beauty. She stared until he was out of sight then whimpered. She had to get back to work. Damn.

  Nick walked away, fighting the urge to turn around and see if she was watching him. He kept moving, formulating the plan. They’d make their move this weekend. He’d get Tally out of her office and keep her busy for a few hours tonight while his brother Devon checked her office computer.

  She would have to be a pretty stupid embezzler to keep documents on the company computer but they had to check. Tally was many things but she wasn’t stupid.

  It had been relatively simple to gather information about her. Her address, friends, family, lovers, even her favorite kind of pizza. Between the Internet, observation and a few well-placed questions, Nick had found out all he’d needed to know to move forward. When nothing had seemed out of the ordinary, he’d approached her in the coffee shop last week. He’d filled the other tables with his employees and then introduced himself. Since then, he’d tried to steer the conversation toward her work but she always closed down when he did. Something was bothering her about work, something she didn’t want to talk about.

  Arriving home, Nick flipped through the information he had on her boyfriend. If all went as planned, Richard would be on a plane in about thirty minutes. All Nick had to do was take his place.

  Nick shook his head. Unfortunately, too many of his thoughts lately had been about him taking Richard’s place. In Tally’s bed, in her body. His cock hardened. It was easy to imagine her naked, stretched out on his bed, his cock pumping hard between the sleek thighs. He gripped the edge of the dresser and tried to fight off the image.

  “She’s a target. Don’t forget that. Get in, blend in and get out without being noticed.” He’d said the same thing to his brothers and sister dozens of times.

  He glanced at the clock and decided it was time. He stripped off his clothes and stood in front of the mirror. He rolled his neck to the side, pushed his shoulders back and stared at himself. His naked body looked golden in the dying evening light.

  Everyone in the family had their own little ceremonies to ease the change. Nick liked to see himself—to remind himself who he was, what he was. It was something he needed to remember.

  He took a deep breath and called up the image, the fundamental energy that made up Tally’s boyfriend, Richard. He waited until the picture was clear in his mind and then poured himself into the image.

  Nick gritted his teeth as the change began. He hated this. Animals—fine. Even inanimate objects. But turning into another person was dangerous—both physically
and psychically.

  To turn into another form, Nick first had to touch the thing. Through that contact he absorbed the object’s basic energy, the fundamental essence of the person. When turning into another human, some of the psychic baggage came along with it. That little bit would become part of Nick. If a shifter touched a truly evil soul, it could be deadly.

  Richard wasn’t evil—just dull. Nick left a pleading note with the universe that none of Richard’s blandness remained in him when the transition was complete and then concentrated on the change.

  Muscles and bones stretched and cracked. His face lengthened—his chin drawing back, his ears sliding down. Of all the sensations, Nick hated that the most—the loss of his face.

  He waited until the change was complete and the form firmly locked in his mind before he opened his eyes and stared at this new face.

  He leaned closer, seeking himself in the eyes. That was the only part of him that didn’t change. No matter what form he took, the color of his eyes remained the same.

  He turned away and pulled on the clothes he hoped would fit. He’d ordered them from the upscale store Richard’s patronized so he knew they matched the image. Once he was dressed, Nick picked up his phone and dialed his brother.

  “It’s me.”

  There was a moment’s hesitation and Nick knew Devon was adjusting to the foreign voice coming from Nick’s phone.

  “Are you ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be. I’ll get her about six. After you see me leave, get in and get out.”

  “Want me to sign in as you?” Devon asked. “You said they gave you permission to search.”

  Nick thought about it for a moment. Nothing had changed since the first meeting. He didn’t quite trust his client and wasn’t sure he wanted Branch or Jessup to know he’d searched Tally’s office. “No. Shift into someone leaving the building. I don’t want them knowing I’ve been inside.”

  “It’s your gig. Call me when you’re done.”