Free Body Master by C.J. Barry Page B

was not about to have another schizophrenic episode with him.
    “Why did you really follow me here, Seneca?”
    She wouldn’t meet his eyes, looking away to the safety of the city. “I didn’t trust you, although that shouldn’t surprise you.”
    “It doesn’t.”
    She looked at him then. His eyes flashed incandescent for a brief moment, and she remembered why she didn’t trust him. You don’t belong here.
    “I don’t give a damn what you and your Shifter friend do together. Whether or not you are gay. What you do in your spare time. You’re right. It’s none of my business.”
    He narrowed his eyes. “What did you say?”
    She sighed. “I said, you’re right—”
    “No,” he interrupted. “Before that. How do you know he’s a Shifter? I didn’t tell you that.”
    Seneca felt her stomach drop. Oh, damn. “Lucky guess.”
    Dempsey studied her. “I don’t think so. You knew he was a Shifter. How?”
    She blew out a breath. One stupid slip. Two days ago her world was normal. Well, at least as normal as it could be. How could everything fall apart so fast? Who in the great cosmos did she piss off?
    Dempsey asked, “Can you see Shifters?”
    Perfect. Just perfect. Well, Riley had known and MacGregor sort of knew. What was one more? “A little.”
    Dempsey shook his head. “You either do or you don’t.”
    “So I do,” she snapped. “So what?”
    For a moment, he just stared at her. “That explains a lot.”
    She frowned. “Like what?”
    “Like why you’re the best agent XCEL has.”
    “No, I’m just extremely good,” she said.
    He asked, “Are there others like you?”
    “In XCEL, are you kidding?”
    “Anywhere,” he persisted.
    “There is no one like me,” she said, through clenched teeth.
    “I noticed,” Dempsey said. “Did Riley know this?”
    “Yes. But no one else knows,” she said. “And I’d like to keep it that way.”
    His eyes narrowed. “Of course. Wouldn’t want the whole world to ostracize you.”
    It occurred to her that he’d been around humans too long. He knew exactly what would happen to her if the other XCEL agents found out.
    “Are we done here?” she asked. “Because I’ve had all the excitement I can handle for one night.”
    He stepped aside to last her pass.
    “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, and escaped to her car at the end of the block.

    Max pounded the heavy bag for all he was worth, nearly knocking Apollo off his feet. The sound echoed across the quiet boxing hall in the middle of the afternoon.
    “Venting much?” Apollo asked as he held the bag in place.
    “You have no idea,” Max answered and landed another brutal punch that jolted his entire body. He was covered with sweat and hadn’t even begun to shake the lingering remnants of last night.
    “How’s your partner?” Apollo asked, and grimaced when Max nailed the bag again.
    “Just great.”
    “Well, she must be something because I haven’t seen you this worked up since, well, never.”
    Max hit the bag hard, sending pain up his arm. Seneca was at the funeral that she hadn’t invited him to right now. She had told Riley about her Shifter sight, but she hadn’t planned to tell him. And she followed him because she didn’t trust him ? Granted, his expectations of humans were pretty damn low, but she was supposed to be his partner. Apparently, it was in name only.
    “Unless . . . You two hook up last night?” Apollo said with a grin.
    Max eyed him. He really didn’t need the reminder of Seneca’s scent, Seneca’s skin, Seneca’s warmth ingrained in his brain and body any more than it was. “No, I haven’t slept with her. I seriously doubt she’d have me.”
    “You never know until you try.”
    Right. He unleashed a reckless volley on the bag, his arms burning. “And tell me how many women you would have slept with if you’d told them what you were?”
    Apollo grinned. “More than you.”
    Max grunted. “You can’t fool Seneca.” He jammed his glove into