Whisper Read Free

naked from the bed. Neither of them were ashamed of their bodies, especially since shifting required no clothes. “No harm done. They thought you had a pet.”
     
    “A leopard? Come on, Max, even if they did believe it, it’s against the law to keep such an animal. We agreed when we moved to Virginia we would only shift in a wooded area, not here in the hallway of an apartment building where others can see.”
     
    Max pulled on jeans, not caring that he hadn’t first put on boxers. “You agreed, not me. I didn’t say I wanted to come here. I was happy in Maine.”
     
    “Happy?” Alec repeated.
     
    His brother flared his nostrils. “I lived at least.”
     
    “With supreme effort on my part.” Alec approached his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t pretend to know what you feel, but I am here for you. I will get you through this even if I have to put my foot in your ass.”
     
    His brother chuckled, a rare occurrence lately. “I’m tearing up at all the love. Anyway, what will we do about the ladies? They threatened to report us.”
     
    Alec shrugged. “Let them inspect. They will find nothing, and who will believe I was keeping a four hundred pound leopard here?”
     
    Max grinned. “Good then I can—”
     
    “Keep it under wraps,” Alec finished for him.
     
    Max grunted. “You were always the one that played by the rules, Alec. When are you going to let loose and go buck wild? It would do you good. Hell, fall in love for once. Let a woman stomp all over your heart, and then drink all night feeling sorry for yourself. It’s life.”
     
    Alec turned to leave the room. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound like fun. I’ll pass. I have some work to take care of, so I’ll see you later. Stay out of trouble.” He waved over his shoulder and left.
     
     
     
    * * * *
     
     
     
    Alec had been putting off laundry for a while. Usually his shirts went to the cleaners, but there were always the jeans and slacks. He’d taken his laptop down to the laundry room. Maybe he couldn’t get good reception for the Internet there, but he could work on the novel he’d been developing for the last couple of years. If Max knew about it, he’d rib him to no end. Not like the book was a romance or anything. His interest was in a thriller, and since he’d had the idea, he decided to see where he could take it. Up until then, no one knew what he was doing in his spare time. Alec had a lot of confidence in what he could do making real estate deals. Writing wasn’t the same, but he didn’t think he sucked at it either.
     
    The first couple of loads started, he settled in leaning on the washing machine and booted up his laptop. Scenarios ran through his mind of the direction he wanted to take the book. When the click of heels sounded in the hallway, he looked up from the words on the screen. He pressed his lips together at the sight of the woman from a couple nights ago.
     
    “Well, hello, stranger,” she said in a husky tone that grated more than turned him on. “Fancy seeing you here.”
     
    He turned his gaze back to the computer screen. “I live in the building. It stands to reason I’d have to do laundry sometime.”
     
    If he thought his gruff attitude would put her off, he was mistaken. She sauntered over to him, and he observed her figure—slender and sexy. She’d worn shorts that showed off her long legs and a top cut so low, he didn’t need a writer’s imagination to guess the little that was hidden. He liked a sexy, beautiful woman, but this one wasn’t his type. Now her friend—he couldn’t get the sight of her bent over wearing a thong out of his head. Her lush figure, slightly plump, and the sweet embarrassment that had been clear in her expression afterward told him Whisper was someone he’d like to pursue.
     
    The woman in front of him moved closer. He searched his mind for her name. Sheila . A slow grin spread over her face, revealing even white teeth that must be the