A Wolf in Cop's Clothing (Holland Brothers Book 7) Read online

  A Wolf in Cop's Clothing

  Holland Brothers 7

  Toni Griffin

  Edited by

  Jude Dunn

  Copyright

  This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this book ONLY. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from the authors. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Cover Artist: Freddy MacKay

  Typographer: Freddy MacKay

  Editor: Jude Dunn

  Second Edition

  A WOLF IN COP'S CLOTHING: HOLLAND BROTHERS 7 © 2020 Toni Griffin

  All Rights Reserved.

  Published in the United States of America.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: A Wolf in Cop's Clothing is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are fictionalized. Any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The stories contain explicit sexual content and are intended for adult readers.

  Any person depicted in the Licensed Art Material is a model and is being used solely for illustrative purposes.

  PUBLISHER

  Mischief Corner Books, LLC

  Contents

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Thank you, Readers!

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  About Toni Griffin

  Also by Toni Griffin

  About Mischief Corner Books

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following word marks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Just Cuts: Just Cuts Franchising Pty Ltd.

  Kindle: Amazon Technologies, Inc.

  The Lego Movie: Warner Animation Group

  RAV4: Toyota Motor Corporation

  United: United Petroleum

  Vegemite: Mondelex International

  Violet Crumbles: Nestlé S.A.

  Dedication

  For our grandparents, parents, cousins, siblings, spouses, lovers, and neighbors who have made the decision to put on a uniform. This is our thank you to all those who stand up to serve, past, present and future.

  Chapter One

  "Baby, have you seen my keys?" Marcus called out to Brian from the other room.

  Sammy and Dylan, their twin terrors, raced through the house, squealing at the top of their lungs. Charlie, Jake and Rick's two-year-old daughter, and William, Jason and Alex's eighteen-month-old son, ran along behind them screaming and laughing. Zack and Simon's daughter, Lilly, was still a little too young to join in with the others, though she tried her best.

  Four brothers, their mates, and all their kids sharing a house made for one very busy environment. However, none of them would have it any other way, because they weren't just family but pack as well.

  "I've got no idea. Where did you put them last?" Brian yelled over the top of the noise. He didn't know if Marcus could hear him or not.

  "I've no bloody clue. That's why I'm asking you. They should be with my wallet." Marcus and the kids were now competing to see who was loudest. Brian loved having so many kids in the house, all growing up together, but Jesus, they could rattle a man's eardrums.

  "Oh, this is stupid," Brian muttered to himself before he switched to the mental link he shared with his mate. Have you asked the boys? You know what they're like when you leave things lying around.

  Brian chuckled at the aggrieved sigh he got in return.

  They're your sons, Marcus Holland.

  Only when they're good. Every other minute of the day, they're yours.

  Brian laughed. The squealing stopped, and Brian overheard Marcus in the other room trying to talk to the boys. Getting anything out of them when they were like this was nearly impossible. Thankfully, they usually crashed hard shortly afterwards.

  Brian had no idea what he was going to do when Sammy and Dylan started prep school in a week's time. How had the time flown by so quickly? Brian had a feeling he was going to cry like a baby when he dropped the twins off for their first day. He'd never been separated from them except when they were at their grandparents'.

  Jason walked into the kitchen with William sitting on his hip.

  "The twins hide Marcus's keys again?" he asked as he buckled William into one of the high chairs placed around the large dining table.

  "Yeah, you think one day he might learn to put them out of reach of the boys?" Brian asked his best friend.

  Jason chuckled. "Nope. That would spoil all our fun of watching him scramble when he's running late for work." Jason removed a bowl with carrot sticks and a small pot of peanut butter from the fridge. "Shopping needs to be done," he noted as he walked back to William, who hadn't taken his eyes off his daddy.

  "Yeah, I have a list. I'm going to take the boys with me this morning so you can hopefully get a little work done when William goes down for a nap. That should give you at least an hour or two of peace and quiet."

  "Thanks. I must admit it's been harder to concentrate with so many people at home during the day. School's back next week, which means Hayley and Zack will be gone for the day. And Charlie and Lilly will be heading to Maryanne's."

  "Not to mention the boys will be gone a half day as well. You won't know what to do with yourself with all that quiet time."

  Jason got a far-off look in his eyes, and Brian laughed, then threw a tea towel at his head. Jason laughed with him.

  Marcus walked into the kitchen a couple of minutes later, and Brian wolf whistled. He loved the way his man looked in his police uniform. Marcus grinned wickedly as he pulled Brian tight against his chest.

  Brian wrapped his arms around Marcus's neck and stood on tiptoe. Still, Marcus had to lean down for Brian to kiss him.

  "Find your keys?" he whispered as he waggled his brows.

  Marcus growled and Brian laughed. "I have to go, baby. Be good and stay out of trouble while I'm at work."

  Brian snorted. "This is Leyburn. What trouble could I possibly find? I plan to do the grocery shopping with the boys, put them down for an afternoon nap, then curl up on the couch and watch The Lion King with them while we wait for you to come home. See, I lead a very exciting life."

  "Sounds perfect. I'll see you tonight." Marcus bent and took Brian's lips in a scorching kiss, then turned and walked out the door.

  Brian watched the way Marcus's dark-blue uniform pants hugged his ass and thighs. He wondered if later he could convince Marcus to leave the uniform on for a little extra fun. The boots, the pants, the dark-blue shirt—hell, he even loved the way the Kevlar vest looked on Marcus. Even though he was a detective and they lived in a small town, Marcus still wore a full uniform the majority of the time.

  "Get that dirty thought out of your head right now," Jason said. Brian startled as the tea towel sailed through the air and hit him in the face. Jason laughed. Brian scrambled to catch the offending cloth before it hit the ground, then scowled at his friend.

  "What thought?" he asked innocently.

  "The one where you were peeling your mate out of his uniform… with your teeth." Jason grinned wickedly, and Brian tried to swat his friend, but Jason sidestepped as he pulled a loaf of bread off the bench and removed a couple of slices. "You hungry?"

  "No thanks. I should probably try to round up the little terrors I call children and see if they need feeding again. Because you know, that's exactly the right thing I should be doing, refueling my boys before I take them shopping."

  Jason laughed as he placed his bread in the toaster. "Yeah, good luck with that."

  Brian flipped his friend the bird, being careful that William didn't see. Luckily, his nephew was too busy smearing peanut butter all over his face as he chowed down on carrot sticks.

  Jason gasped exaggeratedly and placed his hands over his heart. "You wound me, kind sir."

  "Oh fuck off," Brian whispered. He left the kitchen to the sounds of Jason's laughter.

  The boys had gone quiet after Marcus left. Seeing as how his little men had never met a silence they couldn't fill, it always worried Brian a little when he couldn't hear them.

  He made his way around the corner into the lounge room with trepidation of what he would find. Brian sighed in relief. Sammy and Dylan, along with Hayley and Charlie, were lying on the floor, large sketchbooks in front of them, with a massive pile of crayons in the center. If there was one thing all the kids did well, it was sharing.

  Hayley, the oldest at just over six years, was the unofficial leader of the pack whenever she was around. They looked so cute together, all lying on their bellies. The twins and Charlie had their legs crossed and bent at the knees. Sammy poked out his tongue whenever he concentrated on something, and Brian thought it was the cutest thing, though he hoped he'd grow out of it as he got older.

  Brian didn't want to disturb the peace, as he didn't know how long it would last. He'd feed the boys as soon as they were hungry. They could play for a little longer, then he'd do his best to bundle them into the car and take them shopping. For now, though, there was a Kindle
app with his name on it. Brian didn't often get a couple of minutes to himself, so he made the most of it when he could.

  He headed back to the kitchen. A nice cup of tea sounded really good.

  Brian nearly ran smack into Zack as he came down the passage. Brian quickly lifted his finger to his lips. "Hayley has them all under control and drawing. If you go in there, you'll disturb our peace and quiet."

  Zack nodded, then followed Brian to the kitchen. Even though every adult in the place prayed for the moment when all the kids were down for the night, Brian strangely missed the sound of the kids. They brought life to the house.

  Jason quirked a brow as he bit off a large bite of his Vegemite toast.

  "Hayley has them all entertained at the moment," Brian answered his friend.

  "It never lasts for very long," Jason replied.

  "Nope, but I'm going to enjoy it while it does." Brian grinned.

  Brian flicked the kettle on and pulled down everything he needed. "Coffee, tea?" he asked the other two.

  "Yes, please," they both answered. Brian grabbed two more mugs and set about making the drinks. After living together so long, he knew exactly how Jason and Zack liked their drinks. Jason preferred a black tea with a little honey in it, and Zack liked his coffee white with two sugars.

  "How's Lilly doing?" Jason asked Zack as he attempted to clean peanut butter off William. He wasn't very successful.

  "Her temperature has come down, thankfully."

  "That's good," Brian said as he brought two hot mugs to the table, then went back for his own. Poor little Lily had been out of sorts for the last couple of days. Stephanie, the pack doctor, put it down to teething, as she couldn't find anything else wrong with her. Brian remembered all too well what it was like when the twins were teething. That had been hell.

  Brian blew on his tea and took a tentative sip. He loved the aroma and taste of green tea. He sat with Jason and Zack, chatting until William became fussy and demanded to be let down. Jason took him to get cleaned up.

  Not five minutes later, Brian heard little feet running in his direction again. He turned and held his arms open as Sammy and Dylan raced into the room.

  They squealed in delight when they saw him and ran right up to Brian, both tackling him in massive hugs. Brian laughed and tickled his boys, who only squealed louder as they laughed.

  "Daddy, stop!" they cried out between bouts of laughter.

  "I don't know if I can," Brian said, tickling a little more.

  "Please!"

  Brian gave in, and the boys eventually calmed. He stared at the little men he and his mate had made. He was forever grateful that fate had given them the opportunity to become fathers. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he'd ever be able to give birth. Finding out years ago that he was pregnant had been the shock of a lifetime. It was all part of being a shifter; Brian couldn't imagine his life any other way. The little tykes staring back at him were his entire world.

  "You going to come shopping with me?" he asked them.

  "Shopping!" the boys yelled as they threw their arms in the air and jumped.

  As much as shopping with them was a handful, they really did love it, especially now that they were older. It was easier when they were younger and Brian could place them in the seats at the back of the trolley, their little legs dangling down. Now, at three and a half, they were much too big to fit. And with the supermarkets cracking down on kids actually being in the trolley itself, they were forced to walk along with him as he pushed.

  "You know our deal, right?" Brian asked.

  "Yes," they responded.

  "Tell me," Brian said.

  "We get a chocolate… " Dylan said as he jumped up and down and clapped his hands.

  "If we hold the trolley without letting go," Sammy finished for his brother. He too was getting excited. It had taken a couple of trips and a few temper tantrums to realise they got nothing if they didn't follow the rules.

  "That's my boys. Are you going to be good?"

  "Yes," they answered.

  Brian threaded his fingers through Sammy's golden-brown locks. His hair was getting longer again, almost down to his eyes, as was Dylan's. "I think we might see if we can get your hair cut while we're down there as well. What do you say?"

  They stared, then nodded. It was so cute when they did things together and frustrating as hell when they used their talents for pure evil.

  "Okay, off to the toilet, and then we'll go."

  The boys ran from the room.

  "You could walk you know," Brian called out. He didn't think he'd get a response other than laughter.

  Zack laughed as well. "You know that's never going to happen, right?"

  Brian sighed. He knew. The twins had practically gone from crawling to running without anything in between and hadn't slowed down since.

  "Yeah," Brian said. "Doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying." Brian took his empty mug into the kitchen and rinsed it out. Then he grabbed his shopping list, wallet, phone, and keys and waited for the boys to come back. He didn't have to wait long before they came running back into the room together.

  Water had splashed on their shirts when they'd washed their hands.

  "What about shoes?" Brian asked, laughing as they raced back the way they'd come. The sound of thongs hitting the soles of their feet announced their imminent arrival, with shoes this time.

  "Come on then, you little terrors." Brian held his hands out, Sammy and Dylan immediately took one each. They made their way to the garage where his and Marcus's RAV4 was parked. They'd upgraded last year to something a little bigger. It made sense, especially when you had two car seats to fit in the back seat. Although the boys were well out of their baby seats, they still had to have booster seats until they were seven.

  Brian let go of Dylan's hand to unlock the door.

  Sammy scrambled in first, making his way over to the other side and climbing up into his seat, then Dylan followed.

  They were so independent now that they didn't want any help getting in and out of their seats. The only thing Brian was still allowed to do was put the seat belts on. He clipped Dylan in place before giving him a sneak-attack kiss, then closing the door to groans of "Daddy." Brian laughed as he walked around the car and opened the door to do the same with Sammy.

  Sammy tried to fend him off, but it was no use. Brian managed to plant a kiss on him.

  The boys laughed and groaned, and Brian grinned. He really did love these two more than life. "We all set?"

  "Let's go," they cried out. Brian grinned, climbed into the front seat and pulled the chair forward. Marcus had obviously been the last one to drive. Brian always felt like such a short-ass after climbing into the car when Marcus had driven.

  He opened the garage, made sure the stereo was connected to his phone, and chose the boy's music mix. "Everything is Awesome" from The Lego Movie blasted through the speakers, and the twins immediately started singing along. Brian placed the car in reverse and headed toward the shops.

  Chapter Two

  Brian couldn't believe how good Sammy and Dylan had been. The Just Cuts in the shopping centre was able to fit them in, and both boys had their hair cut at the same time. Brian snapped pictures of them, looking so cute on booster seats with the capes around their necks. Dylan tugged on his at first but stopped as soon as the hairdresser handed him a lolly from the bowl by the register. The man was no fool; he had one ready for Sammy as well.

  Brian sent Marcus the pics, knowing he'd want to see what they were up to. Not a couple of minutes later, Brian received a response.

  Look how grown up they are.

  Brian agreed. The years had flown by since their birth. Brian thought more often lately that it would be nice to add to their family, now that Sammy and Dylan were starting school.