“Why, no. I—”

  “You think I can’t get a date?” Her hand tapped her chest, making her jewelry jangle. “You think because I’m the apex predator in the area that men won’t want me? You think I’m willing to accept just any man you humans toss at me—”

  The words died in her throat as her gaze focused behind me.

  A hand touched my back and I jerked, calming when I realized it was Ramsey. He swiftly stepped in front of me, and Jayde retreated. His massive form blocked my view, and I could hear my phone vibrating on the table, no doubt my sister texting away. Connor remained seated at his table, not looking in our direction. If anything, he looked more dejected than before. For a wolf bodyguard, he sure wasn’t interested in protecting me from his date.

  “There a problem?” Ramsey growled low in his throat.

  “No,” Jayde lied, her tone a mixture of unease and surprise. Her voice became sugary sweet. “I was just offering to help Sara with her dress.”

  A low, angry rumble started in Ramsey’s throat.

  Jayde flinched.

  Ramsey tugged me forward, his arm wrapping around me like a hug. His large body nearly swallowed my own. It was a possessive gesture, meant to brand me as his own. “Why is my mate wearing my drink?”

  Jayde’s jaw dropped and she made a startled, squeaky noise. Her eyes widened like marbles, and she stared at me in shock, then back to Ramsey. “A . . . a mate?”

  “My mate,” I agreed in a proprietary manner and snuggled against Ramsey’s chest, ignoring the fact that I was all wet. “And he doesn’t like it when other people pour drinks on me.”

  “No,” Ramsey said, his voice so low and angry that it sounded like a growl. “I don’t.”

  Jayde paled. “I see. I-I apologize. I did not realize . . .”

  “See that you do not assault my date again,” Ramsey growled menacingly.

  The were-jaguar nodded and stammered apologies, backing away. It was gratifying to see how completely and utterly terrified she was. Perhaps this pretending-to-date thing wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  “I am so sorry,” the waiter said, stepping in and handing me napkins. “I didn’t realize what was going on. We’ll get you a new table—”

  “No,” said Ramsey in the same dangerous tone. “We’re leaving.” He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. The garment nearly swallowed me whole, the hem of the jacket hanging to my knees. “She’s soaked. Date’s ruined.”

  “I understand,” said the waiter. “I’ll pack your dinners in a take-home box.”

  “Do that.” Ramsey turned to Jayde. “You’re paying.”

  “Of course,” she blurted, then hurried back to her table.

  Impressive. With a few scowls, Ramsey had managed to completely intimidate a crazy were-jaguar, get our meals for free, and get us out of this date. I shoved the too-long sleeves up my arms, shivering. Too bad he hadn’t been able to do it before I’d had a gallon of ice water poured on me. My nipples felt like thumbtacks, and my teeth were beginning to chatter.

  “We’ll wait outside,” he snarled to the waiter. I barely had time to stick my cell phone in my purse before Ramsey grabbed my hand and hauled me out of the restaurant.

  I bit back my retort at being dragged around like an old handbag. The people lined up outside stared at us in surprise, with my wet hair plastered to my face and Ramsey’s coat swallowing me. Combine that with a date well over six feet tall and looking exceedingly pissed? No wonder they were looking at us like we were certifiable.

  Ramsey dragged me to his large sport-utility truck and then grabbed me at the waist, lifting me to the hood so I was almost eye level with him. To my surprise, he leaned in.

  “How’d I do?” he whispered, inches from my face. His chest—scorchingly hot—pressed against my knees.

  Whew, was it hot out here, or was it just me? The almost-playful look on Ramsey’s face was doing funny things to my insides. I brushed a wet lock of hair off of my face and gave him a half smile. “Well, the good news is that Jayde will probably never pour a drink on another woman again.”

  “Good.”

  “Dragging me around like a caveman was a little much, though,” I added dryly.

  “All for show. They need to remember us.”

  Oh, I was pretty sure they’d remember. I glanced over at the doorway, where the waiting patrons still stared at us. Our waiter was pushing his way through them. “Here comes our meal.”

  “Good.” Ramsey pulled me forward on the truck, and when I looked at him in surprise, he captured my mouth with his.

  Surprise flared through me. His mouth, normally so hard and unsmiling, was warm against my own, his lips soft. Taking advantage of my surprise, he tugged at my lower lip, and then his tongue swept into my mouth. After that, I was lost. He kissed like a man obsessed, intent on devouring me. Over and over, his tongue stroked into my mouth, my own rising to meet it. His hand slid up my wet thigh and pulled me closer, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, encouraging the kiss.

  If this was pretending, I could only imagine what really kissing Ramsey would be like.

  His hand on my thigh was warm, and when his tongue swept deep into my mouth again, a soft moan rose from my throat, and I wiggled against his chest. My knees were trapped against him, so I parted my legs, allowing him to lean in even closer to me, his hand twisting into my wet hair. My legs wrapped around him in response, heels hooking together behind his broad back.

  Someone coughed nearby.

  Ramsey gave my mouth one last slow, sensual lick and then pulled away, turning to glare at the waiter as I panted, still clinging to Ramsey’s chest. “What?” he growled.

  “Sorry. Your food,” the waiter stammered, setting the carryout bag down on the sidewalk and hurrying away.

  Ramsey’s gaze moved to the bag, then focused back on my face. His eyes were glazed with our kiss, his gaze flicking to my wet mouth repeatedly. His hand tightened on my hip. “Where are your panties?” he said hoarsely.

  Oops. I’d forgotten about that. “Surprise,” I said, giving my thighs a playful squeeze to distract him. Ramsey was adorable when he was flustered, and I was feeling frisky, especially after that amazing kiss. Who cared if it was pretend?

  Ramsey pulled away from me as if scorched. I untangled my legs just in time for him to jerk away, and I straightened my skirts as he scooped the bag of food off the sidewalk.

  Ouch. I guess I was the only one feeling that vibe.

  The sound of distant wolf howls woke me from my sleep. I sat up with a gasp, my heart hammering. The room was empty, moonlight streaming in through the ceiling hole and the dirty window. Where was Ramsey? My Anderson protector? The wolf howls rose again and I shivered, the back of my neck bunching and rippling anxiously. I bit the inside of my cheek for control and crept down the stairs. Part of me wanted to hide under the bed, but the small, dreadful part in the pit of my stomach wanted to follow the howls. They almost made sense, even to my sleep-drugged mind, and I needed to know more.

  I crept out on the porch in my T-shirt and sleep pants, crossing my arms over my chest. There was a chill in the air, but it wasn’t supposed to bother the wolf part of me—yet another thing I was doing wrong. I stared into the trees, listening for the wolf call again. There was a faint taste of shifter on the breeze, but I smelled Ramsey’s scent more than anything. He’d been here, and recently. Where had he gone?

  A figure stepped out of the shadows of the porch. “Thought you’d hear them,” Connor said quietly.

  I smothered the wolf-snarl that rose in my throat, trying not to jump backward.

  He saw my alarm and raised his hands in the air to calm me. “I don’t mean anything. I just heard them and thought you might be curious.”

  He took a step backward, and I noticed that his scent was mixed with the light smell of . . . were-cougar? His shirt was torn and the buttons were done up wrong, and it looked like his right eye was starting to bruise.

  Seemed like someone hadn’t been so welcome when he’d dropped by the Russell house to visit a certain were-cougar.

  I bounced on my feet, trying not to seem wary and out of sorts. “So where’s Ramsey?”

  Connor squinted at the trees. “Unless I miss my guess, he’s in bear-form, trying to chase the wolves off the property.”

  “Oh?”

  Connor shrugged. “They’re here to check up on you.”

  Because they were going to swoop in and take me back if they didn’t like how he was treating me? I shivered with dislike. The wolf pack was always hovering in the background, reminding me that they were watching me. That even if I tried to cut them out of my life, they’d still show up.

  The howls rose again, fainter this time.

  Connor watched me. “Can you understand them? The howls?”

  “No,” I said. “Can you?”

  He nodded. “Most wolves can. You’ll eventually learn it when you become more in tune with your wolf side. Don’t suppose you feel the need to transform?”

  I shook my head. “I usually don’t feel it coming on until it’s too late.”

  “That’s because you’re waiting too long.”

  I looked over at him. “So when are you going to teach me?”

  “I’m not,” he said softly and took a step away from me.

  “What do you mean, you’re not going to help me? I thought my life was in danger.”

  “It is,” he said, then took another step away from me, his gaze fixed on the dark tree line. “You know just as well as I do that he’s not going to let another male near you when you’re vulnerable.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I scoffed. I wanted to say more, but a large shape loomed in the shadows, and my nostrils filled with the scent of bear. Ramsey. His eyes glinted in the darkness, and he hovered at the edge of the tree line, waiting.

  The uncomfortable shivers started along my back again. If Ramsey wanted to hurt me in his bear-form, I’d be helpless. He was so big . . . but when Connor shifted another few feet away, I noticed that the enormous bear’s gaze wasn’t on me.

  It was on Connor.

  “So how am I supposed to learn how to shift if he won’t let you near me?” I asked.

  Connor gave me a lazy smile. “Don’t know. You should probably ask your mate.”

  This was just getting silly. “I’ll talk with him,” I said. “This agreement between the wolf pack and our Alliance needs to work. Ramsey knows that. I can reason with him—”

  “You can’t,” Connor said. “The mating instinct is strong and possessive. When it finds the woman it wants, it grabs ahold and won’t let go. You don’t think straight when she’s around. When her scent’s in your nostrils, she’s all you can think about.” A bleak look swept over his face. “And when she won’t speak to you, the light in your world goes out.”

  I had a feeling we weren’t talking about me anymore.

  Connor noticed my silence and cleared his throat. “He’s not going to want you anywhere near another shifter, especially one you’re frightened of. It’s the mating instinct.”

  Yeah, but we weren’t really mated, so that wasn’t it. “I’m sure I can reason with Ramsey.”

  “And I’m sure you can’t. Trust me on this.” Connor glanced at my neck, then headed across the overgrown yard toward the guest cabin. “See you in the morning. Don’t forget we have the barbeque tomorrow. I imagine that’s what they came by to remind you about.”

  Like I could forget. “How long will it take for them to forget about me?”

  He studied me for a minute, and his gaze softened into something that was either sympathy or pity. Then he glanced away, as if thinking. “It might take a while.”

  He was lying. I watched him, and he wouldn’t look back at me. “Are they going to forget about me?” I asked in a smaller voice. “Ever?”

  Connor just gave me a look of pain. “If I could get them to back off, I would. It’s affecting my life, too.”

  “Because of Savannah?”

  A flash of intense pain crossed his face, quickly masked. “They won’t let me be with her. I need her, but I can’t have her . . . not that she’d have me. I wasn’t strong enough when she needed me.” His hands clenched into fists and he stared into the woods, eyes intense. “I need to stop thinking about her, because as long as Uncle Levi is the alpha, it’s his way. What I want doesn’t matter. What you want doesn’t matter. It’s what Levi wants. And what he wants is for wolves to belong in a wolf pack. Not mating with cats or bears.”

  “If that’s how your uncle Levi thinks, I’m surprised he agreed to this pact.”

  Connor’s smile pulled up in a wry twist. “He’s giving you a bit of rope.”

  “Just enough to hang myself with?”

  He nodded. “No more, no less. If I know Uncle Levi, he’s expecting this experiment to be a failure and you’ll come running back to the pack soon enough. Which is why you need to tell Ramsey to hold you close and not let anyone get in the way of your love.”

  Before I could stammer out something appropriate, he turned and walked back to the guesthouse.

  I watched him go, then turned to regard Ramsey’s massive form, hulking in the woods. The scent of bear was almost overpowering, and the sight of him struck a chord of fear in my heart. What if he had the temper that Roy had? What if that helpless lack of control was what all male shifters felt around a female? I wanted to talk to him, force him to change back and discuss Connor, but I couldn’t bring myself to approach the bear.

  I headed back inside and slipped under the covers. It was a long time before Ramsey returned, and I heard him creak up the stairs before sliding into our room.

  I feigned sleep, keeping my breathing even.

  He entered and stood by the side of the bed, and the skin on the back of my nape prickled. I knew he was looking at me. After a moment he climbed into bed, his skin hot against mine, and I didn’t protest when he pulled me close and tucked me under his chin. My muscles relaxed, and I leaned into the solid warmth of his broad chest.

  The man Ramsey didn’t frighten me. It was the beast aspect of him—and myself—that made me question everything.

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning, Ramsey dropped me off at work with a polite kiss on the forehead and a murmured comment that he’d be back to pick me up in time for the Anderson barbeque. He didn’t like leaving me alone with Connor, and I didn’t like it, either. But if we were supposed to be assuming our normal lives, he couldn’t continue to hover around me. Even more than that, he wanted to show the Anderson wolves that he wasn’t about to back down, and that we weren’t intimidated by their threats.

  But I was intimidated.

  In fact, I was so intimidated that I wanted Ramsey to come in and spend the day shadowing me again, but he had a job to do, and Connor would suspect something if Ramsey continually hovered. So I reluctantly let him go.

  Connor followed me in to the office, but he seemed bored as soon as we got there, so I gave him a stack of filing and instructions, and he got to work. He kept looking over at me, and I wondered if he expected me to spontaneously grow a tail. Exactly how often was a shifter supposed to transform, anyhow? I didn’t know these things, and it seemed stupid to ask.

  My sister came in, dressed in a cheery yellow sweater and her favorite pair of jeans. Her long hair was loose around her shoulders, and she wore a beaming smile. I greeted her with a smile of my own that faded when she sat down and pushed her hair off her neck.

  Her white neck proudly displayed the enormous mate mark, and a hot blush stole over my face at the sight.

  Mate marks are one of those peculiar things that every shifter can see plain as day but no human can pick up. It’s kind of a cross between a flush on the skin and a gleam of scent—hard to describe, but obvious to anyone with a tail. It declared a mate off-limits, possessed and proud of the fact.

  I touched my own neck thoughtfully. Connor had stared at it, and I wondered if he was going to tell his father that I hadn’t been marked. Perhaps it was time to take the pretending to a whole new level. If I had a mate mark on my neck for the dance, it’d add much more credibility to our relationship.

  A shiver flashed over me at the thought, and I pictured Ramsey’s big form looming over mine, his hot skin pressed against my own, mouth locked on my throat . . . jeez. I fanned myself with a file folder. It sure had gotten warm in here.

  Maybe I’d bring it up to Ramsey tonight. I blushed at the thought, even as it made my pulse race. Excuse me, do you think you could bite me on the throat a few times? I want to make sure everyone thinks that I’m your mate. Don’t mind if I spontaneously orgasm. I’m doing this just for our charade.

  I hadn’t had sex with a man since I was seventeen. Hadn’t even wanted to consider it. But sex was like an itch that couldn’t be scratched, and ever since I’d been bitten, my sex drive had been ramped up a notch. I usually took care of it myself, since the thought of a man touching me filled me with unease. What if I changed when he touched me? Sex was a solo act out of necessity.

  But . . . everyone already thought Ramsey and I were doing the deed. I wondered if it’d be such a stretch. I wondered if Ramsey had ever thought about it.

  As if he’d been summoned, the doorbell clanged. I looked up to see Ramsey in the doorway of the office. His big shoulders blotted out the early morning sunlight, casting a shadow over my desk, since it was the closest to the door.

  I looked at him in surprise, my cheeks hot with a blush at my thoughts. Ramsey’s timing was . . . eerie. “Everything okay?”

  He stepped toward my desk, and I noticed what he held in his hand—a lidded Starbucks cup and a small brown paper bag. As he extended the coffee to me, I took it, surprised.

  I was even more surprised when he leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “Have a good day at work.”

  Then he strode back out of the office.

 

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