“What I want is for you to come home with me,” Jessica pleaded.

Ty’s gaze dropped to the silky damp edge of her lips and he was lost.

He dipped down and kissed her. Her lips were soft and willing, tasting of peppermint. She tasted so damn sweet, hot and spicy all at once. Ty gripped the edge of the truck’s door frame, nearly denting the sheet metal with his fingertips. But he was determined to keep his hands to himself, even though they itched to touch her. Heat seeped through his shirt, the temperature difference amplified by the chill in the air. The kiss turned deeper, slicker, the tip of her tongue brushing against his. The spicy fragrance of female that spiked the air left no doubt she was aroused. When they broke apart, both of them were breathing hard, their breath creating white misty clouds.

Raised by a bibliophile who turned the family dining room into a library, THERESA MEYERS has always been a lover of books and stories. A writer first for newspapers then for national magazines, she started her first novel in high school. In 2005 she was selected as one of eleven finalists in the nation for the American Title II contest, the American Idol of books. She is married to the first man she ever went on a real date with (to their high school prom). They currently live in a Victorian house in the Pacific Northwest with their children, a large assortment of animals and an out-of-control herb garden. You can find her online at her website, www.theresameyers.com, on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/Theresa_Meyers, or on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/TheresaMeyersAuthor.

One Night

with the

Shifter

Theresa Meyers

www.millsandboon.co.uk

This story is dedicated to everyone who lives in a small town.

There are times you love it and there are times you hate it, but you can’t imagine living anywhere else.

And for Jerry, because I can’t imagine sharing parenting with anyone else. Thanks for helping me build our own little pack. You rock as a dad!

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Excerpt

Chapter 1

This was not how he’d envisioned the rest of his life. Not even close. But when the world slid sideways, Tyee Grayson abandoned what he’d always known and jumped into the dark, primal abyss of the unknown.

The abyss just happened to be located outside the small town of Sinclair, Washington. Through the dark red lenses of his night-vision goggles, he counted four of his trainees hunkered down between the compact huckleberry bushes and the fir trees’ massive trunks.

He didn’t need the NVGs. He could easily see the men’s body warmth in the cool, misty night air, but it made training easier on the military recruits in his outdoor survival school program if they thought he was just like one of them.

Truth was, he anticipated that some of them would become just like him. New Werewolves he’d add to his pack of one. Hell, he had to start over somewhere, didn’t he?

Nash was growing antsy, shifting his weight and looking around as though he was nervous. He would give away the red team’s position if he didn’t sit still. Ty whispered instructions into the mic strapped against his cheek. “Nash, stay low. Wait for Red Leader’s signal.”

The recruit gave a quick nod—maintaining silence just as he’d been taught. Good. Extra points for red team.

The other five members of Ty’s training unit that formed the blue team were out in the dark, wet depths of the forest, closing in fast. Survival out here depended on each team staying sharp, using their wits and acting as a coordinated unit. There was no room for hotdogging in combat. You were either part of the team, or you went at it alone.

Alone sucked. Ty ought to know. A Were unwelcome in his pack and forced to go it alone only had so many choices. He could go stark raving mad and give the mortals a good reason to want him dead, he could isolate himself and die of loneliness or he could form a new pack.

He wasn’t the solitary or lunatic type. In fact, he’d been groomed most of his life as the Beta, second in command, of the Wenatchee Were Pack beneath its old Alpha, Bracken, to one day become the pack’s Alpha. But that was before the Cascade Clan vampires had interfered in their pack and changed everything. Damn bloodsuckers. If not for those vampires, he could have been the leader of an established, seasoned pack. Instead he was here, exiled, attempting to create a pack of his own.

Ty tapped his headset, changing channels. “Blue Leader, are you closing in on the target?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, execute tree flyer.”

He stood back, watching the blue team shimmy up the trees, preparing to attack the red team from overhead. His outdoor survival school had been a stroke of genius. He could pick over the finest recruits the military bases around here had to offer, and make enough to set himself up on the outside fairly well.

Out of all the students in his first season of outdoor survival specialist training, Riley Brierly was the best candidate to become a member of his pack. The kid was smart, tough, knew how to follow orders and had been trained by the finest in U.S. military.

Mike Johnson was a close second, neck and neck with Collin Campbell. A wolfish smile curled Ty’s mouth in the dark. Three cubs. A nice start to his Olympic Pack. Not bad, especially considering he didn’t even have a mate.

At least there weren’t any Were packs in the area. Ty suspected it was because the Cascade Vampire Clan was so close. The small town of Sinclair sat directly across the Puget Sound from downtown Seattle, an hour-long ferry ride away from vampire central. No Were in his right mind would want to live that close. But he had little choice. He had to take territory where he could, to form a family of his own. A lone Were wasn’t going to be welcomed into an existing pack, like those that occupied the coast.

The blue team yelled as they dove out of the trees onto the startled red team. The men rolled about, throwing punches and kicking out at one another. Grunts and the smack of flesh against flesh resounded loudly in the night air.

“Companies, halt!”

The men stopped midmotion and turned toward Ty as he emerged soundlessly from the bushes. “Blue Leader. Extra points for your team for executing the overhead attack so well. Extra steak at dinner.” The recruits elbowed one another in the ribs and grinned.

“Red Leader. What happened?”

“We didn’t expect them to attack from above, sir.”

Ty narrowed his eyes and pointed up at the trees. “Out here, danger is everywhere. Where you least expect it. What’s rule number one of survival?”

“Know your surroundings, sir,” they all said in monotone unity.

Ty nodded. “Good.”

“Red team, you need to act as a team. Not a bunch of individuals working in the same group. You should have had one man assigned to watch above, in addition to your sides, back and front. Did you?”

“No, sir,” the red team responded.

Ty stopped pacing and stood, pulling his NVGs off his head, then clasping his hands behind his back, his feet spread apart in a wide stance in the soft leaf litter. Moonlight filtered down from above, casting everything in the small clearing in stark relief. He made deliberate eye contact with each trainee as he spoke, letting his gaze linger a little longer on the members of the red team. “Unless you’re a team, a pack, you’ve got nothing. You are nothing. You function as a unit, you live. You go out on your own in the wilderness, your chances of survival drop seventy-five percent.”

The recruits stood at silent attention.

“Teams, pack your gear back to the barracks and prep for dinner. Red team, you’re on KP duty. Brierly, Johnson and Campbell, remain. Teams dismissed.”

The three recruits stayed behind and watched their classmates jog into the dark veil of the night. “You three did really well over this past week. Good enough that I think you deserve a little something extra. You’ve got passes for tonight to go into town.”

“Yes!” Johnson gave a fist pump.

Campbell grinned at Brierly. “You’re the hometown boy. What’s a good bar in town?”

Brierly’s mouth tipped up in a wicked grin. “You could hit the OON.”

“Want to be more specific?”

Brierly shrugged. “That’s its name, man. That or the Tavern. The neon sign used to say SALOON, but the neon has only three lit-up letters left. It’s on the main drag. Sinclair isn’t that big. You can’t miss it. I’ll show you how to get there.”

Campbell turned and looked at Ty. “You coming with us?”

Ty shifted his weight. “Technically you aren’t supposed to leave the school without an escort, so I suppose I could meet you there later.”

Campbell’s goofy grin got bigger. “They got hot chicks at this bar, Brierly?”

Brierly laughed. “Hard for me to know what you think’s hot. It’s not like I can read your thoughts.”

“We find some hot chicks, you won’t have to,” Campbell shot back.

Ty crossed his arms. They were still so young. Too full of themselves to be of much use to a pack, but with some training they had promise. “Head back to the barracks, clean up and you can head out.”

The three young men snatched up their gear and jogged off in the direction of the school camp base. Ty glanced around, making sure they were all gone and well out of sight before he shucked off his clothes into a neat pile, then crouched down, letting his fingers dig deep into the earth. He needed to burn off his excess energy before he went into town. He needed to hunt. Satisfying the wolf half of him now would lower the chances of him spontaneously shifting later.

With a wet pop and crunch, bone and muscle transformed. His skin tightened and grew hot as hair grew into a thick pelt. His fists turned into paws, his spine extended into a tail and his teeth elongated into lethal fangs. The shift took less than a minute, but in terms of strength and speed, it made all the difference. Ty loped off, disappearing into the night-dark trees.

* * *

Two hours later Ty eyed the door of the bar Brierly had suggested with skepticism.

The whole damn thing looked as though it was about a hundred years old and held up by baling wire and chewing gum. A sagging roof and chipped white paint faded to a pale gray didn’t give him much hope inside would be any better. In fact, the only thing that convinced him to go in was the long row of expensive bikes parked out front. There was even an old Ford hot-rod truck, matte black with red, yellow and orange flames along the sides. To be this popular, the dive had to have something the locals liked.

A wail of guitar backed up by the pounding beat of rock drums and the stale smell of cheap beer drifted out into the evening air, beckoning him indoors. What the hell. He’d lost everything else. When you started at the bottom, there was nowhere to go but up.

He trudged up the step and pushed open the front door. A waft of heat and the scent of wood smoke from the black potbelly stove in the corner hit him full in the face. Inside was an assault on his keen Werewolf senses. The music, chatter, laughter and the smack of pool balls were too loud. He took a step toward the bar and heard a loud crunch. Ty glanced down at the tan husks of peanut shells littering the worn wooden planks of the floor. The greasy, hot smell of grilled hamburgers, the yeasty aroma of beer and the pungent mix of perfumes, body odors, cigarette smoke and bike exhaust fumes that swirled in the air were overwhelming to his preternaturally amplified sense of smell. It was hard to suck in a deep breath without getting light-headed.

He glanced around, looking for the three recruits. The old plank walls were covered in motorcycle posters sporting big-haired, tiny-bikini-clad women draped suggestively over shining chrome-and-leather machines. Old painted tin signs advertising everything from motor oil to soda pop added a rough appeal to the ambience of the place. There were a few booths, covered in cracked black vinyl, and a big-screen TV in the back was blaring out a football game.

This was definitely not his normal kind of place, but it did remind him a little of Joey’s back in Teanachee—a hometown hangout that the locals frequented. Ty scowled. It wasn’t as if he’d ever see that place again, he thought as he settled onto a wooden bar stool. There was no sign of Brierly, Campbell or Johnson. So either they’d already been here, pounded back a few beers and left, or they hadn’t made it down from camp yet.

The bartender, a heavyset bald man with a long beard in a sleeveless red plaid shirt that showed off his beefy arms, jerked his chin at Ty. The single diamond-stud earring in his lobe winked in the light. “What’ll you have?”

“Beer.” Ty didn’t really care what kind. His ramped-up metabolism would burn off alcohol or anything else in his system in mere minutes. It wasn’t as if he could get drunk. Which really sucked, because that was precisely what he wanted to do after a long week of working with green recruits. He shoved a twenty at the bartender, who returned with a clear plastic pitcher and cup and set both down in front of him. He slid forty more at the bartender. “Just keep it coming.”

The bartender nodded, a look of understanding flitting through his eyes as he poured out the first glass. Ty took a drink, then snorted. The bartender might have seen a lot, but he didn’t know a damn thing about Ty’s problems.

Right now the plan was to lie low, drink and keep to himself. A great plan that went to hell in two-point-five seconds.

A sudden draft of air, laden with the musty odor of blood mixed with decay, tweaked his nose. Ty glanced at the front door. Three biker types walked in. The guy in front wore a black leather duster and the two men flanking him wore black leather jackets, making their pale complexions look waxen beneath the artificial lights. Vampires. The real deal.

Ty bristled. What the hell were they doing in Sinclair? While he knew he was on the edge of the Cascade Clan’s territory, he sure didn’t see why they’d bother coming to a rural town when there was far better hunting for them in downtown Seattle. A low growl vibrated deep in his throat. He couldn’t seem to get the hell away from the leeches.

The scent of clean female flesh underscored by a hint of lilac, mint and a jarring note of antiseptic invaded his airspace as a woman sat down on the bar stool beside him.

Ty did his best to ignore her, but the grazing touch of a hand on his sleeve made him swivel.

“You planning on finishing that pitcher yourself?” Her voice was light and friendly, reminding him of a teasing summer breeze.

Ty prepared to fling back a glib answer, then glanced at her. Streaky honey-blond hair, a sweet bee-stung mouth and big blue eyes struck him with the impact of a sucker punch, turning him mute. All he could do was stare.

Her grin faltered. A pretty pink blush blossomed across her cheeks and down her throat, ending at the very enticing display of cleavage just above the edge of her pale blue angora sweater. “I’m sorry. I don’t, well, I don’t— Never mind.”

She had a polish to her, something about her that made her literally shine in the dingy atmosphere of the bar. Just one look was enough to tell any living male with two eyes in his head that she was too refined to be a regular in a place like this.

He managed to kick his brain into gear long enough to hold out a hand to her. “Tyee—Ty—Grayson. Nice to meet you.” She glanced at his hand but didn’t take it. He tried not to shake as he grabbed one of the plastic cups off the stack just below the edge of the bar and poured the angel sitting next to him a drink. He managed a smile. “Go on. Have a drink. You look like you might need one.”

Her smile reemerged, revealing white, even teeth. “Thanks. You have no idea.”

No, he didn’t. But he wanted to.

Ty mentally pulled himself up short. What the hell? What happened to sticking to himself and soaking out his week with beer? Don’t fight it, a little voice deep down inside him answered back. She’s the one.

That sobered him up quickly.

He’d heard about the Mesmer before—that unexplainable attraction and drive a Were could have to mate with a particular person. It was powerful juju you didn’t want to mess with if you could help it. But then, there was no helping it most of the time. A Mesmer simply happened. You didn’t get the convenience of picking when, who or why.

“What’s your name?”

The blush suffusing her skin intensified. “Jessica. But my friends call me Jess.”

Ty gave her a coaxing grin. “No last name?”

* * *

Jessica Brierly was sorely tempted. A flutter kicked in her stomach. He was all three things she was looking for tonight. He had broad shoulders and an athletic build and the dusky caramel color of his skin was accented by his short but tousled black hair and chocolate-brown eyes—in short, the guy was gorgeous, but he had a provocative, wild edge to him that lured her in even more. Judging from the lack of a wedding band or the pale shadow of one, single. And most importantly, a stranger to the small-town rumor mill of Sinclair.

She’d already asked around and no one seemed to know anything about the man. In a town like Sinclair, that was unusual, bordering on cosmic intervention. She’d had teachers in high school who had taught her parents. Grandparents of her friends who’d known her grandparents. It got insular enough to be claustrophobic at times. She couldn’t date a guy from the immediate area without her family—or more precisely, her three older brothers, Davis, Edgar and Paul—giving her a litany of his attributes and faults, high school hijinks and a list of every girl he’d ever dated. Which was why this stranger was completely perfect for what Jess had in mind—a one-night stand, no strings attached.

His intense gaze bored into her, intimate enough that it made Jess feel like the only woman in the bar—perhaps the only woman on the planet. A shiver raced along her skin. Ty Grayson looked as though he could give her perhaps the wildest night of her life. And right about now, that’s exactly what Jess wanted.

“How about we keep it on a first-name basis for now, and depending on how things go, I give you my last name and a number later?”

A voice she didn’t expect answered. “If you’re offering, I’ll take that number now.” The harsh, thick rasp of it directly behind her made Jess’s skin crawl.

Ty stood up, tall enough to be nearly eye to eye with the guy decked out in a long black leather duster, his dark hair shiny and slicked back, his dark brown eyes piercing on either side of a bladelike nose and unshaven jaw. Jess had never seen this guy around town, either, but the vibe he gave off was nothing like Ty’s. It made her want to shrink within herself.

“This is a private conversation.” Ty’s monotone held an edge of menace to it. His pulse ticked in the vein in his neck, just above the edge of his T-shirt.

Jess had never come to the OON for a reason. All her brothers said the place could be dangerous. And now she saw why. The tension in the air snapped and crackled like an exposed electrical connection, just waiting for something to combust. She pressed her back against the bar, feeling trapped, since the two of them were between her and the exit.

She grabbed hold of Ty’s arm, extremely glad he was there with her when the creeper had showed up. “I think I’m ready to go, Ty.” The tremor in her voice annoyed her, but there was nothing Jess could do about it.

The imposing biker dude leered at her. “And miss out on all the fun? Oh, no. You get to stay right here, with me.” He reached out to touch her and faster than Jess could blink, Ty grabbed the biker guy’s hand. From the way the tendons in Ty’s big hand stood out in stark relief and the muscles in his arm bulged, Jess could tell he had to be crushing the guy’s hand.

They glared fireballs at one another.

“The lady wants you to leave her alone. And so do I,” Ty growled.

Jess held her breath.

Chapter 2

The vampire blinked, and Ty saw the brief rim of crimson around edges of the brown-colored contacts he wore. They were on the hunt for blood.

Shit.

A sneer curled the vampire’s lip. His fangs hadn’t dropped, but that wouldn’t take long. “I don’t take orders. I give them.”

Ty’s teeth throbbed as an image of tearing into the vampire filled his mind. Tension flashed through his system, amping up every cell as his muscles and bones prepared to transition. He took a deep breath to steady himself and maintain his control, but his body shook with the effort. Wolfing out in the middle of a bar in Sinclair wasn’t an option.

“Wasn’t an order. More like a threat. Plain. Simple. I’ll break more than your hands if you touch her.”

The vampire’s eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared as he caught Ty’s scent. That’s right. Werewolf here, ready to chew your ass.

Any normal vampire would have realized going one-on-one with a Werewolf was a bad deal, but this vampire was hungry and stupid. In a blur of movement, he wrapped his hands around Ty’s throat, squeezing hard enough to make a burst of white sparks shoot across his vision.

Oh, it’s on. Ty’s reaction was just as swift, just as strong. He growled and kneed the vamp hard enough to drop a linebacker, then punched him with a powerful uppercut. The vamp dropped back, stunned at his attack, a smudge of black vampire ichor staining the edge of his lips like licorice candy.

The vamp growled, dropped his head and charged. Ty sidestepped at the last moment, letting the vampire careen into the bar and put a head-size hole in the wood. It would’ve knocked out any normy. But this guy was a monster just like him. So were his two buddies, who showed up to get in on the action.

The two vampires still standing took opposite sides of Ty so he could keep his eyes on only one of them at a time. A rocket of red-hot pain shot up Ty’s spine as one of them kicked the base of his back where the nerve bundle on a Were was most vulnerable. He grunted and fell to one knee, sucking up pain. Without going wolf, beating back this many vampires on his own was going to hurt. From the startled gasps and outraged cries, Ty knew this had already happened too fast for the onlookers to track. Their movements were probably no more than a blur. He needed to end it before any of the normies got hurt, or worse, died. That was the last kind of attention he needed as the new guy in town.

“Fight!” someone yelled.

The atmosphere inside the bar thickened with anticipation and excitement as people glanced at the commotion and automatically moved toward it, attracted to the action like gawkers to a car accident. He straightened and tried to bite back the pain as the lead vampire pulled his head out of the bar and shook off the splinters. Ty didn’t wait. Why fight fair when the odds weren’t in your favor anyway?

He kicked back without warning, catching vampire number two behind him in the chest. It spun backward over a pool table to land in a heap on a table, amid shrieks and toppled beer spraying everywhere. Son of a bitch deserved that and worse after it’d tap-danced on his spine. Payback was a bitch.

The third vampire melted into the crowd as Ty and the leader were instantly surrounded by the crowd pressing in around them with cries of encouragement and money changing hands.

Ty glanced up at the myriad faces, looking for just one—Jess. He wanted to make sure that the third vampire hadn’t taken her while he’d been distracted.

Her blue eyes were wide as she squeezed past the edge of the crowd. He wasn’t taking any chances. He grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her close, putting her behind him. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute.”

“But I—”

Ty didn’t have time to listen. The vampire in the duster came at him once again, fake brown eyes glittering with malice. He swung at Ty, and Ty blocked the blows. They kept coming, fast, hard. Sweat beaded on his skin, trickling into his eyes and making his hair damp. His muscles were growing tired in his human form, slowing his reaction time. One blow evaded his block, cuffing him hard enough in the side of the head to make his ears ring and his vision blur for a moment. The drunken crowd cheered.

Ty shook his head to clear it. He and the vampire circled one another, the superior sneer on the vampire’s face making him more irritated by the moment. Then he glimpsed Jess’s frightened face and a whole new rush of energy filled him from his scalp to his toes. He could do anything, be anything, to protect her.

The vampire lunged forward. Ty thrust the heel of his hand up hard against the vampire’s beak of a nose. The distinctive crunch of bones breaking was followed by a hard grunt as the vampire bent forward and Ty brought his elbow down hard against the vampire’s neck, knocking him out. If there weren’t all these people around, he would have carved the vampire’s fangs out of his mouth as battle trophies, the way his pack had done for centuries. But this wasn’t the time and place for the old ways and sooner rather than later, that vampire and his buddy would wake up. Probably call in reinforcements.

He was alone. No pack, no friends in the town.

There was a slap of high fives and the clink of beer bottles, along with cheers from the crowd. It had all just been another night’s entertainment to them. He stepped over the vampire to get to Jess. Her face was pale.

“Want to get out of here?”

She nodded. Ty wrapped her small hand in his and together they skirted around the prone vampire and headed for the door, keeping a vigilant eye out for vampire number three.

The air was clean and cold outside. Ty’s head cleared, his senses grew sharper. The cool evening breeze, heavy with the salty scent of nearby Puget Sound, ruffled Jess’s hair, sticking honey-colored wisps to her full, rosy lips.

“You okay?” he asked as he gently tucked the strands back behind her ear.

Jess blinked, and stared up at him, a mixture of curiosity and disbelief in her eyes. “What just happened in there?”

He tried to give her a lopsided grin, but it turned into a wince when he found his jaw was tender from the hits the vampire had landed. He rubbed the soreness. The night air chilled the dribble of blood from the cut on his cheek, making it wet and cold, but there was no scent of vampire. The third one must have been smart enough to ditch his buddies. His body ached from the fight, but it would heal fast enough. “A bar fight with strangers.”

“You didn’t know those guys?” she asked, looking around her nervously. “They seemed pretty intent on messing with you.” She grazed the corner of his mouth with her fingertips. “You’re hurt.”

The light touch was enough to send a powerful surge of awareness pounding through him that wiped away any of the ache that remained. Damn. There was no doubt in his mind there was a strong Mesmer forming with this woman.

He gently moved her fingers away from his mouth, keeping them folded in his. Her hands were fine-boned and slender and feminine. “No big deal.”

Her full lips tipped up into a soft smile, making him crave to kiss her. “Tough guy, huh?” She pulled a car remote from her pocket and pushed it, making the lights flash on a silver pickup on the edge of the dirt-and-gravel parking area beside the bar.

“Sounds like you’ve been around a few.”

She opened the driver’s door to the pickup and turned, standing in the gap, staring at him, her head tilted. “A few. But they’re nothing like you.”

Ty closed the gap between them, putting one hand on the door frame, shielding her from view of the parking lot but maintaining space between them. He knew better than to get close enough to be swamped by temptation. The Mesmer might be working on him, but that didn’t mean she’d understand if he came on too strong. Especially not after the fight.

“If you want to head home, I understand. I’ll stay here awhile and make sure those guys don’t follow you home.”

She reached out and grabbed fistfuls of his T-shirt near his collarbones, pulling him close until he was chest to chest with her. The soft swells of her breasts pressed against him, and the minty scent of her hair and the hint of lilac on her skin teased his sensitive sense of smell. Everything within him went silent and still, fixated on the lush curve of her mouth so damn close to his he could feel the warmth of her breath.

“What I want is for you to come home with me.” Jess stood on her tiptoes and looked up into his face, the dark fringe of lashes around her eyes making the blue luminous. Her rapid pulse beat against his chest, taking over the rhythm until his matched the pace she set. For a second the world tilted sideways.

Ty’s gaze dropped to the silky, damp edge of her lips and he was lost. He dipped down and kissed her. Her lips were soft and willing, tasting of peppermint. She tasted so damn sweet, hot and spicy all at once. A warm, viscous heat flowed through his veins, coating and drowning out every other sensation until he was hot and hard at the same time.

Ty gripped the edge of the truck’s door frame, nearly denting the sheet metal with his fingertips. But he was determined to keep his hands to himself, even though they itched to touch her. Heat seeped through his shirt, the temperature difference amplified by the chill in the air. The kiss turned deeper, slicker, the tip of her tongue brushing against his. The spicy fragrance of female that spiked the air left no doubt she was aroused. When they broke apart, both of them were breathing hard, their breath creating misty white clouds.

“You sure about this?” He could control his body, but not the rough edge of his voice as he struggled to maintain composure. “I could follow you.”

Jess looked up at him, her dark lashes dropping a fraction, giving her a sultry look. “Hop in.”

He was smart enough not to argue with her, but that didn’t mean that the little voice of human reason in the back of his head wasn’t screaming loudly that this was stupid and rash. He should take his own vehicle so he didn’t get stuck who knew where. He didn’t know a damn thing about her. Couldn’t read her mind and certainly hadn’t asked enough questions. But this is a Mesmer, the wild Were instinct side of him shouted back. No one, Were especially, could blame him for responding so quickly and profoundly to her. And hell, he could always follow his nose and walk back if he needed to.

“Anything you say,” he answered. He waited until she climbed up into the cab, admiring the way the dark denim jeans hugged the curve of her ass, then closed the truck door and walked around the back of the pickup. An uneasy sensation raised the hairs on his skin. He glanced over his shoulder one last time to make sure they weren’t being followed.

* * *

The truck started up with a rumble and Ty climbed inside. Jess glanced at the stretch of his T-shirt against the broad plane of his back and strong shoulders as he pulled the door shut.

Even roughed up, Ty Grayson was attractive as hell. He seemed even bigger in the confined space of the truck cab, the energy he threw off radiating around him like heat off a woodstove. Her heart was still pounding too hard and too fast in her chest, matching the insistent throb between her legs. Jess pressed her thighs together tightly to stem the ache and pulled out of the parking lot.

She still wasn’t exactly certain what had happened inside the bar. The guys had been moving so fast their punches had become blurred. One minute they were circling one another and the next the creepy guy who’d started talking to her had gone sailing through the air, breaking straight through the front of the wooden bar.

“We can get you cleaned up when we get to my house, if you want.”

“That all depends.”

“On what?”

He flashed a brilliant white smile at her in the dark. “If you’re offering to help.” The seductive, teasing tone in his voice brought to mind an image of them together in a shower. Naked. Skin slick with soap. Her stomach flipped and tightened and Jess gripped the steering wheel a little harder and let out a slow, steady breath to calm the jump in her pulse. The speedometer kicked up a few notches.

His muscular arm, dusted with dark hair, lay along the back edge of the bench seat, placing his large hand close enough for his fingers to gently skim a path up along the back of her neck. A delicious shiver radiated outward. Jess tried to focus on her driving rather than continuously glimpse at how the faded denim clung to his thighs...and other places.

“You know you’re going to be the talk of the town by tomorrow,” she murmured. Not that it would be a good thing, in her case. For a teacher anything that drew criticism or suspicion from parents wasn’t good. But then again, she was off the clock, and an adult. Why couldn’t she just let her hair down for one night?

A slight frown formed a distinct crease between his brows. “Yeah, I’m not sure that’s a good thing.” He stared straight ahead out the window into the dark.

Jess glanced in her rearview mirror. No lights. That was a good thing. It meant her brother Davis, a county sheriff, had kept his promise not to follow her tonight while he was on duty. “You don’t like complications.” Neither did she.

His gaze trailed a warm path over her skin that she could feel like a physical caress, even as she kept her eyes on the road.

“I don’t like other people telling me what to do.”

Jess’s mouth curved into a knowing smile. “See, I knew we had things in common.”

“Oh, I sincerely doubt my family is anything like yours.”

“What would you know about the tribulations of family? You seem like a loner to me,” she teased.

“Oh, I’m the quintessential family guy. Got plenty of family—larger than yours, I’m sure. We’re just...estranged.”

Jess quirked a brow. “Black sheep, huh?”

“You could say that. It’s not like I did anything wrong so much as I didn’t want to go along with what they had planned for my life.”

“I get that.” Boy, did she ever. “My three older brothers are always trying to tell me what to do.” Along with what to wear and who to date, Jess added silently to herself. “Only one of my brothers seems to understand the pressure of being a younger sibling in our family. And he’s got the advantage of being a guy.”

“You the only girl?”

Jess nodded, twisting her hair around her finger. As a little sister, she had no hope. Davis, Edgar and her older twin, Paul, were always going to think they had a right to run her life. Which was precisely why tonight had been her only shot at a one-night stand.

She turned out toward the water, heading down a steep hill, the streetlights almost nonexistent as she wound down the gravel driveway to the large white craftsman-style house perched on a bluff overlooking the water.

It was two houses, really, both heavy and squat with massive squared pillars and multipaned windows, hooked together with an extended railed porch and uplit to show off the architecture and the manicured landscaping. At one time the larger had been the main house her great-great-grandfather had built for his seven kids, and the other a carriage house.

Her parents had had the brilliant idea of turning it into a bed-and-breakfast, but that business had dissolved after their sudden deaths. Only by Davis and Paul selling off their two homes and refinancing had they been able to afford to keep the place, leaving her living there still with all four of her brothers. The only good thing was she didn’t have to share a bathroom, since each bedroom had its own. The bad thing was she was rarely ever truly alone. Except for tonight.

Davis was on patrol. Edgar was working overtime as the county’s coroner and Paul, who was mayor of Sinclair, was at a city council meeting. Riley was off playing military guy, which left her alone to play doctor with her date. She sincerely doubted if he’d care that she was only licensed as a teacher.

“That’s a lot of house for one person,” Ty said beneath his breath.

Jess pulled into her parking spot and killed the engine. “Yeah, it would be if I lived here alone.”

Ty stiffened, the skin tightening around his eyes as his gaze bored into her. Her offhand comment had made him uneasy. She’d lived around enough testosterone to know the signs, and noticed that his left hand closed into a fist. “You’re not married, are you?”

Jess speared him with a no-nonsense gaze that removed any doubt how she felt about his question. “No.”

“Kids?”

“No. Worse.”

His brows rose in question.

“Brothers.”

Ty visibly relaxed, his mouth slowly spreading into a devastating half smile that made her stomach backflip. His lips were on the full side, like Brad Pitt’s. Sexy. Perfect for long, slow kisses. “Is that all?”

She couldn’t help but laugh as he opened the door and climbed out, coming around the truck to open her door for her. He offered a hand to help her down from the truck. Jess slipped her hand into his much larger, warm one. A zap of something potent zipped along her nerve endings, an instant attraction that made her warm all over despite the chill in the air.

She stood for a second looking up at his face. “You’re the first guy I’ve met who doesn’t see that as a problem.”

Ty shrugged. “I have—had,” he amended quickly, “more brothers than I care to count.”

Her smile faded. He sounded so sad. She could hear the mourning in his voice. “I’m sorry. Something bad happened to them?”

He shook his head. “It’s not that. They’re still alive. Just don’t want anything to do with me, that’s all. And right now the feeling is mutual.”

“Oh.” It really was the only thing Jess could say. She couldn’t imagine life without her brothers. Okay, that wasn’t totally honest. She imagined life without her brothers interfering all the time, but that wasn’t the same as living without them for the rest of her life.

She’d been surrounded by her brothers, knew what it was like to live with a bunch of overprotective men, but Ty jumping in to protect her from that creepy trio of guys at the tavern was somehow different. He wasn’t trying to protect her from living her life, like her brothers did, he’d been trying to make sure danger didn’t touch her. And that bumped his sex appeal up to a whole other level. What girl didn’t want a good-looking prince charming, even if he was a dark knight?

They walked, holding hands in companionable silence, toward the house. What exactly was a person supposed to say to someone she invited into her bed for just the night? Glancing at his strong profile, Jess could easily see herself falling for someone like him. Hold your horses, girl. You don’t even know him, her intellect said firmly. Her libido put intellect into a half-nelson wrestling hold, as she’d seen Davis do a dozen times to Paul, and screamed for her to go for it.

They stepped onto the wide railed porch that surrounded her house. She pushed her key into the lock. Beyond that door was a whole empty house, just waiting for her to take advantage of any available surface she pleased, including the thick plush rug before the large fireplace. Her heart rate sped up at the thought.

“Do you mind if we just stay out here for a moment before we go in?” he asked.

Jess turned and glanced at him. “You really are the outdoor type, aren’t you?”

* * *

She had no idea. Most nights he spent hunting. But Ty had his own reasons for wanting to scout out the grounds before going indoors. He didn’t teach anything to his students he didn’t do himself. He needed to know precisely what his surroundings were.

Gravel in the driveway would alert him to any cars pulling in. The house was two stories, but the balcony walkway that surrounded the second level made access far too easy. Wind was from the west, blowing across the water, making it easier to smell trouble coming.

Ty was grateful she wasn’t the type to chatter just to fill in the quiet. She seemed comfortable with who she was, but underneath he could scent a yearning for something just a bit naughty—peppermint, spicy yet sweet.

“I run an outdoor survival school. Guess it kind of comes with the territory.”

“I know.” She leaned her hip against the railing. “There’s not much people around here know about you, but they do know that.”

Which was just the way Ty wanted to keep it. The less the locals knew about him, the less risk there was they’d find out the truth. People were just getting used to the idea that vampires existed. They’d freak if they found out Weres did, too. Especially in a community like this. Vampires in Seattle were something safe and far enough away they could cope with it. Something paranormal living in their own backyard, taking their young soldiers out into the woods for training, hunting just outside their town, was something else.

The lights of downtown and the small marina area sparkled white diamonds on the shining black satin of the water. The moon broke through the clouds, illuminating the snow in a brilliant wash of white along the caps of the Olympic mountain range. A light breeze blew across the bluff, scented with the tang of salt water and teased with the deep green scent of fir.

“You’ve got a hell of a view here.”

She twisted, looking out across the water toward the mountains, the moonlight bathing her face in an ethereal glow that made his chest clutch tight. “That’s the reason my great-great-grandpa built it here. He wanted to look out over the docks he was helping to build.”

Ty came up right behind her, his large hands resting on the feminine curve of her hips. The edge of his chin and cheek rubbed against the back of her nape, just behind her right ear, as he inhaled the hint of lilac from her skin that blended with warm female and the mint scent of her hair. “Smart man.”

She shivered beneath him, a fine tremor that started at the base of her neck beneath his lips and rocketed through her system all the way to where he touched her at the hips. Ty took that as encouragement. His fingers strayed slightly higher, just beneath the edge of her sweater, skimming the warm skin above the edge of her jeans. Jess made a small sound in the back of her throat and leaned her head to the side, giving him better access.

Her skin was silky smooth, inviting and warm as he brushed his mouth across it, making him wonder if she was just as silky elsewhere. “Mmm, right there,” she murmured.

She arched back against him, the curve of her ass pressing against his erection. A bolt of intense need pierced him, making it hard to breathe.

Mesmer or not, the thought of how she’d feel beneath him, around him, overwhelmed him. Intellectually he knew that Mesmers could really screw with a Were’s brain, the need to claim one’s mate taking over every other drive. But what he didn’t know was if it worked the same on humans. He was afraid of getting too aggressive and wolfing out as a result of not being able to control himself. So Ty held himself ruthlessly in check. He needed to let her lead.

Her delicate hand was surprisingly firm in its hold as she guided one of his hands up beneath her sweater to cup her breast as he continued to kiss her nape.

Beneath his fingertips Ty could feel the edge of lace that covered the soft globe of her breast and what his eyes couldn’t see his fingers filled in for his imagination. He brushed the hardened tip, wondering if her nipples were a soft rosy pink like her lips, or more apricot like her satiny skin.

Her hand reached back and gripped him through his jeans. His dick pulsed, happy to be so totally acknowledged. He clenched his jaw and hissed out a slow breath between his teeth. There was only so much a man, even if he had the superior strength of a Were, could take.

Jess twisted to face him, her eyes hot and sultry enough to make him want to strip her where she stood. She tucked the tips of her fingers in the waistband of his jeans and pulled him with her as she started to walk across the porch. “I think it’s time to go inside, don’t you?”

Well, how could he possibly argue with that?

Chapter 3

They barely made it through the front door.

A simple brush of their lips as she’d shoved open the door had transformed into a mind-blowing inferno kiss. The frenzied rush to have more struck like lightning, igniting her senses, burning away any inhibitions and leaving her stunned at the intensity and power of it. Standing in the dark entry hall, Jess yanked his T-shirt out of his jeans and pulled it quickly up and over his torso and head.

Hot, deeply tanned skin spread in a smooth sheet over ridges of hard muscle. There wasn’t an ounce of extra on him. Ty reminded her of a Greek statue, perfectly sculpted, lean and athletic. But Ty wasn’t playboy perfect, he was real. An angry red scar marred his ribs on one side, but Jess didn’t linger too long on it, not when there was a whole buffet of gorgeous guy to explore.

“How—about—that—shower.” She managed to get the words out between heated kisses. His mouth moved in a sensuous slide against hers as she nipped at his bottom lip. She ran her hands along the firm plane of his back and around to the ridges of muscle bisected by a line of dark hair that disappeared at the edge of his jeans.

“Too many clothes.” His low, husky voice rumbled in her ear.

“When you’re right, you’re right.” She pushed back from him long enough to pull her sweater off in a slow, flirty slide and fling it to the floor. She kicked off her flats and ran her fingers through her hair. Raw desire flared fever bright in his eyes as he watched her hands trail down her sides, then lower to unzip her jeans. She shoved them down her hips to pool around her feet.

Heat suffused every inch of her skin, a delicious warm glow that kept her from being cold even as she stood in just her bra and underwear. It didn’t take a doctor to tell that he found her attractive; the evidence was there in his face, in his ferocious heartbeat and in the hard line at the front of his jeans.

“Tag. You’re it.” She smiled, deliberately brushing her lower lip in a seductive slow motion with her finger.

Ty swallowed hard, but didn’t say a word as he shucked off his boots. She couldn’t wait to find out if it was boxers or briefs. Either way, if he was built below the waist like he was above, she was going to enjoy touching him.

The moment he pulled off his jeans, Jess realized that Ty was a man who wore neither.

He stood gloriously naked, his body only marred by a few dark bruises and white scars. The throb at her core thumped harder. Wet heat pooled between her thighs.

She looked up at him through her lashes as she undid the front clasp of her bra and let the dark blue lace and satin slide off her arms to land on the floor behind her. She crooked her finger at him in a slow come-with-me motion. “This way.” Having the run of the house made Jess bold, or perhaps it was the man in front of her. Something about Ty tapped into her deepest fantasies.

He didn’t wait for more invitation. He ate up the space between them in two strides, pulling her close to him with a growl that made her quiver. The hair on his chest rasped against her bare breasts, causing jolts of pleasure. His thick, heated ridge pressed against her belly as he kissed her deeply. Jess reached down, grasping his firm length, letting her fingers test the velvety texture. The tip was as slick and damp as she was.

He pulled back and closed his eyes for a second. “You keep doing that, and we’re not going to make it upstairs.” His voice was raw, a man on the edge. When he opened his eyes, they were predatory, hungry and focused on her. He was breathing hard and his tongue lightly licked his lips. “God, you look good enough to eat.”

He slid his hot hands beneath her bottom, lifting her. Jess straddled him, wrapping her legs around his lean hips and her arms around his neck to balance herself. He ground the hard heat of him against her damp panties, causing bursts of color across her vision. She gasped at the sensation.

He groaned. “Last chance. You sure about this?”

“You always talk this much?” She bit his lip and pressed herself closer until there wasn’t space for even air between them. While it was sweet that he was waiting for her to set the pace, there were times a girl just wanted things hard and fast. Slow could come later.

Jess wriggled, arching up until she could feel the pressure of him pressed against her with only the thin barrier of fabric between them. “You better put something on now, ’cause I’m not waiting,” she told him as a shudder rolled through her.

“Got anything handy?”

“Top drawer in the china cabinet.”

Ty glanced at the antique china cabinet with the leaded-glass side cabinets and big central arched mirror over a slab of dark green marble. “Interesting choice of locations. You’ll have to invite me over to dinner sometime,” he teased as he carried her with him toward the cabinet.

Jess opened the drawer and reached to the back, yanking out a box that promptly spilled the contents all over the floor. Thankfully she caught one foil packet between her fingers.

Ty bent to retrieve the box. “Leave it. We might need more later,” she purred in his ear. His body tightened in response beneath her and he growled, the vibration of it making her breasts ache.

He turned, hooking his finger in the thin elastic of her panties and pulling them off as he set her down on the dining room table. She was shocked by how cold the wood felt against the heated skin of her bottom.

“Lie back.”

“What’re you going to do?”

He gave her a wicked smile. “It’s a dining table, isn’t it?” He kissed a path slowly, deliberately, down her stomach and across her hip, down along the top of her right thigh. Ty’s beard abraded the tender, sensitive skin of her inner thigh as he kissed and laved a path. His fingers parted her damp flesh, making Jess arch. She could only manage incomprehensible sounds deep in the back of her throat as she raked her nails down his muscular shoulders and arms.

He nipped the inside of her thigh as he pushed his fingers inside her, making stars pop in her vision. Jess cried out, trembling, her body clenching hard around him as he moved his fingers inside her and laved at the hard pleasurable knot, ramping her body up all over again. He growled, and the vibration of it shot electrical impulses sparking along every nerve, intensifying her desire to feel him. Hard. Now.

Jess pushed up to a sitting position, her breath ragged. “That’s it. No more foreplay.”

“A woman who knows what she wants—I like it.”

She tore open the package, then grasped the rigid length of him and slid the condom over him as she scooted to the edge of the table, grabbed hold of his hips and pulled him into her.

Jess arched and screamed out his name. Pleasure flooded her system in a white-hot rush, blinding her as he moved within her and her whole body seemed to contract, then blow apart.

He held her against his warm, solid body as she trembled against him, limp and unable to move. His fingers traced a long, lingering slide down the indentations of her spine. He chuckled, the sound warm and husky. “God, you’re beautiful when you do that.”

* * *

Jess smiled against his chest, and it made his heart double thump. He could taste her on his tongue and he was still hard inside her. He’d accommodated her about the condom, but in truth he wasn’t absolutely positive it would work. So he’d used every ounce of willpower he had left to hold himself back until she was satisfied. He was just grateful she wasn’t moving. His whole body was balanced on a razor’s edge, waiting to split into ribbons if she so much as rolled her hips.

Ty buried his face in her soft hair, enjoying the minty fragrance of it. Maybe Jess didn’t know it yet, but she was meant to be his mate. Mesmers weren’t fickle. Weres mated for life. And she was his now, come hell or high water.

“I don’t suppose that table is very comfortable,” he said, his tone almost apologetic.

She pulled back, gazed at him, the sparkle diamond bright in the brilliant blue of her eyes. “A shower should fix that.”

She sauntered up the stairs ahead of him, swaying her hips, driving him out of his mind. Ty couldn’t resist grabbing her soft backside. “Thought we were going to the shower.”

“Oh, we are.”

Jess gave him a sly grin and opened her bedroom door. “Bathroom is to the right.”

He walked by her, unashamedly naked. “You’ve got quite a spectacular ass yourself,” she murmured.

Ty held out a hand to her and she slipped her fingers easily into his. A perfect fit. He turned on the water, letting the spray fill the air in her little bathroom with steam as he drew her close and kissed her skin as it grew heated and damp.

“Let’s hit the shower.”

They climbed in together and kissed, her tongue and teeth playing and dueling with his as the water beat down over them. Ty ran his fingers over the fine, shimmering beads of water that collected on the pale creamy expanse of her breast. The low, vibrating groan in her throat sounded appreciative. Not one to disappoint, he moved lower, teasing and suckling at the tip of her breast until it hardened into a rigid peak. It was only fair. Gods knew she was making him hard as stone.

“Mmm. I like that,” Jess murmured as she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her leg to cup his hip, the hot core of her pressing against him.

Ty chuckled. “No need to rush this. I want to take my time and really enjoy you.”

Her eyes widened, the blue getting swallowed by the darker black pupils growing larger.

Ty reached for the shampoo bottle and poured out a blob of the orange goo. “Turn.”

She did as he instructed and he massaged her hair, watching the thick white foam trail down her neck and shoulder blade to follow the seam at the middle of her back and over the sweet curve of her ass. “Lean back.” His words came out husky, far more needy than he intended. But she did as he asked, her bottom pressing up fully against his arousal as he rinsed the lather from her hair.

There was only so much temptation a man could take. Ty bent his knees, letting his erection spring forward, and brought himself up and into the soft, damp seam between her legs. He grabbed the bar of soap and slicked his hands with the stuff, then reached around the front of her and caressed the supple, smooth globes of her breasts. Jess moaned and rocked her hips, playing with the pressure he offered her.

She lifted up on her toes, drawing the length of him fully into her, the muscles tight and hot against his shaft. Ty growled and nipped at her neck and Jess leaned to the side to give him better access.

Ty pulled her into his chest, the slickness of her skin outside matching the amazing slickness of her inner heat. “My gods, you are amazing,” he growled.

Jess’s warm, rich laughter held a raspy, needy edge to it. “The water’s getting cold. How about we finish this elsewhere?”

* * *

They shut off the water and toweled each other off in between a heated exchanged of kisses, which aroused Jess all over again. She’d never had a man like Ty let her be so free and wanton, letting her try anything and everything she pleased. She flipped back the coverlet on her bed and crooked her finger at him. The mattress sank beneath his weight as he climbed over her and nudged apart her thighs with his knee. “Now, where were we?”

Jess lifted her hips, rolling them until she felt the exquisite press of his tip against her channel. “Right about here,” she rumbled, impaling herself on the silky hard length of him. She cried out, the tension escalating as he moved within her, making her skin grow taut and every cell in her body turn to glass ready to shatter. The wave crested, carrying them both far out into a state of bliss.

Ty rolled beside her, tucking her in tightly against him, his body hot and slick behind hers.

“That was...amazing,” she murmured. His fingers gently combed through the strands of her damp hair, then he kissed down her neck, his teeth grazing over her shoulder.

“I don’t know how you do it, but somehow you’re even sweeter than you were before.”

She laughed, husky and low.

Downstairs the front door slammed shut. Jess froze, turning rigid like a rabbit sensing a predator.

Shit.

One of her brothers was home.

Ty didn’t relish the idea of meeting one of Jess’s older brothers without any pants. But considering he’d left them on the floor downstairs, and he didn’t wear underwear, walking out of her bedroom with any sort of dignity was impossible.

His sensitive Were hearing picked up a string of muffled curses before heavy footsteps moved up the wooden staircase in their direction. Ty wasn’t afraid of them, but neither did he want to fight them. His emotions were already jangled up enough by the Mesmer and the outrageous sex he’d enjoyed with Jess. And he was running low on reserves of decency and humanity about now. If he got good and pissed enough, he’d have a hard time not wolfing out.

“Just how pissed off are your brothers going to be if they find me in here with you?” Ty’s philosophy was that it was better to know what to expect and be prepared than go into the situation blindly.

Her pretty face screwed into a disgruntled frown. “It’s really none of their business. I don’t go barging in on them when they bring girls home, so why should I get treated any different?”

A knock sounded on Jess’s bedroom door.

Because she was their little sister, that’s why.

* * *

Jess huffed and gripped the bedcovers in fistfuls, annoyed the boys were home early, ruining her promised evening alone.

“Hey, Jess. You okay?” Edgar. He must have finished up early at the county morgue.

“Fine,” she called out.

“Hey, I, um, brought you some takeout for dinner. You and your friend hungry?”

Jess tried not to snicker at Edgar’s use of the word friend. As a coroner he spent so much time with dead people, maybe he considered anything with a heartbeat friendly. “No, but thanks.”

“Okay. I’ll leave yours in the fridge if you want it later.”

“Thanks,” Ty called out.

Jess slapped him in the chest, waiting until her brother’s footsteps faded down the hallway. “What do you think you’re doing?” she half whispered, half muttered.

Ty gave her a wicked smile, skimming his warm hands under the sheet and around her waist, then pulling her into his chest. “Trust me, he knows I’m in here. Might as well let him know I realize he’s there, too.”

Jess rolled her eyes. “Honestly, is there ever a time you guys don’t get into some kind of pissing match over territory?”

He glanced up at the ceiling, winced a bit, then slowly shook his head, his black hair falling over his eyes making him look even more disreputable. “No. Not really.”

She gave a mock sigh. “I should have known better than to ask.”

“Speaking of asking, I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what your last name is now, and maybe give me your number?”

Jess pretended to think it over for a moment. “Well, I guess you’ve earned it.”

He looked affronted for a moment.

“My last name’s Brierly.”

Ty went oddly still, a flash of something in his eyes setting her on edge. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just not looking forward to meeting your brothers.”

Jess smothered a laugh against his shoulder. “Me, either.”

“All my clothes are still downstairs.” So are the foil packets littering the floor.

Jess glanced at her dresser. “Well, that leaves pajama bottoms or a bathrobe. Pick your poison.”

“Pajama bottoms.”

“Good pick.”

She rose from the bed, the sheet falling away to reveal her naked body. Ty caught her hand and Jess turned back. “Maybe we should make them wait.”

Jess’s gaze strayed to his growing erection. “Maybe we should get you some pants before you can’t fit into them.”

He gave her a wolfish grin. “Only if you promise to help me take them off later.” He pulled her gently toward him and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, cradling his cheek against the smooth warm skin of her belly, then started kissing her just below her navel, nuzzling the silky hair as he moved lower.

She pushed back on his head, holding it in her hands. “You’ve probably already got me in enough trouble, mister.”

“Me? If anyone’s going to get grilled, it’s going to be me, not you.”

Jess wriggled out of his hold and padded over to the dresser, her feet making a whisper of sound on the hardwood floor. She pulled open a drawer, yanked out a pair of blue-green-and-white-plaid pajama bottoms and tossed them to him. “They might be a bit snug, given, uh, your impressive proportions,” she said, glancing over her shoulder as she opened the door to her closet and pulled out a short fluffy white bathrobe with images of cuddly kittens romping all over it.

* * *

“That was door number two?” Ty asked, the sarcasm undisguised in his voice, and he pulled the plaid pajama bottoms on.

“See? Told you you made a good choice.”

She pulled on the bathrobe.

“Aren’t you going to wear anything underneath that?”

Jess quirked a brow. “Why should I? You don’t wear anything under your pants.”

True. But then imagining her naked beneath that fluffy soft bathrobe was likely to give him a hard-on that wasn’t going away any time soon. Not exactly the accessory he wanted to be wearing when he met her brothers.

“Humor me.”

She sighed and grabbed her panties from the floor and slid them up her long bare legs.

“Who was that at the door?”

“Edgar. Sinclair’s county coroner.”

“A bit of a stiff?”

Jess snorted. “Funny. You come up with that one all by yourself?”

“Who else are we going to run into?”

“Davis is a county sheriff and Paul is mayor. I doubt you’ll see either of them soon. And chances are we won’t see Riley at all.”

“Riley?”

“My little brother, who’s off playing army guy at the moment.” Jess smiled, her eyes brightening. “Do you know him?”

Ty didn’t answer. Riley. The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach wasn’t a good sign. If Jess was Riley Brierly’s sister, he could only imagine what her other brothers were going to be like.

They headed down the stairs, the wood floor cold on their bare feet. Ty spotted his pants on the floor and his shirt flung over the sofa. Oh, yeah. Big points there with the brothers, he was sure.

The distinct clearing of a male throat stopped him from going to retrieve his jettisoned clothing. He glanced in the kitchen. It appeared Edgar wasn’t the only one home. Three men were lined up at the table, each with an open bottle of beer in front of him. All they missed were the proper weapons to look like a firing squad. One with slicked-back short dark hair had on his dark blue uniform shirt. The one in the middle had a thick head of unruly dark hair similar to his student Riley’s and sported a dark five-o’clock shadow with a pair of dark-rimmed glasses. The last one had removed his suit jacket, but still had on an immaculately tailored shirt and a red power tie that complemented his blue eyes and clean-cut hair the same hue as Jess’s.

It was like a screwy version of the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs, only with Goldilocks thrown in.

“Hey, pipsqueak, why don’t you introduce us to your friend,” said the man in the glasses. Ty recognized the graveled quality of his voice.

He reached out a hand to the middle brother. “You must be Edgar. I’m Tyee Grayson.” Edgar gave him a good hard handshake. The man obviously worked with his hands, and to Ty’s sensitive sense of smell he reeked of formaldehyde and strong industrial cleaning solution.

Ty’s gaze flicked to the cop. “You must be Davis.” Davis eyed him, measuring him up, then took his hand. He smelled of gunpowder and paper.

Ty wanted to make sure each brother got his full, undivided attention for a moment, just so he could imprint the man on his mind and never forget his face or his scent. He turned to the best dressed of the three. “Which means you must be Paul.” Ty glanced for a moment between Paul and Jess. “I thought you said he was your older brother, but you two look a lot like twins.”

Jess’s skin colored a delightful pink. “We are. He’s just the older twin.”

Paul gave Ty a brilliant smile as he shook his hand. “And I never let her forget it.”

They all fell into an awkward silence. Wow. Wasn’t this cozy.

“Takeout’s in the fridge, Jess,” Edgar said in monotone, never taking his piercing gaze off Ty. Ty kept his expression as neutral as possible. Make a sudden move and the enemy would attack. Better to find out what their weak spots were.

Jess totally ignored them all and padded past her brothers, grabbed two plates from the cupboard, then opened the fridge and pulled out white takeout cartons. “Hey, did you guys already eat?” She was bent over at the waist, the ridiculous short robe riding up high on her smooth thighs, nearly revealing the curve of her ass. Ty was tempted to touch, but didn’t dare in front of her brothers.

This house was their territory, and he knew it.

“So, how long have you known Jess?” Paul asked as he loosened his tie.

The fridge door rattled as Jess shut it and plunked the plates down on the breakfast bar with a clatter. “You don’t have to answer that,” she told Ty smartly.

She pointed a finger at Paul. “And you promised not to cross-examine any more of my dates.”

“I was trying to be friendly,” Paul muttered under his breath and kicked back a drink of beer. Weakness one: Paul liked to go in guns blazing, and was the kind of opponent who’d smile to your face while knifing you in the back, but the most he’d do when Jess was around was bicker.

Jess picked up a fork and started shoveling out food from the takeout containers, a pile of slick tan noodles mixed with crisp vegetables and thick chunks of chicken, a stack of pale pink pork slices, and something that looked as though it had been breaded, fried and then drowned in a hideously unnaturally orange-colored sauce. One whiff told Ty it shouldn’t be edible by human standards. She pointed her fork at Davis, then Edgar. “How long Ty and I have known each other is none of your business. In fact, you all agreed the house was mine tonight, so why are you home?”

“We only agreed to stay gone until midnight,” Davis said sourly, then took a piece of chicken off her plate and popped it into his mouth. Weakness two: Davis liked to be the leader, but all that went out the window when food or women were involved. He’d probably been the closest of the five kids to their mother.

Jess slapped his hand, then glanced at the clock on the wall behind them. Twelve-thirty. Her brothers were protective and punctual. She gave a sly grin that amped up the testosterone in the room another degree. “I guess I was having too much fun to notice the time.”

Paul snorted. “I’ll bet.” Edgar elbowed him.

“You warm enough, Jess? We could turn up the heat.” Weakness three: Edgar was the linchpin in the family. He liked to make sure everyone got along, and he worried about Jess. Not just about protecting her from unsavory characters, but whether she ate or not, if she was warm enough. If she had brought a stranger home with her.

“I’m fine,” she said as she took a bite. “Mmm,” she hummed as she chewed and swallowed. “Thanks for the late-night snack, Ed. You know the Oriental Buffet is my favorite.”

Edgar’s eyes were soft as he looked at his little sister.

Davis leaned forward, resting his forearms on the counter, cradling the brown beer bottle in one hand and staring pointedly at Ty. “I didn’t see your car parked outside. You do have a car, don’t you?”

Most likely he wanted to run the plates, Ty thought. “Jess wanted to drive.”

“I can take you back to get your car,” he offered. Yeah, likely locked in the back of his patrol car.

“Who said he was ready to leave yet?” Jess said as she glared at her eldest brother.

Davis shrugged. “It’s late.”

“Pfft. If you’re so tired, old man, why don’t you go to bed,” she gibed.

Ty’s chest ached. Watching them interact made him acutely aware of how he missed his pack. The gaping hole in his life seemed to yawn even wider, an impossible breach to cross. But Jess was his key to the future, if she’d agree.

The front door opened with a creak and everyone in the kitchen looked through the doorway to see who’d come in. Riley Brierly strutted in, his clothing rumpled and reeking of beer and cigarettes.

He was all smiles until he saw Ty, then his expression sobered quickly. “Hey, Commander. What are you doing here?”

The four elder Brierlys all turned their gazes to Ty.

“You know him?” Davis asked, jerking his thumb in Ty’s direction.

“You know him?” Jess said, shoving Ty’s arm and pointing at Riley.

“Yes,” both Riley and Ty said in unison.

“It’s supposed to be classified, but Riley is in my current training unit.”

Edgar kept glancing at Ty with suspicion. Apparently dating his little sister was bad enough, but endangering his youngest brother was an even greater sin.

Paul looked relieved and grinned. “You’re that guy with the outdoor survival outfit that started up a few months ago.”

Ty gave him a stiff nod.

“That’s brought a hefty amount of extra business into the local economy,” he said, glancing at his brothers.

The tension in the room seemed to ease slightly. At least the odds were evening up, three Brierlys in his favor against two.

“Are you wearing my sister’s pajamas?” Riley said, his voice squeaking slightly before he burst into laughter that doubled him.

Ty knew a cue to exit when he heard one.

Chapter 4

When you were in an awkward situation, the best option was to take charge. Ty decided to treat Riley’s question about his atypical attire as rhetorical. “Brierly, where’s Johnson and Campbell?”

Riley wiped the tears of laughter from the corner of his eye, trying to repress his snicker. “They dropped me off here and headed back. I figured I’d get something to eat, then get a ride from one of my brothers.”

“I’ll give you a ride back to camp. Your furlough was only good until midnight. You’re late.”

Jess sucked the last bits of sauce off her finger, making Ty’s stomach clench with longing. “Give me a sec to change and I’ll take you to pick up your car.”

“Nice to have met you all,” Ty said, not expecting or waiting for any kind of response in return. He nodded to the Brierly men as he exited stage left, snatching up his clothes as he went.

He ducked into the downstairs bathroom to change. Ty had never had what normies would consider a regular teenage experience. This was as embarrassing and close to one as he’d come, he thought as he exchanged Jess’s flannel pajama bottoms for his jeans. At twelve, when his voice changed, he’d joined up with the pack. Part of becoming a man was to be inducted into the pack by the bite of the Alpha. Bracken had done it. The pack bond had been so tight, so complete, that from that moment on, the pack could hear him and he could hear them.

Being separated from that closeness after having been conditioned to it for so long was like being stuffed into a sensory deprivation tank to live out the remainder of his life. That was, unless he put a new pack together. He tucked in his shirt and slid on his socks and boots, then took a deep breath and stared at himself in the mirror.

No wonder her brothers seemed suspicious. He looked like the disreputable sort. The bruise was starting to fade from his jaw, but it was turning a sickly yellow as it healed. His hair was a shaggy mess—it had grown out since he’d buzzed it short when he’d left the pack and he’d been too damn busy to get it cut.

Ty opened the door to find Jess staring mutinously at her brothers. From the tension shimmering in the air, he could bet what the talk was about. Her damp hair was caught up into a ponytail, but renegade wisps formed little curls to frame her face. Her hand was fisted around her keys.

She turned to glance at Ty, her cheeks coloring. Edgar snatched the car keys from Jess during her momentary distraction.

“I got this,” he said, his voice too smooth, too rational for Ty’s taste.

“Yeah, but I didn’t ask you to.”

Edgar tweaked her nose as though she was twelve. “No problem. You can thank me later.”

Jess huffed and crossed her arms. There was preciously little room left in the immense entry hall with four Brierly brothers filling the space. Ty bet he wasn’t going to get a good-night kiss.

He nodded toward her. “Thanks for a nice evening.” The understatement of the century. It had been a spectacular and memorable evening, one he’d never forget.

A small smile touched her lips. “Good night, Ty.”

Neither Riley nor Edgar said a word as they headed out, bypassing Jess’s truck to get in the sensible gray four-door sedan parked behind it. They climbed in and Ty was actually grateful they weren’t crammed together shoulder to shoulder in the front of Jess’s truck.

He waited until the doors were all shut before he voiced his question. “So why’d you take her keys if you were going to take your car anyway?”

“Insurance. I’m a cautious man by nature, Mr. Grayson.”

Ty glanced at the house. He thought he saw a flutter of the curtain at Jess’s window, as if it had been stirred by a breath, or perhaps a quick movement, like her pulling back.

Maybe the Mesmer was screwy since he wasn’t part of a formal pack. Maybe it was just him having gone too long without some serious female company. Either way, Jessica Brierly was not a good choice for a Were mate. First off, she was too ingrained in this community. Anything that happened to her would be noticed by everybody and their mother. Second, she had too many damn bodyguards in the shape of her older brothers. She didn’t need another protector. She needed— Hell, what did she need? She had a roof over her head. A good job. Security. A home...a family.

He might have everything she wanted, but nothing that she needed.

Edgar cleared his throat, breaking into Ty’s thoughts. “Look, you seem intelligent enough to get this the first time around, so I’m going to make it fast. Stay away from our sister.”

Ty glanced up in the rearview mirror at Riley. No eye contact. The kid was staring out the passenger window in the backseat. He wasn’t going to be any help or hindrance in this situation.

He locked his gaze back on Edgar’s profile. “Short, sweet and to the point. I appreciate that. But don’t you think it’s up to Jess?”

Edgar glared at him. “Not really. Jess is the kind of girl that’d be easy to take advantage of. She’s sweet that way. Always looks at the good side of people. And you’re not her type. And I’d hate to have to meet you under professional circumstances.”

Since Edgar was a coroner, Ty could only assume he meant in the county morgue. “You threatening me?”

“Let’s consider it a friendly warning. Stay away. You’ll only end up hurting her, possibly ruining her career.”

“How do you know?” Riley spoke up from the backseat, a bitter edge to his tone. “Commander Grayson’s been better than any sergeant I’ve had so far. He actually gives a damn about each of us. Isn’t just putting us through the paces. He might be just what Jess needs.”

The temperature inside the car clicked up an easy five degrees with the tension alone. Edgar glared up at the rearview mirror at his little brother in the backseat. “When I want your opinion, Riley, I’ll ask for it.”

They fell into an uneasy silence as the streetlights flicked past. Up ahead Ty could see the red neon sign reading OON.

Ty kept his words to a bare minimum. “That’s our stop.” Gravel crunched beneath the tires as they pulled into the parking lot. He put his hand on the door handle, but couldn’t seem to open it until he said his last words to Jess’s older brother. “For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt your sister. You’re her family. You protect each other. I get that. I know what it’s like. She’s an amazing woman. You’re right to want to protect her.”

Edgar’s eyes softened slightly. No matter what else the man was, he cared about his younger siblings. “Take care of my brother.” His gaze flicked to Riley. “You listen up and keep yourself safe out there. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Yeah, yeah, if I die, you’re going to come kill me.” Riley grinned. Edgar’s lips twitched slightly, but it couldn’t be called a smile. “Night, Riley.”

“Night, Ed.”

They shut the doors and watched the car turn back onto the main road and out of sight.

Riley rocked back on his heels and caught Ty’s gaze. “I bet you need another beer after meeting my family.”

“Beer? Kid, I need something way stronger than that.” Ty walked over and opened the door to his black pickup. “But we’ve got to get back. Hop in.”

* * *

Jess walked downstairs in the morning to find her three older brothers waiting for her. Not good.

She shoved her hair into a haphazard bun, or messy bun, as her kids called it at school. Her body was sore. Okay, perhaps sore was an understatement. She’d done things she didn’t know she could do last night, and the thought left her breathless and a little light-headed. Maybe she was hungry.

Only the smell of crisp bacon and warm cinnamon buns from the oven had tempted her enough to brave the gauntlet of her brothers the morning after. She suspected the only reason they’d left her any breakfast in the first place was to lure her into the kitchen. They knew her well enough to know she’d want to avoid them for a few days. Perhaps if she acted as though nothing had happened, they’d just let it go.

“Morning.” She tried to sound chipper and ended up sounding strained, even to her own ears.

“Jess, we need to talk,” Davis said before she could even grab a cup of coffee. His dark neat hair and well-pressed uniform made him look as if he was getting ready to lead an interrogation.

She held up a hand to stop him. “Seriously? At least have the decency to let me get caffeine in my system before you start your lecture.”

His mouth thinned into the disapproving line she’d memorized since she’d been fourteen and he’d been in charge. Jess did her best to ignore it as she pulled out a mug, filled up her coffee cup and added the necessary three packets of sweetener and generous splash of half-and-half, stirred and sipped. The familiar warmth trailed down her throat. She cradled the cup between her hands, letting it warm them, and rested her hip against the counter as she took another fortifying sip. How did anyone live without coffee in the morning?

Edgar didn’t wait any longer. “We’re worried about you.”

“How do you know you can trust a guy like that?” Paul added.

Davis was far more grim and final. “He’s not for you.”

They fired off comments in such rapid succession it was like a firing squad. Jess could have gone along with the concern. She could have handled reason, but to be told flat out what she could or couldn’t do chafed like no one’s business. She locked gazes with Davis.

“Look. For the last time, I’m an adult. And just like the rest of you, I’ll see who I please when I please. You don’t ask my permission and I shouldn’t have to ask yours.”

Fine lines of tension appeared around Davis’s eyes. “And what about your career, Jess? Have you considered what somebody like that might do to your reputation? How it could ruin a job you love?”

She set the coffee cup down on the counter and crossed her arms. It was hard enough to battle with her brothers confidently, harder still when she wore a fluffy robe with kittens cavorting over it. “You’re one to talk, Davis.”

He winced.

“You remember Shelby? How smart was it to get involved with her?”

“That was different.”

“How?”

“She lied about being single.”

“And yet you stayed by her side for months. This was just a fling. One night.”

“You sure about that?” Paul interjected.

“I’m telling you. You guys are preaching to the choir here. There’s no reason for us to keep seeing each other.” Jess picked up her cup and took another drink. “As you say, he’s not my type. I’m not going to jeopardize teaching for some mountain-man jarhead, no matter how attractive. Don’t worry your pretty little heads. I’ll never see him again.” After all, it wasn’t as if he’d come looking for her, was it? What had been brain-melting sex for her could have been just another night out for him. She really didn’t know.

Edgar snorted. “Don’t think he sees it that way.”

Her stomach did an uneasy roll. Jess speared Ed with a glance over the steaming rim of her cup. “What did he say?”

“Nothing. Didn’t have to. God, Jess, it was written all over his face. Even you had to see that. The guy has it bad for you.”

Jess’s heart pounded at the thought. Did he? Surely he didn’t think she did those things with everyone she dated. She’d dated guys before, but no one had brought out her wild side like Ty. She was like a different woman when she was in his arms. Wanton. Insatiable. “You guys are way overreacting. Trust me. One date was it.”

Paul looked over at Davis. “Isn’t that all Mom and Dad had before they got hitched?”

Davis nodded, his mood still surly.

As if that ever happened nowadays. Nobody believed in love at first sight anymore. They were just being the same overprotective brothers she’d always known. Jess sighed. She couldn’t blame them for being who they were.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s got his survival school to run and I’ve got my class to think about come Monday.”

She set down her coffee and grabbed the last plate set out by the stove, picking up several pieces of bacon and ignoring the cinnamon rolls. For whatever reason, she was craving the bacon, but the thought of eating the sweet, sticky rolls no longer sounded appetizing. “You three don’t have to worry,” she said as she bit into the bacon and chewed. “I’m a big girl. I’ll guarantee you, Ty’s already forgotten the whole thing.”

* * *

Ty looked over his group of recruits. He hadn’t slept when they’d gotten back to the compound. He’d packed Riley off to his barrack, then sat staring up at the moon until dawn had streaked in brilliant fingers of fiery red and glowing orange over the horizon in the east, turning the moon into a pale imitator of her original glory.

He scrubbed his hands over his face, and found the scent of her still lingering on his hands. Her peppermint kiss on his skin, the intimate spice of her body on his fingers. Gods. He was screwed. Well and truly screwed. The Mesmer had to be stopped now before it got any stronger. Otherwise he’d never have a chance at building a decent pack.

If a Mesmer fully formed, he’d never want another mate and would chase every female away from the pack territory out of instinct alone. And a pack full of bachelors didn’t last long—if it lasted at all. Eventually order broke down. Brother turned against brother. All hell broke loose.

He needed a mate who would handle who and what he was. And Jessica Brierly was too damn complicated to fit that bill. Besides, she hadn’t even given him her damn phone number. All he’d been to her was a one-night stand. Maybe she was the smarter one.

It was time to get back to work. He pushed his recruits hard, himself harder. He did what they did, all day long. They did a rock climb and hiked ten miles with their full gear packs, then they built shelters from whatever they found in the woods until sweat poured into his eyes and his muscles twitched with fatigue. But not even the physical effort could erase the image of Jess seared into his brain.

“Commander, can I have a word with you?”

Ty glanced at Riley and gave one quick nod. The kid’s face was streaked with grime, his hair plastered to his head with sweat. He needed to remember these recruits weren’t Weres. Their bodies wouldn’t repair and recover as quickly as his did.

“This about the workout or your sister?”

Riley looked nervous. Sister. Definitely.

“Do you think you’ll see her again?”

“Doubt it. Your sister didn’t even give me her phone number.” Not that there weren’t a dozen ways of getting it.

Riley had a devious spark in his eyes. “Not that hard to get if you know the right people.”

Ty bit back a smile. “Not the point, kid. If your sister wanted to see me again, she’d have made it clear.” He pulled his canteen from his hip and took a long drink, then offered it to Riley.

Riley took it, slugging down a drink, and rubbed the back of his hand over his mouth. “My brothers do this all the time, you know. She hasn’t dated a guy longer than a month before they start picking him apart and warning him off of her.”

Ty took back the canteen and placed his hand on Riley’s shoulder. “Got to respect them for protecting your sister. They just want somebody good enough for her.”

Riley let out an irritated sigh. “Problem is, in their opinion, nobody’s good enough for her. It’s not fair to Jess.”

“When you’re the youngest in the family, kid, nothing’s fair.”

Riley nodded. “Ain’t that the truth.”

“If we’re going to eat tonight, blue team needs to get firewood.”

Riley saluted him. “Yes, sir.”

Ty watched the kid jog back to his team. A few days out in the wilderness and a good hunt would do Ty good.

* * *

Monday came and went. So did Tuesday, followed by Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in a boring, predictable order that made Jess feel as though she were walking around with weights tied to her feet all week. She found herself daydreaming in the middle of class—more typical for one of her sixth graders than her.

She’d felt off all week, had a low-grade fever. Maybe she was just coming down with the crud that always seemed to circulate around the school this time of year. Maybe she was just heartsick.

“Miss Brierly, Evan won’t give me back my calculator.” Jess glanced at her student Mila. Evan did everything he could to get the girl’s attention, in the most irritating, stupid fashion. Pulling on her hair. Putting used chewing gum on her desk. Taking her things or shoving into her at recess. Boys really had no clue. Too bad most men didn’t, either.

She’d waited for Ty to call. Something, anything to indicate he’d found their night together, well, more than just a fling. How hard could it be to get her number from Riley and find five minutes to call her?

Obviously too hard, she answered herself. “Tell Evan to come see me.”

Mila strode confidently back to the small collection of desks she had to share with Evan and four other students. Evan had a hangdog expression. He wasn’t a bad kid, he was just immature and the hormones had only just begun to make him stupid about girls.

“Yes, Miss Brierly?”

“Evan, did you take Mila’s calculator?”

“I borrowed it.”

Jess nodded, twisting her hair back on her head and shoving a pencil in it to hold the messy bun in place. “Here’s the thing, Evan. Borrow implies you mean to give it back. Are you going to?”

He nodded, his hand brushing absently over the pocket of his jeans, as he glanced back over at Mila. Poor kid.

“Look, I know it’s cool to have something of hers, but all it’s doing is making her angry and I don’t think that’s what you want, is it?”

Evan shook his head.

“Give it back to her. Next time, why don’t you try giving her something instead of taking it?” The kid shuffled back to the table and handed Mila back her calculator. Mila barely glanced at him.

Jess knew that feeling and wondered if relationships ever got any easier. They sure didn’t seem to. She reassured herself she was being silly for expecting anything from Ty. She’d wanted a hot night to be free, without it impacting the rest of her life. She’d gotten exactly what she’d wanted. She should be happy. But if it had been just what she wanted, why did thinking about him still make her heart beat harder?

Jess took a deep breath. Time to move on and quit daydreaming about what if. What if he really liked her? What if she wanted to get to know him better? She glanced at the clock and realized recess was in two minutes. “Okay everyone, put your math books away, please. I’m waiting to see which table will line up first for recess.”

The minute she’d seen the last student out the door, she grabbed a can of air freshener and sprayed it around the room, replacing the odor of boy with that of Wildflower Spring. It was a saving grace when it came to keeping the air in the room breathable with so many boys. A trick she’d learned at home when she was younger.

She plopped down at her desk, and her gaze flicked to the neat squares on her desk calendar, garbled with messy notations in several different colors of ink. Friday. Good.

Wait.

Jess frowned. It was the middle of the month? Already? She started counting. Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two. All the blood left her head in a rush, leaving her skin cold and clammy. She braced her hand on the desk, feeling numb from head to toe as she stared at the dates in horror.

Damn. She was late.

Chapter 5

Stunning how she could still function when her heartbeat and breathing were stopped cold. Jess sat on the closed lid of the toilet in the powder room just off the kitchen and stared at the little clear window in the white plastic stick.

She shook it.

It was wrong, of course. Had to be.

Picking up the box, she reread the directions. “Most accurate test on the market, my foot.”

There was simply no way she could be pregnant.

Not now.

Not with him.

She didn’t even know him. Not really.

Jess flicked the plastic stick into the trash, a throbbing burn starting behind her eyes. She tried blinking rapidly and staring up at the ceiling as her nose began to run and the tears came anyway, then turned into a full-on crying jag.

A few minutes later a knock at the bathroom door jarred her. Jess sniffled loudly, then grabbed some tissue and blew her nose.

“You doing okay in there?” Edgar’s voice made the tears well up all over again.

“Yes—no—I don’t know.”

The door opened a sliver and he peeked in. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Everything.” Jess wiped her face with the backs of her hands, but the tears were still sliding down her cheeks. “It’s just all so silly. I should be happy, not crying, shouldn’t I?”

He looked thoroughly puzzled. “Is this a female thing?” he asked cautiously.