Javier could sense her inner conflict, in fact he prayed for it. Things had gone so well until the disastrous dinner of the night before. While he expected it of Ethan, Javier should have known better than to arouse Naomi in front of her brothers-until he'd marked her. However, the lure of her presence and worse, her interest, blinded him to their location with disastrous consequences. Overprotective brothers had the right to defend their sister's honor, but Javier and Ethan grossly miscalculated on how a regular rumble, common in shifter households, would send Naomi running. It had only taken Meredith's quietly announced, "She left," for the fight to deflate. And that's when Javier discovered that despite her feisty nature, Naomi thought she wanted a life completely absent of violence. Probably not one hundred percent feasible given the hotheaded nature of shapeshifters-herself included-but he and Ethan came to an understanding with her family, her brothers especially. If they

Ethan shook mostly in lust, but also shock. "Did she just say what I think she did?" Javier's lips quirked into a grin as he nodded his head. "She is something isn't she? Come on. I know where she's parked. It wouldn't do for her to end her date without a kiss." Ethan followed his friend as they weaved through the tables following the delectable ass of their woman. She wore a slim fitting, ruby colored sheath that clung to her curves and made Ethan gnash his teeth and strive for control as he couldn't help notice the appreciative glances thrown her way. When he'd walked in and seen her sitting with that puny human, he'd almost lost his cool. His bear had roared in his mind, ready to charge over and tear the daring human into itty bitty pieces. However, the icy glare Naomi had tossed their way at the sight of their pretend dates did much to restore his calm and kept him following Javier's plan. A brilliant plan actually that didn't require any violence-on their part a

Javier cursed as he hung up his phone. "No fucking way." Ethan, riding their home exercise bike, glanced over at him. "Are you swearing? Must be bad. What's up?" "Somebody trashed Naomi's car at work." Quicker than a blink, Ethan's bear took over and a roar echoed from his mouth as his teeth elongated, his body reshaped and fur sprouted. In seconds, a pissed Kodiak, wearing only shreds of clothing, lumbered toward the apartment door and Javier sprinted to throw himself in front of Ethan. "Stop! You can't go out there like that. Are you out of your fucking mind?" A growl was the reply as Ethan butted Javier with his big shaggy head, tossing him aside. Javier landed on his hands and flipped to a standing position. "If you get shot or picked up by animal control, you won't be able to protect her, dumbass." Javier's cool logic stopped Ethan from clawing the door off. It didn't save it, though. The inch deep gouges would probably never sand out, but at le

Javier closed the bedroom door to give Naomi privacy while she spoke to her mother. He grabbed his cock and shifted it in his pants, a move aped by Ethan. "Dammit, how much longer are we going to suffer, Javier? You heard her downstairs, she wanted us." "She wanted out cocks. We need her to want our hearts and souls." What a change from a few days ago when all Javier thought he'd ever need was a warm pussy to sink into. "I still don't see how torturing ourselves is helping," Ethan grumbled as they headed back downstairs. "By showing her that her needs are more important than ours, we are laying the foundation for trust, my friend." "Whatever. Trust won't matter if our dicks fall off first." "If that happens, then we'll become oral experts. I wouldn't worry though. I don't think it will be much longer. Haven't you noticed? She's not threatening us or cussing us out as often. I think she's starting to like us." Ethan chuckled. "But I like it whe

She liked it! The knowledge he'd chosen well warmed Ethan as he stared down at Naomi while she slept. The present he'd agonized over in the tiny shop-which he'd feared tripping in and creating a catastrophe-hung on a chain and swirled with the air currents. When Javier had told him to pick something up that would cheer her, he'd immediately thought about her collection. After hearing her story, he congratulated himself silently on making the right choice and fell in love even deeper. Some people scoffed at the notion of love at first sight. In the case of shifters, some argued that the mating instinct should not be confused with the emotion. However, while the mating instinct initially drove him to seek her out, everything he'd discovered since enchanted him about her. Now, several days since their first disastrous meeting, he was truly and completely in love with the feisty hellion who hid an inner softness, which made the fact she'd faced danger all the harder to bear.