When are you going to stop dancing around Josh and just give in to him?" Eve Hartlow asked her friend as they wandered the dirt roads of Bull Creek. The Florida sun was high overhead, bringing the stifling heat to the wooded community and a sweat to her brow. Still, Eve would take it over the frozen winters up north any day of the week. "I'm not a shifter, and even I can smell how the air changes when you two are around each other. Why keep the poor guy at arm's length?"A couple of days had passed since Eve's self-pity party at Everglades, and she had managed to give herself a couple of pep talks that rustling bushes didn't scare her anymore. Alanna had been right. There are too many noises in Bull Creek to start jumping at each one now."Arm's length? Trust me, he's been a lot closer than that," Alanna Bradbury said with a wink and a laugh. Then she shrugged. "I'm just not ready for that type of commitment yet. I'm a wolf without a pack, still feeling my way around."Eve chuckled. "F

Everglades was a shifter bar in Holopaw, a dive bar, really, and nothing like Shades back in Draven Falls, but it held its own rustic charm. Unless you knew what type of bar it was, anyone looking at it in passing would probably just drive on by, thinking the place needed to be condemned, even with cars parked outside. The ancient wooden structure appeared to be created of discarded planks found in abandoned buildings, rather than the finished wood of a newer structure. The interior consisted of scratched up wooden chairs and tables, appearing as if the place was thrown together in much the same way as the exterior of the building. Weak mirrors and flashing beer logos covered the walls, while serving girls wandered from table to table, taking orders and flirting with the male patrons, whether the men had dates or not. Country music blared from a broken-down jukebox, bouncing off the walls, as couples line danced and chugged their beers. It was nothing like a nightclub in the city. Inst

Eve couldn't help but keep her gaze fixated on Arlin's ass as he walked away, his back straight, shoulders thick and square. If she was honest with herself, she really didn't want him to leave, but her friends deserved to hear the story first, just for putting up with her. Besides, she didn't know Arlin, where he was from, what he did, what he was really doing in Bull Creek. For all she knew, he could be in cahoots with Kyle to drive her crazy, keep her distracted, make her drop her guard enough so that Kyle could slip in and finish what he started months ago.The memory sent a shiver down her spine.Eve hit the floor, her back smacking against the coffee table before she landed on the carpet. Her face stung from where Kyle backhanded her. The only plus to it was seeing him shaking his hand from where it hurt him as well. Her joy was short-lived, however, as he reached down, yanking her partway off the ground only to slap her again, her head snapping back, only to spring forward again

The ladies finished that last round and then called it a night. Emotions were strung tight as Eve's tale still reverberated in everyone's minds. Alanna followed Eve back to her cabin to gather what she needed for the night and the next day, insistent that Eve not be alone. Eve didn't argue. The attack on her cabin had been a violation that left her feeling dirty.It wasn't a long drive, the night quiet and the traffic light, but it was long enough to allow Eve's nerves to once more be set on edge. She didn't look forward to seeing her cabin trashed again, the damage Kyle inflicted, a reminder that her past had returned. Sheriff Einstein had not permitted her to clean anything up until his crime scene unit processed the place, which would probably make more of a mess left for her to clean and fix. Now it was too dark to see the disaster Kyle made of her home enough to clean it up, even if she had the stomach for it. Alanna was right. Eve needed to sleep somewhere else because her place

Arlin kept her in bed for most of the morning before she forced him to get up and fix her some breakfast. As he stood in front of the stove, he ran his hand over her teeth marks embedded in his chest, shaking his head at how sensitive the marks felt. Now, this is definitely a twist on things, he thought with a chuckle. I wonder if I'll turn into a human. He flipped the stove on and then rummaged around his cabinet for a pan in which to fry some bacon. He glanced behind him at her knife still sticking straight up on his counter. She definitely deserved some bacon.He heard her coming from the back bedroom and turned his head as she shuffled into the front room wearing nothing but an old T-shirt of his. His tiger growled, and he had to agree with his animal's assessment, although he would have much preferred she came out of the back room naked. The image of her under him, the freckles across her pale breasts, the sexy vulnerability she displayed, made his cock twitch even now. He'd never