12In a flash, she raced downstairs and tore open the door. She didn’t allow him to come in, though he seemed ready to cross the doorway. She just pushed past him and closed the door behind her. “Let’s go.” She sounded breathless, having raced down the stairs so quickly. She was lucky she hadn’t broken her neck since she was wearing midrange high-heel shoes she also hadn’t worn in years.He seemed frankly baffled. “Are you—?”“We should go now.” She grabbed his arm and started tugging, pulling him toward his truck. She realized she was acting crazy, and he was obviously concerned, but she was more concerned about getting him in the vehicle and away from her parents. As they reached his car, she heard the front door opening and said, “Let’s go now.” There was no hiding her insistence and hint of fear.Bodie unlocked the truck, and she climbed in, not waiting for his assistance. Mentally, she was urging him to hurry up as he came around to the driver’s side. She glanced back at the fron

14Bodie’s wolf was surging in his mind, urging him to press harder on the gas pedal so they could be back at his place that much faster. Since Bodie was in agreement with the wolf, it was hard to control the urge, but he kept the speed to a reasonable level, only exceeding it by a couple of miles per hour. He was aware how Claire tensed up when she had to ride in a vehicle, and he was certain speeding wouldn’t do anything to help lessen her fears.It was difficult not to pull over and touch her then. His wolf was in full rut, and he wanted to be as well. He managed to call back the urge, noting how quiet she was. Her hands were clenched tightly around her purse, and her knuckles were almost white. She was obviously anxious, and perhaps even afraid, but he wasn’t certain if it was because she was having to ride in the vehicle, or because she was going to spend the night with him.The second idea left him unsettled, and he considered asking for an explanation, but they were in Northsta

16Claire’s stomach was still churning from the hateful things she’d read on the flier as she composed a text message to Bodie while walking up the driveway. As soon as she was on her doorstep, she put her key in the lock to open it while pressing send on her phone so he would know she was safely inside. She passed through the doorway a moment later and closed it behind her, intent on going to her room.Instead, she let out a startled gasp of fright at both her parents standing in the hallway. They had their arms crossed and seemed confrontational, eerily reminding her of the one and only time she’d been late for curfew.She’d just had a basic flip phone back then, and she hadn’t been able to call or text to let them know her battery had died, and her date had a flat tire. They’d seemed more forgiving then than they did now, which was utterly ridiculous considering she was an adult.“Excuse me,” she said with a hint of annoyance as she tried to push past them. After a moment, they yie

18Nate probably would have peed himself if he hadn’t already released everything. He started crying and moaning, letting out a pathetic and high-pitched cry that was barely anything recognizable. It sounded full of primal fear, and Bodie couldn’t pretend the wolf inside him wasn’t slightly challenged by the sound of it. It wanted to hunt down the weak creature making that sound, but he tamped down the urge.Apparently, Dillon had a little better control than he did, because he shifted back effortlessly. His uniform was torn, but he didn’t seem to pay any mind to being naked, which was perfectly normal among the pack. It seemed to horrify Nate, but he didn’t insist the sheriff dress.As Dillon started to lay out for Nate how being his CI would work, Bodie’s phone rang, and he answered it when he saw Claire’s number. “Hello.”“I’m sorry to bother you, but would you be free to give me a ride?”She sounded a little shaky, which made him frown. “Are you all right?”“I’m fine, but I can us

20After sleeping more deeply than he could recall in a long time, Bodie woke with boundless energy. His first instinct was to wake the human in his bed and make love to her again, but she was sleeping so soundly that he didn’t want to disturb her. It needled him with guilt to just think about it, so he decided to channel his energy elsewhere.He crept out of bed to keep from waking her and took a quick shower before going into the kitchen. She was still sleeping soundly, and now he hoped she would continue it so he could arrange his surprise.He took out a skillet and placed it on the gas stove before opening his fridge, eyeing the contents with consideration. Would she prefer pancakes or French toast? A glance at the remainder of his bread revealed he was making French toast, because it had to be used soon. He pulled out all the ingredients along with bacon and soon had everything started. The air was redolent with the smell of frying bacon in no time, and he was allowing his bread