We really had to stop bumping into each other.Every single time I ran into Bratt Lucas, it got harder and harder to say no to him—to myself. I wondered if he was aware of the way the world around me had gone quiet when I saw him looking at me from the bar. I wondered if he could hear the way my heart had pounded against my sternum when he slid off of his barstool and walked over to our table.“We have to stop running into each other like this,” he said, looking right.My heart throttled as alarm bells went off in my mind. This man was a shifter, the very thing I’d sworn myself off of after Wyatt. More than that, he was the father of one of my students. I’d only just got my life back. I couldn’t risk losing it again.But the power and confidence about him… The perfect body and flawlessly groomed facial hair… The smell of him. It felt as if I was wandering through a desert, starving and parched, and he was a spread of the most decadent foods and the promise of a cold drink of water.“I

BRATT. Marley laughed, shaking her head slightly. “Paulette is a lot of fun. One of those girls who just loves everything to be fun and exciting. Is Travis that way?” I shrugged. “He tries to get me out of my shell a lot. For better or worse.” Marley nodded. “Yeah, Lana and Paulette both do that. They have since I moved here. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve gone out in years. I think that’s why I ran out of steam so quickly—I forgot what it’s like.” “I haven’t been out to a place like that in a long time, either. Not since before Noah was born,” I said. “Not entirely sure I prefer it. I’m happier at a little brewery or a wine cellar.” “Or just really, really good food,” Marley said. “You know what? Yeah. Really good food trumps all the alcohol in the world.” “Nothing good has ever happened because of alcohol. But there are lots of great things that have happened over meals,” Marley agreed. “Our founding fathers made decisions over dinners,” I said, “Consolidating deb

Bratt I was relieved Marley had agreed to spend the night at my house. If she’d refused, I would have just patrolled her house—or wherever she’d intended to stay—all night. I could protect her better at my place, and I would feel like a creepy stalker prowling around outside her home. And since Noah was at my parents’ house until morning, there wouldn’t be any awkward questions about why his teacher was sleeping over. Marley’s brightness had left her when I’d told her about the intruder. All the color had drained from her face, and fear shone from her exhausted eyes. Just how badly had her ex treated her for her to be so terrified that he might have followed her to New Middle Bluff? Then again, I could only speculate as to how complicated my feelings would be if Olivia broke into my house and made herself comfortable. How unnerving it would be if she pointedly avoided doing anything that could get her in any real legal trouble. It was absolutely ludicrous that Marley’s stalker coul

What on earth was I thinking? What was I, a seven-year-old, knocking on Bratt’s door because I was having nightmares? God, I was ridiculous. But he didn’t even bat an eye. He didn’t even make me talk my foot into my stomach, just held out his strong hand and let me into his room. Now I was in his bed. His huge, insanely comfortable bed. Holy crap, was this what it was like to sleep on a cloud? I’d never been on such a comfortable bed before in my life. I lay down and immediately felt cradled by the soft memory foam and pillowy cushioning beneath me. “You a back sleeper? Side sleeper?” Bratt asked. “Side. Is that okay?” He huffed a laugh and shook his head. “Marley, you know that not every question posed to you is done so to evaluate you, right?” he asked before handing me a pillow. “I just wanted to make sure your pillow was supportive enough.” “Oh, thank you,” I said, accepting the pillow and placing it under my head. He took the other pillow and chucked it off the side of t

By the time the school day ended, I felt like a train had hit me. The day had been so long and chock-full of planning and talking. If I wasn’t telling Lana every single anti-climactic detail of my night with Bratt, then I was telling Paulette about the break-in. If I wasn’t doing that, then I was making arrangements with Bratt for the new equipment for the house—including him asking about colors for fixtures he supposedly already had. I didn’t like the idea of him spending money on me, but I tried my best to think of the numerous times he’d promised that he liked taking care of people. Still, Lana’s words—about him never working for free—made me nervous. I hoped I wasn’t writing a check I couldn’t cash. The kids were especially rowdy all day, too. It was a common thing after the first day of school. They’d gotten their nerves out of the way the previous day and were now fearless and confident that they had already learned everything. I’d always taken exception to the idea that teena