Her lip curled, a fang peeking through. “Peachy.”

He almost laughed. Damn, she was extraordinary. Her ass pulsed around him.

“Need a minute?”

She nodded, wiggling a little bit. Her eyes widened and she shuddered. “Oh fuck.”

“Like this?”

She reached back and stroked his thigh, her nails scratching the material of his jeans. “Need.”

And he would provide. He began with small movements, swiveling his hips every now and then so she’d feel the rasp of his zipper against her flesh, know he was fucking her still fully clothed. Hell, he hadn’t even taken his boots off.

She began to respond. Tabby rocked against him, their movements becoming surer, sharper, the sensation indescribable. He could feel the tingling at the base of his spine, the pleasure already more than he could bear. He needed her to go over with him, needed to feel the clench of her muscles while she came. She was so tight, she might snap his dick off when she came, but fuck if it wouldn’t be worth it.

There, that was the sound he’d been waiting for, that delicious little whimper that signaled she was close. She was pushing back against him, riding him, barely letting him guide her. He lowered himself over her, forcing her down, his hands on her hips keeping her ass in the air. He pulled her hair roughly to the side. He was almost there, his cock throbbing inside her.

Her face was red, her eyes scrunched up, and it was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. “Come on my cock.”

He thrust one arm toward her face, hoping she understood what he wanted. He didn’t wait though, he took what he needed. He bit his mate, forcing the mating enzyme into her system, throwing her over the edge into orgasm.

Oh. Oh fuck. So good. So tight. Her scream was muffled against his arm, her teeth clenched, her face screwed up. He could barely move inside her body, she was coming so hard.

It was too much, too tight, too hot and he was coming, pouring himself into her, coming so hard his world turned gray.

She collapsed beneath him and he followed her down, reluctant to leave the tight clasp of her body. He licked the wound on her shoulder, lapping at the blood, her taste exploding inside him.

“I think you broke me.”

He smiled. Her ass was still quivering around his softening cock.

“Seriously. I think I’m blind. You fucked me blind.”

He kissed her damp cheek. It was going to be so easy to fall in love with his mate.

He said a silent prayer of thanks for the awesome gift fate had given him in the form of one small she-Wolf. “Your eyes are closed.”

“Oh.” He waited. He knew she wasn’t done yet. “Are you sure?”

He laughed silently. “Yes, I’m sure, baby.”

“Hmm.” She elbowed him until he rolled off of her, then snuggled into him, her ass resting against his hip. She wriggled and sighed happily, purring like her namesake. He got up long enough to clean himself and her off, then put his cock back into his pants and maneuvered until he was spooned up against her body. If his baby got off on the feel of denim, he’d buy fucking denim pajamas. They would be uncomfortable as hell, but Tabby was worth it.

He drifted off to sleep, a satisfied smile on his face.

“So.”

Tabby raised her brow, wondering what the hell Alex was up to. He’d let her shower by herself this morning, his demeanor quiet and thoughtful. He’d finished his yoga before she got out, and damn if she wasn’t sorry to miss that. Watching him stretch that amazing body, his muscles quivering with strain, had been an incredible turn-on. After he was done, he’d led her to IHOP for breakfast, his expression still peaceful after his morning workout.

“Tell me about Gary.”

She thudded her head down on the Formica table hard enough she’d probably have a red mark. “Bacon. Need bacon.”

“Tabby.”

She huffed out a breath, leaving her face on the table. “Fine. Gary is a student at the college who thinks it’s fun to try to fuck with me.” She couldn’t go into too much detail; it was Saturday morning and the IHOP was packed to the rafters with humans and Pumas. One mention of shifters right now could lead to either a long life in a hug-me jacket or being forced to leave the only real home she’d ever known. Neither one was an option she wanted to contemplate.

“How long has this been going on?”

The quiet tone of voice had her stiffening. She was coming to recognize that tone as a dangerous sign. She stiffened, wondering if Alex would lose it. He couldn’t go after Gary. Gary, thanks to his friends, was too well protected. Besides, Gabe wouldn’t be able to keep Alex out of trouble if he went after Gary unprovoked.

Despite everything that had happened, they had no solid proof that Gary had ever threatened to lay a hand on her. It would be her word against his and his goon squad’s. That would work against Alex in both human and shifter law. “Why?”

He gave her an innocent look, totally incongruous on his face. “No reason.”

She glared up at him through the fall of her bangs. “Alex.”

“You are so not allowed near my mother anymore,” he grumbled.

“Why not?”

“You sound just like her.”

She could feel a smile trying to break free. He sounded like a grumpy little boy.

“After having met your mother, I’d say that’s a good thing.”

His eyes sparkled with approval even while he glowered at her. “Flattery will not get you out of telling me what I want to know.”

“What about a BJ? Will that get me out of it?”

He blinked, his eyes blanking before the frown returned.

She lifted her head and grinned at him. “You had to think about it, didn’t you?”

A slight flush crossed his cheeks. “Brat.” He sat back as the waitress piled pancakes in front of him. Tabby sat back too, the scent of her own breakfast driving her crazy. “If he’s a threat to you, I need to know. How can I protect you otherwise?”

The look on his face was hard, uncompromising. She sighed, just knowing he was going to try to be her fuzzy knight in matte black leathers. “Gary arrived in Halle in August. He’s a junior and a transfer from New Mexico, I think. I’m not sure what group he’s affiliated with, and it’s not like I can walk up to him and say,

‘Hey prick, who’s your boss? I’d like to complain about your customer service’.”

Tabby laughed at the look on Alex’s face. Her old Alpha had hammered into his Pack how to talk around humans without giving them away. The Pack was treated as a company. The analogy wasn’t that far off the mark. Most Packs came with bosses, employees, and yes, even customer service. Hell, the Senate actually did have a legal corporation headed by the Leo, the ruler of the American shifters, a charitable organization that was mostly concerned with the conservation of endangered species. They only accepted donations from shifters, so they didn’t fall under public scrutiny. The Wildlife Conservation Foundation did a lot of good, helping to repopulate the wolves in Yellowstone National Park and giving the big cats born in the U.S. a safe environment to live in. She’d heard that there were more tigers living in the U.S. than any other place in the world, and the WCF

helped to take care of them. Chloe would probably do very well working as one of their vets once she recovered from her injuries and graduated. “Anyway, he found out pretty quickly that I was an ex-employee and decided that harassment was A-okay.”

“Tell me what he’s done, Tabby.”

Fuck. His voice had dropped, deepened until it rumbled through her. “He’s egged Living Art, given me grief, harassed me on the phone, threatened the girls. You know, the usual.” She wasn’t sure if she should tell him about that time in the woods, when Gary had scared the shit out of her. She was afraid of what he’d do if she did. “You were there the other night. He’s done stuff like that off and on the entire time I’ve been here.”