~ NEW ~ EXCERPT BELOW ~
Jaguar shifter, Vance Park used to be one of the Nero Organization's top assassins, but today he calls the Sedona Pack his family. But a new senate candidate with insider secrets into shifter experiments, makes retirement tough. Campaign promises could put targets on the backs of everyone Vance cares about, especially Kaya. He may have one last job after all...
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I straightened and caught Kaya’s scent. Unless they covered themselves in cologne, everyone had a unique scent, like a fingerprint. And I was addicted to Kaya’s. She smelled like a desert flower after the rain, clean and strong enough to bloom in a harsh environment.
When I stepped through the back door, my hackles rose. She was laughing with Chandler. The anchorman had a classic look, like a young Paul Newman with bright-blue eyes, tall, and well-spoken. Jealousy coiled inside of me like a cobra ready to strike.
Kaya’s smiles were mine.
It wasn’t rational, I knew, but with the change so close, it was tougher to rein in the animal aggression lurking just below the surface. I walked over, sizing up my competition. My fuse was so short that if the bastard touched her, I might clock him.
“Hey, Vance.” Chandler smiled. “Kaya was just telling me about the intruder last night.”
I glanced at both of them. “I don’t remember it being funny.”
“It wasn’t.” Kaya sobered. “But then Chandler told me about an intruder story they covered on the news the other night. The prowler broke into a black belt’s apartment. She gave him a bloody nose and he took off, leaving his cell phone behind.”
Chandler nodded. “The police arrested him in less than an hour when he returned to her apartment and knocked on the door looking for his phone.”
“Not all criminals are intelligent,” I added, sliding into a well-practiced smile to cover the animal lurking beneath.
Chandler cleared his throat. “Thanks for letting me shift with you two tonight. I’ve been spending my new moons alone since I moved from Reno. It’ll be nice to know the cat will be far from human eyes.”
“Not my call, mate.” I shrugged.
Kaya’s gaze bored into mine, but she didn’t say anything.
“Right.” Chandler bobbed his head and scanned the room. “I guess I should be thanking Asher.”
When he wandered off in search of our Alpha, Kaya narrowed her eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I glanced over at the twins playing with Abigail. “Why?”
“Really?” She raised a brow. “What was that just now?”
“Nothing.” I blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine, I forgot he was shifting with us.” Not a lie.
She came in closer, lowering her voice. “I’m a werewolf, remember? I could smell the rage coming off you. Chandler is a member of our pack. Do you have a problem with him?”
Only when he makes you smile.
“No.” I stared up at the tapestry of stars overhead. “I look forward to this night every month.” I met her eyes. “I guess I wasn’t ready to share it with anyone else.”
Her expression softened. “I felt the same way.”
“Really?” I pointed toward the house. “Because it looked like you were enjoying his company when I showed up.”
A crease formed between her eyebrows. “Since when do you care who I hang out with?” She poked my chest with her finger. “I don’t know what this thing is between us, but you’ve made it painfully obvious you don’t have any interest in a relationship with me. You never have. You don’t get to be jealous or decide who I spend my time with.”
She searched my eyes, and I struggled to keep from blurting out my secret. I’d tell her, but a few minutes before we shifted wasn’t the right time. Tomorrow. I’d tell her first thing tomorrow. Then I could share it with Asher. Hell, he might kick me out of the pack for all I knew.
Kaya lowered her hand from my shirt and took a step back with a half-hearted smile. “Besides, I have one true mate out there somewhere waiting for me, and Naomi swears fate never makes a mistake.”
I ground my teeth before I said something I couldn’t take back. It was clear now that if she ever did find her mate, my days in this pack would be numbered. There was no way I could sit back and watch her love another man.
And she’d never love me once I told her the truth about my first trip to Sedona.
“Let’s just get through tonight, okay?” Her voice softened. “We can talk in the morning.” Her gaze locked on mine, and her spicy scent teased my nostrils, tempting me to get closer. “You’re one of my closest friends. I don’t want to screw that up.”
Friends. That word. Tonight, it stung.
And as I lost myself in her dark eyes, the wall I kept up between us, the secret that held me back from acting on my feelings toward her, faltered.
All this time, I’d convinced myself I was protecting her, but the pain reflected in her eyes made it clear…
The distance I’d put between us was hurting her.
Dazed, I shook my head and caught her hip, bringing her closer to me. “We do need to talk in the morning.” My gaze fell to her full lips and back to her eyes. “But I need to make one thing clear. I have met people from every corner of the world, but none of them have ever captivated me like you do.”
She rolled her eyes, and that dimple in her cheek made me ache to kiss her. “You don’t have to try to make me feel better. I’m fine with how things are between us.”
“I’m not.” I shook my head closing the distance between us. “I never have been.”
I searched her eyes, giving her ample time to run. Inside, I grappled with my conscience. I didn’t deserve her and she didn’t know my secret, but fuck, I was losing my grip on self-restraint.
She tipped her chin up toward me, and I claimed her lips. Her breath caught as I wrapped her in my arms. I couldn’t get enough of her. Her lips parted, and I explored her sweet mouth with my tongue. Her teeth caught my lower lip, and the jaguar in my soul roared, clawing toward the surface.
No, I didn’t want to fucking shift. Not now.
Now that I’d tasted her lips, I never wanted to let her go.