Shelly Laurenston

“..say…same shit, different day.”

“Mitch opened his eyes, closed them, and then opened them wide. “There are big breasts in my face,” he announced to anyone who would listen.”

“The last thing Mitch really remembered was…being on top of Sissy. He’d had a split second of thinking, “Wow. This feels really good.”

“But my pretty little Gwen…me and her daddy…” Then she purred. Seriously. Purred.”

“She kissed Mitch on the forehead. “Hello, pretty kitty.”

“There is no problem. And I’d like to keep it that way.” “Fine, ya big pussy.” “You have to know that’s not an insult to me, right?”

“Not that he had anything to worry about. Personally, Sissy would like to avoid having acid thrown in her face. She was wacky that way.”

“You took my Lotus!” Sissy choked on her champagne, and Ronnie started looking for the exits or law enforcement with arrest warrants. Lord, what is the statute of limitations again?”

“She pushes you because she wants you to be the best.” “The best at what? Matricide?”

“No, you’ll regret it in the morning.” “But it’ll make me happy now.”

“Arms crossed over that massive chest, the lion looked down his nose at Smitty as only a cat could. “What else have you taught my son? How to chase his tail? Lick his ass?”“Nah, I stuck with the cat basics. Park lazy ass under tree, sleep twenty hours, eat all the food after the females do all the hunting, take a few minutes to roar, then sleep another twenty hours.”

“You sure are good with cats—for a canine.” Dez sat down on the couch opposite Smitty, her son asleep in her arms. “Not as good as you, my sweet Dez.” “Well, darlin’, you lack the equipment for that.”

“Mace let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s bad enough we have the baby. Which I was accepting of because he’s mine.” “That’s real big of ya, hoss.”

“Well, I hope you were nice to him ’cause I was kind of an asshole.”

“We told you about our first time,” Phil coaxed. “You didn’t tell me anything. I was there. In a sleeping bag across the room desperately trying to mind my own business. But you, sir, are a screamer.”

“She’d never call Smith males “womanizers.” Although she would call them whores.”

“Dez turned those gorgeous gray-green eyes on the wolf, and Mace watched Smitty do what any sensible predator would do in a situation like this… Plot to run away.”

“Dez kissed his cheek and hissed in his ear, “You say a word—they won’t find your body for months.” Wolves were a smart breed and always knew when a predator meaner than them was near.”

“It’s just taking some getting used to. The snarling, the hissing, the purring. Then I have to deal with it from the baby….” “Ha, ha,” Mace stated dryly.”

“...the first time he snarled, I had a bit of a panic attack.” “She screamed and threw him at me.” Dez scowled at Mace. “I did not throw my son at you. I just handed him over and walked quickly from the room so I could scream into a pillow in our bedroom.” “I found her under the bed with the dogs.”

“He may have his mother’s gray–green eyes, but this wonderful little boy—and Smitty’s godson—still had the cold, hard expression of a predator. Just like his daddy.”

“Don’t fret none, darlin’. I got your back.” “You said that in Budapest. I still have the scars, too.”

“True, but now you’ve got Bren. Think of it like an extra pair of thermal underwear. Sometimes you’re in a situation when you really need two.” Ronnie started to sip her hot chocolate but stopped and put her cup back down. “Darlin’, that is one of the dumbest analogies I’ve heard in a long time.”

“Gotta be faster than that, pretty kitty.”

“Brendon’s big hands slid under her skirt and took hold of the plain white cotton panties she had to dig through her entire suitcase to find.”

“You got pulled over on the Autobahn?”

“Jealousy over some big, dumb bear flew out the window as he stared at Ronnie. “You…you were banned from Norway? The country?”

“Lessons? Oh no. I didn’t need lessons.” He glanced up and found her shaking her head in disgust at her own idiocy. “You see, Sissy said I wouldn’t need lessons. ‘You’re a shifter,’ she said. ‘We can do anything,’ she said.”

“That’s nothing. To impress a polar bear I met in Switzerland, I once got on two tiny sticks and flew down a snow-covered mountain.”

“He didn’t expect that question to send her tripping over her own two feet and flying into the bookstore’s erotica section he’d followed her to. Luckily he had fast hands and caught her before her head could make contact with the Kama Sutra.”

“Fine! Do whatever you want. And when you get fleas, don’t come complaining to me.”

“I’m okay,” he reassured her before he could say something stupid. Like “marry me.”

“I hate her.” “Yes. I know. In fact, I think the entire universe knows.”

“You cry at a movie but not about your brother?”

“Ronnie offered, “I don’t want my life to pass me by.” Filling Ronnie’s glass again, Sissy promised, “It won’t.” “It’s already started. It’s whizzing by like a freight train.”

“She never discussed her past in detail, but a few tidbits she’d dropped here and there over the last few months they’d all been hanging together convinced Ronnie and Sissy that the woman hadn’t merely lived on the wild side, but instead owned prime real estate there.”

“Oh, look. The idiot of the jungle awakens.”

“You do know I’m the one person who can shoot you and make it look like justifiable homicide?”

“So, hoss. Have you actually told her you’re in love with her?” “She won’t let me. When I tried, she threw me down a flight of stairs.” “And you’re not concerned about that?” “There weren’t that many steps.”

“But I was about to make him see God…”

“Here, baby. Here’s a towel.” She reached back, unable to face the man, and grasped the towel he handed her. Of course, it was a dish towel and not much good.”

“Exactly what was wrong with her? And could she pass it on to any children she may have?”

“She was thinking, I have a nut in my house. How do I get the nut out of my house?”

“She couldn’t find her shirt, but she sure as hell found her gun.”

“Uh…tell me, Mace. Have you actually let her in on the fact she’s yours now?” “No. But I will. She’ll simply have to deal with it.” Smitty sighed. “So says the King of the Jungle.”

“That’s a shitty thing to do. It’s almost catlike in its evilness.” “See, your problem is you underestimate dogs. There’s a reason many of us are let up on the couch, while they keep y’all in a zoo.”

“No, he wasn’t letting Dez MacDermot get away. He’d take her down like his ancestors took down full-grown zebra.”

“Smiled at Smitty. Leered at Dez. And practically spit at Mace. Man, the staff at this restaurant really didn’t like him.”

“He growled. Really, how attached could Smitty be to his sister? Would he really notice if Mace killed her?”

“Why couldn’t she get the man out of her mind? Because he reminded you what that hole between your legs is really for.”