“You couldn’t handle being me.” She swirled her forefingers around her head and admitted, “All that goes on inside this head at any given time…would destroy you.”

“Is ignoring me supposed to endear you to me somehow?” “No. That’s the job of my thighs and my get-lost-in-them-forever dreamy eyes.” He leaned in even closer and blinked his eyes several times. “Mesmerizing, aren’t they?” Irene couldn’t hold it back anymore. It flooded out of her and she couldn’t stop it. Even when everyone turned and stared at her, including Jackie and Paul, she couldn’t stop. And she tried. Because laughing this much really would only exacerbate his ego even more.”

“Didn’t have much choice. Couldn’t handle the whining.” “She whines?”“Not her, but a teacup poodle.”“Canines have teacup poodle shifters now?”

“Mitch grabbed hold of the car keys and held them over his head so Sissy couldn’t get them. She, in turn, grabbed his nuts and twisted until he gave her the damn keys.”

“Don’t be that way, Ric.” She grabbed hold of Ric’s T-shirt and pulled him over until his weight rested against her. She placed her hand against the back of his neck and lowered his head, placing it against her chest. Using her fingers, she eased around and found the swelling knot at the base of his skull and carefully placed the bag of ice there. “Doesn’t that feel better?”He grunted a little, his arms now wrapping around her waist, his face burrowing deep against her breast. After a moment, he settled and said, “Now it does.”Dee rolled her eyes in disgust. Honestly, wolves took any advantage they could get. At their core—they were all the same.Horny, pathetic, and cute.”

“Have you realized" MacRyrie asked her, "that you're just like Novikov but with more charm and no OCD?""The direct thing?""Yeah," both bear and wolf said at the same time. "I like being direct. Then no one can hold shit over your head. Like when I got pregnant in high school. I ran around telling everybody. The nuns were horrified. But no one could shame me because I'd already put it all out there. For everybody!”

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