Page 67 of Warlander Beast Cat

Jenna raised two fingers and tried to bite back a smile. “I…” she let off an accidental giggle and tried again. “I also don’t like butt-stuff.”

They all died laughing, all except for Lucas who said loudly, “Okay, enough. Clearly this is a joke to all of you, but I wanted a serious meeting tonight.”

“You owe me five bucks,” Kru told Jenna.

Cadence strained her ears, but it was still a few seconds before she could hear the barely-audible hum of Gunner’s truck. “I’ll get the table!” she said excitedly.

“The table for what?” Lucas asked.

“To make a sacrifice,” Lucia said in a low, spooky voice.

“I’ll help,” Jenna offered, trotting to catch up to Cadence as she headed to the storage shed on the side of her house. “Wait, what are we getting a table for?”

“Kru manipulated Gunner into bringing food to the Crew meeting.”

Jenna brayed a laugh. “Kru is awesome.”

Cadence pulled open the door to the shed and started rummaging around, clearing a path for a pair of folding tables in the back.

“I’m really happy for you,” Jenna said suddenly. She’d said it low, as if she didn’t want the others to hear.

“Oh, we’re just in the beginning stages. Who knows if he will stick with me.”

“I know he will. I can see it. You make him happy.”

“Yeah, well, not to bring up the past, but I made Lucas happy and then he got traumatized and left Damon’s Mountains for more than a decade, so we will see how fast I wreck this.”

Jenna grabbed the table she was handing her and said, “You and Lucas were kids back then. And look, everything turned out fine.” She cracked a teasing grin. “Now you are in a Crew with two of your exes and your current lover.”

“Ummm, this does not make me feel better,” she joked.

“You re-met me,” Jenna pointed out. “We would’ve never become this close if everything didn’t happen exactly like it happened.”

That part left Cadence speechless as she thought about it. Her mind rolled over the timeline of events that had led her to this place…to this trailer park…to the Warlanders.

Jenna was right.

“I think you were supposed to meet Kru in this way,” Jenna finished, and then disappeared out of the shed with the table.

And while she stood there dumbfounded, Kru appeared, leaning his arm on the top of the doorway, his head canted, his eyes bright. “I agree with Jenna.”

“What are you doing up, turd? You’re supposed to be resting. I can get this.”

Kru shook his head and reached for the table. “Woman, you’ve fed me all day, and I’m pretty sure your magical blowjob in the truck has me halfway healed already. Let me carry a table for you.”

“I’m a tough, independent woman.” She lifted her chin higher into the air. “I don’t need to be coddled.”

“I love that you’re independent, and you can keep that. It’s not a bad thing for a man to know you can do everything on your own, but want to make your load lighter.” He twitched his head toward the firepit. “Go on, keep your chair warm.”

Okay, she truly was a tough, badass, independent woman, but his words had just melted something inside of her and made her want to trot over to him and melt into a puddle at his feet. Why was this man so damn hot?

She slid the table to him and slid her arms around his middle, pressed her lips against his chest, and whispered, “I’m happy.”

“Fuuuuck,” he rumbled, hugging her tightly against him.

He leaned down and kissed her smoothly, tongue past her lips and a gentle hand around her throat holding her closer. God, she liked the way he touched her. It was perfect for her, and even more understandable to her animal.

It took a special man to balance a woman like her. It took a good man to allow her to soften around him and not think it weakness.

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