Page 27 of Protector

So is what he wants…

“Yes?”

“Come over here, Jeannie.”

Yes—

“I’m good.”

“Please.”

Damn it. As much as I’m a hard-ass, I do have a couple of weaknesses. Pups. Weaker shifters and full humans in need of protection. A caramel latte with whipped cream, extra caramel.

And the way a needy male says please…

Betas are a dominant rank of wolf. They’re right beneath the Alphas in shifter society, and I’ve spent months trying hard to convince myself that Tristan didn’t run away from me because he caught on to the fact that I was dominant, too.

Maybe even more dominant than he was.

I didn’t want to believe that the Luna would give me a mate who couldn’t handle every facet of me: dark and guarded, protective and sassy. That’s just who I am, and if Tristan chose not to accept that, it was his loss.

It’s one of the reasons why I’ve never mated another shifter before. I stuck will full humans for all of my trysts because I could handpick those who wanted a woman to control them in the sack. With shifters… a delta might, but a beta? I never thought I’d hear Tristan Crowder say ‘please’ like that to me.

But he did, and though I huff as I basically scuttle over to the other side of the cave, it never occurred to me to give him a little taste of his medicine and rebuff him.

“Okay. Now what.”

“Lie down, Jeannie.”

I plop down. I got used to the cold floor making my ass chilly, but as I lower myself so that I’m on my side, I shiver all over again.

Tristan lays his hand on my hip. “You’re cold.”

“I’m in my skin.”

“So shift.”

I could. I’m not going to. “It’s fine.”

“Here. If that’s how you’re going to be, at least let me warm you up.” Looping his arm around my waist, Tristan tugs against his chest. He might not be able to access his fur coat, but, hey, shifters run hot, and he does more than warm me with his embrace.

Holy shit. I feel like I’m burning up.

It doesn’t help that I’m pressed right against him. That means his arm is caging me in, his chest is scalding my back, and his dick… yup. It’s like a length of pipe is cushioned between my ass and his junk.

I’m not surprised he’s hard. I’m just a little shocked that he doesn’t care if I know it.

“There,” he murmurs. “Is that better?”

“It’s alright.”

Tristan chuckles. “You know what? Fallon was right when she said you were a shit liar. You just can’t help but let everyone know what you’re really thinking.”

I scoot away from him. “Trust me, Tristan. You don’t want to know what I’m thinking.”

“If our bond was still intact, you’d have no choice.”

“The bond you blocked.”

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