Page 8 of Riding with the Shifter

Seven

Chapter 7

RYDER

I watch Zara drive away in my Camaro, my heart doing funny things in my chest. Fuck me, there’s something about Zara that just makes me wanna lay myself at her feet and let her see all of me - man, wolf, and all.

It’s terrifying. Exciting. Like free-falling from a cliff and trusting she’ll catch me before I hit the ground.

My wolf is practically purring, smug as all hell. He knows we made progress tonight. That we’re one step closer to claiming our mate.

But I’m not naive enough to think it’ll be smooth sailing from here on out. Zara might be warming up to me, she might even be starting to feel the pull between us… but she’s still got her guard up. She still isn’t ready to let me all the way in.

I get it. A woman like her, with her brains, her beauty, and her take-no-shit attitude? She’s probably had her share of players sniffing around.

She needs to know I’m different. That I’m not just trying to get in her pants, but into her heart. Her life.

Her future.

And to do that, I need to up my game. Take her on the ride of her life and show her just how good we could be together.

Literally.

I grin to myself as a plan starts to form. Zara might not be ready for me to sweep her off her feet just yet… but I bet she’d be down for a different kind of sweeping. The kind that involves wind in her hair, adrenaline pumping through her veins, and maybe a little taste of danger.

Oh, yeah. It’s time to introduce my mate to the joys of riding on the back of my bike.

I’m still grinning like a fool as I stride into the clubhouse.

“Hot date go well?” my brother, Milo, The Broken Diner’s cook, and panther shifter, asks as I slide on a barstool, signaling for a drink.

I snort, taking a long pull from the bottle. “Fuck off. Some things are worth waiting for.”

“Or getting blue balls,” he chuckles.

“Found my fuckin’ soulmate.” I drain my glass, my wolf preening at the acknowledgment. “And I’m gonna do whatever it takes to make her mine. Forever.”

Milo whistles low. “Damn, son. You’ve got it bad.” But there’s warmth underneath the teasing, an understanding that only another shifter can have. “Well, for what it’s worth… I’m happy for you. Your girl seems like a real firecracker.”

“That she is,” I agree, my mind already drifting to big brown eyes and honeyed curves. “And soon, she’ll be my firecracker.”

“You gonna clue her in on the whole ‘shifters are real’ thing before or after you put a ring on it?” he asks, only half-joking.

I sober up, blowing out a breath. “I think I gotta get her to fall for the man before I spring the wolf on her.”

“Prob’ly wise,” Milo allows, signaling for another round. “Just don’t wait too long, yeah? Secrets have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass when it comes to women.”

I know he’s right. Zara deserves the truth, and I’m gonna give it to her. Just as soon as I’m sure she’s ready. Sure she won’t run screaming when she finds out the Big Bad Wolf has been after her all along.

But first, I’ve gotta get her hooked on the ride. Both on my bike and in my bed.

If she thought that Camaro was a wild ride? Just wait ‘til you feel my Harley between your legs, baby. Among other things. Fuck, I can’t wait.

Zara Sinclair, you’re about to be claimed.

Mind, body, and soul.

And once you are?

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