Page 17 of Moonlighting with the Werewolf

“I’m sorry I thought you were a witch.”

“And?” she prompted.

“And I’ll never do it again, since I know that you’re not one.”

“That was the worst apology ever,” she huffed.

True. But too soft and she’d go thinking I was some overgrown puppy she could tame.

Not only was it miles from the truth, my world would chew her up and spit her out. “Tell you what. I still owe you information, right?”

The hesitance in her features disclosed she suspected this was a setup, but she finally nodded.

I took a step toward her, and my pulse beat a savage rhythm at the sharp rise and fall of her chest. I closed the distance between us, bending until our noses nearly touched. While her eyes widened, the fact that she didn’t step back—didn’t even attempt to reach for another vial of medicine or anything else she could use as a weapon—proved this was as necessary as I worried it’d be.

Her fragrance invaded my senses, a feminine mixture of blackberry, vanilla, and some exotic flower that didn’t grow around here beckoning me closer. My focus waned as the line of her collarbone seized my attention. I traced it with my eyes, and my fingers itched to traverse the same course until I managed to coax out a hum of pleasure. That quickening throb at the base of her throat called to me like a siren song, her delicate neck so achingly close it might be worth it to crash against the rocks and take a quick taste before I drowned.

Damn it. It’d be nice if my gutter-diving thoughts wouldn’t work against me. I curled my hands into fists, fortifying my self-control so I wouldn’t reach for her, and infused my words with a warning I hoped she would heed as much as I prayed she didn’t. “There’s only one thing you should know about me...

“I’m not quite a man, and I’m not quite a wolf.” I let out a low growl, putting an exclamation point on a truth intended to strike fear. “I’m the primitive amplification of them both. The feral in between. There’s no taming, no reasoning, no humanity or mercy, and I came damn close to ripping out your throat tonight. If it weren’t for the punctured lung, I would’ve done it, too.”

The words echoed in the space between us, which was too much and not enough at the same time. As I backed toward the exit, I ground out one last sentence. “From now on, you stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

It’d been nearlya week since my last encounter with Conall, and yet any time the door to the vet clinic swung open, I half expected it to be him.

With each passing day, I also changed my mind as to how I’d react if he dared to darken my door, injured or not.

Call the cops?

Give him the silent treatment?

Chew him out some more?

Once I’d fixed his punctured lung, he’d made it pretty clear he didn’t want anything to do with me, so why did my brain keep fixating on the thrilling portion of our encounter instead of the terrifying ending, when he admitted he’d considered ripping out my throat?

“Man, I must be hard up,” I said to the bunny roaming the front desk as we awaited her owner’s arrival. On Monday, I’d treated her for a case of the snuffles that required antibiotics, and today I’d trimmed her teeth to prevent future health problems.

Since BunBun didn’t seem to mind lending me one of her extra-long ears, I prattled on. “It’s not easy out there in thehuman dating world. My last relationship was three years ago, and the entire time, Grams kept telling me I was settling, choosing boring and safe when I deserved fireworks and adventure. In the end,hedumpedme. Not great for the self-esteem, you know?”

BunBun settled into a furry loaf position, encouraging me to continue spilling my woes.

“Part of the reason I bought this clinic in the middle of the nowhere was because I heard Grams in my head, telling me to be bold, brave, and take life by the balls already.” Using a couple fingertips, I petted BunBun’s furry face and stroked her ears. “But look at where it’s landed me.”

BunBun lifted her head, her nose twitching like crazy.

“Don’t look at me like that.Of course, I’m glad you and I met, but the truth is, I’m short on patients, and my one other frequent flyer is short on patience.” I chuckled at my own joke and then sighed. It wasn’t much fun without anyone else joining in. “Maybe I should just go back to being an introvert who never talks to people. Animals who always remain animals are where it’s at.”

Business continued to trickle in, like a leaky sink that outputs about a cup of water a day. I’d administered a couple of vaccinations this week, and when someone called and asked about grooming, I told them to go ahead and bring in their poodle. Beggars couldn’t be choosers and all that.

“I suppose I should force myself to get back out there. Stroll around Guadalupe Falls, meet more of the townsfolk, and see if there are any events going on. As for dating, there are other fish in the sea. No reason to go prowling for wolves in the woods, right?”

BunBun and Ibothneeded to avoid wolves, and the way she bumped her nose against my hand meant she agreed with me.Well, that and she wanted more lettuce, so I extended another leaf her way.

“And the thing with fireworks is they’re a good way to get burned.” That line Conall had delivered in my living room, about fucking me out of his system, played in my head rent free, scrambling my thoughts and unfurling heat in my gut. The unbridled desire in his voice haunted me, not because it’d scared me, but because I feared it was the most passion I’d ever experience.

And that was without him following through.

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