“Wait. What if the person, or shifter, trying to break into the apartment wasn’t after me,” she said, seeing a pattern.
“What do you mean?” Jason asked.
“I met Jay in Oakville, a full-human town. I didn’t get the impression he was a shifter. And Samantha lived in the studio up until a few weeks ago. So what if the person who broke my lock was after Samantha and stopped when he realized she wasn’t inside. It might have nothing to do with me.”
It made sense, at least to Julie. She doubted more than one threat existed, and the letter clearly declared Samantha their target. Jay probably had nothing to do with any of this. After all, some guys were just intense. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t see him following her home and trying to break into her apartment. No one got that attached after three sentences. Poor guy didn’t know what kind of trouble he’d stumbled into by sending flowers.
“What about the note? You’re not safe, either.” As she looked into Brendan’s eyes, she saw the worry and love there. Her breath caught. She needed Brendan. She’d already known that, just as she’d known he loved her. But for the first time, she realized the depth of his emotion. He needed her as much as she needed him.
“I love you.” She couldn’t help but say it, even though it was random and out of place. Even knowing her family would tease her about it later. He tried to pull her into his lap, but she resisted, hearing him grunt with displeasure.
Priorities. Right now she needed to explain. With Samantha in danger, Julie needed to make sure everyone else’s priorities were in line with hers.
“The gifts this morning were creepy, but not in a life-threatening way. Chances are he’ll swing by the store if he wants to see me, especially since I’m living with Brendan now.” The thought of their house brought a smile to her face, but she forced herself to continue. “And since Samantha works here all day, any protective detail can watch both of us. So I think we should concentrate on protecting her. Even during off hours, I’ll be around her a lot as we prepare for the wedding next week.”
“The wedding is off. We’ll plan another one once I’m sure it’s safe,” Jason declared. Because he held Samantha on his lap, he missed the heat that shot into his mate’s eyes. Julie hid her smile behind her hand, knowing what was coming as Samantha shoved his hands off and stood.
“Oh no you don’t, Jason Callahan. You don’t get to make that decision by yourself. We are getting married as planned, and it is non-negotiable.”
“But–”
“Non-negotiable!” she yelled in his face before stomping off. Jason turned his head to watch her, his shock evident.
Julie tried to stifle her laughter. It wasn’t every day the big bad Premier got schooled by his tiny, arctic fox mate. Normally, Samantha was more reserved and a bit meek, but she’d just proven to them she was more than capable of handling Jason when needed. Julie dared to look up, her gaze colliding with Danny’s. Both burst into laughter at the same time.
“Ha ha. Very funny,” Jason snapped, following after his mate.
“We need to talk.”
Julie jumped as Brendan spoke in her ear. She hadn’t been paying attention, and he’d snuck up behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw the fierce expression on his face. Uh-oh, this couldn’t be good.
“Sure. Everything all right?”
“Well, something’s bothering me. If you threw out the note, how were you planning on showing it to me later?” Although his voice was calm and reasonable, something in the way he watched her preached caution.
“I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t thinking about it,” she lied.
“Weren’t thinking about it, or weren’t going to tell me about it?” She wracked her brain, trying to remember anything she’d said or done that might have revealed her true intentions. Besides throwing away the card, she couldn’t think of anything.
“Of course I was going to tell you. I wasn’t thinking.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she found herself backed up against the bookshelf, Brendan’s arms caging her. The anger burning behind his eyes would have scared her if she didn’t know for certain he would never harm her.
“Laurie said you asked her not to tell me. So either she’s lying or you are? Something tells me she’s not.” His eyes changed to yellow, and as she watched, his fangs dropped. The animal was close to the surface. Very close.
“I didn’t want you to worry.” It was a lame excuse, and she knew it.
He growled, grinding his hips farther into hers and pushing her farther against the bookcase.
“How can I not worry, knowing you would keep this from me?” He snarled at her. Actually snarled at her!
Heat pooled in her belly, and she felt her blood bubble. What was wrong with her? She shouldn’t be turned-on by this primitive grunting and growling. As he moved closer, she gripped his shoulders, his breath falling hot against her skin. He ground his hips against her again, and his mouth claimed hers in a brutal kiss.
Her head fell back with a clunk against the shelf. Reason struggled to the surface, her eyes opening as she realized they stood in one of the aisles during business hours. “Brendan, we can’t. Not here.”
He growled but moved away. He took her hand and pulled her toward the back of the store, opening the door to the storage closet and pushing her inside. He followed her in before shutting and locking the door.
“They’ll still hear us,” she whispered, as if they could hear the naughty thoughts in her head.
“Let them. Then they’ll know you’re mine.” He pulled her back into his arms, his hand reaching under her skirt and pushing aside her underwear. He groaned into her mouth as he sunk a finger into her heat and felt her desire. Without warning he turned her around, flinging her arms on the wall above her head.
“You’re mine, Julie. Don’t ever forget that. You will not keep secrets from me. Will you?” God help her, the demand in his voice burned through her, heightening her senses. She’d never seen this side of him, but it was sexy as hell.
“No more secrets.”
She leaned forward, her head hitting the wall as he plunged into her from behind. Her hands clenched, searching for something to grip onto as sensation after sensation flooded her.
This was a side of Brendan she’d never seen. He was wild, letting his animal instinct control him, and she loved every minute of it. He pressed her shoulders farther into the wall while his other hand tilted her hips back. A strangled cry passed her lips as he sunk farther into her.
He made no effort to start slowly, but thrust into her with abandon. She neither needed nor wanted anything slow. The raw intensity of his need made her feel powerful. He might have pushed her up against the wall, but she’d pushed him to this. This was about his passion for her, and she gloried in every moment.
His hand stroked up her back, reached around and pulled down her shirt and bra, exposing her breast to the cool air. The heat of his hand covered it, circling the nipple before rolling it with his fingers, pinching and releasing in rhythm. Each pinch, timed perfectly with his inward thrust, propelled her need higher.
She felt the climax building where they were joined. Every glide brought her closer to the edge, and she cried out, struggling to reach the precipice. Her hips jerked as she tried to shove back against him, but his hand tightened, preventing it. The message was clear. He controlled the pace.
“Say it,” he demanded.
Say what? Pleasure filled her mind, dulling everything else. All she could concentrate on was the feel of him inside her.
She moaned as if in pain when his hips froze, his hand stilling her movements. No matter how much she wiggled, she couldn’t escape his grasp.