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man? Why are you standing here? Why aren’t you flat on your back with your—”
    I leaned up against the SUV, watching the show. Look at the outrage. “You know I prefer to top.”
    Marshell spluttered. “What has that got to do with—”
    “Obviously there’s a problem, you perv.”
    “No shit.” He rolled his eyes and unlocked the SUV. “Get in the damn vehicle, Lawson, and let’s go eat. I swear, a guppy,” he grumbled.
    “Hey, if the fin fits….”
    That got me more guppy action. I couldn’t help it; I finally had to laugh. I climbed in and looked at him. “You know, I’m suddenly wanting seafood.”
     
     
    I DIDN’T get my seafood. Marshell claimed he wanted a steak and had heard good things about this place called Arches. He made a quick call and let Janelle know we’d gone to eat. They always made a point to let the other know what their plans were. Since she had an appointment to get her nails done, she said she’d just get something to eat on the way home.
    We arrived and parked. I enjoyed going out with Marshell—he attracted attention everywhere he went. People reacted to him. How could they not? He was sex on two legs. He received as many lustful looks as guarded ones. Both he and Janelle commanded attention. I’d decided it had to do with the fact they were paranormals. I also found they didn’t care about the gender of their admirers.
    The hostess seated us quickly, which impressed me. The place was busy.
    We ordered and were both sipping on a cold beer when Marshell decided my time had run out. “Tell me.”
    “Short, sanitized version is a man came in, got his truck cleaned, and almost passed out in the store. He checked me out, flirted, then shut down like a virgin in a medieval romance novel and ran like hell from me. Your sister put two and two together and came up him being my… you know.”
    Marshell shook his head slowly. “She’s sure?”
    “I guess. I mean, as much as she can be without actually seeing the guy or being there as this went down.”
    “Did you smell anything?”
    “Yeah, she asked that too. Coconut. That’s what I smelled. Best damn thing ever.”
    “I’ve heard others talk about that scent. It’s a powerful thing, they say. Did Janelle know what, um, kind…?”
    “Cat. Unsure what kind exactly.”
    Marshell suddenly glanced around, unease tightening his face. “Oh damn. Really?”
    I glanced around too, unsure as to what we were looking for. “Yeah, why?”
    “Um.” Marshell lowered his voice. “Because I smell cat in here.”
    Startled, I looked around again, as if that would do me a bit of good. I didn’t have Marshell’s sense of smell, so there was no way I’d spot a shifter.
    Then I shrugged. “Ah, well, I wouldn’t worry about it. I mean, what are the chances what you noticed is even… the right, ah, type? Hell, she didn’t even know what kind.”
    Marshell relaxed as a server brought out our steaks. “You’re probably right.”

Chapter Four
     
     
    Heller
     
    THE LAST week was a nightmare. I barely remember the drive home from that auto detail place. It really was nothing more than a blur. Luckily the deer population decided not to play suicide by truck while I was lost in my head. That was the last thing I needed.
    I parked and slammed into the house, still unable to believe what happened. I’d dreamed of this day for years , and now my life lay in ruins around my feet. How could my goddess have done this? She knew, knew how I felt about humans.
    Pacing back and forth in the kitchen, I continued to mumble at the unfairness, glaring at nothing in particular. What was I going to do ? I wanted a mate; we all did. But I wanted one of my own kind—not this, not what I’d ended up with.
    I grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator, twisted the top off, and downed half of it in one gulp. Fucking hell, I had plans . Then in one fatal move, my goddess swooped in and ruined everything by giving me a human. A human.
    I just