“Let’s say I go and have hot monkey sex with the Viking.”

Angelina looked at her. “Who?”

“Conall.”

“Okay. You do. You work him out of your system and then it’s over. And then everybody can go about their day and you can learn to fuckin’ relax.”

“Problem is that unlike you and Sara, I have a problem with fucking whatever comes along.”

“Hey! I think I was insulted. Bitch.”

“No, really. I get attached. Emotionally. It’s this flaw I have. So, then I’ll have to see this fucker every holiday I go up there. He and his wolf buddies will nudge each other and give me that ‘I had her’ look, while I’m forced to pretend that I’m okay.”

“You have analyzed this.”

“That’s what I do, Angelina.”

“Fine. You wanna live life alone and bitter, be my guest.”

“Trust me. Fucking the Viking isn’t going to change the living alone and bitter thing one bit.”

“Whatever.”

Miki heard them announce final boarding for her flight and the relief nearly floored her. Hopefully by the time Angelina arrived in Northern California, she’d have found a new topic. Miki really would hate to have to kill such a close friend.

“Come on, sassy girl. Let’s get your ass on a plane.” Angelina finished off her drink.

Miki slipped her computer into her bag and stood up.

Angelina did the same and slammed into a businessman trying to step around their table.

“Sorry, darlin’.” Miki felt that voice. She looked up and continued to look up at what her grandmother would have termed “a tall drink of water”. Once her head was firmly all the way back, she finally saw his face. He was breathtakingly handsome. Dark, dark hair with hints of red and a few streaks of white, but was definitely their age, maybe a year or two older. Gold eyes with green flecks, the lids slightly slanted. And a sexy smile. Basically, trouble with a penis. But he was well groomed. Clearly wealthy if his ten-thousand-dollar titanium watch and alligator-skin briefcase were any indication. And, not surprisingly, he was interested in Angelina. What was surprising was the two men with him. They looked exactly like him. All brothers apparently. Which meant that somewhere out there a couple existed who created these three gorgeous specimens. Amazing.

“You all right, sugar?” Didn’t help that sexy voice was Southern. Miki would place him around the Carolinas or Alabama. Georgia maybe. Wherever he hailed from, guys with Southern accents did things to her and her two friends that any other accent simply couldn’t touch.

Angelina stared. “Uh…”

Miki’s eyes widened. Never, ever, in the twenty years she’d known her, had Angelina been at a loss for words over a man. Any man.

Miki slung the bag over her shoulder. “Sorry about that. We need to get to my plane.”

“No problem. Y’all can slam in to me any time.”

He may have said “y’all” but he clearlymeant only Angelina. Who still hadn’t quite found her voice yet. They called Miki’s plane again. She had to go or she’d miss her flight and never hear the end of it from Sara.

She couldn’t leave Angelina, though. Not with this one. Definitely not with all three.

“Hey, Ang. We need to go.” She grabbed her friend’s arm and tugged. When that didn’t seem to work, she yanked.

Angelina snapped out of her stupor. “Uh…oh, yeah. Yeah. We better get moving.” She glanced at Southern Charm. “Sorry.”

“Not at all.” Then he and his tailor-made suit walked off. Miki knew it was tailormade because they simply didn’t make suits in that size for off-the-rack. His two brothers, with a leer at Miki, followed.

“You all right?”

“Yeah.” Angelina shook her head. “Yeah. I’m fine, dude.”

“I couldn’t leave you with him, ya know.”

“You think every tall guy is either Pride or Pack.”

“I don’t know what he is. But Sara and her Pack have pissed off some major players.”

“And yet you’re trotting off to Seattle by yourself.”

“First off, I don’t trot. Second, I can take care of myself. Always have. Always will. I don’t need babysitters. Besides I’m not the one in danger of becoming the love slave of some shapeshifter.”

Angelina finally snapped back completely. “You’re kidding, right? With Lassie on your tail?”

“Shut up.”

* * *

Conall checked his watch. Again. Soon his personal wet fantasy would be here. He wondered if it would be inappropriate to tackle her in the hallway as soon as she arrived and drag her up to his bedroom. Probably. Damn human etiquette.

He heard the glass doors leading to the back of the house slide open, and then he heard Zach. “Either you control that mutt or I’ll have him go play fetch on the freeway. Your choice, woman.” He slammed the door shut.

Zach walked over to Conall and, with a heavy sigh, sat down on the bench beside him.

Conall wasn’t buying it for a second. “Don’t even try and pretend like she annoys you.”

“She’s making my life a living hell.”

“She’s the best thing to ever happen to this Pack. And God knows, she’s the best thing to ever happen to you.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sara Morrighan had only been Zach’s mate and the Pack’s Alpha Female for six months, but it had been the best six months the Pack had known for years. She wasn’t normal. Even by wolf standards. But her odd view of everything was infectious. The females worshipped her and feared her in equal amounts while the males knew not to push her patience. Still, they appreciated that she took the jagged edges off Zach. He was still a ball buster, but a much friendlier one. She’d even gotten the respect of the older wolves who didn’t live in the main house, which was usually damn near impossible.