“Get out of my way, Anton. I’m out of here. No wonder you have so many condoms stashed.”

He sniffed and softly cursed. “Damn.”

“I’m not turned-on.” She backed up to put space between them, spun around, and her gaze lifted to the window she’d contemplated leaping through earlier. It looked tempting again. She just needed to get away from him. She’d totally made a fool of herself by allowing him to touch her. “I just need to leave before the next one arrives.”

“I know exactly what you’re feeling. You’re hurt. I can smell it.”

She refused to look at him. “No, I’m not,” she lied, unwilling to allow him to know she’d started to grow too attached to him. “Get your nose checked. I just don’t want to be here when another werewolf woman arrives to threaten to make me her dinner.” She tried to nonchalantly inch closer to the window. “You’re too busy with your schedule to babysit me.”

“Damn it, Shannon. Look at me.” He growled the order.

She turned her head. “What?” Her gaze met his and regret simmered in his brown eyes.

“It’s not what you think.”

“What am I thinking?”

“Hell.” He blew out air. “I don’t invite them.”

“But you’ve sure slept with a bunch of them. Wow. You poor baby. You’ve got such a sad life. All those werewolf women showing up every day to have sex with you must be traumatic. You said your father schedules them to see you, right? That implies he has your permission to do that. Is there a sympathy card I can send you for that?”

“This isn’t— Shit, I don’t even know what to say.” He lifted a hand to run his fingers through his hair. He tore out the ponytail holder and tossed it aside, shook out his long tresses until they fell around his shoulders, and grimly studied her. “I know it sounds bad but I wish you’d at least let me explain.”

“What’s to explain? I was here and no one else was so you thought you’d amuse yourself with me regardless of the fact that you had to realize I don’t just mess around with guys for fun. You knew I wasn’t that type.” She put a few more feet between them. “Maybe I’m a novelty to you. Ever done a part-puma shifter before?” She jerked her head toward his bed. “Are there hidden notches somewhere over there that I missed seeing? I am short. Maybe you keep them high on the posts.”

He snarled. “You’re making it sound…” He closed his mouth and shot her a glare.

“Dirty? I guess that’s exactly what it was. I’ve never been so happy not to have gone all the way with a guy. Are you going to let me out of here?”

“No. You’re not safe out there alone.”

“Nothing I say will change your mind about allowing me to leave?”

“Hell no. Not until I know no one poses a danger to you.”

“That’s what I thought.” Her body tensed as she took a deep breath. “I’d rather take my chances out there than be used by you. At least whoever comes after me will be honest about wanting to cause me harm.”

She allowed her instincts to take over, encouraged them, and suddenly sprinted toward the window. The rumor that cats really did land on their feet gave her the hope that she wouldn’t get hurt. She jumped, her arms lifted to protect her face and throat, but she never hit the glass. Two strong arms grabbed her instead and they slammed into the wall inches from it.

“Are you insane?” Anton raged.

She would have told him no but she couldn’t breathe. He’d nearly crushed her when they hit. His large body pinned hers in place and then he leaned back. She drew in a deep breath and started to struggle.

“Let me go.”

He refused, instead held her tighter, and walked toward the bed. He tossed her so she landed in the middle of it. She scrambled to sit up and then rolled off the other side to keep the large mattress between them.

“I want to leave.” She glared at him. “If you won’t allow me to walk out the door, I’m willing to test a theory by going out the window. The only danger I’m in comes from the next woman who gets mad that you’ve sent your brother to meet her in your place.”

Anton snarled, his eyes darkening to black. “You’re taking this all wrong.”

“What have I misunderstood? You have sex with a lot of different women, it doesn’t mean anything to you, and I am not like them!”

“I didn’t say you were. You have no idea what my life has been like. Since I could walk, my father has been grooming me to take over the pack one day. I have a shitload of responsibilities and taking a mate is one of them. There are pack rules to follow and obligations to be met.”

“Then I’ve never been happier in my life to have avoided all shifters and be on my own.”

“I didn’t touch you because of boredom. I’m genuinely attracted to you, Shannon.”

“Excuse me for not finding that anything noteworthy. It sounds as if my having a pulse is all it takes for you to feel drawn to me.”

“You’re purposely trying to anger and insult me.”

“That would imply it’s possible to do that. Obviously you don’t have many standards if you allow your father to rule your sex life. Have I said anything that isn’t true?”

He growled, flashed his fangs at her, and took a threatening step forward. She hissed at him. She hadn’t meant to but the sound still pushed past her parted lips. She lifted her hands, fingers curved, implying she’d scratch him if he tried to touch her. He paused.

“Stay away from me. I mean it. Go after that bitch if you need to nail someone. I sure as hell won’t allow you to touch me now that I know your dance card is full.”

“Damn it!” He took a step back. “You’re really hurting. I can smell your pain. You don’t mean what you say. You’re trying to wound me with your insults. We are attracted to each other. I realize you don’t allow many males near you.”

“I’m totally not your type and you aren’t mine. I should leave now. I’ll be fine with my mother. Give me a cell phone number to reach you at and I’ll call you within a few days. You can tell me when it’s safe to leave her house.”

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I’m not staying.”

She glanced at the bed, the one she’d been on recently, allowing him to do things to her, and she wrapped her arms around her waist. The memory of it made her want to cry. She’d foolishly allowed him to get beyond her defenses, his touch going deeper than just her skin, and she’d started to fall for him.

“I need to leave.” She met his gaze. “I heard what your brother said. No way am I sticking around, risking you going into heat. I won’t allow you to ever touch me again.”

“It’s not…damn. You’re not listening to me. It wasn’t just sex, Shannon. I want you to believe me. It’s the truth. My oldest brother, Grady, warned me that allowing my father to schedule meetings with prospective mates would bite me in the ass one day. I guess it’s today.”

Shannon watched him. She’d thought he looked handsome, still did, but now she knew what kind of life he led. He had sex with a bunch of different women, often. She knew she’d always avoided one-night stands or allowing a guy to touch her too quickly in order to avoid these painful situations. She’d bypassed her own rules because she’d just been too attracted to Anton Harris. She’d thought there was something special between them, something meaningful, but it had only been on her part.

A horrible thought struck. “Oh no. Tell me you’ve been tested. If you’ve slept with a lot of women, your chances of an STD are higher than normal.”

“Shifters don’t carry sexual diseases.”

“Good.” Her shoulders slumped. “I guess that’s one bright side to this, but it seems everyone you know wants to either kill me or spout dinner references about me. I’ll assume that angering an alpha couple could be a death sentence. You keep telling me I’m in danger but you seem to put me in more of it than I’d find on my own.”

“You’re under my protection.”

“Then just announce that and allow me to walk out the door.”

“I need to guard you.”

“That’s bullshit. If I go to my mother’s, they won’t find me there. I won’t go to work until this is over. They tore up my apartment and my uniforms and paycheck stubs were there so they will know where I work. But they wouldn’t have figured out where my mom lives.”

“They may have found her address in your apartment.”

“We see each other enough that we don’t send mail back and forth. I never wrote down her address. I just drive there. She’s remarried, everything is under her new husband’s name, and I’ll be safe.”

Anton shook his head. “I won’t allow you to leave me.”

She stared at him silently. She didn’t understand his persistence to keep her with him. It didn’t make any sense. He should want her gone so he could sleep with lots of other women if he enjoyed that kind of lifestyle. It was unsettling how much he confused her.

“I won’t touch you again, okay? I will be on my best behavior. That should alleviate your concern if you think I only want you for sex.”

She studied him. “What about when the next woman arrives for her appointment with you? Is she going to try to attack me too?”

His jaw clenched. “Rave has taken over those duties for me until I’ve established that you’re safe from the males hunting you.”

“And if you go into heat? Then what?”

He glanced away. “I’ve got a few days.”

“Look at me.”

He met her gaze.

“What happens if you go into heat and I’m still here in your apartment? Tell me the truth.”

His licked his lips. “You’re f**ked, kitten. Often. By me.” He dropped his arms to his sides where they fisted. “In the literal sense.”

“You said it’s hard to predict this mating heat thing. What if you’re wrong and it starts tomorrow? Or worse, tonight?”

He hesitated. “Would it really be so bad?”

“Yes,” she stated clearly. “I am not the casual type, Anton. You said you smelled my pain. I can’t get involved with you. I’m grateful for all you’ve done, I owe my life to you, but I’m not willing to get my heart broken if something happens between us. You’ll go on your merry way to someone else and I’ll really get hurt.”

He growled and then spun away. He put on a shirt, his boots, and a belt. He never looked at her while he dressed and stomped to the door. “I’ll go hunt down those males and deal with this now. Don’t try to leave, Shannon. You don’t want me hunting you. Trust me on that. If you do…” He stopped at the door and turned his head to glare at her over his shoulder. “I’ll finish what we started only I’ll be too pissed to care if I harm you because my wolf will be in charge. You wouldn’t like me out of control. I gave you my word that no harm would come to you and I will protect you even if it’s from me. I’ll be back soon.”

He slammed the door behind him. She heard something beep and ran for the door. She tried to open it but it refused to unlock. He’d managed to trap her inside his apartment. Her gaze darted to the window. It would be her last option to get out.

“Shit!”

* * * * *

Fury drove Anton to kick in a door to the house where some of the pups lived together. Three of them sat on a couch playing video games. He snarled when he met their shocked gazes.

“Where are they hiding?”