“That was not my fault!”

“Whose fault was it?”

She didn’t answer the question and instead said, “And I got everyone out safely.”

“Yes, you did. After you got S.W.A.T. involved.”

“Well, I—”

“And I really hope that wasn’t so you’d be able to widen your dating pool. How many of those guys did you finally go out with? Four? Or was it five?”

“You act like I went out with them all at the same time.”

Smitty held his hand up. “This conversation is over. What Mace and I have going here is too important for me and the Pack to let you screw it up by being yourself.”

“That was just mean, Bobby Ray.”

“Check with Mindy. She’s got an assignment for you since you’re finished with this last one.”

“Yeah, yeah. She already gave it to me.”

Mace walked by the open door and glanced in. He scowled. “Get off his desk. I’ve got an important client coming in to see your hick ass, Smitty, and I don’t need this to look like we’re at a local hoedown.”

Sissy Mae slid off the desk before Smitty could push her off. “Okay, okay. Calm yourself,” she said before she proceeded to eat his Hershey’s Kisses.

Mace walked off, and Sissy Mae asked, “Who’s this important client?”

“I have no idea. And would you like a shovel for the rest of that chocolate?”

“Why you mean old—” Sissy Mae stopped talking abruptly, her nose lifting in the air. “Hey. Does that smell familiar to you?”

It sure did. And Smitty felt his body come alive, images of Jessie pinned up against that wall ravaging his sleep-deprived brain. And exactly who taught her to kiss like that? Wait. Bad question. He didn’t want to know. He never wanted to know.

His gaze rose from his desk and he watched Jessie Ann and Mace walk into view. She stopped in front of his office.

“Someone’s here to see you,” Mace announced.

Jessie gave a small smile. “Hiya.”

“Hey.” He stood. “Come on in.”

“I’m sorry to bug you at the office,” she said, stepping into the room, “but do you think you and I could—” She stopped abruptly, finally seeing Sissy Mae.

Sissy Mae’s face lit up. “Well, Jessie Ann Ward. As I live and breathe.”

Jessie stared at Sissy Mae for a good thirty seconds, a completely blank expression on her face.

He didn’t know how to read that look, but he sensed flashbacks, and the last thing he needed was to have to track Jessie Ann down under the bleachers at Yankee Stadium. So quickly moving around his desk, Smitty reached for her, but his sweet, innocent, “can’t survive without her Pack” Jessie Ann went and coldcocked his sister like a heavy-weight champ.Her small fist slammed into Sissy Mae’s jaw and sent his sister flying over his desk, her body crashing into the wall behind him.

“Holy shit,” Mace said softly in the silence that followed.

Jessie blinked, her hands covering her mouth. She’d shocked herself more than she’d shocked him or Mace.

“Oh, God. Oh... uh... ”

Smitty motioned to Mace. “Take her to your office.”

Mace gently took Jessie by the shoulders and led her out. Smitty knelt by his sister, grabbing a half-empty water bottle from his desk. He dumped the contents over her head and she woke up sputtering.

“Wha... what? Where... ?”

“You all right?”

She blinked up at him. “Yeah. Sure. I’m fine.”

Smitty raised his hand and lifted three fingers. “How many fingers you see?”

Sissy Mae stared thoughtfully. “Eighty thousand.”

Sighing, “Great.”

Mace crouched down next to Jess’s chair and handed her a bottle of water. “Here. Drink this.”

Jess gripped the water bottle, feeling like it might be her only anchor at the moment. Good God, had she actually done that? Did she actually just hit someone who hadn’t been threatening her or her pups or... something?

“I can’t believe I did that,” she finally managed, feeling like she had to say something with that lion crouching next to her and those scary gold eyes watching her.

“It’s okay, Jessica.”

“No, it’s not. I should have more control than that.” She looked at him. “But suddenly I was sixteen again, only this time... ”

“You weren’t afraid of her.”

Jess shrugged. “She was Pack-less. So I attacked accordingly.”

“If it’s any comfort, my sisters would be quite impressed.”

“Isn’t it nice to hear that cats would be impressed by my violent actions? That gives me much ease.”

Smiling, Mace stood. “Good point.” He walked around his desk and sat down in the big leather chair.

“From what I hear, though, Sissy Mae definitely deserved that.”

“That’s not the point. I’m supposed to be above it all. Because I’m better than her.”

“Oh, I see.”

She closed her eyes, then shook her head. “I’m leaving. It was a bad idea to come here.” Damn May for talking her into this. She should have stayed at the office and kept staring out the window until her Pack dragged her home.

Jess stood and reached out her hand.

“Thank you so much for having me,” she said, then winced when she realized what a stupid thing it was too say. It’s not like he’d invited her over for tea. Hell, no one had invited her anywhere.