Moon Shifter 02 - Primal Possession

built like a linebacker, but his hands were gentle. At least the few times he’d caressed her face, they had been.
    Her image of him was so clear she could almost see him now. In front of her. As she stared into space, she frowned. Then blinked. Good God, he
was
in front of her. Walking straight toward her.
    “Crap,” she muttered. Tensing, she braced herself. She’d thought if he saw her leaving her bookstore—because she’d seen him watching—with another guy on a Friday night, he’d get the hint and leave her alone. If it was anyone else, she might think he was acting like some sort of creepy stalker, but she knew him better than that. As one of the few lupine shifters who lived in their town, Liam had tried to warn her about some crazy fanatic group that wanted to hurt humans involved with shifters.At twenty-eight she’d been taking care of herself for a long time—and besides,
they
weren’t involved, so there was no reason for some fanatics to come after her.
    Should have known Liam wouldn’t give up so easily. The maître d’ led him and another huge guy directly to the table next to hers. There was a decent amount of space between them, but for the way he was drilling his gaze into her, he might as well have been sitting at the same table.
    “Hello, December.” Liam’s deep, intoxicating voice forced her to acknowledge him.
    She flicked a quick look at his dark-haired friend, who cracked a small, almost amused smile until she glared at him—then she focused on Liam. “What are you doing here?” she asked through gritted teeth. It wasn’t for the damn food. That much she knew.
    He shrugged as if it should be obvious. “Eating.”
    She narrowed her eyes at him. “You know what I mean. I’m on a
date
, Liam.”
    At the word “date” those espresso eyes of his got even darker. Under normal circumstances she might have thought it was the light playing tricks on her, but she knew better. She’d seen him enraged once before when a man had tried to mug her. His eyes had changed then. The whites had almost disappeared and she’d found herself staring into not-quite-human eyes. He’d later explained that it sometimes happened when his inner wolf wanted to take over. It had scared her then but not now. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her. Not physically. He might be dominating and sometimes too pushy, but he cared for her. In another world she might allow herself to care for him too. But they had no chance and she wasn’t going to risk getting her heart broken and losing her only family due to involvement with Liam. Especially when anythingthat happened between them couldn’t last. He barely looked thirty, but she knew he was over a hundred years old.
    “Get rid of him.” He didn’t raise his voice, but there was a razor-sharp edge to it.
    Maybe his tone should have made her nervous, but it just infuriated her.
He
infuriated her with all his arrogance. “Or what?”
    “Or I’ll do it for you.”
    She balled her hands into fists under the table. “You are so…so…”
    In a fluid, graceful motion that reminded her he was more than human, he stood up and slid into the chair across from her. As if he had every right to do so. He half smiled and her traitorous libido roared to life. Why did the soft candlelight have to play off his features, making him even better looking? “Charming, handsome—”
    His smart-ass response annoyed her even more, but it also allowed her to find her voice. “Arrogant and
annoying
,” she said in a loud whisper, barely containing the need to shout at him. “Why would you think on any level of normalcy that it was okay to interrupt my date when I’ve made it perfectly clear nothing is going to happen between you and me?”
    His eyes darkened. “I’m not interrupting. I’m just eating. Or don’t you think shifters should be allowed in the same restaurants as humans?”
    His words were like a slap. Shocked, she jerked back. She had issues with his kind—issues he didn’t even know about—but the thought of restricting someone, anyone, access to a public place was horrifying.
    Her dismay must have shown because he cursed under his breath. “I didn’t mean that, December. I know you don’t think like that.”
    “Then why’d you say it?”
    “Because you’re driving me crazy, woman. Why are you out with this loser?”
    “He’s not a loser.”
    “He’s a fu—loser for leaving you all alone. And he’s not me. He’ll never be able to give you