Moon Shifter 02 - Primal Possession

bandage.
    “I’m not.” Considering the walls she’d been erecting at lunch, he doubted they’d get to the part where clothescame off, so he wasn’t worried about having to explain anything. Not wanting to talk about it anymore, he switched subjects. “You think Ryan will be able to figure out what’s on that flash drive?”
    Connor lifted his shoulders noncommittally as he tied shut the garbage bag full of rags and Liam’s bloody clothes. “Hell if I know. If anyone can get past that encryption, it’s him.”
    Liam picked up the sweater Ana had left for him and slipped it on. As he lifted his arms, his muscles strained against the movement.
    “So…how are things with December?” Connor looked at him with an expression that said he knew
exactly
how things were with her.
    Liam’s shoulders automatically tensed as he thought about earlier. “Fine.”
    His brother was silent for a long moment. Finally he spoke. “A couple weeks ago I had Ryan run a background check on December and the sheriff—”
    Liam shot out of his chair. “What the fuck?”
    Connor took a menacing step forward and slightly bared his already protruding teeth. “Sit and
listen
.” The words were spoken so low, but the underlying authority in them jolted Liam straight to his core.
    The anger flowing through him didn’t subside, but the subtle reminder that Connor wasn’t only his brother but his Alpha wasn’t lost on him. So Liam did as he said. He might be an alpha in nature, but his brother was pack Alpha for a reason.
    Connor’s canines retracted as he stepped back and leaned against the counter. “Have you talked to December about her past? Her family history?”
    Liam shook his head. Talking was the last thing on his mind when he was around her.
    “You should.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    His brother sighed in the way only a big brother could. “Damn it, Liam. I know you’re pulled to her like nothing you’ve ever felt. Believe me, I get it. But you need to get to know her before you mate and bond with her.”
    Liam snorted. Mating and bonding? All he’d done was kiss December. As his brother’s words sank in, a sliver of concern wedged its way inside him. “What do you know about her that I should?”
    Connor shrugged and shook his head. “Ask her yourself.”
    Liam understood him well enough that he knew his brother was through answering questions. And he really hated that Connor was right. What
did
he know about her? He knew that she smelled like jasmine and that her breasts were soft and fit perfectly against him. He also knew that when he finally stripped her naked and had his way with her, it still wouldn’t be enough. But the truth was, he
didn’t
know much about her. Her likes and dislikes. No wonder she kept pushing him away. Ignoring the fresh pain in his upper arm and the fading discomfort in his side, he grabbed his keys. It was time to take her on a real date and treat her the way she deserved.
    Joseph tossed his cigarette onto the icy sidewalk and stubbed it out under his boot. Even wearing a thick down jacket, he was still chilled. The sun was setting and taking the limited warmth with it. Pausing by a light pole across the street, he bent down and retied the laces as he watched December’s Book Nook. It was a few minutes until five. She should be leaving soon.
    When his phone buzzed in his pocket, he glanced at it,then silenced it. Edward thought he could tell him what to do, but that bastard had turned into such a pussy lately. Whatever that blond slut Brianna said, he did. Joseph wasn’t even sure where she’d come from, but he didn’t trust her. She hadn’t been part of the APL long enough, yet Edward still deferred to her. Not overtly, but it was so obvious he cared what she thought.
    It was disgusting.
    Concentrating on the task at hand was the most important thing. The two women inside the bookstore talked and laughed as they started shutting off the lights and blowing out the candles.
    Edward wanted him to tail Katarina back to the ski lodge, but that was some
stupid
shit. He didn’t care what his boss or even what Edward’s boss ordered. Going after her was like asking to bring all the heat of her father down on their organization.
    Edward talked to him like he was some stupid thug, but he didn’t have a death wish. Katarina Saburova’s father was far more terrifying than any shifter or vampire ever would be. No, he’d take the sheriff’s sister. Edward might be