Wild Invitation

it over in a half hour.
    I’ll do it.
    xx
    It made a goofy smile break out over her face that Cooper had signed off with kisses. Dressing quickly, she found Bethany in the kitchen, putting together the meal. When she offered to take it, the older woman raised an eyebrow. “Todd?”
    Grace squirmed. “Er, no.”
    “Hmm. Who else is out there?” She continued to make the sandwiches. “Bill replaced Shamus and they’re both mated, in any case. Which leaves my Cooper.”
    Having finished her own set of sandwiches, Grace wrapped them up so they’d stay soft. “I’ll get some of the brownies.”
    “Grace.”
    She froze, bit her lip. “It’s new. We’re not ready for the pack to know.”
    Bethany didn’t stop her again when she moved to grab the brownies. Since the site was at least a half hour away on foot, Grace headed to the garage, Bethany walking down with her. They saw Vitoria on the way, the other woman having had to return to the den in order to teach a novice class. “You have more hot drinks for everyone?” the senior soldier asked from the other side of the corridor. “It’s chilly out tonight.”
    Grace’s nod received a thumbs-up before Vitoria turned to continue on her way.
    “He always was a law unto himself,” Bethany mused as Grace got into the driver’s seat of a sturdy four-wheel drive, “so all I’m going to say is—submissive or not, you make sure you don’t just sit and take his care. You give back.”
    Grace’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “If you think only dominants know how to love, you don’t know your packmates very well.”
    Bethany’s response was startling. Laughing, she leaned in to kiss Grace on the cheek with open affection. “Just checking you’ve got spine—you’ll need it with Coop. That boy likes to get his own way. Good luck.”
    •   •   •
    AFTER helping to demolish the food Grace had brought, Cooper nixed her offer to stay and help with the tree, receiving unexpected support for his decision from Todd.
    “Can’t risk those hands,” the engineer said. “You’re a surgeon with the systems.”
    “Anyway,” Bill added, shoving a hand through his blond mop, “this shouldn’t take long. Now that we have it down, all we have to do is cut this baby up enough that we can clear the road. Rest of the cleanup can be done tomorrow by a novice team.”
    Grace folded her arms, expression mutinous. “Fine. But I’ll wait and drive you all back to the den.”
    Todd burst out laughing, followed by Bill. When Grace scowled, Cooper tipped up her chin and kissed it off in a quick, light caress that wouldn’t startle or scare her wolf. “You’re with three dominants.” He grinned, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. “All of us have a well-known and occasionally mocked tendency for wanting to control the vehicles we’re in. What do you think your chances are of retaining the wheel?”
    “Okay, I’ll give you that one.” An amused smile, but her eyes skated toward Todd and Bill, who weren’t even pretending not to watch them, shit-eating grins on their faces.
    Cupping her hip in a protective caress, Cooper pointed a finger at the two men. “Sworn to secrecy.”
    “Aw, come on, Coop!” was the joint refrain, but he glared them into agreement…and later that night, got another shy, sexy kiss from Grace for his trouble, her wolf rubbing up against her skin with an affection his own returned.
    But even though he fell into bed bone tired, the exquisite taste of Grace in his mouth, he dreamed of horror. “No!
No!
”
    •   •   •
    THE next day was a crazy one. One of the major air conduits just up and died without warning, pulling Grace’s entire team out of bed at six a.m. Paul, their air-systems expert, had them working nonstop until after five, when he decreed the job complete. Tired but pleased, they slapped one another on the back, then went their separate ways.
    It was only after she’d showered that Grace realized Cooper hadn’t said anything about seeing her tonight when he’d dropped by to check on the progress of the repair. Of course, it had hardly been a private moment—and Cooper was doing his best to give her time to get used to their relationship in private before it inevitably went public.
    It wouldn’t be too much longer, she knew that, especially after the kiss at the tree site. Predatory changeling males, regardless of their place in the hierarchy, were all openly possessive. The fact that Cooper