his beast made his presence known, rattling the proverbial bars of his invisible cage. Inside, Eric fought a minor battle. It had been too long since he’d let his bear out and the animal didn’t take well to being confined for lengthy periods of time.
“I can see your problem,” Julia said softly. “Your beast really needs to be free. Go change. Let your other self out to run and hunt. Make it short if you really feel you have to, but I’ll be perfectly fine here with Garth.”
Part of him wanted to leap for joy. The other, more rational part kept his feet planted firmly in place. “What would you do if he became sicker?”
“Take care of him,” she said, turning away. “I seriously don’t think there’s anything wrong with him that a teething ring wouldn’t fix. Do you have one of those?”
“A what?”
“A baby teething ring. You know, you put it in the fridge and once it’s good and cold, you let the baby gum it.” She frowned. “Though maybe those are for older babies. I doubt little Garth could hold it yet.”
“I don’t have one of those.”
“That’s okay. I’ve seen people use a cool, wet washcloth.”
“You seem to have more experience with babies than you let on.”
She smiled. “Just because I didn’t work in the baby room at the day care doesn’t mean I didn’t spend a lot of time in there. As I said, I love babies.”
Again, his inner beast roared, fighting to break free. And once more, JJ cocked her head as though listening. He almost asked her what she heard, but restrained himself. “I’m going to go.” He made a snap decision, knowing he’d have to shape-shift sooner or later, so he might as well do it and be done with it. A happy inner bear made life better all the way around.
“Good. I sense some discord between you and your beast.”
Either she was unusually perceptive or he was giving far too much away.
“I’m fine,” he lied. “Though I’ll be better once I change and hunt.” He studied his son. Garth made a snuffling sound and moved. Relief flooded Eric. Maybe she was right. Maybe his boy was just teething.
“I’m trusting you with my son.” Even as he spoke, he couldn’t believe what he was saying. He meant it, too, he realized. JJ, his landlord, was one of what his father used to call “good people.”
“I promise I’ll take good care of him,” she said, smiling. “We’ll be upstairs. I’ve got the perfect chair.”
“Then let me carry up his diaper bag and portable crib.”
Once everything had been set up, she smiled. “Now go. Run and hunt. I promise you’ll feel much better once you’ve changed. Especially if it’s been a while.”
He nodded and then impulsively kissed her cheek. The instant he did it, he knew he’d made a huge mistake. Wide-eyed, she stared at him, while a rose color suffused her entire face.
Her scent—lavender—lingered on his lips after he moved away. “I’ll see you in a little bit,” he said, and hurried out the door before he did anything even more foolish.
* * *
Cheek still tingling, JJ watched from her window as Eric headed across the clearing toward the woods. With the full moon reflecting on the snow, she could see him outlined clearly, his parka dark against the glowing, magically pure whiteness.
Though she knew he hadn’t meant anything with that casual kiss—on the cheek, no less—every fiber of her body had strained toward him, as if he were a lure she was unable to resist.
Luckily, she’d frozen in place instead of swaying toward him. Her blush had been the only sign of how his simple gesture affected her. Hopefully, he had no idea. Her secret attraction must remain just that—a secret.
Glancing at the still sleeping baby, she sighed. She’d need to be careful with these two. Both of them had the power to come dangerously close to stealing her heart.
Again her gaze drifted back to Eric, who was nearing the edge of the trees. Aching to be with him, she stood there until he vanished into the woods.
Her kind did best with others. They were called The Pack for a reason. But she’d always shape-shifted alone. Maybe it had been her natural reticence, but she hadn’t been up for being around a group of people when she turned human again, battling a fierce arousal. She’d often wondered what it would be like, for curiosity’s sake. She’d heard there were some groups for whom privacy was an option, who were not into random sex with strangers, but she’d always been afraid to take a chance. Though she’d often considered the idea, in the end she knew she did better alone.
Or so she’d told herself. Now, watching a gorgeous hunk of man on his way to shape-shift, she wanted nothing more than to do the same at his side.
Of course, assuming he was Pack. Why wouldn’t he be, when 90 percent of the shifters she knew were wolves? There was no way to find out for sure, unless she accidentally came across him changing. Which was extremely unlikely to occur.
She sighed, unable to keep from imagining him as he transitioned from his animal form back to human. As always happened with their kind, he’d be fully aroused. Her body heated, the desire she’d experienced the night before back in full force.
And then she remembered he’d kissed her on the cheek. The cheek, not the lips. The kind of kiss a man gave to his mother or aunt or sister. Or friend.
That was what they were. Friends. She needed to constantly remind herself of that and she’d be fine.
She must have dozed, sitting in her armchair with a still slumbering Garth next to her. Eric’s tread on her old wooden stairs woke her; no matter how quiet anyone tried to be, the third and seventh steps squeaked.
After pushing herself up and out of her chair, she pulled the door open before he reached it.
“Hey,” he whispered. Even in the shadowy hallway, his blue eyes blazed. As he stepped into her living room, she could feel the satisfaction and coiled up energy rolling off him.
His inner beast had gone quiet. No longer restless, most likely sated by a run and a hunt. “How’d it go?” she asked, even though the question seemed unnecessary.
“It went well,” he said. “Very well. I feel much better. How’s Garth?”
“He slept the entire time you were gone. His color looks good. I checked his temperature one more time and it was the same. I’m sure he’s fine.”
Relief shone in her tenant’s face. “I really appreciate this.”
Mercilessly, she kept her gaze trained on his face, not daring to let it dip below his waist, though she badly wanted to see if his body revealed his certain arousal.
“I’d better go.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “See you tomorrow.”
When he bent to retrieve the portable crib, she got a great view of his nicely
