~

 

“You need to back off,” Jordan bit out. If she knew anything, then she knew Harvey must have been insane.

What the hell is he talking about?

A mate.

I’m human.

I have a daughter.

How the hell could I be a mate to a bear shifter?

A mate. That’s like a forever love. A somebody’s someone.

I’m nothing to nobody.

I have Macy. Breakable. Very — damn — breakable.

How could I even consider being a mate?

The man is insane.

“Okay,” Harvey said as he lifted one large hand and raked it through his dark hair as he tried to focus his thoughts. “You need to see this rationally…”

“And what if I don’t want to be rational?” Jordan shot back. She didn’t even think about her words before she’d said them

“I guess I can’t ask a female not to be female,” Harvey offered back, somewhat confused by her question.

“Oh my God, you are just such a male chauvinist pig…”

“Again with the name calling? And, sweetheart, get it right, I’m all bear,” Harvey growled.

“And I’m leaving,” Jordan announced.

When she went to take a step to the left – he blocked her. So she tried to take a step to the right – he blocked her again.

Harvey lifted his hand and wagged a finger and Jordan yanked her head back on her neck as if he’d reached out and poked her with that finger.

“You can’t run from me,” Harvey growled.

“I was planning on walking, but whatever works,” she said scowling back at him.

“Neither works,” Harvey grumbled.

His bear was getting antsy again. While he didn’t expect her to fully understand about mates, he did need to keep her calm, rational, and right there in front of him.

“Well, it works for me, and what works for me — works.”

“Well, it doesn’t work for me, and if it doesn’t work for me, then it doesn’t work for you.” Harvey couldn’t risk her walking away.

He knew that conversation between them had gone from the sublime to the ridiculous, but he figured that every moment that he had her attention and kept her in place; it bought him more time.

“Okay, new plan. I’ll tell you what works for me — you can take your head and shove it up your big, furry butt,” Jordan said as she nodded her head in agreement with herself.

Her eyes were wider now, and she was back to throwing daggers at him with just a look. Harvey thought that he might be somewhat crazy, because when she looked at him like that, she was sexier than hell.

“Now, sweetheart, you might wanna take a closer look — my backside is neither big nor is it furry.” Harvey couldn’t help the crooked smile that formed on his lips. There was just something about her at that moment that touched his funny bone.

“Don’t call me sweetheart again. And for your information I absolutely do not want to take a closer look at your backside,” Jordan offered back with a look that reminded him of the time that he threw up in a friend’s boot.

“Are you sure?” He offered her something of a teasing sideways glance that was damn sexy.

“No, I have a decision-making disorder.” He’d never heard so much sarcasm in someone’s tone before, and that included the vampire.

“Isn’t that called being female?”

Jordan’s lips parted, but apart from a small squeak, she didn’t utter a word. She didn’t need to because everything that she wanted to say was written right there on her face.

“Did you know that you get a little pulsing vein in your temple when you’re angry? It’s kind of cute,” Harvey teased.

He had her on the back foot and right then that’s where she needed to be.

“You do know that shifter or not, a kick in the balls will still down you, right?” Jordan hissed back.

She was done being nice. She was done trying to reason with him. The man was obviously insane, and if this was his idea of a chat-up line then she hated to think of the women that it had worked on in the past.

“Yes, and it hurts like hell, but I can still recover fast and be back on my feet before your decision-making disorder allows you to decide which way is home.” Harvey grinned. It wasn’t just any grin, but one that he knew worked well with females.

At least it had in the past. From the look on his mate’s face, it didn’t appear to be working so well this time.

“Is that a threat?” Jordan hissed back.

“No!” Harvey almost bit his own tongue off in his rush to denial.

Mine… His beast growled within him.

“It sounded like a threat,” Jordan said narrowing her eyes at him.

“It was a warning,” Harvey tossed back at her.

“So, like a threat then?”

“Nothing like a threat!” Harvey growled, he couldn’t help the damn growl because it annoyed him that she would even think that he’d threaten her. Not to mention the fact that his beast was angry at him.

“Well, it sounded like a threat to me.”

“Well, the only person threatening anyone around here is you.”

“I did not threaten you,” Jordan said as she tossed her hands back onto her hips and offered him a steely gaze.

“You said you were going to kick me in the balls…”

“That wasn’t a threat — if you don’t get out on my way — it’s a promise.”