Ava fingered Trig’s jacket he’d laid over her lap in his truck. “We can’t go to the hospital because they would ask too many questions about where I got a claw mark like this, right?”

“That’s right,” Trig rumbled, eyes straight ahead on the road back to the ranch, hand draped over the steering wheel like a professional snow-driver.

It had been a long time since she’d driven in weather conditions this bad.

“And that was Chase…the…alpha? The one who turned into a mountain lion?”

“Alpha of the Darby clan, yes. They’re close-knit, like a family.”

“And animal-men are called…”

“Shifters. Most shifters group up. It’s safety in numbers because we’re territorial. Whole clans can get annihilated if they’re not careful.” There was a dangerous edge to his voice on that last part.

“Are you going to go after them?”

“He hurt you,” Trig said simply.

“So that’s a yes?”

He inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring with it, and slid his big, strong hand under the edge of his jacket and over her thigh. Her body’s reaction was instant. Warmth dumped into her middle, and her back arched against the seat. She sidled closer until his fingertips brushed the inside seam of her jeans. He squeezed her hard. Not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to let her know he could take charge on a second’s notice. Holy moly, he was sexy.

“You’ll have questions, and I don’t mind answering most of them, but on some things, I’m going to stay quiet so you can’t get in trouble.”

“Like when you go after the clan.”

“Yes. Like then.”

He was keeping her out of trouble, so if the cops asked her what happened, she wouldn’t be lying when she said she didn’t know anything.

As much as she wanted to be Bonnie and Clyde right now, she did appreciate him taking care of her in a small way like this. He was going to quietly defend her, and maybe she didn’t want to know what kind of revenge he was probably planning in his head right now. But it meant the world that he was going to avenge the hurt she’d endured tonight.

“You’re making me loyal. You know that, right?”

He massaged her leg and then dragged her closer until her hip hit the seatbelt and stopped her progress. “Explain.”

“My dad couldn’t even stick around for his kids. Couldn’t stick around for me. I hated men. He was supposed to take care of me, and he didn’t. So, I grew up swearing—swearing—to never care about someone so deeply again. Especially not a man, because men were leavers.”

“Colton never left.”

“No, but he was checked out. Nineteen-year-old kid raising his little sister? I ruined his youth. It was clear, and I felt like a burden. Sometimes I thought he worked extra shifts just to get away from me.”

“Nah, he was having trouble keeping the heat on. I picked up a part-time job just to help him. He was overwhelmed, but never checked out. You’re his family.”

Feeling brave, she slid her fingers over his on her thigh and squeezed his hand. “I don’t understand why he wouldn’t tell me that. I spent my last few years here thinking he hated me for making him grow up too fast.”

“It wasn’t that, Ava. You had trouble with some of your classes in school. Trouble making the grades. Colton was making it as easy on you as possible to focus on school and get the life you always talked about wanting. His focus was on keeping you in the house you grew up in so nothing else changed for you. But he was a kid, and all of a sudden, he had guardianship and big bills, and he did have to grow up immediately. And he did. For you. He was busting his ass trying to keep life as steady as possible for you.”

“And you were, too?”

Trig huffed a laugh and nodded. “Hell yeah. I was breaking up sheetrock for a construction company and laying tile to help y’all out.”

“Why?” she asked, baffled why a nineteen-year-old kid would give his money away so selflessly like that.

“Because you were Colton’s family, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you both felt like mine to take care of, too.”

She was taken aback. This overwhelming urge to cry and hug him took over her. “I was wrong about so much.”

“Nah, everything happened the way it was supposed to happen. Regrets are pointless. Look what you did with your anger and disappointment. You went out and became a dragon. You run your own business and don’t take no shit from nobody. You know how many women I’ve seen buckle under your kind of start in life? Not you, though. Never you. I never had a single worry about how you would turn out, Ava. Little spitfire, and stubborn as a hair in a biscuit. I fucking love that about you.”

Butterflies flapped around in her stomach at his mention of the L-word, and feeling even bolder, she unbuckled her seatbelt, scooted all the way over on the bench seat of his truck until their shoulders touched, and then she re-buckled herself into the middle seat.

He lifted his arm smoothly over her shoulder and tucked her against his warm ribs, then smiled down at her. Sure, his eyes still couldn’t pass for human in any way, but that smile leveled her insides and eased a tension in her shoulders she hadn’t known she was carrying. He was okay, and she was okay, and everything was going to be okay.

The Long Island and the whiskey had done its job. The edge of the pain in her shoulder was nice and fuzzy now. Trigger had taped gauze to it, and if she didn’t move her arm, it was fine. When a country song she recognized came on the radio, she smiled. It was about a first date.

“Was tonight our first date?” she asked.

“Woman, if I took you on a date, you wouldn’t be questioning it.”

“Well, you took me shoe shopping. And we grocery shopped together. And we got in a barfight together.”

A deep chuckle reverberated from Trig’s chest. “You want our first date to include a barfight?”

“Well, who else could say that about their first date?” She clamped her teeth gently onto his shoulder, and a soft groan sounded from him. Whoa, sexy man. She did it again, and he rolled his hips slightly.

Ava slid her hand to the seam of his pants where his hard erection pressed against it. She couldn’t help the smile that took over her face if she tried. She’d done that—made him want her back, like she wanted him.

It was warm in the truck, and the snowy woods were blurring by outside the window, but she was completely taken by his relaxed profile. His knuckles were still bleeding, but he looked the epitome of calm.

“Usually, I’m worked up after a fight and I need to Change right away. Sometimes it’s really bad, and I Change during a fight.”

“You seem okay right now.”

Trig frowned. “I am. You confuse me. Half the time you make my animal harder to manage, and the other half you make him quiet and watchful. Tonight was close. I almost Changed in that bar, and if that ever happens and you’re around, you have to make me a promise.”

“Anything.”

“Promise me you’ll run.”

“Leave you in a fight?”

“Yep. Leave me, leave Colton, leave the fuckin’ town until you know I’m Changed back. No hesitation, just get the hell out of there.”

“What are you?”

He brushed his lips against her hair. “I’m a weapon.”

“A weapon?”

He pulled to the side of the road and pushed the gear shift on the steering column all the way up into park. “I’m the trigger. It’s why my dad gave me that name. Anyone messes with someone I care about, I get obsessed and don’t back down until they pay. I can’t back down. I don’t have it in me.”

“Trigger,” she whispered, and then repeated because she had to know, “What are you?”

He leaned into her and kissed her deep, and when he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers and murmured, “I’m yours.”

It wasn’t the answer she’d expected. It was so much better. Someday he would show her what dark creature dwelled inside of him, but for now he was giving her something just as big. Himself.

She only winced a little when she cupped his cheeks and kissed him. And the pain dulled even more when he laid her back on the bench seat and pushed his tongue past her lips. His fingers dug into her hip, into her thigh, into her knee, and back to her thigh as he touched her rough, how he wanted. She loved this. Loved how he couldn’t seem to control his hands around her. It was the perfect amount of pressure to rev her up. Already, she was writhing against him, needy sounds in her throat as he kissed her senseless. She remembered exactly what his fingers felt like sliding inside of her, and right now, she wanted—no, needed—that so she could feel centered again. She’d been floating off the ground since she’d watched Chase turn into a big cat, but Trigger could fix it. He could give her relief. He could anchor her to the world again with his touch. He could make her forget her fear from earlier and she could get lost in him, and right now, she didn’t want anything else.

He shoved her legs apart and laid his full weight on her. She should’ve been uncomfortable under such a big man, but it was fine. The pressure made her feel safe. His kisses were becoming more urgent, and she ignored the pain when she lifted the hem of his shirt. He reached over his head and yanked his shirt off, shoved his jacket out of their way, unzipped hers, and lifted her sweater. And then he did something she fell in love with. He laid down on top of her and let off this sigh of relief when the skin of their stomachs touched. He was so warm, and she got that same sense of happiness touching him like this, too. He was the perfect fit for her.

The roll of his hips was smooth against hers, and his hard erection was rubbing her in the perfect spot. There was a soft rumbling sound in his throat that gave her chills. Desperately, she reached between them and unfastened his belt. Trig’s hips jerked as she popped the button of his jeans. God, he was beautiful, propped up on massive, tattooed, locked arms, his triceps flexing as he looked down at her. His gaze and touch were flames against her skin, and all she wanted…the only thing…was for him to be buried deep inside of her, connected. This wouldn’t be like her first time. This would be even bigger. She didn’t know how she knew, but she just did. Tonight, he was letting her in. He was letting them build a bond.

She’d never felt so close to another person in her entire life, and she was high on the thought that she wasn’t alone anymore. Trigger had been the most unexpected thing to happen to her.

Hands steady, he undid her jeans and pulled them along with her panties down her hips to her knees, then past her ankles. His focus stayed between her legs as he pushed the head of his cock into her by an inch. He drew back and lifted that gold gaze to hers, watched her face as he gripped her hip and pushed all the way inside her.

God, it felt so good. She arched her back and let off a helpless sound, spread her knees wider for him as he withdrew and pushed in again. How could anything feel this incredible?

“Trig,” she whispered as he pushed all the way in again, bumping her just right as he did.

Lowering himself to her, he made her feel safe and secure as he kissed her and bucked into her faster, faster. No taking their time on this one, and she didn’t want to. Already, she was close to climax, the pressure building and building until she was yelling with every stroke. “Right there,” she pleaded, and he kept steady as her body shattered.

Big, rutting, dominant man. He milked every aftershock until she was twitching, and then he eased out of her and flipped her over like she weighed nothing. It hurt staying propped up on her one arm, but his hand went gently around her throat, and locking his other arm right beside her, he helped her stay upright in the sexiest damn way she could imagine. It was a gentle choke. She could still breathe just fine, but having his big hand right there, holding her in place as he slid into her from behind had her gasping his name.

The growl in his chest filled the cab of the truck, and the windows were all steamed up. She slammed her hand against the passenger’s side window as he bucked into her over and over, faster and faster. His hand went from her throat to between her legs, and he touched her clit as he stroked into her. His teeth grazed her ear and she lost it. Again. She cried out as her climax came out of nowhere, and Trig reared back, then slammed into her deep. He froze for a second as his big dick pulsed hard inside of her, spilling warmth. A dozen more strokes, and he’d emptied himself into her, and their throbbing releases matched.

“Oh, my gosh,” she whispered, rocking back and forth with his leisurely pumping motion. That had been…everything. She never wanted to be disconnected from him. She could’ve stayed just like this forever. For two songs, it was bliss. It was a hand print on the steamed-up window, warm air from the vent, and soft country music. It was her man behind her, taking care of her body with slow strokes, making her feel safer than she’d ever felt. It was the dull ache in her arm that reminded her he’d finally let her in on this town’s secrets and drawn her from the outside right into the center of the circle. It was snow falling in the high beams, and his soft kisses on her shoulders, the back of her neck, and her ears. He was adoring her and making her fall for him even harder.

This was that life-changing moment when she knew she would never be the same. Not after tonight. Not after all she’d seen and done. Not after being with him like this.

After tonight, there would be no leaving Trigger easily.