Sawyer directed Penelope off the island and down the main road that led to town, having her turn off when they got to the island market parking lot less than a mile away.

“Why are we stopping here? I don’t need gas.” She looked down at her gas gauge to confirm. Sure enough the tank still read three quarters full.

“This is our destination.”

Her head turned to the dilapidated white building with two ancient pumps outside and a neon red sign in the window that declared the tiny shop open. When she looked back at him her gaze full of doubt, he easily read her mind.

“Have a little faith, Agent Bishop. I know it doesn’t look like much from out here, but that’s the point. Low key and low profile comes across as ordinary out here. But things aren’t always as they seem. Go ahead and park over there and trust me. I’m not going to steer you wrong.”

She looked over at the far end of the parking lot he pointed to and he watched her right brow lift in doubt. He nearly laughed out loud over her predictability. Except in this case, it came with a side of cute that he couldn’t resist.

“I’m not sure I know you well enough to trust you yet,” she said while pulling the vehicle into the spot he had pointed out anyway.

Sawyer opened the door. “That’s why we’re here, right? Some good old-fashioned bonding. We have a few drinks, maybe break bread together and then you can get more information out of me, right?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “You’ve come this far so you might as well see it through.”

She hesitated, her brain obviously weighing the pros and cons of the situation. He was beginning to understand a little more how Penelope Bishop worked. On one hand, she liked to analyze every situation like a good Federal agent would and on the other he suspected resided a little bit of a wild streak just dying to get out. He aimed to get to the wild streak.

He unfolded himself from her cramped car and shut the door behind him. His gut told him she would definitely follow. A moment later she emerged from the car and he turned away to hide his smile.

Oh, Miss Bishop. You are in so much trouble.

He choked back a laugh at his devious thoughts. If she thought he was bad asking about her panties, just wait until they’d both had a few drinks. Panties were the least of her worries.

As she marched towards the front door, her hips tantalizing him with their sway at every step, he snagged her hand before she could get away from him.

“Not there, Miss Bishop. Around here.” He steered her around the side of the building and out onto a dock that led to the backside of the building. When they rounded the corner to the rear, Penelope came to a complete halt.

He didn’t blame her. At this point the nondescript plain building transformed into a visionary work of art amidst an eye popping background of Devils Point across the water.

“Wow,” she said, her voice full of awe.

He took a few steps closer and lowered his voice. “Island secret.”

“Oh my God, I would say so. Holy cow. I thought the island was pretty from the bridge, but this--” she swept her arm in front of her, “This is unbelievable.”

He smiled. “The Pacific Northwest is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and still some places are more beautiful than others.”

“Your island in particular,” she agreed.

“Wait until the sun sets. This is the best spot in the state for the show.”

“I’ll bet.” She turned back to the building putting her face to face with him with only a few inches between them. “The front of the building was very misleading.”

Her voice had lowered to barely a whisper.

He stared down at her lips, captivated by the pale pink natural color unmarred by lipstick. It would be so easy to press forward and take the kiss he wanted more than anything. Except he suspected he was more likely to get a swift knee to the balls if he made that move now. They weren’t quite there yet. While he wasn’t known in the pack as the most patient, he could fight the urge to rush.

For now.

“I told you to trust me,” he said, surprised his own voice had grown thick.

A slow smile crept across her face, lighting up her eyes. “Not there yet, island boy. Maybe after a drink and a few secrets. I mean, you are keeping secrets.”

He laughed, reveling in the feeling deep in his chest. He hadn’t had a lot to laugh about lately, but in the course of a day she’d managed to pull more than one from him.

“Well, let’s at least take care of the first item on your list and then we’ll see. It might take more than a little alcohol to loosen these lips.”

She chuckled as he slid the screen door open to the tap room and ushered her into the near empty space. With two customers occupying one end of the space, Sawyer gravitated towards the opposite side with the cozy fireplace and leather chairs set in front of it.

“The menu’s on the chalkboard over there. Just let me know what you’d like to try and I’ll place the order. I highly recommend the blood orange beer if you’re into craft beer.”

Penelope walked over to the wall with the menu board and began studying the list. “Blood orange does sound tempting…”

It didn’t take her long as they kept their choices slim. The owner, a shifter from his pack who preferred a little separation from the island, had a knack for picking the best of the best. His knowledge and the proximity to Devils Point made this the go to place for small shifter gatherings all year long.

Not that his pack ever did anything small.

“I’d like to try the blueberry hard cider. They’re my favorite.”

Sawyer made a mental note that blueberries were Penelope’s favorite fruit. No telling when that information would come in handy. It was a small thing, but he liked the idea of learning more about her. “I hear it’s a good choice. I remember when Mack brought it in from some tiny cidery as a favor to a friend. Now, he can barely keep it in stock it’s become so popular.”

“You don’t like it or is it not manly enough?” she asked, managing to stifle an undignified giggle.

Sawyer shrugged. “Not much of a cider guy.” He quickly placed their order and returned to the comfy leather chairs. “Hope you’re hungry too. Breakfast feels like forever ago, so I took the liberty of ordering us some snacks.”

“Sounds good.”

Ms. Bishop had eased down into her chair and was staring off into the distance, giving him the opportunity to observe her without having to be coy or explain himself.

Despite her conservative dress and overall styling, her thick, dark hair tumbled around her face. It didn’t take much for him to imagine it tousled and messed after sex. In fact, he liked the idea of stripping Penelope of her nine to five trappings. It wasn’t just the clothes, though. Now that she’d relaxed for a moment, he began to see that underneath all that tension and the frumpy attire was a very young woman that should be out having fun instead of coming here to dig into things that would never satisfy her.

No matter how hard she tried, no one at Devils Point would open up. Not to a human. While they did now have a few humans living among them fully in the know, that didn’t mean they were willing to take risks with others. Those humans were different. They were mated to the pack and either turned or would be soon.

This one has to be turned. She’d never be satisfied with anything less.

His wolf mouthed off in his head, interrupting his thoughts and making Sawyer sigh. He hated when he and his wolf weren’t in sync. They weren’t supposed to be separate. Under normal circumstances the wolf flowed through him naturally, like an instinct not a different being. But it was exactly those wolf instincts that often caused a riff. His animal DNA was basically programmed to go with nature and had zip to do with living in a human world.

Mate.

The wolf pushed the word into his brain yet again. Sawyer shook his head against it.

The wolf had to listen to him. She was too dangerous for his kind.

Pussy.

Sawyer started. That was a decidedly human thought that had nothing to do with his wolf. What the hell?

Before he could analyze what the hell was happening in his own head, Penelope’s turned to look at him. Dark eyes met his and for a moment neither of them spoke. Heat sizzled through his blood just from a look. And no, he didn’t need his wolf to tell him that there was something special there. He felt it like a constant hum under his skin that made it difficult to keep his thoughts straight about her.

But that didn’t exactly change anything. Not really. She was with the FBI, which meant she represented danger to their way of life. If Damien or any of his brothers were here, they’d be all too happy to remind him of this fact.

And yet…

The longer they stared at each other the farther he fell. Love at first sight usually meant something different to shifters than humans. It was a mystical, maybe even chemical reaction that made two people instinctively drawn together. However, when he looked at her now, he didn’t see her as a potential mate to bear his cubs. No, he saw a beautiful woman that held herself back from life. Like him, she lived in a shadow instead of embracing her future.

Sawyer’s mind swirled with these kinds of thoughts until she broke the moment by looking away. He immediately leaned forward looking to reestablish the connection and touched the pale expanse of her neck now bared to him. Her resulting shiver underneath his fingers made him smile. But it was the quickening of her pulse that made him growl, his teeth lengthening. He moved closer. It would be so simple to sink into the silky exposed flesh.

He shook his head. Fuck. What the hell was wrong with him? He’d just met this woman and already he wanted to bite her. Something with those everlasting consequences could never be done lightly. Particularly not at the spur of the moment.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, pulling his attention away from her neck and back to the eyes she’d again turned his way.

Her soft question pulled a smile across his mouth. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re beautiful. Especially here.”

Her brows pulled together. “Why especially here?”

“You here, in this place with me, feels different. Devils Point is like that, you know. A small, normally quiet island surrounded by cold, sparkling water, plenty of fresh air and green trees, and friends and family who stick together no matter what. It’s a far cry from most communities. At least, we like to think so. So, you, taking a moment to enjoy our lifestyle feels special.”

Her face softened at his words, the worry creases across her forehead relaxing. He’d been right to tell her honestly how he felt. There were many more words he could get into that would have gone too far. For once in his life he’d chosen well.

Or fate had chosen well.

The urge to move a fraction closer and kiss her began to overwhelm him. Heat flooded through him, spurring him on. Not to mention the longing he recognized in her eyes. She may not understand their attraction or even necessarily want it yet, but it resided in her nonetheless.

They weren’t helpless against it, he could resist if he wanted to…

“Here you go.” Mack interrupted from behind him.

Sawyer growled low.

“Sorry, man. I didn’t realize. How about I leave these plates here on the table. It’s time for me to take a break anyway. You watch the place for me?”

“Sure.” He would agree to anything if that meant he got to spend time with Penelope alone.

Unfortunately, the clatter of the plates hitting the table, pulled Ms. Bishop from the moment and drew her attention to the food Mack had delivered.

“Holy cow on a cracker. I thought you said snacks.”

Sawyer turned to the table and nodded. “I did. If you don’t think it will be enough I’m sure Mack will make more. That’s what he does.”

Penny pointed at the assortment of bar food that included hamburger sliders, nachos, cheese sticks and his favorite white queso dip with a basket of corn chips. “That is not a snack. That is a feast. Who the heck is going to eat all of that?”

Sawyer sank down in the chair next to her, well aware that his chance to taste her was gone for the moment. “Well, you go first and then I’ll eat whatever is left over. And since I didn’t know exactly what you liked, I figured you’d appreciate a few choices.”

She shook her head. “That’s an insane amount of food. Do you have the metabolism of a twelve-year-old? I mean if I ate even a fraction of that, my hips would balloon to the point of bursting.”

Sawyer frowned. He didn’t like her talking about her curves as if they were a bad thing. “I like curves,” he said. “I’ll need more than skin and bones when I have you underneath me.”

Her eyes widened and she started to say something, but only managed a sputter. To her credit, she closed her eyes and took a slow deep breath. He’d thought for sure that statement would get him slapped or worse.

“Your ego is as big as your stomach. However, since I have a job to do here that doesn’t include flaying you alive, I’m going to let that little nugget slide.” She leaned forward, holding his gaze. “For now.”

Sawyer couldn’t hold back his grin. That feistiness she barely kept in check with a chokehold wanted to come out to play and he was damned sure determined to set it free. The sooner she let go of her tightly fisted barriers the better.

“That almost feels like a threat, Agent Bishop,” he said with a grin. “Or maybe it’s a challenge. If so, you should probably know that I love a challenge.”

She huffed out a breath. “You can keep trying to push my buttons if you want. But it’s not going to get you anywhere. This is what we in the Bureau call an impossible situation. So whatever it is you are hoping to accomplish with this charm you’re oozing, you might as well shove it back in its box and let it go. I have.”

Sawyer bit back a laugh. She might think this attraction between them was impossible, and it probably was, but impossible had become his specialty. Fate had decided to deliver him a sliver of hope in the shittiest time of his life. In the past, he may have done some pretty stupid shit, but as he settled back in his seat to watch, he knew without a doubt that letting this woman slip through his fingers would not be one of them.