~

 

The look on Keri’s face told Penny that she had been busted enjoying the spectacle of the alpha trying to woo her friend. Sure, she felt a pang of guilt for her amusement, but she also thought it served the woman right for bringing them out into the wilds of the countryside in the first place.

Penny quickly turned away and put just one foot in front of the other before she noted that Neal was headed in her direction. The beta was walking fast, and for one long moment, she stood stock still – caught in the headlights of his dark, sexy eyes as equal amounts of panic and attraction played ping-pong within her mind.

Penny’s brain finally kicked her backside into gear, and she turned sharply, meaning to stalk in any other direction than the one her mate was in, but something – that felt an awful lot like magic – snagged around her ankle and pitched her downwards.

With a heart that was beating wildly as it had tried to escape her chest and thudded against her ribs – she was literally collected up into strong arms a moment before she hit the ground.

Penny’s head spun. It seemed that her heart was done trying to batter its way through her ribs and it lurched into her throat.

Her body was invaded and encased with the heat from a hot flush, and tingles raced across every inch of her skin, and all before she could even decide which way was up, or how she hadn’t face planted the ground.

“I’ve got you.” Those deep comforting words only soothed her for a moment, and then, they too, fired everything right back through her again as she realized just who it was that had her.

“I’m good. I’m fine. Let me go, Satan’s minion!” She hissed out on a whisper of desperation to be out of his arms.

“Satan’s minion?” There was a deep chuckle that followed his words and stomped on her nerves like he was doing a jig.

In turn, Penny tried her damnedest to do the hot shoe shuffle away from him, twisting her body, this way and that, but the man had arms of steel and a magnetic personality, and she was well and truly stuck to him like glue.

“Nice catch, son,” Father Ted said as he offered Neal a solid pat on the back on his way by, and the ladies from the church clapped his heroics.

Neal knew that he had one choice and one choice only. He had to do her bidding and set her away from him. With so many humans looking on, anything else would have seemed a little strange.

Mine…

Neal was about as happy as his beast at the small, but, noticeable distance that he put between them.

“You’re welcome…” Neal craned his head forward on his neck and offered her a slightly strained smile.

His body was on full alert just from having her that close. He didn’t think the ladies from the church would be too impressed with him if he reached down and adjusted the hard length that was being strangled within his jeans, or maybe they would, but he wasn’t about to risk it.

“Thanks,” Penny hissed back. She didn’t really sound a woman that was grateful not to be munching on grass like a cow. “Now jog on.”

“Is that any way to speak to the man who saved you from going splat?”

Neal wasn’t sure what to do with his arms or his hands – he knew what he wanted to do and that was to have them full of the feel of his mate once more. Instead, he folded them over his broad, muscled chest.

“Maybe not, but it’s a good way to speak to the man who wants to mate with me…” she offered back with a small sneer and watched as realization dawned on him that she knew.

The very thought of it – having her body wrapped around his as he took her down his hard length – sent shockwaves through his mind, body, and even his soul.

He wanted that. He wanted her, and his beast was more than ready to make that claim given half a chance.

Mine… The wolf confirmed what he already knew.

“Hmm, let me guess – you have a problem with that?” Neal said, ignoring his wolf.

He might have been teasing her on the inside, but he held a look of thoughtful and serious contemplation on his face.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“It’s a question, and from your words, maybe a little observation.”

“I’m… speechless.”

“Obviously not.” He shot back, and she snapped her head back on her neck and scowled up at him.

“I don’t think I like you much?” Penny offered, doing some contemplating of her own.

Either the man was insane, or she’d entered an alternate reality where she didn’t know the rules.

Aren’t mates supposed to woo?

The man’s downright rude.

“Well, you don’t have to like me to sleep with me,” Neal tossed back, playing the woman at her own game.

“Excuse me?” Penny gasped and swallowed hard against her tongue.

Is he for real?

“We could call it a marriage of convenience.” Neal gave a small shrug off his shoulders.

“Oh, could we?” Penny’s voice became slightly edgy and heading towards the shrill end of the scale. His better-than-perfect hearing didn’t appreciate the sound much.

“I’m thinking yes.”

Penny took a moment to look around her. He wasn’t sure if she was looking for one of her friends to bail her out, or if she was seeing if anyone was looking so that she could zap the hell out of him – either way, he braced his body for action.

“I’m thinking you escaped from the loony bin and hopefully someone is coming to lock you back up,” Penny muttered.

“Have a nice trip dear?” Enid asked as she walked on by, and Penny offered her a clueless look.

“Trip?”

“You know?” The woman pretended to trip over her own feet with a small chuckle for her acting skills.

“Trip,” Neal muttered on a teasing grin.

“Oh!” Penny forced a smile to her lips, but she’d bet a penny to a pound that it hadn’t reached her eyes. “Yes, two left feet.”

“Lucky, you had this big, strong, hunk of a man to save you!”

Enid’s schoolgirl enthusiasm jumped all over Penny’s last nerve.

“My hero,” Penny bit out as if those words tasted horribly on her tongue.

“Yesss, heroic.”

Enid grinned at Neal – the older woman’s eyes said yum, and Penny’s lower jaw sagged slightly at the scene in front of her. She had to question if the woman would be so happy if she knew what the man she was drooling over actually was.

“You mind how you go now, Miss Enid,” Neal offered – oozing charm from every pore.

Penny rolled her eyes at his antics.

Mind how you go Miss Enid… she mimicked.

Such a blooming hero!

Super-wolf… certainly not teen wolf.

You lap it up, you.

Ha! Lap it up, wolf, scum suck-y muck head.

“Going to save me too, young man…?” Enid chuckled and swooned all in one go. Then the woman blushed as she carried on towards the trucks.

Penny groaned inwardly.

“Don’t mind me, you go and run right after your mate,” Penny said, lifting her hands and shooing him towards Enid, and inadvertently bringing Neal’s attention right back towards her.

“Jealous?”

It was one word, and it was teasing, she knew that, but boy, did it explain the irrational feelings inside of her.

“Nope,” she lied was one small shake of her head. “You can definitely go right ahead.”

Oh – my – Goddess – jealous of a woman old enough to be my grandmother!

What’s wrong with me?

I think I’m having a senior moment of my own.

No thinking, I’m definitely having a senior moment.

I need a drink.

I need a lot of drinks.

How can I be jealous of an old lady ogling my mate.

Oh, mate… What a horrible thought.

She can have him.

I hope they’ll be very happy together, doing…

Oh God, I don’t want that picture in my mind.

Scrub it away.

Bleach. I need mind bleach!

I definitely need a drink.

Alcohol is always good for.

Oh, who cares what it’s good for … if it scrubs that image from my damn mind.

I need to think rationally.

I need to kick fate right in the…

“I think I’ll pass,” Neal leaned his upper body in further towards hers.

He half expected her to pull back, maybe take a step, and he was quite surprised when she stood her ground.

But then – this was the same witch from the night before that had kicked him in the balls – twice.

“I’m sure she’s a little too much for you.”

Penny knew that she was dicing with his dominant side – practically tossing out a challenge for him and his wolf, but then, in truth, she didn’t much care.

“You, on the other hand, are the perfect fit.”

“I’m…” Penny didn’t like the sounds of his words, the hidden meaning, and yet her body liked it just fine.

“Tongue tied and bashful…” Neal gave another thoughtful nod of his head.

“Repulsed and nauseous…”

“Excited by the prospect of being my mate.”

“Disgusted beyond belief at the thought.”

“Eager to get started.”

“And be as far away as humanly possible before the sun goes down.” She snapped.

“In that case.” Neal leaned his upper body in further and watched her eyes narrow on him, but still, she didn’t pull away. “I’d better get to the mating part as quickly as possible, don’t you think?”

Oh boy, am I thinking!

There he goes again, putting thoughts into my mind.

I’d rather not think about his hard body pressed against mine as we’re getting down and dirty.

I’d certainly rather not think about licking the man from head to toe like he’s an ice cream.

I’d rather put an ice pick in my own eye than imagine his naked – hard – body.

Oh, Goddess – save my damn sanity.

“Oh, believe me. I’m trying not to think.” Penny hissed back. “I find myself very queasy at that image.”

“Pregnant already?” Neal grinned. “Boy, my swimmers are awesome.” He motioned at the small space between them.

“A premature ejeculator…?” She shrugged her shoulders at the thought and heard his low, deep, growl of annoyance.

“W-what?”

“Oooh, I hit a raw nerve.” She grinned inwardly.

“No, no you didn’t,” he rushed out, taking the blow to his manhood about as well as if he’d hit a wall at high speed.

“Poor you,” she offered him a dollop of mock sympathy. Then she gasped and palmed her chest. “Poor me.” She twisted her face and grimaced up at him.

“Now, just you wait a…” He lifted his hand and wagged a thick index finger in her direction.

“I could never be fulfilled on a sexual level,” she sighed.

“That’s not…”

“Damn, so close and yet so far in the happiness stakes.” She tossed up her hands as if life had just handed her a lemon.

“Will you just…?”

“Oh well, never mind!” She reached up a hand and slapped his bicep, resisting the urge to close her palm around it and squeeze.

“Now…”

“Best we part here, and you go back to watching internet porn.” Penny gave him an emphatic nod of her head.

Then she sidestepped the man who looked just as equally miffed as he did confused by how the conversation had gotten away from him and the direction that it had taken.

“I…” he announced, turning on his heels to follow her direction, and holding out that index finger, pointing at her back as she sauntered away with a little spring in her step.

He raised that hand to his head and scratched.

“You’ve gotta be faster than that to catch that one,” Enid said, and she shook her head and chuckled hard as she walked back towards the stools clutching a sack of soft toys.

“I think you’re right,” Neal bit out.

His head was still spinning at the speed with which it had all slipped away from him.

He was giving as good as he got, and for a long moment there he was sure that she was on the back foot.

Where the heck did that all go wrong?