Lights flashed and the horn beeped on the rugged four-wheel drive pickup when Demetri hit unlock on the electric key. He had his arm wrapped around Mary's shoulders, and his hand rested on her upper arm. At his side, Mary stiffened, dragging her feet slightly.

"Are you okay?" Demetri glanced over and parted his lips. His ram-shifter sense of smell wasn't as well developed as that of a predator, but there was no mistaking the nervousness gripping Mary. He more than halfway expected her to call things off between them. He'd be disappointed, but accepting. Mary wasn't the sort of woman who made a habit of taking strange men home for one-night stands. He knew that for a fact, because he had a long and sordid history of meaningless sexual trysts.

Immortality made for a long and lonely life. As the grandson of the Greek god Poseidon, Demetri never sickened or aged, although he could be hurt. He was forever youthful...forever alone. For three hundred years, Demetri had been constantly on the move. He never stayed in one place for too long...and thus avoided forming permanent emotional attachments. He told himself it was for his own good, and for the sake of the women he would've inevitably left behind when his curse forced him to depart.

"Something moved!" Mary flung out her arm, pointing toward the cab of his truck. The passenger side window was rolled halfway down.

Demetri tensed, looking in the direction she indicated, but then he relaxed. "Don't be alarmed," he said with a chuckle. "That's Colleen."

"Colleen?" Mary redirected her suspicion toward him. For such a gentle soul, she possessed more than her fair share of misgivings. It pricked his curiosity and left him wondering what had made her so cynical. He strongly suspected her ex was responsible for the heart-breaking mistrust and wariness in her beautiful eyes...and if Demetri ever met the rat-bastard, he'd put him in the ground.

"Colleen is my number one girl." Demetri circled around the vehicle to the passenger side and yanked the door open. He spread his arms wide, catching the furry blur that smashed into his chest.

A warm, wet tongue left a sloppy slurp of drool across his cheek. Demetri laughed and tried to catch the squirming dog, but she evaded his grasp. He wound up with a handful of silky fur that slid through his fingers. "Easy, girl," he said. "Calm down."

Colleen barked and settled on her rear haunches on the passenger seat. The blue-mottled dog had a compact and muscular build. She tilted her head to the side, considering Demetri with a familiar gleam of reproach in her blue eyes—a look that said, "I've been waiting for you for hours, and here you are with another woman?"

"Don't start," Demetri said to Colleen. He stepped back so the woman and dog could get a better look at one another. "Mary, this is Colleen. Colleen, Mary."

"Wow, she's beautiful," Mary whispered. Her hesitant steps crunched on the dry dirt as she eased closer. "Is she an Australian cattle dog?"

"That she is." And a damn sight more than that, too...

"Is it okay if I pet her?" Mary raised her hands, but didn't insist.

Colleen cocked her head, appraising Mary. A quiver passed through the dog. The moment grew profound; consequence hung in the air.

He drew in a sharp breath and held it. What came next pretty much determined the course his evening would follow. If Colleen didn't approve of Mary, their liaison would hit an insurmountable barrier. Demetri couldn't possibly consider becoming romantically involved without Colleen's blessing.

Whoa! Screeching halt—when had this turned into romance? Guilt followed, nipping at his heels, and it required a determined effort on Demetri's part to silence his conscience. Mary wasn't just a random stranger to him, and he worried about how she'd react when she discovered the truth. By the same token, he wanted to make love to Mary too much to come clean with her now and possibly ruin his chances.

With a great huff, Colleen shoved her head into Mary's palm. She wagged her tail, thumping the leather seat like a drum. Mary cooed, and Demetri sighed in relief. Mentally, he swiped his forehead—potential disaster averted.

"Aren't you a smart girl?" Mary asked, along with all the other goofy things people said to dogs. She rubbed Colleen's neck and laughed when the dog lavished kisses on her.

Demetri grinned. "Colleen, scoot over. We're taking Mary home."

In response, Colleen uttered an agreeable ruff and moved to the middle of the bench seat. Mary climbed into the passenger side. Demetri waited until the passenger door shut before he circled the truck and climbed behind the wheel. As he started the engine, an intoxicating sense of exhilaration filled him. It'd been centuries since his youth, but right then, he had the same high spirits as a child on a holiday.

"Turn right onto the main road," Mary said. Nervousness threaded her voice, but also excitement. The unmistakable perfume of her arousal spiked her basal scent.

"How far down the road till the next turn?"

"About five miles."

Demetri nodded and drove. Comfortable silence settled over them. A warm, solid weight pushed against his thigh. He glanced down at Colleen—sandwiched between him and Mary—and flashed an ironic smile. No disloyalty intended to his best friend, he'd much rather have Mary pressed against him. But he had the sense to understand that Colleen's comforting presence went a long way toward easing any awkward tension.

"Why doesn't she have a collar on?" Mary asked after a sustained silence.

"Colleen refuses to wear a collar." Demetri dropped his hand to stroke the dog's head.

Mary snorted, expressing her opinion of that in no uncertain terms. "What if she ran away? How would she find her way home?"

"Colleen is too smart to run away." Demetri hesitated, but only for a second. "Besides, she's microchipped. If she ever did get lost, the pet registry service has all my contact information."

Mary nodded, accepting the fib, and Colleen uttered a short bark, calling him out on the lie. She disapproved. Demetri muttered in annoyance, "You and me both, girl."

The sharp retort silenced Colleen. As much as he disliked dishonesty, sometimes a little white lie went down easier than the truth. He doubted Mary could have calmly accepted the news that Colleen was really a hybrid dog-dingo shifter who preferred to spend most of life in the canine form she'd been born into.

Mary giggled, capturing his attention. "What's so funny?"

"The way you talk to Colleen—like you're married."

"More like brother and sister," Demetri said with a wry chuckle.

"That's our exit." Mary raised her hand, pointing to the right.

The truck's headlamps glanced over a road sign announcing the upcoming turn off. He slowed down and swung onto the dirt road that led to her ranch. A small group of buildings were clustered on a hilltop, including a country farmhouse and a big red barn. Demetri parked beneath an old oak tree.

Conversation ceased as they climbed from the cab and swung the doors shut. A brisk ocean breeze swept down out of the spectacular starry sky, and the roar of the surf carried through the night. As he rounded the rear of the vehicle, Demetri stretched his arms, working out the tension in his shoulders. As was her habit, Colleen followed right on his heels, prepared to deliver a well-placed nip should he tarry.

They met at the rear of the vehicle. Awkwardness settled between them again. Mary fidgeted with her keyring and flicked a nervous glance in his direction. He stood his ground, leaving the decision up to her, and she rewarded his patience. Mary edged toward him—closer, but still not touching.

Time for some mindless small talk to ease the tension...

"Is this your home?" Demetri asked.

"Yeah," Mary said, sounding strained. "The ranch has been in my family for four generations. My parents have been gone a few years now—" She bit off whatever she'd been about to say, clearly changing her mind. Instead, she said, "It's all mine now. Well, mine and the bank's."

He nodded. Less than a foot separated them. Desire heated his blood, rendering cool thought damn near impossible. Foremost instinct urged him to seize Mary's shoulders and haul her against him, cover her mouth with his own, and kiss her senseless. With any other woman, he would've. But Mary wasn't a common bar hook-up any more than Colleen could be called a mutt. Both women possessed fine pedigrees and refined sensibilities, and he wouldn't be the insensitive clod that upset either of them.

"It's beautiful."

"Thank you." Mary took a deep breath. Trembling, she took the final step that brought her against him. The full, firm swell of her bosom pressed against his chest.

"You're beautiful." He stroked his fingers over her shoulder and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. When she tilted her head back, he brushed a light kiss over her lips.

Mary grasped his forearms, digging in with her nails. "Make love to me, Demetri."

"With pleasure." Awe filled his voice. He promised himself and the gods—a sacred vow—to treat this incredible woman with the respect and reverence she deserved. "Are you inviting me inside? I admit I'd rather make love to you for the first time on a proper bed."

Colleen barked, sharp and to the point. Startled, they glanced over at the cattle dog that stood on the front porch, several paces ahead of them.

Mary glanced at the dog and then laughed, a joyful sound to behold. "Yes, it's an invitation...presuming you're both house-trained."

Colleen woofed again, her jaws parted wide in a doggy-smile. Her tail swished behind her, wagging at a crazy pace.

"You...stop impugning my character." Demetri pinned the canine with a long side-eye look. So much for man's best friend. Treacherous hound.

"Let's go inside." Mary took his hand and led the way.