Driving to her place to meet up with her family for demolition day, Sorene’s words ran on a loop in Catriona’s head. A plan of sorts started to form.

She’d shelve her hurt. Lord knew it wouldn’t gain her anything to hold onto it. Losing the negative feelings and opening herself to the positive is what she taught in her yoga classes. She needed to take her own advice.

She parked in front of her shop and then walked across the street to place her pizza order in person, wishing she’d taken more time with her appearance.

She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and wore work jeans and another nondescript t-shirt which at one time had belonged to one of her sisters. Her long, black, wool coat covered up the casual outfit, giving her confidence that she didn’t look too dumpy. Pulling open the door, she strode in, giving her hips a little more sway than normal.

Avery stood behind the bar, where he ran the business much like a captain at the wheel of a ship. His dark hair was wet from a recent shower, and a small butterfly bandage covered a cut on his cheek. She knew from Ryder that they’d played pond hockey earlier. One of these times she wanted to watch him play. She’d caught him in high school where he’d played the celebrated center position. He’d been a senior while she was a sophomore. Even then she’d had stars in her eyes over him and had covertly noticed everything he’d done. He’d been imposing then, now he literally made her mouth water.

Without slowing her step, she walked straight up to him, a smile on her face.

He froze much like a moose caught in the high beams of a semi, frowning.

Before he could say anything, she spoke. “Hello, Avery. I need to place an order.”

He raised his hand to signal a waitress.

“No need for that. I’m sure you can handle writing it down.”

He stared at her, his brows furrowing, and slowly plucked a pencil free from behind his ear and grabbed a pad.

She matter-of-factly ordered five different pizzas. “Could you have it ready, say, in about three hours?”

“It’s not going to take Ryder and Dare three hours to knock down a wall.”

“You heard about that, did you?”

He made a grunt of agreement.

“There’s a bit more work than just tearing down a wall,” she supplied.

He looked like he wanted to ask what but then tightened his lips.

“Three hours should be good. Oh, and any chance you could have it delivered? I’m sure once we get started you won’t want me coming back covered in debris. Thanks.” She didn’t give him a chance to object. “How much do I owe you?” She slipped her credit card out of her wallet and held it out to him.

His hand covered hers. “It’s on me.” He seemed as surprised by his statement as she was.

“I can’t let you do that.”

“I insist. Since I can’t give you a hand, it’s the least I can do.”

“You would have helped?” Cat asked, surprised.

“I’m not a heartless bastard, and we help each other around here, you know that.”

“But you don’t want me across the street.” She couldn’t help but give emphasis to the word want.

“Friends help each other out.”

“Friends? Are we friends?”

It took him a moment to respond. “Yes, of course, we’re friends.” He raked a hand through his hair as though frustrated with this conversation. “Listen, Cat, about last night—”

“Already forgotten. There’s no need to bring it up.” She slipped her hand out from under his, putting away her credit card. “Well, if you won’t take my money, I thank you for your generosity.”

“Cat, wait—”

“I’ve got to get to work. Thanks again, Dawson.” She called him by his surname, which she’d never done. Everyone else called him Dawson except for his family and her. He hadn’t corrected her when they were dating, seeming to like it.

“Cat,” he growled her name, but she didn’t turn and just gave him a finger wave over her shoulder, heading for the exit at a fast, no-nonsense clip. She pushed open the door, thankful for the cold air washing over her, steadying her nerves.

Before she made it a few more feet, Avery clamped a hand around her arm and pulled her around to the side of the building.

“What are you doing?” she asked, stunned by his actions and more than a little unsettled by the heat in his eyes.

“You called me Dawson.”

“That’s your name.”

“Not for you it isn’t. You’ve always called me Avery. I’m Avery to you, not Dawson.”

“Your friends all call you Dawson.”

A wolf-like snarl escaped him at her words. “Damn you, woman. We’re not friends.”

“What are we then? Acquaintances? Colleagues? No, that’s not right. We’d have to work with each other for that. Familiars would require that we were Wiccan, so that doesn’t work either.”

“God dammit, you drive me crazy.”

“Well, if I drive you crazy, wouldn’t that put me more in the category of people you don’t like?”

He hauled her flush against him. “I like you, all right? I more than like you.”

“You just don’t want to more than like me.”

“Yes,” he hissed out.

“I guess that’s too bad for you then. Now if you would release me, I really need to get to work.”

“You are the most obstinate, confounding, sexy woman I have ever met. Last night—”

“We’re not talking about last night, remember?”

“I want to talk about it. I want to see you climax in my arms again, scream out my name, have your kitten claws marking crescent moons in the skin of my back.”

She gasped, her eyes going wide, and her mouth fell open. What did she say to that? The picture his words painted had her blood heating. “But you don’t want to be with me. You said so.”

“I lied. I want to be with you more than I want my next breath. You are all I think about. But I won’t marry you.”

“Excuse me?” She shook her head as if that would help her follow his line of thought. “Did I ever say anything about marriage?”

“You’re the marrying kind.”

“How do you know that?”

“I know.”

“You’re mistaken then.” Of course, she was the marrying kind, but she wouldn’t admit that under the threat of torture at this point. A thought came to her. “Is that why you never called? Why we stopped seeing each other, because you thought I wanted to marry you? Wow, talk about an inflated ego. How do you walk around with that huge thing on your shoulders? Just for your information, a lot of men have wanted to marry me and I turned them down.” There take that you inflated porcupine.

“Who asked you to marry them?” The blue flames were back in his hazel eyes.

“None of your business. Now let go of me before my knee gets intimate with your balls.”

He choked out a laugh. “You never warn a guy—oomph.”

He suddenly released her to cover his privates. She hadn’t kicked him in the balls, just raised her knee and connected close enough to have him leap back and protect the family jewels.

“Now if you will excuse me, I have better things to do than freeze my ass off out here arguing with the likes of you.” She shifted to move past him.

“This isn’t over, Cat,” he hollered after her.

“Yes, it is,” she returned, not looking back as she crossed to her side of the street.