~

 

“Well…” Nancy rolled her eyes at the ceiling and took a very long moment to think on that. “That’s the thing — it looks like I might be headed that way and fast.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” He growled.

“You.” She lifted her hand and jabbed him in the hard muscles of his chest with her index finger. “You — you — you — you…” She kept on jabbing him until he reached out and snatched at her wrist, closing his hand around it and holding it between them.

“You wanna tell me what the hell you’re talking about?” He growled.

In his mind; it seemed as if his mate was having a brain fart, several of them like she’d eaten a tin of beans and couldn’t stop popping off.

“I didn’t ask for some big, testosterone-fuelled, man mountain of a Shrek style oaf to walk into my life and announce he was my mate.”

“I know that!” he growled back.

“I was going on holiday…” She tossed up the hand that he wasn’t holding onto.

“I know that too!” He growled back.

“I wouldn’t say that I was wetting my damn knickers happy with life — but who is?” She scowled at him.

“Not me!” He growled back.

“There you go. And then here you come!” She tossed up that free hand once more.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You — with the big shoulders, all those muscles on display, that sexy damn smile, and those bloody puppy dog eyes…”

“Dog jokes? Now?” He growled.

“Oh, this isn’t a joke,” she hissed back at him.

“I know that!” He growled again.

“And it’s no bloody time to go taking a walkabout outside in a blizzard!” She snapped back.

“Your point?” he growled.

“I think you’re insane!” she snapped.

“I think you’re delusional!”

“I think I want to be your mate!”

“Huh?” Jeff drew a blank.

Nancy looked at him as if he’d just thrown up on her shoes. Her mouth moved but no sound came out, but still, he could see that she was thinking.

Did I just say that out loud? She tried to replay the conversation in her mind.

Oh – my – Goddess! I did! I said it out loud!

That’s not good — that’s so not good that it’s a catastrophe.

What if I don’t?

What if I do?

What if he thinks I do and I don’t?

What if he thinks I don’t and I do?

I think he’s right — I think I’m insane.

“Do you want to run that by me again?” He tipped his head to one side and questioned her sanity.

“Huh?” Nancy tried to look as innocent as possible; it didn’t work.

“Run it by me again.” He growled.

“When you say it…?” She left it there.

“Do not go there again.” He growled.

“Where?” She was still trying to look as innocent as possible.

“It.”

“It what?”

“You know what it is.”

“Probably about as much as you knew what it was earlier,” she offered back with the sweetest smile, but he wasn’t buying it.

“Don’t,” he lifted his hand and pointed his index finger at her. She snagged that finger inside the palm of her hand and craned her head forward on her neck.

“See. You don’t know what it is.”

“I’m warning you.”

“Oh, now you’re warning me,” she rolled her eyes.

“Seriously — don’t start.” He growled.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to toss me over your shoulder and…” She shrieked as he dipped at the waist and did just that. “You need to stop doing that.” She grumbled as she hung down his back.

“Just as soon as I make you my mate — maybe,” he growled back at her over his shoulder.

“You’re what?”

“You heard me.” He started on fast feet out of the kitchen.

“I definitely think you’re insane.”

“I think you protest too much.”

“I think I might just zap you.”

“Give it your best shot.” He growled. “You said you wanted to be my mate.”

“Did not.” She hissed.

“Did.”

“Not.”

“Tell it to the hand.” He growled over his shoulder as he started up the staircase.

“Bite me.”

“I intend to do just that.”

“I didn’t mean literally.”

“Too late — you said it — it — it — it.”

“You really do have a screw loose, don’t you?” She chuckled.

“When it comes to you — probably.” He kicked open his bedroom door, stalked inside the room, and backheeled it closed again.

“And you still don’t know what it is.”

Jeff tossed her through the air. With a hearty shriek, Nancy hit the mattress and bounced, just once, before her mate was caging her in.

“It is what I’ve had enough of. You, running rings around me. It’s time I took charge — I’m doing that.” Jeff growled and put every fiber of his being into it.

“Oh, are you?” She raised her eyebrows on her forehead and glared up at him.

“Yes.”

“Well, it’s about time.”

“Huh?”

“Hey, a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do — but one thing a girl has got to do — is not to make it easy for the guy.” She offered him one hell of a wicked grin.

“Well, now that I have you where I want you — a guy has got to do what a guy has got to do — and boy, are you going to enjoy it.”