I stared at my reflection in the mirror and shook my head. It didn’t work. Nothing worked. I didn’t have a thing to wear. I yanked the top over my head and threw it on the bed. Kicking off my pants, I grabbed a dress from the closet and pulled it on.

“That’s the one.”

I spun around and found Muddy standing in my open bedroom doorway. I slapped my hand over my heart and frowned at her. “You scared the bejeezus out of me.”

“Your front door wasn’t locked.”

“But it was closed.”

She shrugged. “You’re a shifter. You should’ve heard me coming.”

She was right. I was just too nervous and distracted. I was meeting Pratt downstairs in less than half an hour. My stomach was flip-flopping like a fish out of water. I was just moments away from a total meltdown.

“That dress is stunning. You look beautiful, Luna. Besides, I guarantee that you could wear old pajamas and that man would drool over you.”

I looked down at the blue sundress and ran my hands over it. It had tiny white flowers on it and it fit me like a glove until flaring out at my hips. “I don’t look weird?”

“No. Why would you look weird?”

I sighed and sat down on a pile of clothes on my bed. “I don’t know. I’m freaking out. Why did I let you all talk me into this? This could be the beginning of the end of my serenity.”

“Us? You’re the one who went all googly eyed when Pratt asked you out. I saw you.” She laughed. “He was adorable, though. I don’t know how any woman could’ve said no to that.”

I couldn’t. I knew that as sure as I knew my name. Pratt had come in like a summer storm, fast and dangerous, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Several patrons’ heads turned and eyes widened in slight trepidation at his presence. He was menacing looking all tatted up and growly. But, then he’d spoken. He’d asked in such a silly way, like a nervous schoolboy, that I’d been disarmed. He wasn’t at all what I’d thought. I had to admit, Charlie may have been right. He did seem sweet.

“There we go. There’s that fifty-yard mate stare. You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”

I ran my fingers through my hair and nodded. There was no point in denying it. She knew. “He’s not what I expected.”

“Charlie’s been telling you that he’s a nice guy.”

“He’s in an outlaw biker gang, though.”

“So is Axel. He turned out to be a nice guy. Besides, this whole Helen’s Corner chapter is different. I heard Raif’s even getting involved, and a little birdie told me that Sonnie just said yes to Holt putting down a down payment on a new Harley.” Charlie sat down beside me on the bed. “You’re safe here, Luna. If anyone, Pratt or anyone else, ever tried to hurt you, we’d take them out.”

I blinked away tears at the unexpected sentiment and laughed. “Calm down, Liam Neeson. You don’t have to take anyone out. I actually got a kind of good feeling from Pratt.”

She wagged her eyebrows. “I’m sure you did.”

“Shut up. And leave. I don’t want you here, making it weird when he shows up.”

“Making it weird? I helped make this happen!” She stood up, though, and walked towards the door. “Ungrateful little cotton tail.”

I grinned at her and nodded. “That’s me.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do tonight.”

“Pretty sure that leaves my options wide open.”

Muddy pointed at me. “You’re getting mouthy.”

I just smiled and watched as she opened the door to leave. The girls had come through and been there for me in a big way. I’d always been friends with them somewhat, but I knew that they were all closer to each other than they were to me. I was newer in town and most of them had been together for a long time. They were all amazing. Again, I thought of the magic that landed me in Helen’s Corner.

“Have fun tonight, Luna. Just remember, he’s your mate. Fate already put you together. Just go with it.”

“I will.” I hesitated. “Thank you, Muddy. I’m grateful to all of you for pushing me. I was just scared. I should’ve known better. He’s my mate. Did I really think I could hide from that?”

She came back in and hugged me. “We all think that at some point. I was one of the worst offenders. We’ve been doing this dance for thousands of years and we’re still convinced that can outrun fate. Shows how smart we are.”

“Evolution should get to work on that.”

“I’m going. Have fun.”

I waved her out and shut the door. I still had to put on mascara and lip gloss before I’d be ready to go. Right as I was slipping into my sandals, I heard a motorcycle outside.

A knock at my door a few seconds later made me jump. I turned to it and my heart started pounding. I knew immediately that it was Pratt. I could smell him through the thick door. My inner rabbit was thrilled. I felt that same thrill travel down my spine.

I forced my legs to carry me to the door. My hands shook as I opened the door. There were so many feelings rushing through me.

Pratt stood there, in jeans and a clean white T-shirt. The sleeves were stretched tight over his massive biceps and chest and his hair was combed back, away from his face. He looked like every James Dean fantasy I’d ever had, down to the black motorcycle boots. Only, bigger.

His smile slipped as he trailed his eyes down my body. When he looked back up at me, his dark eyes were glowing. “You look beautiful.”

I looked away as I felt my face go red. “You, too. Look handsome, I mean.”

“Axel tried to make me wear a button-down.” He shook his head and a lock of his pitch black hair fell across his forehead. “Not for me. I hope you don’t mind a T-shirt.”

I wanted to run my hands through his hair. My brain got stuck on that and when I blinked and forced myself to focus, I realized he’d said something else to me. “What?”

Pratt grinned and reached out to gently take my hand. “I thought we could go to this vegetarian place in Smith. Charlie mentioned that you’re a vegetarian. I Googled it and found a place that has great Yelp reviews.”

Touched, I smiled and took a step closer to him. “That sounds wonderful.”

I grabbed my purse and locked my door behind us. As soon as I was finished, he took my hand and I had to keep from letting out a soft sigh. His hand was huge and rough in spots, and it wasn’t seconds before my brain started to wonder what his hands would feel like on the rest of my body.

“I don’t have an extra helmet, yet, so you’ll wear mine for now. Is that okay?”

We exited the side door that led up to my apartment and I stopped short when I saw his motorcycle. I looked down at my dress and then back at the motorcycle.

Pratt followed my eyes and stepped closer to me. His hand lightly brushed the material of my dress and he smiled. “It’ll be okay. Unless you want to go change. Whatever you want.”

I shook my head. I could do it. I saw Charlie riding on the back of Axel’s bike all the time in skirts. “It’s okay. As long as I won’t flash anyone.”

His eyes turned molten again, but he stepped back. “We’ll make sure you don’t. Have you ever ridden one before?”

I watched as he pulled a helmet off the handle and shook my head. “Never.”

Pratt stepped into my space again and gently brushed my hair away from my face. He slipped the helmet over my head and buckled it under my chin. “It’s fun. Try to get addicted.” He winked.

He straddled the bike before holding out his hand for me to get on. I took a deep breath and hoped that no one was watching as I climbed on with all the grace of a newborn calf.