~

Normally, she would have zapped him without questioning it. Somehow, her heart didn’t seem in it.

But that didn’t stop her from zapping him anyway. He had challenged her, and she couldn’t back down.

Ray gritted his teeth and growled at the feel of her magic touch. It was less of a zinger and more of a sting to his pride.

He could live with that. It was definitely progress.

“Now you’ve done it,” Ray bit out and watched as she raised her chin in defiance.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really,” Ray said, and a moment later he had reached out, scooped her up, and tossed her over his shoulder. Blindsided, it took a moment to realize what was happening, and the rush of excitement within her battled with her pride, and the rush of blood to her head wasn’t helping matters either.

“Bloody caveman,” Ava bit out.

She couldn’t zap him again, not considering the fact that she was perched on his shoulder so precariously, and in truth, she didn’t really want to.

“Yes, but he is your caveman,” Lana chuckled, and Ava pushed up with her palms against Ray’s back and glared at her friend.

“So much solidarity, sister,” Ava bit out.

“Hey, I have my own troubles,” Lana chuckled back.

“Yes, you do,” Cary growled. There was something about watching his brother carry off his mate that sent his beast feral within him, and ignited the need to do the same with his own mate.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Lana said.

“Too late,” Cary offered back with a wolfish grin that shot a bolt of excitement right through her.

“I will not be carried like a sack of potatoes,” Lana warned him.

“Understood,” Cary said as he placed his bottle of beer on the table, and in a heartbeat; he’d scooped her up into his arms like some yesteryear hero in a black and white movie.

“I suppose I did ask for that one,” Lana chuckled.

“You’re a witch,” Frankie said with a grin. “You should know to read the small print.”

“What does that mean?” The alpha asked.

“Mean what you say, and say what you mean,” Lana called back over the beta’s shoulder as he carried her from the room.

“I can do that,” Rock growled.

With all the carrying off of mates that was going on; his beast was getting edgy within him. Hell, he was like a cat on a hot tin roof himself.

“Oh, can you?” Frankie chuckled at the thought. One thing about witches was that they always found a loophole in most things.

“I think I’ve got it covered,” Rock growled back.

Mine…

“We’ll see,” Frankie said, as much of a warning as anything else.

“Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted by life?” Rock asked, turning his whole body towards her, and placing the bottle of beer down on the countertop.

“If I remember correctly — you were growling and drooling, and nothing much seems to have changed,” she tossed back.

“Does it not?” Rock took one small step toward her, and she didn’t flinch, she didn’t draw back, and she didn’t even blink.

“I, on the other hand, was considering the options,” she informed him, but the teasing smile that twitched at the corners of her lips told him otherwise.

“Were you?” Rock couldn’t contain the rumble of a growl that got lodged in his throat. She blinked that time.

“I was.”

“And have you come to any conclusions?”

“I may have,” she said and shrugged her shoulders.

“Want to share?” He took another small step, foot to foot, almost chest to breast, they stood eyeing each other.

“Meh.” She shrugged again.

“Did nobody ever tell you that the big, bad wolf doesn’t like to be teased?”

“No, but I did hear that he had big ears, big fangs, and a really big…”

Frankie never got to finish, Rock’s arms came about her, and he brought his lips down on hers to silence her. He had a feeling that he knew what she was going to say, but just in case, and because he couldn’t hold back a moment longer, he took his chances.

He wasn’t disappointed. His mate melted in his arms like snow on a summer’s day.

Mine…

Rock wholeheartedly agreed with his beast’s sentiment. She was his. His mate. His life. He’d somehow managed to woo her, and he didn’t have a mind to try to work out how the hell he’d done it.

When he deepened the kiss, she kissed him right back.

That was good enough for him. He lifted her up his body with the intention of placing her backside down on the counter top, but when she wrapped her legs around his hips and pressed her sex against his hard, aching length — he changed his mind and headed for the door.