As Garrett and Arizona walked along a path through the woods, twilight cast long shadows. The trail connected his property to his father’s and if he continued farther, he’d reach his sister’s house. His heart beat faster than necessary. Everything would be fine as long as they kept their story straight.

“What should we tell them if they ask about the wedding?” she asked.

“We haven’t picked a date yet, but we plan on doing it soon.”

“What if your father wants to see us married before he dies?”

He hadn’t considered that possibility. When he’d met with his father a few days earlier, his dad had seemed content enough with their engagement. They wouldn’t actually have to get married. He never would have agreed to the deception if they’d planned on taking it that far. Although he never planned on getting married, if he did get married, it would only be once. A fake marriage was out of the question.

His arrangement with Arizona was perfect. She wasn’t the clingy, desperate-to-get-married type, unlike many of the other shifter women. He’d turned down more than one advance over the last few months. Even though they claimed they only wanted no-strings sex, he knew their tune would change the minute they got naked. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t had sex in six months.

A few yards ahead, a tangle of huckleberry bushes rustled.

“What was that?”

Arizona threw herself against him. Her fingers gripped his upper arms while her firm breasts pressed against his chest. Blood rushed south. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer. His bear roared with approval.

“Just a deer. My bear scented him a few minutes ago,” he murmured as he pressed his face into her silky hair.

She’d taken forever to get ready, but when she’d walked out of her bedroom, he’d almost come on the spot. A dark pink dress hugged every curve of her body. But it wasn’t too tight—just enough to make his mouth water and his cock go impossibly hard. She’d tossed a light sweater around her shoulders in case it got cold later. He’d wanted to tell her he’d keep her warm, but had kept his mouth shut.

He eyed the hem of the knee-length dress. He could easily bunch it up around her waist and take her up against a tree. Sure, he’d have to pick pieces of tree bark out of her back when he was done, but he’d make her come hard enough to forget any discomfort. Or, he could lie down on a bed of pine needles and let her ride him until she screamed with pleasure. Either way would work.

“You spaced out,” she said.

His gaze dropped to her plump, rosy lips. She’d spread shiny pink gloss across them, but she didn’t need makeup. She was already the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And those enticing rosebud lips were just begging to be kissed. If he kissed her once, it would be enough to get her out of his system. He’d never have to think about kissing her again. And maybe her lips weren’t as petal-soft as he anticipated. Maybe she tasted like garlic, or had stinky breath. He’d never know unless…

He shouldn’t.

He couldn’t.

He didn’t dare.

Got for it! his bear hollered.

He slid one hand behind her neck and tugged her closer. Her eyes went wide.

“What are you—”

As he crushed his lips to hers, she whimpered and sagged against him. When she parted her lips and slid her fingers into his hair, he slipped his tongue between her lips. She tasted of honey and forbidden passion, and even though he needed to stop, he couldn’t. Especially not when she wriggled her hips against his thighs. Hard as steel, the painful throb at the base of his cock intensified as she bit the edge of his lip.

He deepened the kiss, tangling his tongue with hers until they were both breathless and panting with need. As he started to pull back, she pulled him closer. He groaned and slid his hands down to cup her ass. She hooked one leg around his thigh. He backed her toward the nearest tree.

“Garrett, is that you?” someone called from farther down the path.

Shit. His sister.

He stumbled back and Arizona quickly tugged the sides of her dress down. She shot him a flustered look before turning to meet Connie.

“Hey, Sis,” he said. “This is Arizona. My fiancée.” He almost choked on the last word; it felt foreign on his tongue.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you.” Connie grabbed Arizona and gave her a huge hug. Arizona’s eyebrows knitted together and shot him a bewildered look over his sister’s shoulder. Connie released her. “Dad sent me out to find you. He can’t wait to meet you. We’re all wondering why Garrett’s kept you a secret for so long.”

“Um…” Arizona looked to him for help.

“I knew meeting the family would be like enduring an interrogation so I wanted to spare her for as long as possible,” he said.

“We’re nice.” His sister put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Don’t go giving her the wrong impression. Besides, if she’s going to be a part of our family, then we have every right to get to know her.”

“Fine. You’re right,” he said. There was no point in trying to argue with her. He’d never win.

“Of course I’m right.” As she shook her head, her jet-black ponytail swished behind her. “Now come along. You have a lot of people to meet.”

As Connie hurried back up the path, he grabbed Arizona’s hand and squeezed it.

“What was that for?” she whispered under her breath.

“I’m trying to reassure you that everything will be fine.”

“Not the hand-holding, the kiss. What was that for?”

“We needed to practice,” he murmured.

“Why?”

“In case we need to kiss later. To make it seem real.” His excuse sounded lame. He knew it and didn’t care. Kissing her had been totally worth it.

“Fine. But don’t do it again unless we have to. Although I don’t see why we’d have to do it.”

“Kiss?” He arched a brow and gave her a naughty smile.

“Yes, kiss. UGH! You’re so dirty.”

“You like it.”

“Are you guys coming?” Connie called.

“Yep.”

He didn’t regret kissing her, but now he was in trouble. Instead of getting her out of his system, he wanted her even more. Sexual tension sizzled up and down his spine. His bear silently licked his lips as he watched her butt jiggle with each step. If it became necessary, he’d have no problem kissing her in front of his family. But keeping his lips to himself the next time they were alone might be the biggest challenge of his life.

* * *

Arizona held her head high and strolled into the barn full of bear shifters as if she did this every day. As if she hadn’t just experienced the most heart-stopping, panty-melting kiss of her life. If nothing else, she wouldn’t have to work too hard to pretend she had a thing for him. But this was all fake, and she needed to keep that fact at the forefront of her mind.

She wasn’t sure what to expect as they entered the barn. Inside, a pristine wood floor gleamed as if it had been freshly polished. Multiple sets of tables ran the length of the enormous room. Music blared from a homegrown country band playing on a makeshift stage. Children ran through and around smaller groups of people who stood with beers or sodas in their hands. Laughter and the cacophony of twenty or more conversations spilled out into the night.

She tried to remember names and faces, but as the endless introductions continued, it all whorled into a blur. Garrett finally steered her toward a table covered with metal buckets full of cans and ice.

“Can I get you something? Soda, beer?” he asked.

“Beer.”

“Need something to take the edge off?” he whispered. His hot breath caressed her neck and sent shivers of lust straight to her sex.

“Just thirsty.”

“Hmm…” His eyes twinkled as he handed her a bottle of dark beer.

“Thank you.”

She took a swig. Although she didn’t usually drink much, she welcomed the calming effect of the alcohol. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of her since they’d arrived. He was deceptively good at pretending to be in love with her. Too good. They’d only known each other a few hours, but he had a way of making her believe their relationship was real.

“Let’s sit down,” he said.

He guided her to a spot near the front of the barn. He pulled out her chair and waited until she sat before pushing it in. When he handed her a napkin, she grabbed it and held it to her mouth to cover a laugh that had bubbled up out of nowhere.

“What?” he murmured.

“You don’t have to fawn over me,” she said.

“If you were really my woman, I’d toss rose petals at your feet wherever you went.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

He cut her laughter short with a kiss. Before she could react, his arm slid around her waist and he’d half-dragged her into his lap. She almost pushed away but couldn’t. It would be too suspicious. So she played along, letting him kiss her until she was breathless.

“You have to stop doing that,” she whispered after he finally broke the kiss.

“I’m trying to be convincing.”

“Everyone’s staring. I’m pretty sure they’re convinced.”

“You can never be too careful. Don’t look now, but my dad just arrived.”

She ignored his warning and followed the direction of everyone’s gazes. A split-second hush washed over the gathering before talking and laughter resumed. Flanked by two large shifter guards, an old man in an electric wheelchair rolled into the room. Even though he was hooked up to an oxygen tank, he a carried himself with a regal air, as if he were a king surveying his subjects. When his gaze landed on her, his stoic expression broke into a huge smile. He rolled toward them.

“Get ready,” Garrett muttered.

“You must be Arizona,” his dad said. “I’m Wyatt, but I’m sure my son’s already warned you about me.”

“It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Clark,” she said.

“Wyatt, please. There’s no need for formality these days. I don’t have many left so I’m done catering to social niceties.”

“As if you ever did,” Garrett grumbled.

“Honey,” she placed her hand on his forearm. “Be nice to your father.”

“After all, I’m dying,” Wyatt said.

“I didn’t mean that,” she said.

“I know, but I may as well play that card as much as I can,” he said. “I don’t have much time left. Damn cancer’s eating me alive.”

“Can’t they do anything to help you? Chemo? Radiation?” she asked.

“No,” Garrett said. “Dad was too stubborn to go to the doctor so by the time they found it, it had spread throughout his entire body.”

“Never did like doctors,” his dad grumbled. “They said I only have a few weeks, maybe less.”

As if to punctuate that point, he broke into a coughing fit. She scrambled to grab a pitcher of water. She filled a glass and handed it to him. He took a few sips and finally stopped coughing.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Garrett asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”

Wyatt dismissed the questions with a wave of his hand. “I’m on enough pain killers I could out float a helium balloon. I can barely feel my toes.”

“Maybe you should get back to bed,” she said gently. “I’d be happy to come and visit you tomorrow.”

“Over my dead body,” his dad said.

Garrett groaned.

“I want to know everything about the woman who’s going to help my son take over the clan,” Wyatt said.

“What would you like to know?” she asked.

“Where has he been hiding you? You’re a beautiful young woman and I would have remembered you if you’d been around.”

“Thank you.” She patted his gnarled hand. “I work a lot, so I haven’t been able to spend as much time with him as I’d like to.”

It sounded plausible and it wasn’t entirely a lie. Garrett was intriguing. Part gentleman, part feral beast. She wanted to get to know him more. Even though their arrangement was only temporary, the more she learned about him, the more she liked him.

“You should marry him before I die,” his father said.

“What?” Her gaze snapped to Garrett, who was shaking his head no.

“Not a chance,” he said. “We’re not rushing into marriage. It’s a sacred commitment, something that shouldn’t be treated with distain.”

The fervor in his tone hinted at an underlying current of anger. Was he referring to his parents’ marriage? She’d have to ask him later.

“As long as you’re committed to leading the clan, I’ll die happy,” Wyatt said.

“Are you talking their ears off?” Connie asked as she approached.

“I was getting to know Garrett’s fiancée,” he said.

“I’d love to know more about her too.” Connie slid into a seat next to them. “Where did you meet?”

Arizona cast a frantic glance at Garrett. They hadn’t discussed that little detail.

“Well…” Garrett took a swig of his drink. “It’s actually a funny story. I was driving along Old Mining Road when I spotted her chained to a tree.”

“What?” Connie yelped.

Arizona’s eyes widened. Oh boy, what was he up to?

“Being the chivalrous man that I am,” Garrett continued, “I grabbed my bolt cutters and freed her. She yelled at me. Apparently she’d chained herself to a fence to protest the killing of wolves in the area.”

“Wow!” Connie grinned. “That’s amazing. I know there are a lot of tree-hugging free-the-wolves people around here, but I’ve never met anyone willing to stand up for their beliefs. And certainly no one who’d be willing to chain themselves to a tree.”

“I love wolves,” Arizona said. “They deserve to live wild and free.”

“See, I already like her,” Connie said. “She’ll be a great addition to the family.”

Arizona couldn’t believe they’d bought his ridiculous story. Chained to a tree? Really? She was going to kill him as soon as she got him alone.

“I’d never seen a woman with so much fire in her eyes,” Garrett said. He gave her a warm smile, melting her defenses in the process. “I’ve been in love with her ever since.”

He said it with so much conviction that she almost believed him.

“You must really love animals,” Connie said.

“I love fur,” Arizona said.

“And I’m very furry, even in human form,” Garrett said while waggling his eyebrows.

She laughed and slapped his arm playfully.

“I’m glad you found someone to love, son,” his dad said as he wiped the edge of his eyes.

“Now don’t go getting all emotional on us,” Connie said. “Come dance with me, Dad.”

“I’m in a wheelchair.”

“You’ll manage. You always do,” she said.

“Dancing sounds fun.” Garrett held out his hand to Arizona. “Shall we?”

“Sure.”

On the dance floor, Garrett drew her hard against his chest. His lips grazed against her ear, sending a shiver of desire down her neck.

“You’re doing great,” he murmured. “They believe us, and I think everyone else does too.”

“What makes you say that?” she asked.

“There are more than one pair of eyes shooting daggers at you right now.”

“What?”

She glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, several young woman stood with their arms crossed, glaring. Well too bad, ladies. He’s all mine! Maybe not for real, but they didn’t need to know it. She’d never dated a man as hot as Garrett, so why not enjoy the envious looks? As long as she didn’t start believing they were really a couple, then she’d be just fine.