Garrett held Arizona’s hand as they strolled through the moonlit woods. Chipmunks scampered off the path as they approached. The fresh scent of pine and spruce permeated the air. On any other night, he’d enjoy a late-night stroll, but not tonight. Fear had a strong grip around his heart and it wasn’t letting go. He should have known better than to let his relationship with her go this far, but he’d been so blinded by lust, he hadn’t noticed the signs of a deepening relationship. In the past, he would have run like hell. But now, he didn’t know what to do.

“I’m worried about us,” he said.

“Us?”

“I know. There shouldn’t be an ‘us.’”

“Is there? Are we… together?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

“We can’t. There can’t be an ‘us.’”

“I know, and I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings between us,” he said. “I’m not looking for a relationship.”

“Me either,” she said.

“I want to make sure I’m clear because I’ve had flings in the past with women who thought they could change me. They said they didn’t want a relationship, but they did. They’d try to get me to change, but I can’t be changed.”

The muscles in his neck tightened as he flashed back on all the times he’d had to end a fling because the other person started hounding him with expectations. They weren’t fond memories by any means, and he needed to make sure they were on the same page. The passion between them burned hotter each day, but it would incinerate them if they weren’t careful.

“I understand,” she said.

“What are you going to do after this is all over?” he asked.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back to my life.”

“Have you talked to anyone back there? Family, friends?”

“I don’t have any family,” she said sharply. “My mom’s dead and my dad…Anyway, I did talk to Gerri the other day. She told me Tony’s still looking for me. As long as he’s still bent on making me his wife, I won’t be able to go home.”

“I can see why you don’t want to get married to him, or anyone for that matter,” he said.

“You can?”

“Yeah. I get it more than you could ever know. My dad’s been hounding me to get married for years. The more he tries to cajole me into getting married, the more I resist. He wants me to take over the bear clan but I’m not interested in politics. I want to live a simple, peaceful life on the ranch. Is that too much to ask?”

“Not at all,” she said. “You shouldn’t let your father pressure you into anything.”

“I’m not.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “That’s why I have you.”

“For whatever it’s worth, I think you’d make a great husband.”

He arched a brow.

“Hypothetically speaking,” she quickly added. “You’d never neglect your family. You’ve learned from your father’s mistakes.”

“I’ll never be like him, which is why I don’t want to run the bear clan. I saw what his obsession did to my mother. He didn’t treat her the way a woman should be treated. If I ever did get struck by lightning and decide to get married, I’d treat my wife like a queen. She’d never want for anything.”

“I believe you,” she said.

He stopped walking and turned toward her. She reached up and caressed his cheek with the back of her hand.

“You look so dark and dangerous in the moonlight,” she said.

“Maybe even predatory?” he asked before smiling. “Let’s head home.”

Back inside the house, they stood outside her bedroom door. He pulled her close and wrapped her in a hug. He couldn’t bring himself to let go. He’d never told anyone about his secret longing to have a simple life, but he felt so safe with her. Like he could tell her anything and she wouldn’t judge him. He’d never met anyone like her. She was sexy, smart, beautiful, and so much more.

His bear reared up and demanded that he take her to his bed, but he resisted the impulse. They’d just talked about keeping their emotions in check and here he was going mushy already. And when he tried to justify it as just sex, he couldn’t. He didn’t believe his own lies anymore. Still, he couldn’t bear to be separated from her.

“Would you like to sleep with me?” he asked.

“I already slept with you.”

“No, not sex. Actual sleep. Beside me. In my bed.”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” she said. “We really should reestablish some boundaries. I don’t want either of us to get hurt.”

“You’re right.” He turned toward his bedroom.

“Wait.”

“Yeah?”

She stood before him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

“Goodnight,” she whispered.

“Goodnight.”

He spent the rest of the night alone in his bed. After tossing and turning for hours, he sighed and rolled onto his back. As the night progressed, he watched moonlight slide across the ceiling, and he couldn’t stop thinking about the woman down the hall.

* * *

Garrett stood waist-deep in the river as he cast his line. A few feet downstream, his best friend Daniel was reeling in an empty line.

“I’m going to try a different fly,” Daniel said. “And I asked Harmony to marry me.”

“What?” Garrett’s jaw dropped. “I’m sorry, but can you repeat that last part?”

“I asked Harmony to marry me.”

“When?”

“Last night.”

Garrett waded through the river to slap his friend on the back.

“Congratulations, man.”

“You sound surprised,” Daniel said.

“Real talk?”

“Shoot.”

“I’m really happy for you, but Harmony? You two are polar opposites. She doesn’t like hunting or fishing. And she’s always complaining about your furry back.”

Daniel laughed and pulled his shirt off.

“She shaved me last night.”

“Does she know it’s going to grow back the minute you shift?” Garrett asked.

“Yeah. She wanted to see me without all the fur for once. Her words.”

“Is she going to buy you a new razor now?”

“No,” Daniel said. “It’s not dull. I wasn’t that hairy. How’s everything going with your fiancée? I can’t believe you two are still faking it after all this time. No offense, but I don’t think your old man’s going to the next life unless he sees a ring on your finger.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

“You still hell-bent on never getting married?” Daniel asked.

“Yep. And what happened to your vow against monogamy?”

“People change. Time marches on and one day you wake up and wonder what it might be like to have your own family with little furballs running around.”

“Is she pregnant?” Garrett asked.

“No. God no. We’re not planning on having kids anytime soon.”

“You weren’t planning on getting married anytime soon either.”

“I know, but I love her,” Daniel said. “My bear loves her too, so there’s no denying she’s my mate. When you find the right woman, you should hold onto her and never let go.”

Garrett eyed him with suspicion. It almost sounded as if he were talking about Garrett’s relationship with Arizona. Or maybe he was reading into it too much.

“How are things with you and your fiancée?” Daniel asked.

Nope. He was right. He was talking about their relationship.

“Fine.”

“Just…Fine?” Daniel cocked his head. “You two can’t keep your hands off each other.”

“Chemistry will only get you so far.”

“True, but if you didn’t have anything in common with her, then you wouldn’t spend hours talking to her every night,” Daniel said.

“How do you know we spend hours talking?”

“I’ve seen you at the barn night after night talking nonstop. Well, when you’re not pawing each other.”

“We have a lot in common,” Garrett said. “We both have less than perfect fathers.”

“Based on what you’ve told me, hers is an asshole. Your dad’s just trying to carry on his legacy through you.”

“But he is still trying to control my life. Arizona’s dad is doing the exact same thing. It may look like one is better than the other, but ultimately, they’re both trying to force us to do something we never want to do,” Garrett said.

“Never say never. I can’t wait to get married. If you’d told me this would be happening three months ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. But now, I can hardly wait. I’m going to need a best man. Can I count on you?” Daniel asked.

“Of course. I’d be offended if you hadn’t asked.” Garrett grinned. “But don’t worry. I won’t be asking you to be my best man anytime soon. I’m not ready to settle down. No ball and chain for me.”

“If you say so,” Daniel said. “But one day you’ll wake up and realize this act you two are putting on isn’t an act at all.”

As they moved to recast their lines, Garrett couldn’t help but wonder if his friend was right. Was he falling in love with her?

* * *

After spending the afternoon shopping with Connie, Arizona met up with Garrett at the barn. Several couples who they knew from the nightly shifter gathering waved at her. She waved back. The strong sense of community fed her hungry soul. Although she had plenty of casual friends back home, she wasn’t very close with anyone but Gerri. Garrett’s family had gone out of their way to include her in every activity. It was more than she could ever hope for, which hurt. One day their fake engagement would end and she’d have to leave everyone behind. She wasn’t looking forward to that day.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Garrett said.

When he scooted his chair closer to hers, their thighs touched. Warmth spread throughout her body. They’d tried to avoid having sex that morning, but it was impossible. Their connection was too strong, so they’d eventually given up.

“I really like your family,” she said. “Even your dad. I feel so bad for him. He’s been bed-bound for weeks and he’s lost so much weight.”

“It’s hard to watch him wither away,” he admitted. “No matter what I think about his domineering attitude, he doesn’t deserve to be in pain. I wish I could do something for him.”

“He has a nurse and around-the-clock care. You can’t do much more,” she said.

“Yeah.”

“I never had family gatherings like this,” she said. “My father’s behavior made us the black sheep of the family. We have some distant cousins, but I’ve only met them once or twice.”

“With shifters, everyone’s part of a bigger family. We call it a clan, but it’s really a collection of huge extended families,” he said.

“I love the way everyone helps each other out. It’s like being in a small town where everyone knows everyone else.”

“There are benefits and drawbacks.”

“Like what?” she asked.

“You can’t keep a secret.”

“We have,” she whispered.

“We’re good actors.”

Are we?

She hadn’t been playing her role as fiancée for weeks. She tried to think back to when she’d stopped being so focused on making sure their relationship was believable, but she couldn’t pinpoint an exact time. Maybe she’d never been faking it.

“You’re deep in thought again,” he said.

“I hope they forgive me when the truth comes out,” she whispered. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially not Connie. She’s been so sweet to me. I hate lying to her.”

“Did you have fun shopping today?”

“It was a blast. I never had siblings, but if today was any indication of what it would be like to have a sister-in-law, I’m all for it.”

“That would require getting married,” he said in a playful tone.

“Good point.” She took a swig of beer.

“I have something I need to ask you. And… it’s really important. It’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you all night.”

A spark of adrenaline tightened her gut. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the question. When he leaned over to place his lips close to her ear, she shivered. Was he going to reopen the conversation about their relationship? They’d just closed the door on it—hard. How could he change his mind so fast? She’d have to set him straight.

His lips grazed the edge of her earlobe. Her traitorous body responded, wet and ready. All he had to do was touch her and she’d melt into his arms. She couldn’t control her reaction, and that realization scared her more than anything else.

When he opened his mouth to speak, she froze.

“Are you wearing any panties?” he asked in a low, seductive tone.

“What?” Had she heard him right?

“Are. You. Wearing. Panties?”

“No.”

“Good.”

“That’s what you wanted to ask me?” Her eyebrows knitted together. “I thought…”

“What?”

“Never mind,” she said.

Although she should have been relieved, conflicting emotions warred in her heart. If he’d asked her to be in a real relationship, would she have said no?

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she let it out, the tension in her stomach loosened. He wanted more sex, nothing more. There wasn’t anything to be worried about.

“Let’s go home,” he murmured against her ear.

In a daze, she followed him home. Fear clutched at her heart. She wasn’t ready to fully accept it, but she cared about him far more than she wanted to admit. Over the last few weeks, they’d done everything together. She’d gotten to know the gentle, soulful man behind his furry façade. And she wasn’t ready to let him go.

Inside the house, she headed toward her bedroom. If she didn’t get away from him quickly, she might voice her concerns out loud, which would only make them more real.

“Have a good night,” she said.

“Are you really going to play hard to get?” he asked.

“What? I’m not… I’m tired.”

“You won’t have to do any of the work,” he said. “Just lie there.”

He scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom. As he laid her on the bed, she wanted to protest, really, she did. But she couldn’t make her mouth cooperate. And when he molded his body against hers and pressed her into the mattress, she forgot why she’d ever considered saying no.