Zuri woke with a start. She stretched in bed and grinned when every single part of her body, especially her privates, felt like she’d overused it. Then reality sunk in. She’d had sex with a shifter. A giant-fucking-bear shifter and he’d bitten her. And it hurt like a motherfucker. She shot up in bed, wincing at the pull of muscles she’d mistreated the previous night.

Light filtered through the shades, but she was alone in the bedroom. She had little time to check out the place and now seemed like as good a time as any. The room was sparsely furnished. A bed and two night tables, a dresser, and a chair.

There were no photos or personals. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she was in a hotel room. She slid out of bed and went back to the closet she’d gotten the T-shirt from the night before. This time, she went to the enclosed bathroom and found an extra set of toothbrush and paste and a note.

Make yourself at home. I went to pick up some food.

S

She grinned like she’d lost her damn mind and glanced at herself in the mirror. Her pale skin was covered in red beard burns. She didn’t worry about what anyone would think if they saw her. It was getting cold anyway. She could wear a turtleneck and avoid all those questions.

With a smile the size of Texas, she jumped into the shower. This was unlike her. Zuri didn’t make drastic decisions when it came to…anything! Yet here she was, in a shifter’s home, letting him do all kinds of dirty, dirty things to her. Oh god, so dirty. And wondering about their relationship.

The normal Zuri would tell her there’s no relationship and to get the hell out of there. But the old Zuri, the one who used to be carefree and take risks told her to give the bear a chance.

He gave her enough orgasms, she had to at least listen to the man. Plus, he was a shifter. They weren’t cheaters or liars and they wanted a serious relationship, right? This might be a good move.

After her shower, she went downstairs and found fresh coffee and another note.

Figured you could use this. Don’t get dressed. It’ll take precious seconds to get you naked again. Seconds I could be using to make you come.

S

Her pussy clenched at his raw language. She made herself a cup of coffee and then thought of her cell phone. Her bag was on the kitchen table. Inside, her phone was buzzing on the last two percent of battery.

It was dying, but she saw she had enough missed calls to scare her into an early grave. She dialed her sister Sage, knowing that her mother and Isaline would be with her.

“Zuri!” Sage screamed in her ear, making her wince.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Oh my god. We were so worried. Well, me and Isaline were worried. Mom was excited. She thinks you were being ravished by a big bear shifter all night.”

God. How could she even tell them her mother was right?

“Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

There was a shuffling noise and Isaline came on the line. “So, what happened? What did you eat?”

“Isaline!”

“She ate sausage,” Mirabel yelled in the background. “Lots of bear-y yummy sausage, I bet.”

Zuri’s cheeks heated like her mother had been in the room with them. “Listen, don’t worry about me. I’ll be home later, I promise—”

The sound of the front door opening stopped her mid-sentence. She saw a woman walking in. Her family was still talking, but she was no longer listening.

“What are you still doing here?” the woman asked.

Zuri remembered her. She’d been the one surrounded by men the night before. “Who are you?”

The woman rolled her eyes and continued walking. Her presence made Zuri uncomfortable. She was sure this wasn’t a good thing. “Greer. I’m Savage’s mate.” She said the words slowly, then smiled. “You know, his woman. Soon to be his wife.”

Zuri’s heart thudded hard in her chest. “I think you’re confused.”

Greer gave an evil grin. “No, human. You’re the one that’s confused. Sav will fuck you and others, but at the end of the day, he’s coming home to me. Why? Simple. I’m like him. I get him. You’re weak. You’re never going to understand his appetites. He fucks like a god, so he needs women. That’s okay. I allow him to do that, but at the same time, he always comes back to me. Always.”

Zuri’s throat dried. Could she have been wrong about Sav? She didn’t really know him. She’d never met him at all and Full Moon Bay wasn’t that tiny of a town.

“What do you want?” Zuri asked, folding her arms over her chest protectively. She felt awkward now. Barely dressed in front of a woman who claimed Zuri was nothing but a damn one-night stand.

Greer raised a brow. “Nothing. I came to drop off your car. Sav asked me to. Apparently, he didn’t want any weird morning after meeting so he left and won’t be back until you’re gone. It’s outside if you want to leave.” She gave Zuri a full once-over. “Sav is my man. Don’t get any ideas. He might have fucked you last night, but it’s me he loves. Me he will always come to.”

She stood frozen after Greer left, nauseous and shaking. She should have listened to her mind. She didn’t know this guy. This was moving too fast. How could she just assume they were going to have a happily ever after because he fucked her like it was the end of the world and they were running out of time?