Cole was wondering how in the hell he went from kissing Leeza behind the trailer to once again watching her walk away from him. He was getting sick and tired of…. His eyes went to her ass and he smiled. Okay, maybe he wasn’t sick and tired of watching her walk away, but dammit, he would rather her be walking toward him, not away.

Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. Maybe he didn’t handle the job thing with Lance Cutter very well. He could admit he acted like a jealous lover with a hard-on, but to even think of another man wanting her sent him over the edge. His hand clenched into a tight fist just at the thought.

“Son of a bitch.” Kile walked up, looking a little disheveled. “Thanks for the help, bro. Eric about killed me.”

“You won’t get any help from me after throwing me under the bus.” Cole snorted. “What the hell were you thinking, bringing up Patty, and Daphne Ruby’s tits in front of Gemma? Are you crazy?”

“Yeah, not one of my smartest moves, but did you see Eric’s face?” Kile’s laugh sounded more like a snicker.

“Have you seen yours?” Cole shot back. “You’re going to have a nice black eye.”

“Ain’t my first and I’m sure it won’t be my last.” Kile shrugged it off. “Anyway, after Eric finished beating my ass, he asked us to go into town and order lumber to be delivered. He’s got the list in the trailer.”

Cole needed to get away for a minute to think, so heading into town sounded good to him. “What time do they close?”

“We’ve got plenty of time, but I want to get back and help out so let’s get going,” Kile said, leading the way to the trailer.

Spotting Leeza talking with Gemma outside of Ari’s enclosure, Cole frowned when she spotted him then looked away quickly.

“What do you think about Lance Cutter?” Cole asked after they grabbed the list and headed toward the truck.

“Don’t really know much about him other than what I’ve heard.” Kile climbed into the driver seat. “Seems to me he’s trying to make it right after he was an asshole to Gemma. I know Larry doesn’t like him much, but Eric seems to be tolerating the man. Why?”

“Leeza wants to work over at Cutter’s.” Cole grabbed his sunglasses and put them on.

“So?” Kile backed up, then pulled into the dirt driveway and headed out. When Cole didn’t answer right away, Kile let out a low whistle. “The green monster nipping at your ass?”

“No,” Cole answered quickly, maybe a little too quickly. “Maybe. Fuck, man, I don’t know. All I know is I told her she couldn’t do it.”

“And how did that turn out?” Kile glanced from the road to Cole, then back to the road again.

“Not real well,” he replied honestly. “I’ll take care of her. She doesn’t need a job.”

Kile snorted as he clicked on the blinker. “Leeza’s a strong woman. Riley made sure of that. And even though it seemed like they had a special relationship, I’m sure Riley had a tight rein on her. She needs a partner, not a dictator.”

Cole looked at his brother in surprise. That actually made sense. Dare he ask? “So what do you suggest?”

“Get her in your bed as soon as possible if you haven’t already,” Kile responded, then glanced at Cole. A loud laugh escaped him.

“And just when I thought you were making sense.” Cole rubbed his eyes. Damn, he was tired. “She’s my mate.”

“No shit. Anyone with eyes can see that. Bro, wine and dine her. Get to know her.” Kile found a parking place. “Let her do what she needs to do. She’s different than the women we’ve known. I know that. And as for Lance Cutter, if he makes a move on her, kill him.”

Cole sat thinking about what Kile said while staring out the windshield as his brother slammed the door. Killing Lance Cutter would be the easiest solution. Not that he didn’t want to get to know Leeza better. It was the wine and dine bullshit. He’d never wined and dined a woman in his life.

Finally getting out of the truck, he walked around where Kile leaned, waiting for him.

“The wine and dine throw you?”

“Yeah, killing him would be easier.” Cole grinned, then shook his head. “Jesus, man.”

Kile clapped Cole on the back as they headed into the hardware store. “I know, but let me just say, seeing Cole Jackson having a hard time with a woman is making my day.”

“Fuck you,” Cole grumbled, wishing they weren’t in a public place so he could punch the asshole.

* * *

Leeza brushed down Ari, and he loved every minute of it. After that, as she raked out his enclosure, she noticed him pacing back and forth, stopping only to stare out toward the open land and wooded area that surrounded the sanctuary. Watching him, she leaned against the rake.

She wiped the sweat dribbling down the side of her face and searched the area as an idea formed. Seeing Gemma, she called out to her. Eric followed as they headed toward Ari’s enclosure.

“He doing okay?” Gemma asked, concerned, and Leeza’s respect for the woman went up a notch, if that were at all possible.

“He’s doing well, but…” Leeza glanced at Eric, figuring he already knew what she was going to ask by the thoughtful look on his face. “I think they all need some exercise.” Glancing at Ari, Leeza smiled, wondering if he also knew what she was going to ask. He was staring at her intently as if begging for her to ask. “If I shift, I can take him for a run.”

Gemma didn’t answer right away, her eyes going to Ari and then to Eric. “I don’t know.” Gemma sounded indecisive. “I’ve never tried that before, but I know it would be good for them. What do you think?”

Eric studied the wolf-dog and Leeza knew he was reading him. Damn, she wished she had that gift. Reading non-shifting animals was something to envy.

“I don’t know about all of them, but Ari will be fine.” Eric looked at Leeza. “Yeah, I don’t see why not.”

“If this works out well enough, can we do all of them?” Gemma asked excitedly. “I hate not being able to let them out to run, and I honestly didn’t think I could.”

“Let’s start with Ari first and see how that goes.” Eric smiled down at Gemma. He then let himself into the enclosure, kneeling in front of Ari. Both Leeza and Gemma watched in awe as Ari sat and stared into Eric’s eyes.

After a few minutes, Eric looked at Leeza. “Go shift, and I’ll bring him out.” Eric stood. “The property line is marked. Don’t go outside of the property lines. It will give him plenty of room to run.”

Leeza nodded with a huge smile. She had run the property a few times so knew exactly where to go. Heading out, she stopped in front of Gemma. “I promise nothing will happen to Ari.”

Gemma’s frown smoothed out with Leeza’s words. “I know that.” Gemma laughed with a shake of her head. “I hope this works and all of them can get the exercise outside of the enclosure they need.”

Agreeing, Leeza took off and headed toward her tent. Even though most on the property were shifters, or knew of them, she went inside her tent to shift. Shifting wasn’t pleasant by any means; it actually hurt and yet, once she shifted, she felt free. Her wolf was mellow by most standards, certainly from what she had heard from others whose wolves were restless and ready to be free. She knew for some it was a constant battle. But not her. Of course, she let her wolf free as much as possible, but she never felt the agitation and pure need she’d heard others talk about.

Leeza took the time to undress. She didn’t have many clothes and shifting from human form to her wolf destroyed more of her clothes than she cared to admit. She was usually careful, especially now that she didn’t have a true home.

Taking a few deep breaths, she prepared herself for the pain and let the nature of shifting take over. It didn’t take long, only seconds, and she stood on all fours peering out from her wolf’s eyes. She rarely gave her wolf full control over her. The only time she ever did that was when she’d fought Foster Manning. Her wolf growled at the thought. Not wanting to waste any more daylight, she hurried out of the tent and saw Eric, Gemma, and Ari waiting for her.

“You’re beautiful.” Gemma gasped as Leeza walked slowly toward her. Gemma then reached out and touched her wolf’s head. Leeza was always uncomfortable being petted by humans, or anyone for that matter, but her wolf absolutely loved it.

Glancing up at Eric, she saw him grinning, knowing he was reading her thoughts. Narrowing her eyes, she warned him not to tell Gemma her thoughts. His grin grew, but he nodded.

“Remember, stay on the property, and if you aren’t back in an hour, I’m coming to look for you,” Eric said, then stepped away from Ari.

Leeza walked to Ari and let him get familiar with her wolf. Her only worry was that he may turn aggressive toward her in wolf form, but he just sniffed her then nudged her with his big head. He was ready to be free, that was obvious.

With a nudge of her own into his side, she leaped a few steps away, then turned to look at him before taking off at a slow run. With one look at Eric, Ari turned and took off with Leeza, running by her side. She felt his excitement and picked up her pace, wanting to make this experience for him the best ever.