Free By the Tail by Marie Harte Page B

they’d made love that first time, they hadn’t stopped touching each other. As if worried this new, fragile peace between them might be severed, he kept in physical contact. And she accepted it.
    “Oh, just thinking about Dean…and your sister. Such a perfect pair.”
    “I know, right?” Joy chuckled. “I’m not sure which one of them they consider prettier.”
    He grinned.
    “Amy and Melissa are doing fine up there. I’m just worried about the wolf rumors.”
    “Oh?”
    “I think the dogs are taking a look at my sisters. Man. Can you imagine wolves as family?”
    He gave a mock shudder. “Thank you, no. My dealings with Monty GrayClaw were enough to scare me for life. How the hell is a wolf in a pride, anyway? Cougar Falls is a weird place.”
    “True.”
    The closest wolf order to Miami was in Texas, a place Quince had no inclination to visit. Ever. If he wanted sun and sand, he had plenty of it in Miami. And no thick drawls, thuggish canines or ten-gallon hats to contend with.
    “So what now?” he asked, loath to bring it up, but not wanting any misunderstandings. He’d have confessed his love earlier if he hadn’t thought he might completely freak her out. Mating was one thing. Animal spirits and humans in tune with the whole package. She hadn’t seemed to overly care about his cat wanting her, since it was a biological imperative she would have as well. But that freaky emotion—love—tended to alarm even the most stalwart of felines. It made them vulnerable. If he hadn’t had years to adjust to the idea, he might have been terrorized himself.
    “What do you mean, ‘What now’?” she asked.
    “Don’t give me that look. I’m done playing.”
    Her soft mew of disappointment had him fighting a grin.
    “Okay, fine,” she sighed. “I guess this—you know, our going at it like cats in heat—qualifies as serious dating.”
    “Monogamous dating. Just you and me. No other males.”
    “Or females,” she added with bite. “Especially not Alissa friggin’ Whoreberto.”
    He laughed. “Catty much?”
    “Shut up.”
    “Whoreberto.” He chuckled. “She’s been a thorn in my side for years.” The woman refused to understand he wanted nothing to do with her. She was cold, wanting only to use him for whatever she could wring out of him before she’d no doubt cut him off when he’d served his purpose. He’d seen her do it time and time again to the men in the pride. Jace had been brave enough to dip his toe in the water once. According to him, the woman gave a mean blowjob. But Quince wasn’t desperate enough to put his dick anywhere near Alissa’s mouth.
    “She’s done bothering you. I promise.”
    “Now don’t go starting trouble.”
What am I saying? The woman’s middle name is Trouble. That’s like asking her to stop breathing.
“I mean, just think about the harm you could do with the females in the pride. They look up to you, even the ones counting Alissa as a friend.” He’d been impressed with the headway Joy had made in the little time she’d been appointed Liaison.
    “Yeah, well. She brings it, I’ll finish it.”
    He fought down a smirk at her possessive tone. His cat loved her jealousy. But he also knew showing his satisfaction would be a sure way to piss the woman off. The trick to handling Joy was to act unconcerned until he wanted something. Then he had to act the opposite to get what he wanted. He’d studied the contrary woman enough to know that she’d step into a trap just to spite an opponent.
    They continued to tease each other the rest of the short trip back. Since she still wore her sexy pajamas, he needed to swing by her house to pick up a change of clothes for her. And maybe, if he were lucky, they’d spend some quality time together in his comfortable bed for once. He hadn’t mentioned their living arrangement yet, but he wanted her spending her nights with him. And he wanted everyone to know it.
    Except when he pulled into her driveway and keyed the