Free The Beast in Him by Shelly Laurenston

it for?”
    “To tell time.”
    “I’ve seen admirals with the same watch. You planning on attacking those deadly saccharine packets by sea?”
    Her eyes narrowed the tiniest bit and Smitty wondered how long before she decked him.
    “Is there anything else you want?” That’s a nicely loaded question. “Or can I go now?”
    “Sure, you can go.”
    “Thank you,” she said in an exasperated sigh. Then she pushed her chair back and stood.
    As Jessie walked past him, he added, “I understand you’re afraid.”
    Not surprisingly, she froze in her tracks. Even when he had to coax her from trees, Jessie would get insulted if he even suggested she might be afraid. To her, hiding in trees and under bleachers was merely a preventive measure that any sensible person would do. “Excuse me?”
    “You’re afraid. I completely understand.” He patted her hand like he would his grandmother. “It’s all right. You go on now.”
    She took two steps back until she stood right next to him. “Afraid of what?”
    “Of your feelings for me. That’s why you’re fighting me so hard.”
    “I do not have feelings for you—other than hatred.”
    “Now, Jessie Ann, we’ve always been honest with each other. Just admit you still want me—after all these years.”
    She threw up her hands. “I’m walking away from this conversation.”
    He figured. But he simply couldn’t help himself. It was such fun torturing her.
    Smitty jumped up and followed after her. As he reached the door she’d already gone through, she was suddenly back, her small body slamming into his.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Uh... ” She looked back and then shoved him onto a small couch. Sitting down next to him, she grabbed his arm and yanked it over her shoulders. “Now just sit there and look pretty.”
    A few moments later, three men walked through the door. Two were full-human, but the one whose eyes locked on Jessie...
    Immediately, Smitty recognized the wild dog from Saturday night.
    “Jessica! Hello!”
    Jessie smiled and it had to be the fakest thing Smitty had seen since he went to Los Angeles on a business trip. “Sherman. Hi!”
    Her forced cheeriness made Smitty’s back teeth ache, but the dog seemed to buy it.
    “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be hard at work as always?”
    “Oh, I was. I was.” Jessie waved her hand dismissively. “But I was just taking a little break with my... uh... friend here.”
    “Now, Jessie Ann, don’t play coy.” Smitty nuzzled her neck. “You know I’m your boyfriend now.”
    As Jessie went tense all over, the male dog went from big and dumb to resentful in a heartbeat—like Smitty had dug up his favorite bone from the backyard. Didn’t he get that Jessie had no interest in him? How could she? The woman deserved better than some scrawny dog. Unfortunately for the dog, he wasn’t “getting it,” forcing Smitty to make it clear as crystal. So when that resentful doggy gaze moved from Smitty teasing Jessie’s neck to his hand, Smitty let his hand drop—right on Jessie’s breast.
    Jessie let out a sharp breath, and the dog asked, “Well, Jessica. Why don’t you introduce me to your boyfriend?”
    “Of course.” Jessie casually took the hand lying on her breast with hers and when she curled her fingers into his palm, she unleashed her claws.
    Smitty grunted, but that was all. He’d kind of seen that one coming. But, dammit, it had been for her own good. And he’d go to his grave saying that.
    “Sherman Landry, this is Bobby Ray Smith. Bobby Ray, this is Sherman Landry.”
    The dog already had his hand out for Smitty to shake, but it fell back at his side as he stared at him. Smitty had seen it before. That look. A look of fear and panic. And he knew the next words that would come out of the dog’s mouth.
    “You’re a Smith?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Of the Smith... Pack?”
    And there it was. A Smith could be any ol’ body. But a member of the Smith Pack, one of the direct bloodline,