Free Three Shifters for Sarah (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Dani April

flair. “What do you mean?” she asked him through barely restrained anger. “Am I going to be stuck with this damn mark on me for the rest of my life?”
    “Calm down.” He put his hands back on her arms to try and quiet her. “I know an old shifter remedy for this sort of thing my mom told me about once. Actually she told one of my sisters, but as a kid I was always listening in where I shouldn’t have.”
    “What is it?”
    “Sometimes ornery male shifters will mark females who just plain don’t want to be marked by them. So over the years shifter ladies have developed a poultice to remove unwanted male marks. With shifter females it doesn’t always work. But you’re human, so I think we’ll be in luck.”
    “I’m assuming I can’t just run down to the all-night pharmacy and buy this poultice.”
    “Don’t worry. I know how to make it.” TJ gave her a hug for reassurance, to let her know it was going to be all right and most importantly so she wouldn’t think all shifters were jerks like Ryan.
    To his amazement she gave him a hug back. Her warm little body felt so fine held up next to his. He had to fight the erection building in his pants so he wouldn’t embarrass himself.
    With her still firmly in his arms, he reached down and gave her the briefest of kisses. She didn’t seem to object any, and he was relieved. Also, he sensed that maybe she wanted him to do more. He would have to file that knowledge away for later, but couldn’t very well act on it in the middle of Fifth Avenue with hundreds of people on the street around them.
    “I’m sorry about this, Sarah.”
    “It’s all right. It’s not your fault.”
    “I wish Ryan was here right now so I could punch him for what he did to you.”
    She placed a hand on his chest, and now it was her turn to soothe him. “Don’t say that about Ryan. He’s your boss, and I think he’s a good man.” She gave him a gentle smile. “Anyway I’m glad he’s not here. I’m kind of happy it was you who came from Montana to see me and that we got to have this evening together.”
    Damn it if he didn’t want to kiss her again. Her lips were so full in the lamplight and tasted so sweet. But the presence of all those late-night New Yorkers stalled him, and he had to take a deep breath and turn away.
    “I’m going to get us a cab,” he announced and took her by the hand to lead her back to the street.
    He glanced over his shoulder and wanted her assent that it was all right if the two of them went off in the night together.
    She gave a nod. It was what she wanted, too.
     
    * * * *
     
    Sarah opened the door to her apartment, and TJ walked in behind her. The tiny room was probably the smallest he had ever seen in his life, and this was her entire living space.
    “It’s cozy,” he commented.
    “Yeah, I know, you don’t like it,” Sarah quipped. “But remember we don’t have as much space here as you guys do out west.”
    They had stopped by a late-night market on their way home. Sarah had done some badly needed shopping for her bare cupboard, and TJ bought the ingredients to make the poultice. Now she took the two plastic bags out of TJ’s arms and headed around the counter to her kitchen area to put things away.
    “Actually I do like your apartment,” he told her. “I love anywhere I can be alone with you for a little spell right about now.”
    Sarah had bought them a rather cheap bottle of wine. TJ had argued with her and insisted he should pay for everything. In the end Sarah had won the argument and the rest of the evening was going to be her treat.
    “Sit down and make yourself at home.” Sarah opened the wine bottle. She felt weak in the knees again, and her hands had a slight tremor as she poured the California red.
    TJ standing in the middle of her apartment was the weirdest sight in the world and one she never thought she would live to see. Certainly when she had met up with him after work, she had never planned on letting him come