Free Naomi and Tyler (Plenty of Shift Book 2) by Carina Wilder Page B

should have ‘Handle With Care’ stamped on his ass in red ink.”
    “Why do you say that? He seems quite confident, really.” Naomi did her best to conceal the fact that she’d long suspected that Tyler had a deeply hidden side.
    “A man like him has to seem confident because if he revealed all of his concerns, he’d seem weak. Oh, don’t get me wrong. Tyler is a strong man—the strongest I know. But in love, he’s not a risk-taker. He’d sooner hide his emotions from everyone than let a woman behind the curtain. Do you know that he’s never had a girlfriend in all the time I’ve known him?”
    “Really?” asked Naomi, her eyes widening in genuine surprise.
    “Really. But he likes you. A lot.”
    “Again—really?”
    “Yeah.” Lucas leaned in. “I think you could make him really happy. If you wanted to.”
    “I think he could make me happy, too.” If only he’d open up to me. If only he’d trust me.
    Lucas pulled back, his charming grin genuine as he acknowledged the return of his bodyguard. “Good. Well, here’s to happiness.” With those words, he reached for the glass that Tyler was on the verge of handing over and gave it to Naomi, taking one for himself. They clinked.
    “Cheers,” said Lucas. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go flirt with emotionally unavailable women.”
    “Excellent.” Naomi turned to Tyler.
    “What were you two chatting about so intimately?” he asked.
    “He asked me if you look good naked.”
    “And?”
    “I said that I can’t remember, and that I needed a refresher.”
    “That can be arranged.”

Chapter Eight
    O ver the course of the evening, Naomi and Tyler spent a good deal of time alone, speaking in isolated corners. Occasionally their fingers would find ways to explore the surface of one another’s clothing, Tyler winning out by slipping the back of a hand over a breast, or “accidentally” sliding a finger over a hardening nipple.
    “It’s hard being with you and not being able to get you naked,” he whispered to her.
    “Agreed. But later we can be very, very naked.”
    “Later can’t come soon enough.”
    But Naomi knew that his focus wasn’t entirely on her as she watched his eyes move about the room, scanning for threats as he’d done at the gala.
    “You’re keeping a vigilant eye open,” Naomi said at one point.
    “You can tell, can you?”
    “Your eyes wander. Normally on a date I’d assume that a guy was being a jackass and checking out other women but somehow I don’t think that’s the issue here.”
    Her back was turned to the party goers, Tyler facing them. And she knew that he’d deliberately positioned himself in this way since their arrival. He leaned towards her ear.
    “There are two men here,” he whispered. “Don’t look right now. They’re over by the long buffet table. Both wolf shifters. I’m trying to assess what they’re up to.”
    “They weren’t invited?”
    “No. Lucas would never invite members of an opposing group.”
    “So why doesn’t someone kick them out?”
    “Because we want to know their plan. Their Alpha is up to something, and it’s our job to figure out what. Those guys are harmless, unless they shift.”
    “In which case?”
    “In which case they’ll have some lions on their asses.”
    “Lucky wolves.”
    Tyler kissed her cheek before straightening himself. “You’ll have lion all over you later. In the meantime, I should do my job with apologies to you for not giving you all my attention.”
    “It’s okay. Maybe later we could get to know each other. I mean more than what we know already—I want to understand what makes you tick.”
    Tyler smiled, his hand on her waist as he looked into her eyes. “What, you don’t know enough about me? I’m a boring open book.”
    “No, you’re not. There are a couple of chapters that are definitely closed, or at least hidden in a rare first edition.”
    “Okay. What is it that you want to know?”
    “Well, let’s see: