Free The Wolf's Mate Book 4: Michael & Shyne by R.E. Butler

his thumb across her smooth skin.
    "I didn't want you to think I was prying, or, taking anything for granted."
    His heart swelled.  Did she like him?  Did she want more?  "Shyne, I haven't had sex in a long time.  If what they were saying was true, then I'd be with a she-wolf at least on the full moon, and I haven't."  He stopped speaking for a minute, realizing he'd just said he hadn't gotten laid in a while.  Well, too late to take that back.  Hopefully she'd think it was sweet and not that he wasn't worth fucking.
    She was looking at his hand with hers quietly, and when she looked up at him, her eyes were bright, and a small smile touched the corner of her mouth.  "I'm not a wolf."
    He relaxed, "I know, sweet.  Doesn't bother me a bit.  My brother's wife is only half wolf, her father was human.  Some wolves in our pack are married to humans.  If what your bosses said was actually true, there would be a lot of divorces, and wolves don't do divorces.  When we mate, it's for life."
    "How long is a long time?"
    "What?"
    "Since you've, you know, tumbled with someone?"
    Shit.  Damn his big mouth.
    "About a year."  He winced inwardly, feeling like a total loser.  But then he mentally shook himself out.  It wasn't that he didn't have offers, it was that the offers he had weren't worth it.  He laid that truth out for her, and when her eyes crinkled when she smiled, he knew she understood.
    "So what now?" she asked, taking a drink of soda and leaning back against the couch, still holding his hand.
    "How about you let me take you on a real date, tomorrow?"
    Her frown surprised him.  "They asked me to accompany them to a boxing match tomorrow night."
    "Wait, those underground ones?  I know he doesn't fight legally, because he's a were."
    She nodded absently.  "I've been to two.  They were really supportive of me when I was getting my certificate.  I feel guilty turning them down when they ask me for simple stuff like that."
    "Well, I don't like it a bit.  Those places are full of dangerous people."  Criminals and gangsters for one thing.  While some of the fighters might be good people, the ones running the matches and making bets most certainly were not.  He'd heard enough over the years about those fights.  People died at them, their deaths covered up.  His wolf snarled in his brain about letting her go.
    "No one will mess with me, it'll be fine," she promised, squeezing his hand.
    If she was his already, he'd have put his foot down before putting his fist through that one bald hyena's face.  He was just pissed off enough to do it, too.  You didn't take someone gorgeous like Shyne and parade her around in front of a bunch of criminals.  It was insane.
    "Will you do me two favors?" he asked.
    "Three, if you ask nicely."
    He returned the smile even though he really didn't feel like it.  "Will you please call me when you get home so I know you're safe?"
    "Sure.  That's one.  Number two?"
    "Promise not to go to another one again."
    "Because they're not safe?"  She quirked her head to the side.
    "Right."
    "And because you care about that?"
    "Yes, woman," he growled, and she laughed, biting her bottom lip.
    Ah, tease.  "It's dangerous to tease a wolf when he's in a bad mood," he groused, pulling her hand up to his mouth and kissing the top.
    "I think you're not in a bad mood anymore."  She leaned over and kissed him just once on the mouth and hugged him.  "I promise I won't go to any more of them.  And thanks; no one besides Trav has ever really cared about whether I was safe or not.  My bosses, they claim to care, but there's something off about it all, and I'd just as soon not spend time outside of work with them if I can help it."
    "Then we'll have to find something else to occupy your time."  He took the opportunity of the hug to take a deep breath of her scent, loving the natural sweet way she smelled.  His wolf agreed completely.
    "Do you need to get home?" she asked, pulling away from him