Free So I Married a Werewolf (Entangled Covet) by Kristin Miller

Carter asked. “You really freaked everyone out.”
    She swallowed hard and glared at him with a look of utter defiance. “The girl who went with you to the party isn’t me. I can’t be that person.”
    “What are you talking about? I went with you.”
    “No, you went with a glamorized version of me.” She tugged at her sweater and swiped her hand down her jeans. “This is me. Sweater, jeans, fuzzy slipper socks. The girl in the fancy dress with the heels and makeup is fake. I can’t be like that floozy Paisely Brooks.”
    Was she… jealous ?
    “You left because of Paisely?”
    “No!” She groaned, and threw another potholder at him. “I left because of who I am and who I will not be for a man. I don’t care how much you’re offering.”
    “Whoever you were tonight, the council loved it. They loved you.”
    She scoffed. “What makes you think that? Oh, right. You mean from the way they started chasing after me when I shifted.” She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that might’ve been a clue.”
    “That was precautionary. To make sure you weren’t going to do anything stupid. They like you, but trusting you will take longer.” Carter took off his tux coat, draped it over one of the dining room chairs, and loosened his tie. “Mrs. Owens personally invited us to a couple’s retreat in Victoria on Vancouver Island next weekend. Nate and Paisely were invited, too, but they can’t do it on account of their wedding. It’ll be a perfect time to get their attention trained on us. On me.”
    “Oh…that’s nice of her,” she said, resting her hands on the counter behind her. “But count me out. I can’t be the person I was tonight. I was awkward and—”
    “Didn’t you hear me? You were a hit. It wasn’t because of your dress or your heels. It was because they genuinely liked you. I told you to be yourself and that was the only way this was going to work.” His feet moved forward as if on their own accord. This close to her, he could pick up the subtle mixture of sugar and rain on her skin. “You can’t back out on me now. We’re in.”
    “We’re in.” She spoke the words as if she was in some kind of a daze. “That’s swell, Carter. Should I wear Gucci or Prada next weekend? Should I bring flats in case I trip over something again? Or a backup dress in case I tear the first like I did tonight?”
    He looked down at her, seeing a different woman than was on his arm tonight. She was confident earlier, and that self-assurance was sexy. Now she was back in her sweats, with her hair pulled in front of her shoulders, looking physically comfortable and yet completely uncertain. She’d transformed back to the Faith he knew before, the woman he enjoyed spending time with. Her big brown eyes bore into him, and something in his stomach twisted.
    Wait a second…that tight, knotting feeling hadn’t been there yesterday.
    “I don’t care if you wear these sweats when you meet them again,” he said, “or if you show up with no makeup and a torn and tattered dress. What matters is that you and I are in this together.”
    “Together.” She blinked up at him, and when she spoke, her voice was faint. “Remember when I said I don’t like being made to look like a fool? Nate said you and Paisely are still close. Is that true?”
    “So this is about Paisely?”
    He was so confused. Why would Faith waste two seconds thinking about Paisely, a woman who meant nothing to him?
    “Is it true?” she asked again.
    “Paisely’s got serious Hollywood Syndrome and has to have all eyes on her, all the time. I finally realized I couldn’t trust her. I bolted. I guess she’s pissed to be the person dumped instead of the one doing the dumping.”
    Faith’s breathing rhythm changed, slowed. The tension in her shoulders seemed to ease. “He didn’t make it sound that way.”
    “When did you talk to Nate alone?”
    “On the pier when I was waiting for you.”
    “He saw me leave to get you a drink…”
    “I’m