Free Wolf With Benefits by Heather Long Page A

“You know the way to win my affection is directly related to the sugar and fat content of the food you give me. Course, my ass may hate you later.”
    “I’ll make it up to your ass, too.” More sensual promise hung in that sentence than he’d ever thrown in her direction. He returned with her coffee mug and his own. No sooner did he set them down, than he offered her the next one.
    “Trying to fatten me up for the slaughter?”
    “Maybe.” He grinned. The wicked laughter dancing in his eyes proved damn near irresistible. When had he gotten so good looking?
    “Matt,” she said slowly, then licked the lingering taste of the sweet treat from her lips. He’s my best friend; I can tell him anything.
    “Shi?”
    “We’re just pretending to be lovers, remember?” Make believe. Fake. Sham. Counterfeit.
    “I remember.” He flipped open the second box to reveal bear claws and apple fritters—his favorites. “I just want to play.” Lifting one of the bear claws from the box, he glanced at her sideways. “Will you play with me, Shi?”
    Her heart did a little twist. “What?”
    “Will…you…” he closed the distance between them and tapped his bearclaw against her nose once before offering it to her for a bite. “…play with me?”
    Did he mean play or play ? She took a bite, because suddenly, she didn’t trust her answer. Chewing slowly, she remained wildly aware of his observation. Only after she swallowed did she cobble together her courage. “What did you have in mind?”
    His grin widened. Why did she think she was in big trouble?

    A fter breakfast , he encouraged Shiloh to change into a snow suit. The waterproof pants, jacket and boots would keep her warm. With a roll of her eyes, she did as he asked and even tucked her hair into a knit cap. Tugging the hood up on her jacket, he secured it.
    “Well I’ve deduced we’re going outside.” Her smartass comment earned a smile.
    “Nah, I thought we’d hang out with you looking like an Eskimo this morning.” He added the last with a tap to her nose. She needed a face mask. He’d grabbed a neoprene one on his way back, but he’d left it in the jeep.
    Folding her arms, she glared at him. The wrinkle in her nose neutered her fierce expression. “What are we doing?”
    Undeterred, he smiled and went to get his keys and two fresh thermoses—one with hot chocolate and a second full of coffee. He’d readied them while she changed. “We’re going to play, Shi.” Returning to the living room, he sent a text message informing his fellow electricians he was off for the rest of the day. He’d handled the overnight emergencies, but he wanted a few hours with Shi and Mason gave him the day off.
    “So you said,” she hesitated when he reached for the door. Nervousness threaded through her scent.
    Pausing with his palm on the doorknob, he studied her. His wolf roused, and they both focused on her. They didn’t like her unhappy. “You okay?”
    “My mom left a message.” She turned the phone to face him. “Not sure I want to listen to it.” Nibbling at her lower lip, she reminded him of when they were kids and the teacher asked her to stay after school or she got detention. Shiloh wasn’t good at disappointing her parents, even when she disagreed with them.
    “So don’t.” Why put herself through hell if she didn’t have to? “Look, she’s your mom and she loves you. She might be mad, she might be saying a lot of things because she’s angry. You can choose to listen to her anger, or you can wait. Give her time to calm down. Give yourself time to make the decisions you want to make without the family onus.”
    “It’s easy for you to say. Your family…”
    After releasing the door, he crossed the room and cupped her cheek. “My family has issues, Shi. Just like every other family in our pack. You think any of us are perfect? The Buckleys had to leave their oldest son in prison, his brothers had to stay away from him and leave him.