“What job?” asked Taryn, curious.

“I’m not prepared to say anything until I’m absolutely positive that the interview process isn’t already over.”

Shaya frowned. “So it’s an interview? Not a guaranteed position?”

Nick cupped her chin. “I know you, and I know that if you want this job, you’ll want to have it because you were the best person for the job—not because of contacts I have. Besides, you don’t need my interference. I have every confidence in you.”

That made things a little different, and hearing he had such faith in her warmed her. “Thank you.” Right then, all she wanted was to straddle him again and kiss him hard in gratitude…but as usual, they didn’t have much privacy, and Shaya wasn’t an exhibitionist. “I have an idea.”

“If it involves getting naked, I’m game.”

She rolled her eyes, despite that her thoughts hadn’t been far away from his. The guy could so easily have her pining for him, even if it had only been a matter of hours since he had last been inside her. “Let’s go out somewhere—just you and me.” Of course she understood that Derren would still tag along, but he’d be polite enough to keep a fair distance away and pretend he couldn’t hear their conversations.

Nick grinned. “I like that idea.”

She whispered low enough for only him to hear. “I can take the butt plug out before we leave, though, right?”

He laughed. “How can I say no when you were such a good girl for me earlier?” They had gone from using fingers to butt plugs and slowly increasing them in size. Some would say it wasn’t necessary since, as his mate, she was made to take him everywhere and he’d automatically fit snugly there. Still, he didn’t want her in even the slightest bit of pain when he finally took her.

Not so long later, they were sitting in an ice-cream parlor, sharing a caramel sundae. Mostly, though, he just watched—totally enraptured—as Shaya licked and swirled her tongue around the ice cream, wearing a teasing smile, knowing exactly what she was doing to him and exactly how jealous he was of that sundae right then.

After that, they went shopping and—no surprise—Shaya bought a pair of stilettos. No more than twenty minutes later, she’d bought another two pairs. Not that Nick was complaining, since she looked sexy as hell in them. And she’d known just how much she was tantalizing him by modeling them for him in the store. In fact, she’d drawn several male gazes, and naturally, Nick had snarled at every one of those males.

Hours later, they were at a Mexican restaurant, and Shaya was driving him insane by picking at her food like a bird rather than eating it properly. When she’d ignored his insistence that she eat more, he’d given her a look that swore repercussions. Then, figuring she deserved it, he’d teasingly nibbled and licked at her fingers and hand, whispering the things he fully intended to do to her when they were finally home. Flushed and horny, she’d turned a little cranky until she saw just how hard he was. Realizing she wasn’t alone in her desperate state and realizing just how well her teasing had worked, she’d gone from cranky to smug.

The time alone had been just what they needed, in Nick’s opinion—and not just because he disliked company unless it was Shaya. It was kind of hard to spend time trying to win her complete trust and faith when people were hanging around, depriving them of privacy. He understood why the Phoenix wolves did it; they wanted to be nearby in case they were needed. And, naturally, they’d all missed Shaya since she left their pack, just as Kathy and Roni had missed him. Taryn in particular spent a lot of time with them, and he knew it was because she was deliberately trying to make things hard as hell for him. He could understand it, but it still made him pissed, because not having her best friend’s total support was hurting Shaya.

Whether Taryn realized it or not, Nick had never worked as hard for anything as he had for Shaya…because nothing had meant as much to him as she did. Sure his mom, Roni, and Eli were important to him, but he needed Shaya. Even with his family around him, he’d always felt alone somehow. Always felt slightly apart from them. Maybe he’d created that distance himself because he felt to blame for how damaged Roni was and for how they had all felt the need to leave their original pack after what had happened. On the other hand, the emotional distance could just be a result of his inability to truly bond—he didn’t know.

With Shaya, it was different because he didn’t want any distance. How could he? She understood and accepted him in a way that no one had done before, not even Derren with his ability to relate to Nick due to their past in juvie. She saw his faults, knew his mistakes, was aware of what he was capable of, yet she didn’t judge or fear him. She stood up to him, she kept him on his toes, and she was a living, breathing challenge—Nick had always loved a challenge. She gave him hope that it might be different this time, that for once in his life, he might truly be able to bond with another person. But that all depended on her, on whether she was willing to accept his claim on her, because a bond required both of them.

Having finished their meal, they both left the restaurant hand in hand. They had only taken a few steps into the parking lot when it happened—a knowing hit him, a feeling of foreboding, an itch at the back of his neck. Slowing his steps, he stretched out his senses and discovered that there were people lurking…but not just in front of him; they were also lurking behind and on either side of him. “Shit.” He dug his cell out of his pocket and pressed the speed dial for Derren’s phone. Quietly, he said, “We have some visitors. Be careful.”

“What’s going on?” asked Shaya in a low voice.

He kissed her temple. “Humans. Don’t worry, we’ll—” That was when four humans began to gather a short distance ahead of them. Another two were then on either side of Nick and Shaya while three more came up behind them. The humans were keeping a fair distance away, but they were also trapping Nick and Shaya. He recognized a few of them as extremists, and though Logan wasn’t present, Nick would bet he was behind the whole thing. He and Shaya were standing back-to-back and being circled by eleven humans.

Any other time, Nick would’ve felt nothing but bored. He’d handled humans before, and he could handle them again. He didn’t relish the idea of harming anybody, but he’d defend himself and his mate in an attack. But this wasn’t just an attack. It was a trap—an attempt at provoking Nick into violence. What male, human or shifter, wouldn’t turn aggressive at the thought of his female being attacked? But humans wary of shifters wouldn’t look at it that way, because it wouldn’t suit them to do so.