Page 20 of Wedding the Werepanther

“What’s wrong?” Shadow asks from behind me.

I jolt and spin around.

“What makes you think anything’s wrong?”

He stands in the doorway. “I could smell you were upset.”

“Smell?” What the hell? I point to the open window, which faces the backyard. “From all the way outside?”

“Yes, shifter senses.” He stalks over to me. “That’s not important. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Him being able to smell the way I’mflippingfeeling seems pretty damned important to me! Hell, I have trouble understanding the way I’m feeling on the regular. Whenever my social anxiety hits, I feel like a computer that’s maxed out its processing power, the little wheel for “working” spinning and spinning. But here comes Shadow. He’s already in my house, he’s sneaking into my thoughts, and now he’s all up in my feelings!

“I don’t like it when you’re upset.” He gives my shoulder a squeeze. “Tell me.”

“I got an email from the gaming company I freelance for. The guy I deal with there implied I was late on my project, even though I’m not.”

“Irritating.” Shadow bares his fangs. “Want me to pay him a little visit?”

“First off, no. I’m handling it in a way that won’t get me fired. Second, he’s on the other side of the country.”

“First off, he’ll never associate me with you.” In a pulse of magic, he shifts into his werepanther form. Standing this close,he looms, seven feet of fur-covered muscle tipped with fangs and claws. “Secondly, I travel the shadow roads, remember? I can run very,veryquickly in this form.”

I’ve never feared Shadow—and I still don’t—but the coiled power emanating from him makes goosebumps prickle across my skin. Most of the games I play contain fighting, but it’s all done via a game controller. Shadow, on the other hand, is a real warrior. Hell, he even helped save Ferndale Falls and all of Earth from evil fae when Naomi first opened the door to Faerie.

The thought of him using those same skills to defend me is so heady I shiver.

“No. Thank you, but no.” I shake my head, trying to dislodge the temptation. A sigh escapes me, and I admit, “Topher’s not the real problem.”

Shadow’s magic washes through the room with his shift, and he crouches beside my chair to look me directly in the eyes. “Tell me.”

“Topher’s email was annoying, but it made me angry because… he’s not one-hundred percent wrong. Iambehind on this game.” I rub a hand over my face. “Some of it’s been the time spent finding a roommate. I had to get Victoria cleaned up, do repairs.”

Interior doors slam all over the house.

“I’m not saying I regret it.” I look up at the ceiling. “I’m saying it took time.”

The office door clicks open, and a feeling of appeasement fills the room.

“The roommate problem is no longer an issue,” Shadow growls.

Easy for him to say. What’s going to happen in a month? He can walk away from this situation. Will he really want to live here as a roommate once our “marriage” dissolves?

He captures my hand between his. “You said some of the problem was time spent finding a roommate. What’s the other part?”

“I’m stuck.” God, that’s so flipping hard to say out loud. I haven’t even told my gaming besties. “I’ve got about a third of the game plotted out, but...” My free hand flutters at the computer screen. “I’m stuck. Everything’s starting to feel like games I already worked on. I need some new ideas, but I can’t seem to find any I like.”

“What do you usually do?”

“Get inspired by things I read, TV shows I watch. For my last game, I was inspired by Naomi’s stories and all the fae who now live in Ferndale Falls.” My lips curl. “That was a fun one to write.”

He hums in thought, the sound a deep purr in his throat, his eyes going a little distant. Then they snap back to me, and he grins, wide and wicked. “I have an idea.”

Shadow leads me upstairs to his bedroom.

“Hey, now, what are you playing at?” I hesitate in the doorway. “We’re not going to do any… um… hanky panky.” I wince at the fussy phrase. Hanky panky? Where the hell did that come from? Maybe he won’t know it’s seriously old-fashioned. If he says anything, I can say I used it ironically.

“I have no idea what that means, but it sounds kinky.” His tongue teases his fang. When I narrow my eyes, he waves me into the room. “I promise it’s nothing like that.”