Page 6 of I Don’t Believe In Fated Mates!

"Who…me?" I gesture at myself. Broad hips. A bit of a tummy. Generously sized thighs. Wavy red hair that refuses to be tamed. An explosion of freckles sprayed across my face.

"Yes, you." His eyes gleam with hunger. "Every inch of you is perfect. And you've got a mouth on you. I like that."

"The mouth that told you off in front of everyone in the diner?"

He grins, that damn wolfish grin that makes me want to punch him and throw myself at him at the same time. "Yeah. Exactly. And I want more of that. You can tell me off any time that I need it. It'll probably become a full-time job for you."

I gape at him, because the 180-degree turnaround is making me dizzy.

But the way he's looking at me—like I'm the only person in the world, like he owns me, and will do whatever he wants to me—makes my brain short-circuit. I take a step back, flailing for some self-control, and he takes a step after me, never breaking eye contact.

"Back off," I demand, my face flushing. It's not because I want him gone, it's because I'm afraid I'm going to start tearing my clothes off.

"Or what?" His mouth curls up in amusement. Oh my God. He is so Alpha, so overbearing…and it is so hot.

"Jesse, dear." A woman's voice, richly amused, slices through the air and yanks me back to reality.

A very pretty woman who looks to be in her fifties is walking up the pathway towards us. She's tall and bears a strong resemblance to Jesse and Cole; she has their same full mouth and thick dark brows, and she's wearing a black tweed jacket and skirt with a white silk shirt.

She has dark brown hair with a streak of white through it, and she's holding a gray pair of pants in her hands.

"What, mother?" he says impatiently. Ah, yes. Marion Ward, the woman I came to interview with. She's beaming at me in a way which soothes my jangled nerves.

Her smile turns to an amused frown as she looks at Jesse. "Two things. One, you are blocking this nice woman's path. We need to do her interview. And two?" She shoves a pair of gray sweatpants on him. "Put on some pants, dear. Act like your father and I raised you with some manners. Humans aren't quite as comfortable with public nudity as we are."

Chapter Four

LANE

Jesse scowls at his mother as he pulls on the sweatpants. It's a relief. I was practically tying my eyeballs in knots trying to avoid staring at him below the belt.

His mother beams with friendliness. She comes from a clan that includes a lot of educators. I've done my research on shifters. Each pack generally consists of a few dozen clans, who are extended family groups, and each clan often has a specialty, like woodworking or sewing or medicine.

I glance around and see that the guy who'd been glaring at me earlier is gone. Everyone else here looks friendly, thank heavens. In fact, a small crowd is gathering and staring at me in fascination.

A younger couple in their twenties are hanging back, and a little boy with blond hair and blue eyes is leaning on them. I wave at them, and the little boy suddenly breaks away from his parents and runs over to me. He's wearing jeans, scuffed white sneakers, and a t-shirt with a picture of a dinosaur on it.

"Excuse me, miss," he says. I am utterly charmed.

"Yes, sir?" I say in a serious tone, looking down at him with a smile.

"Is it true you can never shift? You won't turn into a wolf, ever?"

I nod. "It is true. But you know what I can do?"

I reach behind his ear, pull out a quarter, and hand it to him. It's an old trick, one of the kids in one of my foster homes taught it to me.

His eyes are wide as saucers as his parents hurry over.

"We are so sorry!" the mother gasps.

"Mom, she's magic!" The little boy cries. He holds up the quarter.

"Oh, goodness, don't be sorry at all. I welcome any and all questions," I say cheerfully. The mother grabs him by the arm with an apologetic smile and they hustle him away.

As she does, a car pulls up, and Jesse's brother Cole parks and climbs out. He meanders towards us with a wave and a very amused grin.

"All right, everyone, show's over, nothing to see here!" Jesse's mother, Marion Ward, calls out. Everyone is still standing there, staring.