9781616503369 by Sondrae Bennett Page B

house brought a smile to her face, but she forced herself to continue. “And since Samantha works here all day, any protective detail can watch both of us. So I think we should concentrate on protecting her. Even during off hours, I’ll be around her a lot as we prepare for the wedding next week.”
    “The wedding is off. We’ll plan another one once I’m sure it’s safe,” Jason declared. Because he held Samantha on his lap, he missed the heat that shot into his mate’s eyes. Julie hid her smile behind her hand, knowing what was coming as Samantha shoved his hands off and stood.
    “Oh no you don’t, Jason Callahan. You don’t get to make that decision by yourself. We are getting married as planned, and it is non-negotiable.”
    “But–”
    “Non-negotiable!” she yelled in his face before stomping off. Jason turned his head to watch her, his shock evident.
    Julie tried to stifle her laughter. It wasn’t every day the big bad Premier got schooled by his tiny, arctic fox mate. Normally, Samantha was more reserved and a bit meek, but she’d just proven to them she was more than capable of handling Jason when needed. Julie dared to look up, her gaze colliding with Danny’s. Both burst into laughter at the same time.
    “Ha ha. Very funny,” Jason snapped, following after his mate.
    * * * *
    “We need to talk.”
    Julie jumped as Brendan spoke in her ear. She hadn’t been paying attention, and he’d snuck up behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw the fierce expression on his face. Uh-oh, this couldn’t be good.
    “Sure. Everything all right?”
    “Well, something’s bothering me. If you threw out the note, how were you planning on showing it to me later?” Although his voice was calm and reasonable, something in the way he watched her preached caution.
    “I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t thinking about it,” she lied.
    “Weren’t thinking about it, or weren’t going to tell me about it?” She wracked her brain, trying to remember anything she’d said or done that might have revealed her true intentions. Besides throwing away the card, she couldn’t think of anything.
    “Of course I was going to tell you. I wasn’t thinking.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she found herself backed up against the bookshelf, Brendan’s arms caging her. The anger burning behind his eyes would have scared her if she didn’t know for certain he would never harm her.
    “Laurie said you asked her not to tell me. So either she’s lying or you are? Something tells me she’s not.” His eyes changed to yellow, and as she watched, his fangs dropped. The animal was close to the surface. Very close.
    “I didn’t want you to worry.” It was a lame excuse, and she knew it.
    He growled, grinding his hips farther into hers and pushing her farther against the bookcase.
    “How can I not worry, knowing you would keep this from me?” He snarled at her. Actually snarled at her!
    Heat pooled in her belly, and she felt her blood bubble. What was wrong with her? She shouldn’t be turned-on by this primitive grunting and growling. As he moved closer, she gripped his shoulders, his breath falling hot against her skin. He ground his hips against her again, and his mouth claimed hers in a brutal kiss.
    Her head fell back with a clunk against the shelf. Reason struggled to the surface, her eyes opening as she realized they stood in one of the aisles during business hours. “Brendan, we can’t. Not here.”
    He growled but moved away. He took her hand and pulled her toward the back of the store, opening the door to the storage closet and pushing her inside. He followed her in before shutting and locking the door.
    “They’ll still hear us,” she whispered, as if they could hear the naughty thoughts in her head.
    “Let them. Then they’ll know you’re mine.” He pulled her back into his arms, his hand reaching under her skirt and pushing aside her underwear. He groaned into her mouth as he sunk a finger