The Watcher pushed her long braids back off her shoulders. “We should get moving. I want to get these guys set up at the academy, and it’s getting late.”
Cody stretched so hard his joints creaked. “Okay. Ready to squish.”
Joe clobbered me one last time and then swept me into a one-armed guy hug. “Don’t be a stranger, mate. I expect a regular report on your progress. And maybe ease up on the bloody slang—some of it’s so outdated you’ll have roos rolling their eyes.”
“Yeah, no worries. I’ll be in touch,” I promised. “And why would I change something that works so brilliantly? Don’t be a FIGJAM.”
Cara got back behind the wheel, muttering, “Yes. Please start speaking normal English.”
Cody rather firmly reclaimed the front passenger seat, the only place with enough legroom for a six-foot-plus body.
With his seat pushed back, there was no hope for me behind him. Kitani slipped into that spot. Even her knees were rather crammed, but mine would have been under my chin.
Anna slid into the middle spot on the back seat and planted her dog in her lap. She messed with the seat belt and dog’s harness, trying to get the animal secured to her own belt, but she seemed to be avoiding my eyes. Did I make her nervous?
She certainly mademenervous. And a few other things. One of which was becoming a serious issue. “Four Sabres?” I asked, surveying the tiny space left behind the driver’s seat.
“Four,” Cara confirmed, her fingers tapping impatiently on the wheel.
I swallowed and squeezed into the remaining slot. Only to find that the entire right side of my body was crammed up against the woman from my dreams. There was an awkward session of searching for the seat belt receiver that involved my hand spending far too much time touching the sleek curve of her buttock and thigh.
“Close the door, Matt,” Cara ordered.
The door? Still occupied with the belt, I pulled my thigh in, bumping me more firmly into Anna, and shut the door.
The second it latched, we were off, the lurching progress across potholes only amplifying my seat belt dilemma.
“Here.” A warm hand closed around mine, and Anna smoothly pushed the belt into the receiver.
It was like being touched by lightning, and I thought my heart would burst straight out of my chest. I gritted my teeth and sent her a tense smile, but I was confused as hell. There’d always been plenty of human females eager and willing to share my space. My outgoing nature and easy-going banter—embellished with the appropriate slang—ensured I was only alone if I wanted to be, and as a result, I’d become an expert at many things since I’d hit puberty. My pack members often called me a smooth operator.
But Anna sent me into a complete tailspin. Pushed right up against me, her scent had my entire body vibrating. Every nerve I possessed was on fire. With each inhalation, it only got worse. Three breaths, and I was rock hard and aching.
I crossed my arms in my lap and tried to think non-sexy thoughts. With pretty much zero success. Even as a horny teenager, I’d never experienced anything like this loss of control.
She glanced sideways at me. “Are you okay?”
My mouth opened, and I managed, “Yeah, no worries. Just a bit squished.” Strewth. No. No, I wasn’t okay. A gust of air sent more of her scent wafting over me. I shivered. I glanced ahead and noticed that Cody had his window wide open.
It wasn’t that warm a day. Was her scent getting to him, too? But he was mated... Kitani sat silently behind him, but something in her rigid body suggested she was less than pleased.
The thought that the only other male in the vehicle might be experiencing similar difficulties to mine pushed buttons I didn’t know I had. Or deserved, considering Anna had been a perfect stranger until minutes ago. I gritted my teeth and rolled down my bloody window, pushing my face into the rushing wind. It helped, some. But it did nothing for the warmth of her thigh against mine.
I felt eyes on me. Anna had closed hers, but the dog was staring. She had one blue eye and one brown.
As original and unique as her beautiful owner.
I ground my teeth together. It was going to be a very long trip.
6
Anna
I sat with my eyes closed and did my best to ignore the gorgeous guy pressed up against me.
Not a guy. A werewolf.
Shifter.The designation had taken on a new dimension. Cody was damned handsome, but this guy had my heart doing cartwheels and my knees shaking.
