Naomi and Tyler (Plenty of Shift Book 2) Read Free Page B

forward between his muscular thighs, his eyes fixed themselves on the vanishing point where the road disappeared in the distance. And for the briefest moment he felt free. Unstoppable. Even if a tree appeared in his path, it wouldn’t matter much. He felt almost as though he could shoot right through it.
    Well, no, he thought as he contemplated slowing down, almost wanting to laugh at himself for the brief illusion of power. Realistically, he’d die horribly. But at least he’d be done with life. Finished. Non-existent. No more dealing with pain or memories. No more thinking about what had passed. No more looking for the right woman, hoping that she could help to fix an unfixable man.
    No more wondering if anyone could ever accept him as he was.
    He’d gone four miles at breakneck speed before he turned onto a side road flanked by widely spaced farms and slowed to a stop, pulling over onto the dirt shoulder, and dismounted. Stepping down into the shallow ditch by the road he took off his helmet and sat down, soaking in the sun’s late afternoon rays as he looked out at tall waves of gold, shimmering in a delicate unison along the expanse of someone else’s property.
    Shit. The sudden thought sprang to his mind, even as he’d begun to relax. Lucas. He spun his head sharply around to see if the Sovereign was on the road, but there wasn’t a trace of him. Great. Apparently Tyler had managed to lose the very shifter he was supposed to protect.
    But after a minute or so, the familiar sound of a bike’s engine crescendoed nearby, and he exhaled. At least he hadn’t killed the guy, even if he had no doubt pissed him off. The Sovereign was young—only in his late twenties—but some indomitable force surrounded him. At times he could be all smiles and charm, but when he turned aggressive, anyone could see why he led the powerful Lion Pride. Tyler knew that he could get fired or worse for his irresponsible behaviour.
    But Lucas seemed to be in a particularly good mood.
    “Hey, man,” he chastised, taking his seat on the damp grass next to his employee after he’d managed to park his cruiser. “I thought I’d lost you back there. Seriously, what gives with the velocity?”
    “Sorry,” said Tyler. “I needed to get it out of my system.”
    “You okay?”
    “I am now. Sometimes I forget about the world and just go. Call it a release. Sorry I did it on your time, though. I sort of forgot about you.”
    “That’s okay, you asshole,” the Sovereign said, grinning. “At least I knew about your quirks before agreeing to today’s activities. You know, you could release in healthier ways. I hear there’s this thing called sexual intercourse.”
    “Yeah, I’ve heard of it too. You release with a different lady every couple of hours, from what I understand.”
    “Hey, is that any way to talk to your boss?”
    “Probably not. Did I offend you with the insinuation that you’re a bit of a…?”
    “Nope. And you can say it—I’m a male slut.”
    “I think the correct term is ‘stud.’”
    “Nah, that’s a double standard. I fully take on the title of slut, if women have to be subjected to it. It’s a bad habit of mine, and something I should get over one of these days, I suppose. But we were talking about you. What’s this I heard about you hitting a dating service yesterday?”
    “I had a meeting with the woman who runs Plenty of Shift—you heard of it?”
    “A little. It’s for shifters exclusively, right?”
    “So far. Not sure if that’ll change. Fact is, I thought it was time I did something a little less dangerous to relax.”
    “Like a beautiful woman?”
    “Yeah. But I haven’t put myself out there, well, ever. I don’t usually get close to people. I don’t like being…”
    “Vulnerable?”
    “Could you have picked a more feminine word?”
    “Floral?”
    “Okay, point taken.” Tyler laughed. “No, I don’t like being vulnerable. I don’t like letting anyone near me.”
    “I know.