Promises Unbroken: A Hot Paranormal Shifter Romance (Hidden Hills Shifter Book 5) Read Free Page B

at your feet and do everything you say.”
    He huffed out a laugh. “Seriously? Who have you been talking to?”
    She wasn’t certain what he meant. “Well, we are mates, right?” She couldn’t have misinterpreted her longings or intense needs.
    “We are indeed. There’s no doubt about it. What I want to know is why you think I’d even ask you to fall at my feet ? More importantly, I’d like to set the person straight who fed you that line of bullshit.” His brows pinched and his fist clenched.
    “Men in general.” She wasn’t about to tell him how her father had treated her mom, or about the men Selena had dated. True, they hadn’t been mates, but why should that make a difference?
    He twirled his beer around. “What about the women? Have you spoken with Cheyenne Durant? She’s your Alpha’s mate. I’m betting she could set you straight on what it’s like to be happily mated, or so I’ve been told.”
    “I have spoken with Chey recently in fact. Storm is now a cheetah, though.”
    His brows rose. “Ah. So you don’t like that I’m a panther?”
    Selena didn’t like lying. “No. It’s that I see no reason to be with one.”
    From the humor glinting in his eye, he almost seemed delighted with her answer. “Now, you have me curious. Lustful feelings aside, don’t you want to have a man who will always be there for you?”
    She nearly spit out her drink. “Be there for me? I’ve never known one who has been. Men are full of broken promises.”
    “I feel sorry for you then.” He reached out and clasped her hand, but she didn’t want his sympathy and eased out of his grip.
    She’d never tell him that she longed for stability. Hell, who wouldn’t want a man to be by her side and love her unconditionally, but that only happened in romance books. If she let herself become lost in love, when he failed her, it could be at a moment that might cost her life.
    Tell him this must end now . “I know the Chief assigned us as partners, and I’ll help you in anyway I can—but that courtesy extends only to when we are on a case. When we’re not, I don’t want more of your sexy glances or asking me out on dates. And please, keep your distance.”
    From the shine in his eye, he wasn’t taking her seriously. “So that means I can flirt when we are on a case?”
    “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
    Jackson sobered, his eyes pooling with despair. “Sorry. The problem is that I’m not sure I can keep from watching you when I want you so much. While the human part of me realizes I need to take it slow, the panther in me wants you unconditionally.”
    Clearly, the man wasn’t willing to listen to reason. She pushed back her chair. “Well, I don’t want you.”
    Liar, liar .
    She rushed out, not daring to look behind her for fear the tears would fall when she saw his face.
    *     *     *
    Dumbfounded, Jackson couldn’t even move. He was completely blown away by her negative reaction to having a mate. Never in all his years had he heard of someone so adamantly against the whole idea, but he wasn’t going to be deterred. Selena and he would be together—forever—and he’d make damned sure she was the one who begged him to stay.
    No question, he faced many challenges. The first was how to keep from making love with her when he was going to be with her day in and day out. Shifting in front of a witness or when faced with danger could be deadly, but his urges had been building for months, and if he didn’t satisfy them soon, he wasn’t sure what he would do.
    Cord said that the desire would wane somewhat with time, but only after the two mates had consummated their relationship. Selena clearly had issues with men, and sad to say, she seemed to have good reasons. All he could do was convince her that he wouldn’t be like the others.
    Jackson tossed back his beer. It was late, and tomorrow he and Selena would have to figure out who’d robbed the store. If the young men were