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My favorite flower. How did he know? Tabby smiled, knowing her mouth was trembling. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had given her flowers.
“For me?”
He held it out, a smile on his full lips. “Hello, Tabby.”
“Thank you.” She reached for the daffodil.
He coughed. “I’ll take those.” He reached over and removed the condoms from her hand, gri
Glory was practically doubled over with laughter. Tabby’s face was beet red. She snatched the condoms back with her free hand, snarling as one got left behind in his big paw. She could hear Cyn snuffling and snorting behind her and just knew they were practically choking on their laughter.
She turned to her two roommates with a smile. “Don’t make me forget I’m housebroken.” They stopped, but from the way they were clinging together, Tabby figured it was only a matter of time before one of them broke again. She turned back to her new mate. “And you, whose name I don’t even know.” She smiled at Mr. Chocolate. “Thank you for the flower. My name’s Tabitha Garwood.”
Mr. Sin held out his paw, the condom miraculously gone. “Bu
Wait. “Bu
“Alexander Bunsun, but everyone calls me Bu
She sniffed. Nope, his scent is definitely Bear.
“Are you laughing at my name?” Bu
She blinked. “Yes.”
He coughed, but she could tell he was trying not to laugh. “Di
She gave him her sweetest smile and took it. “Yes.”
“Hold on.” Glory stopped them by placing her hand on Bu
Bu
Glory studied him, and Bu
Chapter Two
“Tabby? Seriously?” Bu
“At least I can blame my seriously screwed up parents. What’s your excuse?”
Tabby nodded at Bu
“It’s taken from my last name. It’s a nickname.”
“It’s a sucky nickname for a shifter to have,” she muttered softly. “Bu
Might as well call you Food.” She shuddered delicately as they waited for the hostess to seat them. “Who came up with that anyway? And why didn’t you tell me to wear pants?”
Bu
Tabby rolled her eyes and followed behind the hostess. “Are you sure you aren’t a Wolf?”
Bu
Bu
This was going to be fun.
“Well? Out with it, Bu
He chuckled, trying to hide how uneasy the word mangled made him. She had no idea. “My cousins. I have five of the little shits. Ryan, Chloe, Keith, Heather and Tiffany are all my first cousins. They’re the ones who gave me my nickname.”
“Wow. Your aunt must have been churning them out.”
“Don’t make me order you a bowl of milk.” Bu
“Big family. Must be nice.” She looked sad for a moment then shook her head. He wondered what that was all about. “You have any brothers or sisters?”
“Eric. He’s my younger brother. He thinks, like you do, that Bu
“Good for him.”
“He also calls me SFB.”
“SFB?”
“Shit For Brains.”
She choked on her water. “Seriously?”
He nodded, and waited for her to stop laughing. It took longer than he’d thought it would.
“So? Why Bu
He shrugged. “I hate fighting. They’d try to get me to fight and I’d do my best not to. After a while, they started calling me Bu
It had taken him years to shrug off the fury that sometimes rode him with vicious spurs. Meditation, yoga, even avoiding certain foods helped him keep control of the anger that had been his bane as a teenager. Now he wore the nickname Bu
That direction now included the woman toying with her water glass across from him. He couldn’t wait to get started.
“So, what do you do for a living?” Tabby took a bite of her twelve-ounce steak and moaned. Bu
“Nothing.” Bu
“So. What do you do for a living, Bu
Bu
She stared at him. He waited for the question most people asked him. “What’s the difference between a landscaper and a landscape architect?”
“It means I have a Bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. I’ve worked in a corporate environment for years designing landscapes, both soft and hard. I understand the horticulture of the area I work in, and what laws need to be followed where. I design for people who have pools, need stonework, or want their landscape graded but have to deal with county restrictions on water drainage. I design structures to code, and help them deal with regulatory boards. In other words, I’m fully licensed and accredited in the state of Oregon, and I’m usually in a suit.”