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Love swelled in her heart, but it was a love that had learned to be cautious

She’d never had the tangled relationship with her father that she had with her mother, but that was probably because he’d never been around to argue with her A different kind of hurt altogether

"And who’s this?" he asked, looking Zach up and dohile sliding one arm around her mother’s waist

Annie made the introductions, but her father’s reaction was not what she’d expected

"Zach Quinn," hecleared "The same Zachary Quinn who published a study on the wildcat population of Yosemite last year?" Beside her, Zach nodded "I’nized ed, "but ram - was very excited by it Said it was the best doctoral thesis he’d seen his entire tenure"

Zach had a PhD Annie could’ve kicked hi that from her, especially when her mother shot her a look of accusation

Thankfully, her dad said so Zach and Annie alone for the first ti secrets?"

He had the grace to look a little sheepish "To be honest, I didn’t think anyone would realize or even care You told me they wereabout everyone And a PhD is a PhD" She rapped a fist gently against his chest "If you’d told me you had one, I wouldn’t have worried so ue against a doctorate"

"Your mother’s not the one whose opinion I care about Does the PhD

uarded

The hint of unfarees mattered to me," she said honestly, "I’d have married the triple-PhD’d physicist my mother picked out for me when I enty-two Or the MD with more letters after his narand pooh-bah who stared at nothing but my breasts for the entire meal"

His smile creased his cheeks "Theer - somehow, Zach Quinn had earned the trust of her vulnerable feminine heart

It startled her, row, Zach bent to brush his lips gently over hers, acting in the way of changelings, not caring that they had an audience When he dreay, she leaned into hied

Stroke of Enticement Chapter 8

TWO AND A half hours later, Zach found hi coffee while Annie stood inside, chatting with her cousin God, but she was beautiful to him - all he wanted was to take her home, hold her safe, and keep her just for himself

It was an unalterable part of hi from the cat and man both But no matter his primitive instincts, he wouldn’t do that to Annie, wouldn’t contain her that way

Still, he needed to mark her - to take her until his scent was embedded so deep into her skin, no one would dare question his right to her An animal desire Yet often, the animal’s heart was farlanced at Kial nod "Let elica told uessed"

"I’ve changed my mind"

Zach raised an eyebrow "The PhD?"

"No In certain departauntlet

He picked it up "Good thing I’m a leopard, then"

Her lips threatened to smile "I’ve always pushed Annie toward men who are more cerebral than physical" Zach waited with a predator’s quiet patience

"It was a conscious choice," Ki she would never again be put in harineer as a possible oes off to work on projects in reer he ht’ve exposed Annie to"

Her eyes s take that possible danger to the nth degree Your very nature is one filled with the violence of the wild"

He was floored by her candor

"You’re very aware"

"I know othersaway prejudice, but I’th he suspected had been honed by surviving a lifetihter safe I saw her al I want to witness ever again"

His cat detected no lies in her "I’ll keep her safe"

"I have a feeling you will It see about how you could lead her into danger, I forgot that predatory changelings are also known for their willingness to protect to the death" Her eyes - Annie’s eyes - clashed with his

"But that’s not why I’ve decided for you"

"Oh?"

"It’s because of the way you look at her, Zach As if she’s your sunshine" Her voice caught "I want that forat her that way"