grinning.
“No kidding, Moe would eat him for breakfast before coming to you for his banana split,” Nic said,
laughing. Kate snorted.
“Mojo,” She chortled.
“Kate, it can’t still be funny,” Bran said from across the diner, where he and Caleb waited for their order
holding the trio’s twin sons, Landon and Lucas.
“Mojo, Jojo,” Kate giggled. Rebecca, whose anger was fading, smiled.
“OK, it is kinda funny,” Rebecca said.
“As long as it doesn’t hurt his feelings, it could hurt him to hear something like that all the time,” Ashby
said quietly. Rebecca nodded. Kate grinned.
“Ashby you’re so sweet,” Rebecca said hugging Ashby’s arm. He blushed.
“He’s OK with it because I told him that he was totally hot and that’s why it was so funny, because it
was completely opposite to how he looked. The man is downright fuckable,” Kate said and two ominous
growls were heard from the counter. She blew kisses to her mates. Rebecca nodded.
“I’d totally do him,” she said without thought, and a long low rumble echoed from the door. Rebecca
turned in her chair and her eyes brightened.
“Hi, baby, how was work?” she asked, turning her face up for a kiss.
“Do who?” Aleks demanded and he stalked over to where his tiny mate sat and kissed her lovingly.
“Moe Jones. Kate and I agreed the man is fuckable,” Rebecca said.
“Girls, language!” Ma yelled from the kitchen.
“Yes Ma!” both women called out and then grinned at each other.
Aleks looked down at his mate frowning.
“You don’t need to think about doing anyone but me,” Aleks said, bending down to stare his mate in the
eyes. She looked up impishly.
“Aleks, Marcus Evans went into Ashby’s shop and hurt him today. He has bruises on his arms. I’m
getting a bad feeling about him,” Rebecca said as Aleks easily lifted her up, sat down in her chair, and
settled her in his lap.
“Ashby, do you want to press charges?” Aleks asked, concern on his face. Ashby shook his head.
“No. He has never done anything more than harass me. I have a feeling if I press charges it would only
escalate the issue. As long as he keeps his hands to himself then I don’t want to press charges,” Ashby said.
“If he hurts you again, I’ll shoot him!” Rebecca said and Aleks looked down at her panicked.
“Becca, baby, did you bring your gun?” he asked gently as if approaching a wild animal. All of the
shifters at the table picked up on his edginess and subconsciously scooted back a bit.
“Of course! It’s not going to do me much good in a box under the bed is it? The next time hyenas come
to town it’s open season,” she said, patting her purse.
“Is the safety on this time?” Aleks asked, inventing new shades of pale. The purse had shifted down
between their bodies and was resting in his lap.
“Of course it is,” Rebecca said, picking up the purse and patting it. She dropped it to the floor and a
loud bang echoed throughout the diner.
“What in the hell!” Connor demanded coming out of the kitchen. Rebecca stared down at her purse and
then looked up at Aleks.
“OK, I swear the safety was on.” She tilted her head the way she normally did when she was thinking.
“Maybe...” She looked around the table and Nic and Kate were trying not to laugh. Ashby was trying to
get his heart to stop beating out of his chest. Aleks began to shake.
“Aleks, are you OK?” Rebecca asked. At the sound of her calm and rational voice Aleks snapped.
“That’s it! That. Is. It! No more gun for you. That is the second time you have almost killed someone,
the first time was when you tried to show me your cowboy stance. I can’t do this! I can’t think knowing
you have a weapon!” Aleks roared and bellowed. Rebecca sat on his lap calmly petting his chest as he
ranted.
“Don’t worry, I’m getting better, see this time I wasn’t holding the gun when it went off, so technically I
didn’t shoot it,” she said as if that made all the difference in the world.
Ashby watched the interaction between the mated pair. He could see Aleks’s hands shaking, he didn’t
know if it was from fear or from the effort it took not to shake some sense into his tiny mate.
“Connor!” Aleks yelled.
“I’m here,” Connor said, walking over to the table and picking up the purse. He opened it up and pulled
out the gun, he slid open the chamber, checked the barrel, put the safety on and tucked it into the back of
his pants.
“Hey that’s my gun!” Rebecca protested.