He blinked as her words sank in. “Wait. What?”
Jackie slid past him and dropped the towel on the toilet lid. “You didn’t think you were the only one, did you?” She all but sneered at him. “We aren’t cats. There isn’t just one mate per shifter. For us it’s just a chemical reaction that will pass.”
Something in his chest clenched hard. “You mentioned something about that on Monday. Are you telling me that you, or I, could have another mate out there somewhere?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, which is a good thing as we,” she waved a hand between them, “don’t fit.”
He thought they fit just fine. Damn fine. “Yes we do.” His words were thick, husky.
He saw awareness leap into her eyes before she squashed it. “Sexually speaking, yes. I agree we do work well. But,” she held up a hand as he took a step toward her, “we aren’t compatible elsewhere. Our lifestyles are very different and we live a million miles from each other. As I doubt you’re ready or even able to make any significant adjustments to give me what I truly need, this must end tonight. Now you have to leave. I’m already going to be late.”
An angry growl began to rumble in his chest, possession and jealousy tightening in his gut. He might be a bit confused about some things, but he damn sure knew he didn’t want another woman. He wanted Jackie. And he would fucking kill any other male that came sniffing around her.
And just that quickly he knew he was keeping her forever. Somehow. Someway.
Decision made he ground his teeth into dust, thinking she was ditching him for a date. She was young, successful, beautiful, and single. Well, not single anymore. He’d made sure of it. “Late for what?”
She hesitated, crossed her arms over her breasts. “For church.”
Not what he expected. The claws that had started to pierce his fingers retreated in surprise. He simply blinked at her for a moment, thinking she was joking. At her kiss-my-ass look, he realized she wasn’t kidding. “On a Wednesday night?”
One shapely brow rose. “If you remember, I missed Sunday service. I was busy tending to a wounded wolf.”
Yeah. Him. He cleared his throat, not knowing what to say. His eyes strayed from her obviously tense form to the hallway and back again. His thoughts grew dark again. “Going to repent? Ask for forgiveness.” And why couldn’t he learn to just keep his mouth shut? Always pushing. Great for completing a mission, not so great for getting the girl.
“Idiot.” From ass to idiot. He didn’t know if that was an improvement or not. “God’s not going to smite me into a pile of ash because I had sex with you. He may not be thrilled about it, but it doesn’t mean he loves me any less.”
Zan remembered Jackie and Ben verbally sparing Sunday morning about her beliefs and the jealousy he’d felt at their closeness. While he might believe in God, he was far from a church-goer. And with his almost dead innate humor restored, knowing she wasn’t leaving him to be with another man, he couldn’t keep the teasing note out of his voice. “But isn’t sex before marriage a sin? To fix that, I suggest you do the right thing and make an honest man out of me.”
The shock on her face was priceless and he almost laughed out loud. Damn but the woman made him feel alive and he relished every second he was with her.
“Adultery is a sin,” she hissed, eyes narrowing into slits. “And as neither of us are married, we’ve committed no sin.”
Zan let out a snort and once again shoved his size twelves squarely into his mouth. “Face it, Doc. If you were truly a God-fearing woman you’d have booted me out the door the second you came home.”
If looks could kill, he would be broken and bloody on the spot. “I don’t fear God. I love him. And right now, I absolutely loathe you.” Jackie shoved both hands into his chest and he stumbled out of the bathroom. The door slammed shut and he heard the lock snick into place.
Ha, he thought. As if a measly lock, or door for that matter, would keep him out if he wanted otherwise. “Yeah?” he shouted, because he simply could not let her have the last word. After all. She had become his personal mission. “Premarital sex might not be a monster sin but I know for a fact lying is.”
“False testimony,” she shot back.
“And your testimony just now was nothing but a big, fat lie.” A high shriek of frustration permeated the wood just as something thudded against the door, making him grin like a loon.
Resting his forehead against the door he imagined her naked, wet, and soapy in the shower. And as quick as a snap, the blood rushed to his pants. While he’d briefly thought about attending this evening’s service to spend more time with her, he didn’t think it appropriate to go to church with a hard-on.