“Makes sense, since we are outside.”
Gideon’s tan gives way to a mottled, red blush, and he narrows his eyes at me as I continue to laugh. But for once, I’ve done something right because I can literally see the tension leaving Sheena’s body.
It’s clear she’s unused to physical affection. Gideon, on the other hand, is tactile in the extreme. He pretty much groups everyone he meets into two categories: people he wants to hug or people he wants to kill. He’s got to tread lightly, or she’s going to bolt.
“Do you want to see me shift?” His question catches us both off guard. That’s the opposite of treading lightly. Sheena’s jaw drops, and I laugh again.
“Damn, you just dropped that on her,” I say when he glares at me. He shrugs and hops to his feet.
“I just thought she might want to see, since last time...” He stops abruptly, realizing he’s just shoved his giant foot in his mouth again.
I’m about to attempt damage control when Sheena giggles.
“It’s okay. Iamcurious,” she admits. “Can you really turn into anything?” Her big green eyes look up at him, and he gulps. I resist rolling my eyes. He’s such a goner.
“Any animal, as long as I’ve seen it.” He puffs out his chest, and I hide my smile. It’s adorable watching him try to impress her.
“What about like unicorns or dragons?” She teases, but neither of us corrects her. When Gideon steps back and pulls off his shirt with one hand, Sheena is gaping at him in wide-eyed disbelief.
“Wait, they’re real? Are you serious?” By the time she gets the second question out, her voice is barely more than a squeak. When his pants hit the ground, so does her jaw. I choke on another laugh and ignore the zip of heat that shoots through me as she tries to look anywhere but his crotch and fails miserably. Gideon notices, slipping his thumb into the waistband of his boxer briefs with a grin so big I can see both his dimples.
Sheena sputters, and I take pity on her.
“He’s kidding,” I say, tossing a pinecone at his junk. Gideon catches the projectile easily with his shifter reflexes and hurls it back at me. I bat it away and grin.
“Dragons arereal, though. I just haven’t seen one,” Gideon insists. “I’m not sure about unicorns.” He’s bouncing up and down now with excitement as Sheena blinks up at him with her mouth hanging open.
“What would you like him to shift into?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
“Well, if I can’t see a unicorn, I don’t know.” Her eyes lick up his bare skin, like she can’t help checking him out. “Why don’t you show me your favorite?”
Oh gods.
I don’t even have time to suggest that maybe this isn’t such a good idea before Gideon vanishes. He squats down as a man, then his body contorts and twists, and a lion stands in front of us. The entire process takes less than a second, but it wasn’t always that way. I wince as I remember dozens of painful, lengthy attempts to shift when he first started.
Sheena stares at the lion, amazement and fear warring for dominance on her face. The cat is huge. He’s almost as tall as me—at least eleven feet long, and a total fucking showboat. There’s prancing, tail swishing, and a roar that makes goose bumps spread along the delicate curve of Sheena’s neck.
When Gideon crouches down and prepares to pounce, my heart jumps to my throat. He launches straight towards her face and I panic. Why didn’t we even consider weird animal reactions to the mate bond?
Before I can throw myself between the two of them, Gideon’s lion changes to a fluffy bunny in mid-air. Landing at the edge of the quilt, he hops the rest of the distance to Sheena, nose and tail wiggling. I can hear her heart pounding from several feet away. She stares down at the tiny, brown rabbit and its violently twitching nose as it feels the anxiety in the air.
This was . . . a joke?
I’m going to kill him.
“He... What?” Sheena stutters, looking to me for answers.
“He’s an idiot,” I sigh, feeling my pulse return to normal as I relax back on my propped arms. The bunny shifts to a puppy then, complete with tiny ears, tiny feet, and a tiny, pitiful whine. The dog, much like the man, is so full of shit. There’s no waySheena will fall for—nope, I was wrong. She’s eating his act up like a hot fudge sundae.
She scoops the puppy up, cradling him to her chest and pressing kisses to his fuzzy head. He licks her cheek and she giggles. I narrow my eyes at Gideon, watching the goofy grin spread across his canine mouth as she lavishes him with attention. He’s playing her like a fiddle, but it’s nice to see her relax.
I close my eyes, enjoying the peaceful quiet. I might have drifted off to sleep if Sheena’s soft voice didn’t bring me back.
“It’s beautiful out here,” she whispers. “I don’t want to wear out my welcome, Callum.”
There’s tension in her voice that wasn’t there a moment ago. I open my eyes to see her staring out at the water, a faint furrow in her forehead.
She takes my breath away.
