Tears blurred her vision and a tightness sealed her throat, making her swallow several times before she could speak.
“Well,” she said.“It looks as if we’re staying.”
Leo swooped her off her feet and swung her around and around, his joyous laughter loud enough to halt his family and draw their attention.“Betrys and Ricci are staying.”He set her on her feet and kissed her—a hard, possessive kiss that she felt all the way to her toes.
“Of course we’re staying,” Ricci said.
Betrys and Leo turned toward her son and recommenced walking, their arms wrapped around each other.
“We’re a family,” Ricci said to Betrys.
“We are,” Leo agreed, his love shining in his face for her and his family to see.“Let’s have pancakes.”
Would you like to read more of my romances?Sign up formy newsletter(https://shelleymunro.com/newsletter/) to learn about upcoming releases, receive free books and short stories tied to my series plus contest and special promotion news.
Also, I want to ask a favor.Word-of-mouth is crucial for an author to succeed.If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review.Even if it’s only a few lines, it would be a big help.
Middlemarch Shifters is the original series and features the ancestors of the characters in the Middlemarch Capture romances.Please turn the page to glimpseMy Assassin,where you’ll meet Leo’s forebear of the same name.
Excerpt – My Assassin
Book 4, Middlemarch Shifters
Leowanderedthroughthedoors of the Queenstown casino, every sense alert for his mate.Even though he had no idea of her identity, he suspected it was the mystery blonde woman who had helped Sylvie—Felix and Tomasine’s daughter—during her first unexpected change to feline.Sylvie had taken everyone unaware when she’d shifted for the first time at age five instead of the normal age of sixteen.It was lucky the unidentified blonde had been around to help the confused youngster.
After sifting through the jingle of the slots and loud chatter, plus the layered scents of perfume, cologne, and pure excitement at the casino, Leo headed for the bar.
He’d arrived the previous evening and prowled the surrounds of Queenstown without luck, chafing at the denser population.He hadn’t caught the faintest whiff of his mystery woman, and that made him yearn to shift to black leopard and run free across the hills to relieve his frustration.
It wasn’t as if he could grab the nearest willing female and fuck the disappointment away, not when the female he desired was his mate.Damn woman.She’d mucked up his sex life but good.Leo snarled under his breath, cursing the fates and the heat prickling across his skin.
Without warning, Leo caught an elusive scent.A familiar one, it bore a hint of spiciness, reminding him of the wildflowers and grasses that bloomed around the salt lake in spring.He halted and almost caused a pileup of eager punters behind.
“Sorry,” he said, stepping aside to allow the impatient patrons to pass and head for their gambling game of choice.He sniffed the air again.A mixture of strong perfumes and colognes.A whiff of body odor and musk and a hint of wildflowers.
It was his mate.
She was here.
Leo’s heart squeezed out an exuberant pump, and he strode between the roulette tables, following the trail, his mood improving with his discovery.With no clear idea of her appearance, he scanned faces of women—both young and old.Up ahead, he saw a slim form dressed in a black halter dress.The line of her naked back drew his attention, as did the gentle sway of her hips.Her fragrance.
His.
Leo quickened his pace until he stood right behind her.She had brown hair with reddish strands, not the blonde he’d seen or others had mentioned.A frown creased his brow.Maybe she wore wigs.Tonight her hair piled on top of her head in a complicated twist, the type that made a man hesitate and wonder if it were safe to touch.In the past, he’d made the wrong decision and suffered the consequences.
The woman ignored his presence, continuing her elegant and sexy sway while she progressed through the crowded room.
Damn.This mating business was tricky.More convoluted than he’d envisioned.Show his face.Attraction.One becomes two—a couple.Huh!Witnessing Saber’s courtship of Emily and Felix’s adventures with Tomasine should’ve alerted him to potential pitfalls.Like a fool, he’d relied on his natural charm and looks to ease him through without mishap.Not working.
The woman sashayed toward the bar, his original destination, so Leo followed while deciding how to approach her.Did he use a corny pick-up line, or did he bowl up to her and say, “You’re my mate.Let’s fuck and get acquainted?”
He snorted.Yeah, brashness would snag her interest all right—if she didn’t run screaming for the cops first.
A man appeared in front of his woman.He spoke to her.Leo gaped in consternation when the tall male kissed her.And it wasn’t a peck either.Tongue came into play.
Hell.
What did he do now?
