by Holley Trent
Not badly enough, in Drea’s opinion.
When the attention of the crew around them turned to the warbling karaoke singer near the end of the bar, Drea leaned back and whispered to Peter, “What’s wrong?”
Peter rubbed her arms and then looped his around to her belly. “Nothing.”
“Come on, I don’t buy that. Tell me.”
He let out a ragged breath and pressed his face against the crook of her neck. “Andrea…”
“Tell me.”
“I didn’t want you to see what. Me losing control like that. He was so unapologetic, and I was so angry. When I think about how he had a hand in fucking over Tamara’s life and how it’s his fault, in part, that Gene spent all those years terrorizing you—”
She put a finger over his lips and whispered, “It’s okay. Bryan would have done the same thing.”
“I don’t think he would have. I’m trying to be better than what I am. I don’t know if I can be.”
“Who asked you to be? You keep waiting for me to tell you that I don’t like the person you are. Is that right?”
“You’d be entitled to. That’s why your brother and my sister tried to keep us apart for so long.”
“No. That was because I’m a naive nitwit.”
“Stop.”
“You stop.”
“Fine.” He rested his forehead atop her shoulder and sighed.
“Remember, I promised you that I would keep you. You haven’t done anything to make me change my mind. The knight-on-a-white-horse routine isn’t what I’d call a turnoff.”
He squeezed her tight as his low growl rumbled against her back.
“I go crazy when I think about anyone hurting you. Tamara won’t let me get anywhere near Gene again. I guess she thinks there wouldn’t be enough left of him to question if I had my way.”
“Sounds like a typical Bear response to me. At least one of us is typical.”
“I love that you’re not typical.”
“And I love that you are.”
“Do you?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nudged his hair back from his ear and rubbed the lobe. She also loved that she had her very own Bear to touch whenever she wanted to.
“I may require more convincing,” he said softly.
“Me, too,” she said. “And I think that’s okay.”
No. She knew it was. There was no longer a hostile voice inside her head telling her otherwise.
Confidence for a change. I like that.
Change, for once, was good, and she didn’t doubt for a moment that they weren’t all in store for a heap of it. With her bear gone, her mind clear, and Peter standing by, she’d be ready.
Finally ready.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining me on the wild ride that is the Shrew & Company series! Back in 2012, my plan was to write five little novellas—one featuring each Shrew. I quickly learned, though, that confining the Shrew stories to such small word counts when these ladies had such rich background stories wasn’t fair for them or for the cast of supporting characters that stumbled haplessly into their lives.
Although the core office staff have all got their “happily ever afters,” there are still plenty of stories left in this world. After all—Wes is on the lam, and poor Soren Ursu is pitifully lovesick.
I don’t have an ETA on when the next Shrew story will be out, but I hope to give that story a low-suspense twist. The ladies deserve a break!
Be sure you’re subscribed to my paranormal romance newsletter so you don’t miss a notification about what’s next for the series. When you’re done…
Catch up on Shrew & Company
1 – Pursuing Patrick (formerly The Problem with Paddy)
2 – Framing Felipe
3 – Bryan’s Betrayal
Shrew & Company Books 1-3 (box set)
4 – Following Fabian
5 – Eric’s Edge
WANT MORE BAD BOY ALPHAS?
Promising Peter is part of the Bad Boy Alphas themed shapeshifter romance collection. Check out these other titles by this cycle’s authors:
Burn This! by Tasha Black
Claiming His Prize by Ellis Leigh
Billion Dollar Bear by Catherine Vale
Rogue Moon by Lashell Collins
Shifted Under Construction by C.E. Black
Deathly Royal by J.M. Cole
The Fifth Moon’s Wolf by Monica La Porta
Taming Beastie by Sedona Venez
Check out the first cycle’s books, too:
The Alpha’s Justice by Michelle Fox
Shifting Ground by Tabitha Conall
Reach for the Sky by Gwen Knight
Awaken a Wolf by R.E. Butler
COPYRIGHT AND CREDITS
PROMISING PETER
Copyright ©Holley Trent 2016
All Rights Reserved
Cover art by Fiona Jayde/Fiona Jayde Media
PROMISING PETER is a work of complete fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictional or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
WARNING: this story contains adult situations including sex and strong language. It is not intended for consumption by minors (age of majority as specified by your territory of residence).
For more information about PROMISING PETER or the Shrew & Company series, please visit holleytrent.com.