Ronan wanted to laugh. Not only was she stubborn but crazy and brave. He knew right then that if he didn't lock her into Rebecca's bedroom, she'd light out for that store as soon as his back was turned. Even if Ronan did lock her in, Elizabeth would find a way out. She was that kind of girl.

"All right." Ronan forced his voice to come down from the frenzied arguing. "We'll do it your way. Partly. Mabel stays here, and you go open your store. I come with you, and we have a couple trackers lurking around outside to keep an eye on things."

Elizabeth's anger didn't diminish. "Shifters lurking around my parking area all day will worry the other shop owners. What if they call the police?"

"No one will see the trackers. They're pretty good at stealth, when they want to be. And Shifters are at your store all the time. You're one of the few who lets us in."

"They come in to shop. Not lurk. There's a difference."

"Why don't you ban Shifters? It's your choice."

Elizabeth stopped, annoyed at the change in conversational direction. She obviously didn't like her arguments interrupted. "Because I think laws banning Shifters are stupid. Why shouldn't you be allowed to wear lame T-shirts like everyone else?"

Ronan chuckled. "I'm keeping the Red-Hot Lover one. My point is, because you've been a friend to Shifters, Shifters are happy to look out for you when you need it. I'm putting you under my protection. I already have. All of Shiftertown knows that if anyone wants to mess with you, they mess with me first."

"All of Shiftertown?" Elizabeth regarded him skeptically. "Already knows this? We didn't get here until late last night."

"Liam put the word out."

"At three in the morning?"

Ronan shrugged. "I told you, Felines are nocturnal. By this morning, everyone knew. There's not a Shifter within a hundred miles who'd want to go one-on-one with me, so they'll help you but leave you alone. The Morrisseys outrank me, but that's about it. And they like you too."

"They don't know me."

"You'd be surprised what they know. You are safe here, and so is Mabel. Now, if you're done arguing, let's go open your store."

Ronan started to walk away. He'd learned that the best way to finish an altercation with females was simply to leave. They'd stand there and shout things at your back, but better that than having the argument go on and on and on.

"There's one big problem with you going with me," came her voice behind him.

Ronan turned. "What's that?"

Elizabeth had calmed down a little, but her eyes were still alight with determination. "The judge sentenced you to house arrest. You're not supposed to leave Shiftertown at all, except to go to your job."

"Why don't you let me worry about that? Now, are we going?"

"You're not. I get why you want to post the trackers outside my store to keep an eye out. That makes sense. But what happens when a cop comes by and sees you in there with me? Then I get arrested too, for aiding and abetting. I can't run my store if I'm in jail."

"I said, let me worry about that."

"Forget it. Stay here and take care of Mabel, and your Spike guy with his tatts can watch out for the gang."

Ronan came back to her. "Here's the deal, Lizzie-girl. I go with you, or you don't go."

"Stop calling me Lizzie-girl." She jabbed her finger at his chest. "It's my store, my life, my sister, and we'll do this my-- Hey! What are you doing?"

Ronan had his giant hands on her soft waist, and he lifted her off her feet. She squirmed and glared, but he lifted her higher, higher, until she was over his head. He often picked up Olaf like this, and Elizabeth was not much bigger than the cub.

"Ronan, you put me down!"

"Nothing doing, sweet thing. Not until you realize that I'm your bodyguard now, and that's all there is to that."

"You arrogant . . ."

Ronan saw her hand coming at him, fingers stiff, right for his eyes. He ducked out of the way in time, but the move made him lose his hold. Elizabeth kicked out, not contacting him, but with enough force to twist from his grip and land on her feet. She never touched him, and yet, there she stood, a couple yards from him, hands on hips, breathing hard, triumph on her face.

Ronan growled. "You fight dirty."

"I learned how to a long time ago."

"You know something, Lizzie-girl?"

Elizabeth canted one hip . . . Aw, wasn't that adorable? "What's that?" she asked.

"I fight dirty too."

Before Elizabeth could scream, Ronan ran at her and lifted her again, letting the momentum carry them forward until her back was against the outside wall of the Den. Ronan pinned her tightly, his body against hers, so that she couldn't squirm, kick, or do any neat karate moves with her hands.

Elizabeth struggled, and she glared, and the more she glared, the more Ronan wanted to laugh. She smelled sweet, like the honey she'd poured on her toast. One drop of that honey lingered on the corner of her mouth, and Ronan leaned down and licked it away.

Chapter Six

Elizabeth froze. She felt the moist heat of his mouth, the flick of his tongue, the warmth of his lips. He was strong, his hands on her waist attested to that, yet his touch on her mouth was everything that was gentle. Elizabeth hung in his grasp for a long moment before she returned the faintest of pressures.

They were face to face, so close that Elizabeth saw the faint line of scar that laced from the corner of his cheekbone up the bridge of his nose. Where he'd broken it, she surmised.

She did nothing. Ronan studied her a long time, his eyes warm, his gaze sliding to her lips.

Slowly Elizabeth brought up one hand to cup his cheek. She let her thumb drift over the firm line of his mouth before she closed the inch between them and kissed him again.

Their lips fused, unmoving heat, slow goodness. Elizabeth felt the thump of his heart, the beat of hers in return, the Texas sunshine soaking into her bones, as hot as her blood.

"Oh, give me a break," came a male voice from the porch. Scott, finally out of the shower and shirtless, leaned on the railing, his dark hair wet. "You told me not to touch the humans, Ronan. Why don't the same rules apply to you?"

Ronan eased out of the kiss. Slowly, he lowered Elizabeth to her feet and turned around.