Bowman growled. “Doubt it.”

“Yeah? Want to put money on it?”

“No.” Bowman took hold of the bar. “I want a better payout than money.”

The smile Kenzie gave him made his insides molten. He felt himself grow hard, even in this cold.

“Tell you what,” Kenzie said. “Whoever reaches the bottom of the hill first gets to have the other do to them whatever they desire.”

Her emphasis on the word desire made Bowman’s cock jump. To hell with the bet. He wanted her now.

Kenzie took the bar again. Holding it made her breasts thrust out toward him, and Bowman started sweating through the chill.

“I’ll even wait here until you get undressed. So it will be a fair match.”

Bowman leaned down and licked across her full lips that spoke the sassy words. “You are crazy.” He tapped the tip of her nose. “But you’re on, sweetheart.”

Bowman got out of his clothes faster than he thought possible. He enjoyed Kenzie watching his body come into view, liked the way her gaze traveled down his torso, healed again, to his jutting hard-on.

“Give me that.” Bowman grabbed the bar from her. “You are so screwed, my mate.”

Kenzie laughed. “Off you go,” she said, and pushed him away from the platform, swatting his ass as he went.

The world dropped out from under Bowman’s feet. Cold wind smacked him, cutting through his need, and his arms felt as though they were coming out of their sockets. He heard Kenzie laugh. The little shit, he was going to . . .

Love her for the rest of his life.

Bowman’s first shock fell away, and exhilaration took its place. Cade wasn’t such an idiot after all.

Bowman threw his head back and howled in pure enjoyment. The line rushed him down the hill, freezing wind whipping around him, his naked skin tingling with the crazy-ass thing he was doing.

Far away, in the rest of Shiftertown, howls echoed his, and snarls and roars. Shifters celebrating joy with their leader.

Bowman saw the landing place coming up. It was empty, and he tasted his triumph.

He lifted his feet, ready for the impact. He let go of the bar, just as Kenzie stepped out from behind a tree, her smile in place. She wasn’t out of breath; she was simply waiting for him. She seemed to have lost the black silk panties somewhere along the way.

“Damn it,” Bowman bellowed as he dropped.

Kenzie caught him in her arms. He let the impact of his landing take them both down, falling to the pine needles that carpeted Shiftertown, his home, where he belonged.

The mate bond surrounded them, twining them in a warm net Bowman would never fight himself free of. He’d let it tie him up forever, with Kenzie, his mate, his love.

His everything.