Read Online Shifter’s Surrender by Jennifer Dellerman - Free Book Online

on?”
    Unable to hold back a smirk of female satisfaction, Kaylie grabbed Tess’s arm before her sister could run to the rescue. “Relax, Tess. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
    “Dammit, Kinigos, what the hell burrowed up your ass?” Dolen’s voice faded and a door slammed shut.
    Tess turned accusing eyes to Kaylie. “Did you know Dean was back there?” At Kaylie’s too innocent look, Tess shook her head. “You have no idea what you’re playing with.”
    Kaylie quirked a brow. “Fire?”
    Settled back in her seat, Tess glared at her sister. “More like you just pulled the pin out of a live grenade. Dean is already one shifter teetering on the edge of sanity, and heaven only knows how much more he can take before falling into that abyss. You messing with his emotions like this will only push him faster.”
    “Well if I don’t push, I’ll be dead before he starts anything between us. I know he’s interested but he’s extremely resistant.”
    Sighing, Tess bowed her head. “Maybe there’s a reason for that.”
    Kaylie narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
    “Maybe,” Tess’s voice was so low that Kaylie had to lean over the table again. “Just maybe, he doesn’t feel worthy of you.”
    “What male really is?” Kaylie tried to joke, but her pulse hammered at what her sister was trying to say.
    Tess tilted her head up, and glared. “Dammit, Kaylie, I’m being serious. Dean’s got a past, a past that’s made him hard. When I first met him I thought ‘this man is a killer’ and I didn’t want my baby sister anywhere near him. But over the months, working with him at the lumber company and seeing him with his pack and as the town mayor, I’ve come to understand that his hardness is a shell. A very thick shell to be sure, but I’m betting that it’s there to protect him from being hurt, or from accidentally hurting others. He’s tough and unforgiving when he needs to be, and he’s taken on some seriously dangerous responsibilities that I would never desire. He really does give a damn for this town, and we all need him. But between the haunts from his past and the current pressure he’s under from his pack, this town, and now you, he’s on the edge. Please don’t push him over.”
    Well, that was unexpected. Properly put down, and feeling an eensy bit sorry for her childish behavior—but only a little damn, darn , it—Kaylie kicked at the table leg. “I don’t want to push him over. I just want him.”
    Tess reached across the table and took Kaylie’s hand in her own. “I know. But you need to take it slow and careful. Which,” she added before Kaylie could speak up, “I know goes against your very nature. But in the end, maybe you can bring him back from the brink, and maybe,” now Tess’ eyes twinkled, “just maybe, he can tame you.”
    “I don’t need to be tamed,” Kaylie grumbled.
    Tess gave a very unladylike snort, turning the seriousness of the conversation into a more comfortable sibling badgering. “Please. You’re brash, impulsive, a daredevil, and you take way to many chances.” She squeezed Kaylie’s hand when she tried to tug it away. “But never think I’m not proud of you. You’re so smart and caring and brave. But it’s the impulsiveness and risks you take that worry me, and Mom.”
    “Oh, don’t even pull the mom card.” Kaylie glared at her sister.
    “I’ll do what any big sister needs to to make sure you stay alive.”
    Kaylie managed to get her hand away and dug through her purse. “I need to get back to work.” She glanced up and noted Tess’s eyes lingering on the menu board above the cafe’s counter. “You’re not seriously still hungry, are you?”
    A flush crept up her sister’s face and she bit her lip.
    “What?” Kaylie asked. “What’s wrong?”
    Tess looked around the empty dining room. “I … Don’t say anything to anyone, but I … I think I might be pregnant.”
    Kaylie’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? That’s