Snippet Saturday is the brainchild of author Lauren Dane, wherein a group of authors selects thematic excerpts from their work and shares them on Saturday mornings. This Saturday's theme is quirks and oddities. In Pack and Coven, our shifter hero, Harry, is meeting the heroine, June, for what he thinks is the first time. He's convinced she's on the weird side but still finds her scrumptious:
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Leaning forward, Harry whuffed in her scent, and his mouth started to water. She was more than pretty. She was edible. Cake, fruit tea and a little bit of... What was that? He could barely tell over the smell of gas.
“Excuse me. I think that’s enough.” She shoved her purse into his chest and hopped backward. Harry advanced, she retreated, until she bumped into her car. Because it was so ridiculously small, the impact shook the vehicle.
“You’re excused. Now hold still.” He whuffed again now that she couldn’t escape and finally put his finger on it. Amber. Sandie didn’t smell like amber, but this woman did. That’s why he hadn’t recognized her mark on his property.
“You are a very pushy person,” she said, breathing a little faster. “You shouldn’t go around grabbing people you just met.”
“Probably not.” Good thing she didn’t know he’d like to do more than grab her. He’d heard of lust at first sight. This was more like lust at first sniff.
It was also damned inconvenient.
She pushed him again. “You’re not being very nice.”
Harry scratched behind his ear and stepped back. “Why didn’t Sandie tell me about you?” Despite the fact none of this was relevant to his current crisis, he felt more than a little hurt.
“I don’t know. She told me about you.” She opened her handbag, pulled out a rubber glove and snapped it on. Then she extended her hand for a shake. “I’m June. Nice to finally meet you.”
Harry eyeballed the glove a moment before accepting her greeting. As Sandie’s granddaughter, he’d cut her some slack. Humans didn’t have shifter constitutions, and some got freaky about germs. Sandie carried antibacterial wipes everywhere.
June had a grip as firm as her grandmother’s.
“Nice to meet you too,” Harry said, his curiosity aroused. What else did he not know about Sandie? He hid stuff from her, but that was different. He wasn’t human. “Does Sandie have a big family?”
“No.” June rubbed her palm against her cotton dress. “My mother was Nana’s only child, and I was my mother’s only child.”
“I’m an only child too,” he told her. And an orphan, but she didn’t need to hear that part.
Her eyes widened. “I didn’t know that about you.”
“Why would you? We just met.” If June could cook like her grandmother, his lust at first sniff could easily turn into more. Damn, she was pretty. “Is there a Mr. June?”
She blinked up at him, her cheeks pinkening. “What difference does that make?”
“Just checking.” Harry rocked back on his heels. There was no Mr. June, he’d bet his toolbox. He’d also bet she knew exactly why he’d asked. “So tell me, why were you poking your nose all over my property?”
“I didn’t think you’d mind,” June said, “since I was looking for stuff to help you.”
“Help me?” Harry glanced at her car and back at her. “I figure Sandie sent you here so I could help you.”
“Why would I need your help?”
“Obviously to pick out a decent car.” Not that he could advise her right now. In fact, he shouldn’t even be flirting with her. He needed to head for the west coast ASAP. He’d grab a few things and put extra food out for the cats. Sandie could check on them later, and Chip could handle the business. Every indie worth his pelt had steps in place in the event he had to disappear.
Hopefully, June would be here when he got back, and there’d still be no Mr. June.
“My car,” she told him, “is the least of your worries.”
“I don’t know about that.” He sniffed. “I think you’ve got a gas leak.”
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You can preorder Pack and Coven:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
It's also available at NetGalley for reviewers. More info about the book: http://www.jodywallace.com/books/packandcoven.htm
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Jody W.
www.jodywallace.com * www.meankitty.com
For more oddness and quirks, check out:
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Eliza Gayle
Rhian Cahill
Anne Rainey
Jody Wallace
Lissa Matthews
Mari Carr
McKenna Jeffries
Myla Jackson
Taige Crenshaw
Alison Kent
Delilah Devlin
HelenKay Dimon
Leah Braemel
Shelli Stevens
Shiloh Walker
TJ Michaels
Zoë Archer
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