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Her mother waved a hand "You know your father

He’s probably lost in research" The words were light, but Annie heard the hurt Ki "He promised he’d try to be here by the time dinner was served"

Which meant, Annie knew, that they’d be lucky if they saw hiht "What’s on thethat bruised pain in her htened "I etable dish fo an entree" Her words were sincere, her love open "Don’t start, Caro," she said, when Caroline opened her mouth "I made your favorite pie, too"

"That’s why you’re ht and easy fro room onder of wonders, her father walked in Erik Kildaire was dressed in the ru of a man for whom looks mattered little, but he seemed to be with them today, rather than in his head

Her mother’s face lit up froood to see you, Dad," she said, accepting her father’s enthusiastic kiss on the cheek Love swelled in her heart, but it was a love that had learned to be cautious She’d never had the tangled relationship with her father that she had with her mother, but that was probably because he’d never been around to argue with her A different kind of hurt altogether

"And who’s this?" he asked, looking Zach up and dohile sliding one arm around her mother’s waist

Annie made the introductions, but her father’s reaction was not what she’d expected

"Zach Quinn," hecleared "The same Zachary Quinn who published a study on the wildcat population of Yosemite last year?"

Beside her, Zach nodded "I’nized ed, "but ram, was very excited by it Said it was the best doctoral thesis he’d seen his entire tenure"

Zach had a PhD?

Annie could’ve kicked hi that from her, especially when her mother shot her a look of accusation Thankfully, her dad said so Zach and Annie alone for the first ti secrets?"

He had the grace to look a little sheepish "To be honest, I didn’t think anyone would realize or even care You told me they wereabout everyone And a PhD is a PhD" She rapped a fist gently against his chest "If you’d told me you had one, I wouldn’t have worried so ue against a doctorate"

"Your mother’s not the one whose opinion I care about Does the PhD uarded

The hint of unfarees mattered to me," she said honestly, "I’d have married the triple-PhD’d physicist my mother picked out for me when I enty-two

Or the MD with more letters after his narand pooh-bah who stared at nothing but my breasts for the entire meal"

His smile creased his cheeks "Theer--somehow, Zach Quinn had earned the trust of her vulnerable feminine heart

It startled her, row, Zach bent to brush his lips gently over hers, acting in the way of changelings, not caring that they had an audience

When he dreay, she leaned into hied

Chapter 8

Two and a half hours later, Zach found hi coffee while Annie stood inside, chatting with her cousin God, but she was beautiful to him--all he wanted was to take her home, hold her safe, and keep her just for himself

It was an unalterable part of hi from the cat and man both

But no matter his primitive instincts, he wouldn’t do that to Annie, wouldn’t contain her that way Still, he needed to mark her--to take her until his scent was embedded so deep into her skin, no one would dare question his right to her An animal desire Yet often, the animal’s heart was farlanced at Kial nod "Let elica told uessed"

"I’ve changed my mind"

Zach raised an eyebrow "The PhD?"

"No In certain departauntlet

He picked it up "Good thing I’m a leopard, then"

Her lips threatened to smile "I’ve always pushed Annie toward men who are more cerebral than physical"

Zach waited with a predator’s quiet patience