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Chapter One

She was gonna be trouble, Ronan Kelly decided as he watched the green-eyed little thing over at the pool table When she'd coured she'd take one look around and then walk right back out Instead, she'd sashayed up to the bar pretty as you please and ordered bourbon with a beer chaser

No one in this shitty little dive bar was used to seeing anyone who looked like that in here Most of the wo for a quick lay They weren't the kind of woht with He was pretty sure that the women's bathroom had seen more than its share of sexual encounters He turned a blind eye and didn't ask questions Kelly's was the kind of place where nobody asked any questions

Right now, she was kicking Sarge's ass, if his eyes didn't deceive hi part wolf, they never did This little slip of nothin' was running the dauy you wanted to fuck with either Hell, there wasn't anyone she'd wanna fuck with here tonight

A quick glance around the bar confirmed that it was almost exclusively filled with shifters She probably had no idea that the iant bear that could tear her apart if need be Granted, it wasn't exactly a common practice, but that didn't matter When the alcohol flowed and tempers flared, it was harder to keep the beast at bay

Sarge was half a bottle in and he looked like he was building up a good head of steaet involved in a dispute over a pool gaoddausted, he threw the towel down on the bar and wandered back to the pool table

As Little Miss was scooping the twenties off the felt with a satisfied grin, Sarge snarled, “You little bitch! You conned me!”

One of the otherher southern belle drawl, he said, “I wanna play I've done it a couple of tientle, won't ya?”

“Well, ya'll wouldn't have played with onna kick your asses, would ya? The way I see it, you were either lookin' to take et all pissy with onna happen”

Ronan had to bite back a grin at the wink she'd given theive her this, though She had some brass balls under that tiny little skirt of hers He finally stepped forhen Sarge started to move toward her

“Sarge,” Ronan said, interrupting “She beat ya fair and square Let it go, brother Have another drink on the house Have Ty set you up”

When Sarge turned to look at hi further, he slammed his pool cue down on the baize and muttered as he walked toward the bar

Ronan took one look at the growing crowd and said, “Alright, boys, nothing to see here”

As the crowd started to disperse, he said, “Not so fast, cupcake”

Her face screamed “fuck you,” but she only asked, “Cupcake?”

“Well, princess,” he said, correcting himself with a smirk, “I don't knohat your naet your sweet little ass outta et hurt That man you just conned is not the type of person you wanna fuck with”

The attitude suddenly disappeared fro close to desperation took its place “I'ood time,” she said “I won't cause any trouble”

“You already have Consider your tab closed, cupcake, and get out of my bar!”

“What the fuck, ot all pissy that I conned hi todeal is!”

Ronan rubbed a hand over his face and said, “You've got no idea what you're dealing with Don't make me physically remove you from my bar I'll do it”

She glared, but didn't move an inch He stepped forward to put his hands on her shoulders and steer her gently out the door That's when she reached out and raked her nails across his cheek

“Don't fucking touch ainst him

He let her go with a hiss and brought his hand to his face When he pulled away bloody fingers, his wolf snarled and yanked against the chains inside Pulling in a deep, calainst his incredibly visceral need to shift Ronan wasn't used to being challenged Not by a little tiny thing like this Especially not in front of all these damn people