Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter by Jessica Sims

thanks to the animal inside that loved to run and play, and most were corded with muscle, rippling with six-packs. Ramsey was just . . . mammoth. He was six and a half feet of pure, solid muscle on a massive frame. Thick and solid like a boxer. Suddenly I doubted very much that the bat had hurt him, and a quiver of fear shot through me when he sat on the other side of the bed and then lay down next to me. I clutched the shirt to my nose, waiting.
    He simply closed his eyes as if I hadn’t been there.
    “So about this,” I said, feeling the need to make excuses for my behavior. “I should have said something. It happens more often than I’d like. I’m sorry.”
    He looked over at me at that. “Every night?”
    “Not the nosebleeds,” I joked. “That’s special for tonight.”
    He stared at me, his jaw clenched. “If you are frightened of me—”
    “Oh, no, that’s not it,” I said hastily, surprised. He thought that was why I was having nightmares? How totally awkward. I mean, I was scared of him, but that wasn’t causing me to turn in my sleep. “I have these all the time. Roy, I was scared of. You? You’re just . . . big.”
    He snorted.
    “It’s true,” I said, deciding to tease him a little more to defuse the situation. “It’s like you’re Paul Bunyan. Or since you’re a shifter, maybe more like his ox.”
    He was silent for a moment, then said, “Bear.”
    “Okay, then. I’m Goldilocks, and I got stuck with the biggest bear instead of the one that’s just right.”
    Silence again. Then he turned toward me, his eyes gleaming in the darkness. “I am big, Sara. I’m big and I don’t talk much, but I would never hurt you. You understand that?”
    Damn. I seemed to always say the wrong thing. I nodded. “I know. My head knows it, but my body takes a little longer to remember it.”
    He regarded me for a moment more, then touched my cheek again. “Sleep.”
    “I should probably stay up for a bit,” I said, testing my nose. Good. It had stopped bleeding. “Make sure I don’t shift again or attack anyone. I’ll probably be a little twitchy for the next hour or two.”
    His hand cupped the side of my head. “Sleep. I’ll watch over you.”
    “All right,” I said softly, unsure how to take that. It was . . . sweet of him to offer, but did I trust him to have my back? He stared back at me, unflinching and solemn. I realized that if this was going to work, we needed to be a team.
    And I needed to trust him.
    So I lay back on the bed and tried to relax, not anticipating being able to sleep at all. Ramsey’s dark eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and I knew he was watching me.
    Despite my nerves and the anxiety of sharing an unfamiliar bed, for some reason I fell right back to sleep. This time my dreams were peaceful and quiet, and filled with the sounds of Ramsey’s soothing voice.

    The next morning I awoke warm and cozy. I blinked a few times, wondering why I felt so delicious and safe. The scent of something unfamiliar brushed my nostrils, but my sleep-drugged brain didn’t seem to grasp it.
    A hand slid down my back and pulled me closer,and I realized the heavy rumble in my ear was a snore.
    Blinking, I focused on the very broad, very bare chest I was curled up against. My cheek was laid against one blazingly hot pectoral, my fingers curled in blond chest hair. A massive hand rested on my back, pulling me close, and my legs were tucked close against his.
    My breathing quickened and I watched his chest move up and down for a minute, trying to think of how to extricate myself from his grasp. My clothes were still on, which was a good thing. Ramsey was shirtless and, under the blankets, possibly naked. I sure hoped not.
    The heavy, even breathing continued, but the snoring had stopped. Maybe I could sneak out before he was totally awake . . .
    “I will not bite you,” his deep voice said in my ear.
    I jerked my fingers away when I realized they were still entwined in his chest