Primal Possession by Katie Reus Page A

smiled at the possibilities. Once that happened, the APL could officially launch their media campaign against all these shifter abominations. “Why do you keep questioning me? Haven’t I given you a place to stay? Didn’t I take you in when you had nowhere else to go?”
    Immediately Joseph’s eyes dropped. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
    “Soon that bitch will—”
    “Tsk, tsk.” Brianna walked into the room carrying a tray of cookies.
    Immediately Edward felt like he was a kid again. “Sorry, Brianna.”
    “If you want to teach these recruits, you also need to teach them manners.” Her soft voice was authoritative.
    “Of course. I’m sorry.” Petite, blond, and damn near perfect, Brianna was the only woman on the planet who got away with talking to him that way.
    She was also the only woman he’d ever stand for. Hurrying toward her, he took the tray and laid it on the middle of the coffee table. He desperately wanted to please her and hated himself for it. “These look great.”
    A slight smile touched her full, pink lips. “I have three more trays of finger foods in the kitchen.”
    “We’ll help you get them.” He nodded at Joseph, who immediately disappeared into the other room.
    Before he could move, Brianna patted the side of his face. The hideously scarred side of his face. He tensed, as he always did, but she didn’t pull back. The disfigurement never seemed to bother her. “You’re better than all of these men combined. You just have to act like the leader you are. Cursing is for ignorant thugs and you’re not one. Remember that,” she whispered.
    In response, he nodded. It was difficult to talk around her. He wanted to hate her, but he didn’t. He just wanted her approval so much.
    “I’m going to shower before the meeting, but you’ll make sure everything is laid out properly?” she asked in that genteel voice.
    Again, he nodded.
    She disappeared up the stairs and only when she was out of eyesight did he breathe again.
    “Man, I don’t know why that bitch thinks she can tell you what to do,” Joseph said as he walked back in carrying a tray of sandwiches.
    If he hadn’t been carrying food
Brianna
had prepared, Edward would have struck him. “Don’t you
ever
talk about her like that. She does a lot for the APL and deserves our respect.”
    Joseph faltered, likely because of the deadly edge in Edward’s voice. “I’m sorry, man. I just don’t like to see her treat you that way.”
    She did so much more than that, but Edward wasn’t going to bother explaining that to this nobody. After joining their organization, Brianna had gotten so much intel for them by simply using her innocent appearance. Not her body, though. She had a way of talking to people and getting them to open up. When she’d been evictedfrom her apartment, he’d offered her a place to live over a month ago. At first he thought he’d made a mistake, but she’d given his life order in a way he hadn’t thought possible.
    She was like the mother he’d never had. No, she was better. His own mother had abandoned him and his father. Brianna wasn’t a whore either. She didn’t spread her legs for anyone. She was perfect.
    He’d gotten hard once when he accidentally saw her coming out of the shower. It was the only time in his life he’d ever felt shame. But it wasn’t her fault. She hadn’t been deliberately trying to taunt him. Besides, she
looked
at him. Really, truly looked at him. She never turned away from his scarred face. Which was more than he could say for anyone.
    As he felt his body get hot, he inwardly cursed his own thoughts. When he realized Joseph was staring at him with a curious expression, he backhanded him. The kid had to learn not to question him. Brianna was right. If he was going to be a leader, he had to start acting like one.

Chapter 4
    K at smiled at the man who held the door open for her at Gwen’s Bakery. Since moving to Fontana, she’d tried to immerse herself like a local.