Southern Shifters: Stick Shifter (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Moxie North

more, although he didn’t seem to think her life was any less than his. He asked about what she liked in school, her favorite cars, and what she liked to do in her spare time. They sat in the sun until the twilight started to creep over them.
    Dusting her hands on her pant legs, Delaney started to get up.
    “I should get to work on your car. I’d hate for you to leave me a bad review because it took so long to get your car back. It would be faster if you helped.”
    “I’m at your service,” Will offered and started to clean up their food. “We’ll save the dessert for after we do our chores, yeah?”
    They carried the containers of food back into the garage. Delaney set him up on a stool next to the toolboxes on the bench. It was a clear sign of you’re welcome to stay, but don’t get in my way. Will didn’t care. She was at home in the garage. Her ability to gracefully move around the room grabbing tools and keeping up on the conversation showed Will that most of what she was doing was all muscle memory. Her ease with the engine was mesmerizing.
    He was no slouch when it came to car repairs. He was self-taught out of necessity. The first time he got the feeling a shop was trying to overcharge him, he endeavored to learn enough to not get taken again. Sure he could afford to have anyone work on his cars, but he didn’t like to be ignorant about anything.
    Although he was listening to her, his cougar was encouraging him to think of all the surfaces in the area they could bend their mate over, fuck her, and mark her as theirs. Will knew his animal’s need; it was ferocious, and he couldn’t blame him. He knew there was a protocol involved with shifter/human relationships. You had to gain your mate’s trust and ease them into your world.
    Will didn’t want to do any of that. He didn’t want to date her, woo her, or buy her flowers. Well, that wasn’t exactly true; he did want to do all those things with her and much more. He also wanted to be able to enjoy that sweet body of hers while he was doing all those other things.
    What could be the worst that would happen if he just came out and told her the truth first? Granted, he didn’t know her all that well, but the fates wouldn’t have given her to him if she wasn’t right for him. So shouldn’t his perfect match trust him when he told her the truth?
    He could show her his cougar, declare his love, and promise her the world. His cat was thinking that was a great idea and a fast one to get them to their goal. Will knew from the human side that would come across as crazy and potentially threatening. Smart women didn’t fall over for men who declared their love after just meeting them and then telling them they were a supernatural being. Definitely not on the approved list of How to Get the Girl .
    Although he wracked his brain, he couldn’t figure out a way to extend the evening without scaring her. He was a little proud of his level of self-control.
    Will managed to say goodnight without grabbing her and kissing the crap out of her. She’d finished working on his car as he stared at her ass and hid his erection. He handed her tools as she needed them, and he would sit back on the stool near the workbench, gripping the edge with white knuckles to keep from touching her. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, keeping his hands to himself.
    Her voice was still as sweet coming from under the bonnet of the car. She’d answer questions he would throw out just to keep her talking. When something was funny, she’d look over her shoulder at him with that adorable smile, and his heart would stop beating. The glint in her eyes told his cougar that she was genuinely having fun talking to him.
    He couldn’t help but hope she’d find something else wrong with his car so he wouldn’t have to manufacture more ways to be with her. She seemed to be willing to spend time with him. The ride tomorrow was a great start. His plan was to morph that into a meal, then