Serengeti Sunrise - By Vivi Andrews Page 0,32

a mate,” he said. “It’s a big adjustment for both of us.”

Her breath left her in a whoosh. “Who said I was taking a mate?” Presumptuous bastard.

“Zoe.”

“Tyler,” she mimicked, a growl sneaking into her voice. “Before you grab a shotgun and start wedding planning, maybe you should check to see if the bride is willing.”

“This isn’t exactly how I pictured my life going either,” he said, the words sharp.

“Oh, well done. That’s the way to convince me we should get married. Bitch about how I’m screwing up your life plan. Bonus.”

“That wasn’t what I meant and you know it. We’re both stuck in this, so we might as well—”

“I’m not stuck in anything, Tyler Minor. So you can just cram your make the best of it speech up your ass, okay, sweetie?”

“Dammit, Zoe! What did I do to get you so pissed at me? I thought we were good and then you bolt on me with no fucking explanation and avoid me for days. What did I fucking do?”

You wanted me. Zoe knew it was messed up, but him wanting her had scared the shit out of her. She was allowed to pin all her emotion on him when he was running hard in the opposite direction, but she hadn’t been prepared for his about-face. When he wanted her, when it was real and she had to choose between a real life with him here and the life she knew on her own, suddenly everything she felt was bigger and scarier than she could handle.

But she couldn’t tell him that.

“You didn’t do anything. What do you want?”

His jaw locked and his hands fisted at his sides, but he lowered his eyes, visibly restraining himself from the urge to dominate her. Zoe was more impressed than she cared to admit by the effort.

“Landon wants you to take a look at the perimeter security. You know more about that techno-spy shit than anyone else on the ranch. I’m supposed to escort you.”

“Babysit me, you mean. I can do it myself. I’ll be on pride land the entire time.”

“You’ll be on the border and everyone is using the buddy system, so stop whining and get any gear you need. We’re going as soon as you’re ready.”

Zoe stiffened, itching for a fight, wanting to take out all of her frustration and confusion on someone. “Is that an order?”

Tyler stepped forward until he was looming over her, but he didn’t touch her, just saturated the air around her with the weight of his presence. “Zoe,” he growled low. “We can play all the dominance games you want later, but right now you have a job to do for the pride, so get your ass moving and fucking do it.”

If she’d needed it spelled out for her that his family would always come first to him, Tyler had just done that. Pride first—even if his definition of pride was narrower than Landon’s. Zoe didn’t want to be another person he protected and bossed around. It wasn’t in her.

Suddenly the picket fence looked more like bars. He would keep her safe, even if it meant building a cage around her with his own two hands. The two of them chafing against their restriction together she might have been able to handle. Tyler as her jailer would be unbearable.

“I’ll get my things,” Zoe said, her voice soft and expressionless.

Tyler rocked back on his heels, a flicker of satisfaction at the victory showing on his face. Zoe didn’t bother telling him he’d lost something bigger than this argument. He’d lost her.

“Three more and we’re done.”

The truck rumbled over the cattle guard fifteen feet from the outer perimeter. Zoe sat in the passenger seat with a laptop open on her legs, ignoring him with a businesslike concentration that was starting to make him crazy.

For days he’d tried to give her space, even as his lion fought against the restriction, urging him to prove to her he was strong enough to be her mate the only way the animal in him recognized—through dominance. He’d nearly ripped Landon’s head off for no good reason, just because he was another male in Zoe’s life and Tyler couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else having a claim on her. His human side refused to be ruled by his instincts. He knew Zoe would be as resistant to the idea of spending forever with him as he initially had been, but she didn’t have decades of bending to Fate’s will to prepare her as he