Conquer Me (Sawtooth Shifters, #4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

interest in my shop, and money couldn’t buy me what I needed. “I want your wife.”
    There it was. No question about it now. Thick silence settled between us. I wasn’t doing anyone’s dirty work anymore, no matter what the price. Whatever I did would be best for me. But I wanted to see how far Walter would go to get what he wanted. I was willing to go all the way. “You bring me Shadow Channing’s head on a platter, and I’ll think about it.”
    Walter held out his hand to seal the deal. I only had seconds to make a decision. One that I could live with. That was all I needed.
    His handshake was firmer than I expected. “You have yourself a deal.” 

Chapter Six
    C ass
    “You’re the smartest girl ever.” I was in awe of how fast Emma soaked things in. She didn’t have many friends her own age, spending most of her time with adults, and it showed. It was my favorite day of the week—Connie’s day off—and I had my baby girl all to myself. It changed everything. Emma clapped in response, absolutely glowing at my praise.
    I homeschooled Emma. It hadn’t been my choice. Walter didn’t trust the school system. Too much wolf trash, he said. That was bullshit, the only school age wolves that were left had wealthy parents and went to a fancy charter school on the edge of the forest. It was just another way of keeping both of us under his thumb. It was also the closest thing to a job Walter would let me have. Despite my protests, and my attempts to keep Emma’s life as normal as possible, I loved having this time with her. Today we were playing a math game where Emma had to do some quick addition and subtraction, and she was killing it. Some of the problems she solved faster than I did. “Your turn, Mommy.”
    She handed me the controller. “I’ll hit the buttons, but you have to give me the answers,” I said.
    “Okay.” Her eyes lit up at the challenge. “When we win, all the flowers bloom!” She spread her hands wide, mimicking the screen. 
    Emma shouted out numbers, and I dropped the bees down to the vines, squealing along with my daughter when the animated flowers opened up. If only every day could be like this. Tomorrow Connie would be back, butting her nose into everything, distracting Emma. We still got our work done—I’d fire Connie if she interfered with that, no matter what Walter said. But Emma doubted me with her nanny around, and that had to stop. She was learning lessons I feared I could never fix.
    I may have just been wolf trash and the plaything of a rich dickhead, but I’d never let my daughter doubt I was strong to the core. And that she was, too.
    Someone knocked on the door, and we side-eyed each other in surprise. On a three-hundred acre ranch, we didn’t have neighbors, and no one ever dropped by. “Finish the game and think about what you want for lunch.” I kissed Emma’s head as I gave her the controller back, then headed to the door.
    “Peanut butter and jelly!” Of course. Same thing, every day.
    My heart stopped when I saw Major standing in the doorway. He blinked rapidly, like he couldn’t believe he came here, either. His mouth moved, but no words came out.
    I wanted to throw my arms around him, let his warmth chase the ever-present chill of this house away, let our lips slow dance together, but there was no way that could happen. “What are you doing here?”
    I wouldn’t call the other night a mistake, but I shouldn’t have done it. And now I was going to have to make Major believe I didn’t want him here. I’d always been a terrible liar.
    He shook his head, a smile forming. “I can’t tell you how many times I asked myself the same question on the way here. The answer is, I can’t stay away, Cass. Not anymore.”
    Walter’s words rang loudly in my ears. Next time you do it, I’ll bring him back here, and you can watch me kill him. See if that turns you on. It didn’t seem like such an empty threat anymore. “You can’t stay.”
    “I know.” His