This was Louisiana. Mother Nature—whichever incarnation of Mother Nature you happened to believe in—had a way of reminding you that she was still in charge.

Just like this stupid tub was showing Zed that it was still in charge. Growling, he yanked at the tub one last time. It suddenly popped loose of its moorings, only to have the water surge toward him and the container tip over, soaking him in lukewarm rainwater. He fumbled with the tub, feeling the perforated bottom give as he tried to catch it, before it landed with a clank on the wooden boards.

“Merde!” he grumbled, grateful that the screen that protected the water hadn’t smacked him in the face on its way down. And that Bael hadn’t been present to see Zed embarrass himself so thoroughly.

Zed shook his long dark hair out of his face like a dog. In the heat, it only took a few seconds for his clothes to feel like they’d been vacuum sealed to his body. He stripped out of his soaked shirt and threw it aside with a wet slap against the boards. Just then he heard his favorite lady anthropologist calling from the front of the house. He froze.

What was the etiquette for being shirtless in front of your best friend’s mate? Jillian was a doll, and he’d even considered making a play for her before he’d realized Bael was hung up on her.

Zed certainly didn’t have anything to hide. He was just as tall and muscular as every Berend male had ever dreamed of being. But he’d chew off his own paw before he made Jillian uncomfortable. And he didn’t want to have to deal with an angry, possessive dragon sheriff, either.

Could he wrestle his way back into his wet shirt, he wondered, eying the pile of wet cotton at his feet. No, that would just mean Jillian would walk back here to find him with his head and arms trapped in sopping, uncooperative material, which wasn’t exactly a step up from his current situation. Shifting into his other form and running into the depths of the swamp as a bear seemed like a good option, but it also involved dropping his pants. And Jillian could end up seeing him naked, which would compound the dragon jealousy issue. Could he dive into the water? Sure . . . if it wasn’t tail end of mating season for the local gators, who were not particularly choosy. He did not want to tangle with an amorous bull gator on top of everything else.

“Hey, Zed!” Jillian yelled as she came around the corner with a tall brunette. Her voice trailed off and she said, “Are you here? Oh . . . Zed.”

Right, no escape. He lifted one of his large hands and waved it at her. “Hey there, catin.”