Nicola Johansen, Cooley to her friends, lived a discreet, solitary life in the suburbs until she found out her new neighbor, Evan Sabello, was a shape shifter too. After accidentally getting him arrested, Cooley decides to apologize by extending the hand of friendship...with homemade apple pie in it. Not only is he the first shifter she's ever met, but he's sexy as heck. They’re practically made for each other, right? They have a special connection not even Mr. Surly Britches can deny.Problem is, Evan's past has made him so skittish, pie and promises won’t convince him Cooley's intentions are harmless. He’s heard it all before--poor, lonely pantheress just wants companionship. Unfortunately, the first time he heard it, he ended up locked in the basement of an evil creature who tried to control him. Now that another pantheress has targeted him, he’s not going to make that mistake again.He might give Cooley her pie tin back, but he’s not about to give her his trust. No matter how appealing she is. No matter how different she seems. No matter how much he, too, longs for an ally to help him figure out what it means to be a panther in a world full of humans who can never understand.A 50,000 word paranormal romance