I wasn’t sure what to expect tonight, but Donnelly, make that Asher, was certainly a surprise. He’d been attentive and almost sweet, except for the fact he rarely smiled. But even without that, he made this feel more like a date than it had any right to.
“Is your drink alright?” Asher asked, and I blinked up at him, having been immersed in my own thoughts for the last few minutes.
“Yeah. Thanks,” I said, and tried to smile, but it came out more of a grimace.
He’d appropriated a cozy booth for us in the back corner, far enough away from the DJ that we could talk without screaming. The lights were dim and the sound of glasses tinkling and people chatting filled the space. I traced the bar’s logo on the small napkin and tried to get a handle on my runaway emotions. Quenched was a popular place. There was standing room only left and the dance floor was jam-packed.
“So, how does this work? I mean, is just sitting here supposed to do something?” I asked.
“It’s part of it. We’re going to have to frequent a few more places like this over the next couple of days or weeks. Let people see us together, make them think we’re a couple. From what our intelligence has gathered, the GHA likes to target couples,” he explained, and I couldn’t believe it, but he wasn’t even being rude.
Imagine that.
“Why would they do that? It seems a rather simplistic plan, and far too risky on their parts,” I said.
“Believe it or not, bad guys aren’t all masterminds. But targeting couples makes it easier. We aren’t sure how they can tell a Shifter from a normal, but we suspect it has something to do with scent.”
“But Shifter couples are too volatile, aren’t they?”
“Not every couple is mates, Nova. But take it from the kidnapper’s point of view. You have a man and woman, and they are on a date at a bar. So, they just started dating. Then, throw in some barroom drama. A fight, some jealousy, whatever. A stranger swoops in to rescue or flirt with one of them, woman or man, it doesn’t matter, and bam, you got a kidnap victim.”
“Really? That seems highly convoluted,” I replied, frowning.
“And yet, it’s been proven to work. Lonely people are easy to fool, Hotshot. Just show them a little something shiny to divert their attention, and anyone is a potential victim,” he said.
I tried not to bristle at his statements. I didn’t know if I was part of the lonely people or the shiny something that diverted attention. Either way, I hated both descriptions.
“Okay, so back to how do they know we’re Shifters,” I said, whispering that part.
“Not sure how they are picking up on that bit, but we can’t rule anything out and that’s why I’m going to tell you something right now you might not want to hear, Hotshot,” he murmured.
I braced myself for whatever his next criticism might be. Shoulders back, I met his golden gaze head on, readying myself for whatever he might say. It was ridiculous for this man to have such an effect on me, especially when this was the most we’d talked since I met him.
“I need you to stop using that spray you wear,” he said, and I froze like a deer in headlights.
“You know what I’m talking about, Nova. But if the GHA picks up on Shifters via some scent scanning device—”
“An olfactometer?”
“Yeah, that. Anyway, I can’t have you wearing that odor blocking spray you came up with, however revolutionary it is.”
Holy. Shit. How the fuck did he know about my Emotoblock spray? Goddamn it. I knew the answer before I even finished the thought. Gabe that rat!
“I can see by your face you know how I know, but don’t blame Gabe, Hotshot. It’s unnatural for a Shifter not to have a scent.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not just a Shifter,” I mumbled, grabbing my drink, and tossing it back.
“I know, Baby. Snow Fox and Witch, your powers include air magic, and I imagine are the reason you have such an affinity for chemistry,” he said, stunning me for the second time, and not just because he called me Baby.
“What else do you know about me, Asher?”
“Not enough, Nova Harbor, but I’m a quick study,” he growled.
“Can I get you something else from the bar?” the tall, slender server asked, interrupting what had turned into a staring contest between me and the growly Lion.
“Yeah, we’ll have another round,” Asher said, handing the guy a wad of rolled up bills.
He stood up as the server left and offered me his hand. With no thoughts of self-preservation, I took it, allowing Asher to pull me up from my seat. Damn, he was big. Tall, wide, and muscled, and this close, he smelled insanely good.
Like sunshine and sand. Fur and musk. And man. Definitely man.
He tugged me close to his body, crowding me as he took my hips between his hands and moved with me to the pounding bass. The man could dance, and predictably, science geek that I was, I couldn’t. But I was half-Shifter and counting on my natural physical grace to make up for my lack of ability, I pressed myself against him and let Asher do all the work.
And work he did. For a big man, he was smooth, flexing and tilting, twisting us both in a manner I found highly arousing. I swallowed, glad I still wore the Emotoblock, even though he basically told me I couldn’t anymore after tonight. I felt his chest rumble with his growl and the vibrations seemed to stretch all the way down to my core, creating an ache deep inside I knew nothing would ever fill.
Well, nothing except for him. But Asher didn’t want me that way. Not really. This was just a job. A role we were playing. Just make believe. As long as I told myself that, I wouldn’t fall under his spell. At least, I hoped I wouldn’t.
We stayed another hour, dancing and making small talk, and keeping the server happy by ordering round after round of drinks. Shifter metabolism was such it would take a helluva lot more than a few glasses of watered down alcohol to get us drunk. Though, admittedly, I had a far less tolerance for alcohol, seeing as I was only half-Shifter. Not that it mattered. Drunk or not, I trusted Asher to take care of me. He wasn’t even buzzed by the time we left.
“Buckle up, Hotshot,” he said, his voice deep and growly.
I obeyed. Of course, I did. What idiot didn’t use a seatbelt?
“Are you hungry?”
“I could eat,” I replied honestly.
Asher made a humming noise in the back of his throat, one I associated with approval. For some reason, that pleased me, and I wanted to slap myself in the head for having such a ridiculous reaction. I shouldn’t give two shits for his pleasure. Asher Donnelly had been nothing but careful with me tonight, but his typical M.O. was that of a man who cared very little for the feelings of others. As a scientist, I found him interesting. As a colleague, confounding. And as a woman, devastating.
Asher Donnelly had a very special brand of power over me. One I would never admit to out loud. I wanted him. Craved him. Needed him. His was the face I envisioned on those cold lonely nights when I resorted to self-pleasure to release all the tensions building up inside me. Dangerous. That was the word I would use to describe him if asked.
Asher Donnelly was dangerous. He presented a very real problem for me. Especially after tonight. Before this, I had him carefully cataloged as a supercilious dickhead. A total douche bag who didn’t deserve to have me even think about him, let alone masturbate to his image.
But tonight he’d held doors open for me, touched my lower back when I passed, swayed me on the dance floor, ordered me drinks like he knew what I liked, and he’d been right every time. He was witty, charming, and fun to talk to. Even now, as he held my chair out for me inside the old diner off Route 35, I had to hold my breath to steady myself. He put my entire sense of inner peace in jeopardy. It made sense in the bar where we might have been watched by anyone from the GHA, but not now. Here, his manners did nothing but confuse me.
“What can I get ya?” an older woman asked, staring at her pad while she waited.
“Good evening. How are you tonight, Rose?” Asher asked politely, waiting for the waitress, Rose, to meet his gaze.
“Oh, um, hello, I’m fine,” she said.
When she did, she smiled and blushed like a schoolgirl, patting her hair and straightening her apron. Asher grinned even wider. The brat. He knew exactly what he was doing to the woman, and the effects he had on females everywhere. Must have been a Lion Pride thing, but I just rolled my eyes and watched.
“Can we have two cheeseburgers, make them deluxe, medium rare, with extra rings and slaw? One seltzer, and a cherry coke,” he said, handing her the menus.
“You got it, gorgeous,” Rose said, and winked.
My Fox snarled at that, and Asher’s golden eyes flicked to mine. He canted his head, a grin starting at the corner of his lips, but I cleared my throat, playing it off.
“What if I wanted something else?” I asked, annoyed suddenly for no reason.
“Did you? We can add more to the order,” he began, frowning as he looked around for Rose.
“No, it’s fine,” I relented.
“If it’s fine, Hotshot, what are you complaining about?”
“I’m not complaining. But you seem to have an uncanny ability to know what I like,” I said, giving away far too much before I realized it.
“Is that so,” he growled, and the heated look he gave me made me squirm in my seat. “Well, I look forward to discovering what else you like, Vixen.”
Vixen? That was new. Better than Hotshot, at any rate. My inner Fox yipped and barked, vying for more of his attention. But I knew better. Asher Donnelly wasn’t something I could keep, and it would be dangerous to form any attachments to him. Something I told myself on repeat during our meal. We ate in relative silence, and I was surprised to find it comfortable. He was a neat eater, too. Something I appreciated.
“How long do you think we’ll have to do this until GHA acts?” I asked.
“Sick of me already?”
“No! I mean, no,” I said, clearing my throat. “It’s just I was wondering. You know, I think I broke down the formula they used on the last victim. They’re getting closer to finding a way to put one side of a Shifter permanently to sleep, Asher. It’s dangerous. They need to be stopped,” I said, suddenly growing quite serious.
“We will stop them, Nova. You and me and the whole DPCA. I don’t know how long it will take. A few weeks till someone bites. Then when they attempt a grab, we’ll catch him, and he will lead us to the real bad guys.”
“So, that’s the plan? Just wiggle the bait and see who goes after it,” I said, biting my lip.
“Hey, nothing will happen to you,” he said, eyes blazing into mine.
I nodded, wiping my cheeks of imaginary tears, and smiling brightly. Too brightly if the way he was frowning at me was anything to go by. There were secrets I had that no one knew about. Terrible nightmares of being kidnapped and sold, of the real monsters who wanted to “cure me” of my Shifter disease. Those sorry assholes didn’t suspect I was more, and that was why they died.
“What’s going on inside that brain of yours, Nova Harbor?”
“Who me? Nothing. I’m boring. Just a nerdy scientist, remember?”
“First, nothing about you is boring, and I highly doubt there isn’t something going on inside that pretty head of yours every second of the day,” Asher said, giving me a slow once over that made me shiver. “Second, I already know all about you at work. I know you’re a fucking genius. A real hotshot, Hotshot. But I wanna know something else. Tell me something personal.”
“Personal? What for?” I asked my mouth going dry at the very idea he wanted to know about me.
“Because I asked, and if you tell me, then I’ll tell you something,” he said, and color me intrigued.
“Fine. I have two sisters, Martina and Sybil, and we actually just registered with the International Shifter Council to be recognized as our own group. We’re the Witch Shifter Clan,” I said, waiting to see his response.
“Fuck, Hotshot, that’s awesome. Congratulations,” he said, surprising me for the millionth time that night.
“You aren’t put off by the fact we wield magic?” I asked, trying to gauge the validity of his response.
“Not at all. Lion Prides actually work a lot with Witches. I wasn’t raised with the prejudices many of the Wolves in the area have as a result of that asshole old Alpha of theirs,” he explained, and I had to admit he was right.
“Okay, well, I told you something, now tell me something.”
“I just did. Lion Prides and Witches work together a lot,” he said, and I shook my fry at him.
“Cheater,” I teased, trying not to swoon when he caught the fry in his mouth, closing it over my fingers as he slid the fry from my grasp.
Gulp.
The feeling of his warm lips around my flesh sent shivers racing up and down my spine. He was so damn sexy, and he knew it, too. His hooded eyes glowed gold with his beast as he watched me from across the table.
“You finished, Hotshot?”
“Uh, huh.”
“Good. Check, please,” he called out, not bothering to wait for it while he put another pile of bills on the table.
The ride home went by faster than I remembered, the air between us seemed charged with a newfound awareness.
“Stay,” he grunted as we rolled up.
And I did, like a frigging dog, while he rounded the car and opened my door. I exhaled a nervous breath and stood up from his vehicle, watching Asher as he watched me.
Being the subject of someone’s unwavering stare was something I’d gotten used to over the years. But I never cared about anyone else’s opinion before. So when he did it. It was different. I knew what everyone thought about me. That I was pretty, therefore conceited. But everyone had issues with their self-image. Even people everyone else thought were pretty and perfect.
I wanted Asher to like what he saw when he looked at me. I wanted him to like me. But was I fooling myself? Was I building castles in the sky?
“I’ll pick you up earlier tomorrow. We’ll have dinner first,” he growled, cupping my cheek with his big hand.
I thought he was going to kiss me when he leaned forward. I even tilted my head, readying for it. Asher moved right into my space, crouching down, but our lips never touched. Instead, he grabbed something from the seat behind me, holding it out while his lips curled up in a grin. My bag. He’d bent down to retrieve my bag.
“Oh, um, thanks,” I said and took it from him, scurrying around the door and refusing to look back.
“I’ll be back tomorrow at five, Hotshot,” he said, and I didn’t have to turn around to see the grin I heard so clearly in his voice.
Stubborn, butt-sniffing, litter-box-using, panty-melting, overgrown house cat!