Dragon Star (A Shifter Football League Novel)

by Aurora Reid

  It had been a long, dark stretch up to Jax’s place. The whole time, she was expecting an ambush. Now it was like she’d been transported to another world. A safe, warm place. She had trusted Jax. He had been right. This was nice.

  Mia sat on the cushioned wooden chair.

  "Warm enough?" Jax asked. Before she answered, he went over and pumped life into the stone fireplace. The heat was palpable by the time he reached the table again.

  "Thank you," she said, but her lips were still quivering, her bunched hands on her jeans shaking.

  "Are you sure you're all right? I understand how we can be a little scary."

  "I'm doing my best to stay calm," Mia said. "Do you think there will be more after me? Who was he?"

  "If there's more, you won't have anything to worry about it. Don't worry about him, or the others. Once they hear about what happened, no one will come for you again."

  "You sound confident," Mia said, and she caught herself nibbling on her lip.

  Jax stretched and flexed his neck, his muscles rippling underneath his shirt, slowly rising over his sculpted stomach, a trail of hair leading her eyes farther down.

  She ducked and checked out her hands, no longer trembling. The fireplace helped, and so did the extra heat from gazing upon that handsome bear. In a somewhat better mood, Mia stood up and looked around her in wonderment.

  "It's really a beautiful place, Jax. When did you purchase it?"

  "Purchase?" He laughed, and she bowed her head a little, feeling stupid. “I made all this by hand."

  "Incredible!" she screamed. Then she covered her mouth, her voice booming through the tall cabin. "You mean to tell me, you built all this?"

  "Yeah, I mean, I had some help, but most of what you're sitting on, or looking at, was all furnished by me. I also drew up the plans."

  Did Jax realize how talented he was? A home like this would go for millions. Yet, he seemed unimpressed with his work.

  "You must be hungry after what you went through,” he said.

  "It didn't make me particularly hungry.” But Jax kept to himself, as if she said nothing as he rummaging through his big stainless steel refrigerator.

  "Are you hungry, maybe?" she asked, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

  He peeked back with a grin. "That just might be what I'm hinting at. Would you like to have dinner with me?"

  A dinner...was this the date that they'd almost had before?

  Mia began to think that the bear attack had been a ploy. No, Jax didn't seem the type, but some of the guys back in the city, they'd try a lot of scummy ploys to get a girl back to their place.

  All Jax had to do was show her a picture of the interior and she would've been there in an instant. Then she began to think of him sprawled out near the fireplace, completely naked, beckoning her over like that funny picture of naked Burt Reynolds. Only Jax didn’t get her chuckling, but got her nervous, her blood boiling with passion.

  She shut her eyes tightly. When she opened them, Jax looked worried.

  I need to stop acting so weird, Mia noted.

  "Sure, I could go for something. What do you have?" Eating and then dropping out might be the best course of action. After Jax saved her, she couldn't just ditch him, but the longer she stayed, the more worried she became of these deep emotions that were spilling from her.

  "Let me cook something up for you. Do you like fish?"

  "Fish? Sure." She liked it, but it depended how it was prepared. "Do you have anything lighter?"

  "I'll make you smoked salmon on rice and some vegetables on the side."

  "Are you sure that's not too much?" It seemed a meal like that would take hours to cook.

  Cooking wasn’t a strong suit of Mia’s. But perhaps if she had a place like this, a proper home, she would begin to learn. It all sounded like so much fun. She'd been ready to move on from the single life, and this place looked awfully lonely.

  Did Jax ever have any women up here?

  "Are you sure you’re single?" she asked. How did she not ask that before?

  "I am," he said, as he tossed the salmon onto the stove and there was a sizzle. "Why, is it that obvious?"

  "No, actually, your place is immaculate for a bachelor."

  "Oh, I've got people I need to meet here about business, usually once a month. You're seeing this place at its cleanest."

  A sexy lumberjack who cooked, kept his place clean, and also had saved her life? Mia was wondering why she was so opposed to the idea of getting involved with him...then she remembered how she was threatening to take all of this away from Jax, and regret flooded through her.

  "Jax, I'm sorry. This is all so messed up. I don't want to take all of this away from you. It's just, there's people relying on me, and I need this land to make my business profitable again. My dad really screwed things up for me."

  "I hear you on that," he said, under his breath.

  "What?"

  He flexed his massive shoulders. Then he returned to his cooking, avoiding her.

  "Nothing. Please, don't worry about that right now. Try to relax. Let's enjoy this meal together. I can understand how you are trying to provide. Sometimes circumstance throws two people at one another who would otherwise be allies."

  Allies? What about lovers?

  She kicked out her legs, pushed in her seat, and placed her hands on the tabletop, watching as Jax fixed the meal while occasionally staring off into embers that fluttered off the burning logs.

  Soon, a hearty aroma filled the kitchen and her stomach began to knot. She'd not been hungry before, but the smell of the cooked fish and whatever spices were thrown in had her starving.

  He placed the lemon scented plate down before her. Steam hit her and she took up a fork and a knife, cutting into the juicy salmon, all while distracted by the other options of the rice and asparagus—those too, being seasoned and sauced.

  “Eat up,” he said. “And forget what happened to you before.”

  “What about you?” she asked, holding the fork so close to her lips.

  He better answer fast, I want to eat!

  “I’m about to sit down in one second.”

  "I won't start until you sit. I promise." But she couldn't live up to it. She began to eat.

  "I like a woman who isn't afraid of food," Jax said. "A sturdy, curvy woman, is my type of woman."

  She was ready to drop the fork. But the food was just that good. She kept shoveling it into her mouth, not replying, so she was happy when Jax did the same.

  It was a quiet meal. That didn't matter. They were both enjoying it. By the time she was done, Mia kicked back from the table and wanted to pop open a jean button she ate so much.

  "Where'd you learn to cook like that?" she asked, rubbing her stomach.

  Mia couldn't stop smirking.

  "Lots of practice. Trust me, you wouldn't be smiling if you tried my first attempt."

  Mia ran her fingers across the glazed wood of the table. Its side was carved with a flowing stream, artistic drawings of fish and reeds on the outskirts of the river line that curled around the entire table.

  "Those hands of yours are a national treasure," she moaned.

  She wanted to catch those words and pull them right back to her mouth right away. Too late for that.

  Jax cocked his head in a questioning look. "What do you mean?" His voice sounded curious.

  How well would those hands work on me? Mia clamped her thighs shut. All of a sudden, they were frantic. She really hoped she wouldn't be getting wet, but that was where she was headed, if it hadn't already happened.

  "I mean...you cook so well, and you're obviously a talented craftsmen."

  "I'm okay. You should see some of the old timers around this place. They've been doing it for centuries."

  "Once again," Mia stated as she pushed her seat back. "I wish we could come to a compromise.”

  "This was my plan," Jax said, leaning closer. That need to rub her thighs together? Now it was a necessity. The first rub,
arousal sprang free from her. "Get you to eat one of my home cooked meals near a warm fireplace and then get you to change your mind. I knew my cooking could do it," he said, voice husky and so incredibly manly.

  Mia leapt from her seat.

  Unfortunately, this was when she was going to leave, but the seat toppled over in her clumsy rush.

  "Oh, sorry. I'm so sorry."

  Jax crouched beside her. "No need to keep apologizing."

  He glanced over at her, both of their hands on the chair, ready to tilt it back up. Their lips were so close, reminding Mia of their first kiss. That kiss had been divine...and so not right. It had been a moment of weakness.

  Earlier, she'd chastised herself for it, but being close to his lips again, she knew she wouldn't regret it for long.

  "I should really be going," she said. She stared deep into those beautiful, enchanting eyes.

  "You're not going anywhere."

  "I can't stay."

  It wasn't right. Not appropriate. They weren't lovers. When was the last time she'd stayed over a man's place who wasn't a boyfriend? Not for years. Longer than she could remember, and those times, she'd regretted, and had been few.

  "It's your only option. I promised to keep you safe. You can only be safe if you stay with me."

  Put that way, Mia needed to stay.

  She shrugged and stood up as he did the same. "What're my options? I can sleep on your couch."

  Jax laughed at that as well. "You're not staying on the couch. You'll have the bed. I'll get the couch."

  Or where did bears sleep? Did he have a cave somewhere? A bed of soft grass? Maybe the home was all for show. Mia didn't really know much about shifters or about their secrets. Only other shifters did.

  "You can have the upstairs." He jerked his thumb toward the stairs. Mia led herself up, but stopped halfway.

  "I'll be down here," he told her. "If you want to talk some more, or need someone close by, I understand.”

  Not someone. Mia didn't need anyone close to her.

  Her heart was telling her she needed one man. One man in particular, and only one.

  Jax.

  Jax's bear returned. It wouldn't let him forget that his mate was upstairs as he was sitting downstairs, having a glass of Jack, and trying to forget that fact. Not just upstairs, but upstairs, naked...soaping her beautiful curvy body over, covered in suds, and dripping wet. His bear salivated at the images that he tried desperately to keep in check.

  He was a gentleman after all.

  Shut your snout for now, feisty bear, he told it for now.

  Mia, however, had called for him, and he jolted from his seat and approached the railing.

  "Yes?"

  His cock began to inch in expectation. A showering woman calls your name, and your cock gets the hint that it might be needed. He couldn't blame it, really. His bear also wanted to roar, and he could've laughed at the absurdity of it all once she merely stated that she had forgotten her towel.

  Best not tease a bear, Mia. Best not tease a bear. But he remained cool and collected as he went upstairs, grabbed a towel from the closet, and then pondered his next move near the bathroom door.

  Not having her standing there, dripping wet, ready to be thrust onto his bed, was kind of a let down. But that was only a horny fantasy of which he'd been having a lot lately, ever since Mia rolled into town.

  "I've got it here." His voice was unsure, distant.

  She called back cheerfully. "Open the door and hang it on the inside."

  So it was that easy?

  Jax propped open the door. He didn't mean to look in. But his bear took over. She would be shrouded by the shower walls so he wouldn't see anything, but it still seemed a risky glance.

  He slipped the towel on the knob. Then he shut it.

  The split-second image was still firmly cemented in his mind. A steamy, glass shower, Mia's shapely, curvy body behind it, her hands stroking her long hair, and the water beating down in a stream onto her chest...the flowery scents lifting into the air with her heat.

  His fists clenched. He ground his teeth. His bear caused him to snort and then produce a low growl.

  Mia called back, “What?" thinking that Jax had said something.

  "I'll be downstairs," he yelled back. His feet moving without him, he sat back down on the couch downstairs and downed the rest of his glass of Jack.

  His next move was to get a dark beer from the Black Bear Brewery from his fridge. He popped the top open and downed it, but then forced himself to sip it slowly. Getting drunk wouldn't solve the problem, and it certainly wouldn't be a good idea with his bear acting so uncharacteristically lately.

  Mia eventually emerged from her hot shower. She would be in one of his spare robes. It would be much too big for her. Too bad he didn't have a spare around, but he warmed to the thought of Mia wrapped up in his scent, all warm and cozy, sleeping in his bed. Comfortable.

  Jax could get used to that.

  "Need anything else, Mia?" Jax called up to her. His voice boomed. He'd not wanted to speak loudly, but the acoustics in his cabin were powerful.

  "Everything has been lovely. You've been lovely. But I'm exhausted now." Jax determined she lay on his bed when she said this.

  She was already tucked away, and satisfied.

  That's all Jax wanted for the evening, to make sure that his mate was satisfied, and safe.

  "Good night, Mia."

  "Good night, Jax."

  He stretched out on the couch and tossed his arms behind his head.

  This was a good night.

  This was one of the best nights.

  As soon as she slipped from his bed, Jax awoke. His senses were on alert. Mia would probably think that was creepy, but he couldn't help it. It was how he had been programmed.

  Still in his robe, Mia snuck down the stairs. Jax didn't want to scare her, so he kept his eyes closed. If she said something, he would open them, but she didn't. Mia stepped outside.

  Was she leaving?

  Why?

  When he rubbed his weary eyes, and then looked around, it was morning, the bright light streaming in through his many windows with the chatter of birds that hadn't yet flown from the approaching winter.

  Jax attempted to stand, but of course, he didn't get far. In the night, with his mate so close, he'd got a hard on. That was a handicap, and Mia would have a slight advantage, because he wasn't running after her like that. He waited for a minute and then took off, her scent not far, an easy path to follow.

  Mia stopped in her tracks before he caught up to her. It was like she knew she would be caught.

  "Where are you walking to? Are you trying to escape?”

  A halfhearted smile reached him in response, and he fell back.

  "Would you let me escape? No, I'm only going for a walk. I need to think about this."

  What was there to think about? Bears believed in simplicity. Jax listened to his bear often. Being alpha, he was supposed to be the most in tune with his bear. Mia had him confused. All mixed up.

  "I don't want you to be in danger. You're a Marchini in Black Bear Park. Probably the first one ever."

  Mia sighed. She looked around for somewhere to sit, but this part of the trail had no stumps or big enough rocks.

  "You're not making this easy. This was my first mission. I just took control of the company after my dad's fuck up." She kicked her feet and sighed again. "Maybe I'm not made for this."

  Jax shook his head. He wanted desperately to hug her, but knew it would be condescending. "Don't talk like that. Everyone struggles, and everyone needs help."

  "I don't know what to do. I'm so confused. A real CEO wouldn't be this confused."

  "Let me correct you there," he said, taking her side. "A real CEO would be confused, because a real CEO would care. One of those scumbags just looking for a paycheck, not caring about their employees, they wouldn't be bothered. But you? You care. You've got heart, and passion, and that's one of the many parts about you that
I can't get enough of."

  "And I'm confused about another thing," she said, her eyes shining as she peered off into the dewy morning. "I'm confused about you and me."

  "What is there to be confused about?" Jax took the opportunity. He'd been waiting for this moment. This moment when she would let him in and he would seize it.

  “About…”

  She never got the chance to explain her confusion.

  Jax took her lips and made up her mind with a kiss. Suddenly, it was all clear. What they should be doing, how insane it had been to fight their attraction, their past, their future, and how it had all intertwined beautifully.

  That kiss made sense of it all.

  It was like a bright shining light illuminated all those dark corners of her mind, and shone brightly on those happy dreams that she’d tried to bury, only due to fear and cynicism. Their tongues danced, their lips glided across one another, their breaths hitching and their chests pumping to the same feverish pace as they attempted to take more, more, more…

  They pulled away, fearing that they’d collapse from not taking a breath. They’d shared the same breath for too long. Now they needed to breathe in some fresh oxygen. Then, definitely, they’d be back again.

  Mia whipped her hair back. “That helped.”

  “Did it?” He grinned

  “Somewhat, at least, I’m sure about one thing now.” Mia wagged herself back and forth, hands clasped, beaming up at him. Could she get any more obvious?

  “You’re talking about us.”

  She smacked him on the rear playfully. As soon as she did it, her hands returned to clasped.

  That had been one firm, plump ass on Jax. Her arousal peaked.

  “Of course. You can’t really be that oblivious, can you?”

  “It’s hard to believe. I’ve waited so long to find my mate,” he began to say, then grew quiet once Mia shot him a hard look.

  “Mate?”

  Jax couldn’t get out of this one. “I’m...yeah, I don’t want to scare you, but that’s what we call…do non shifters have a word for it?”

  Saying that they were destined to spend their entire life together might scare her. The confused girl had only just made up her mind.

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “Girlfriend, maybe?”