Shifter Night: Box Set

by Hartnady, Charlene

  A slow song came on. The beat heavy, yet measured and rhythmical. Ana looked up at him from under her lashes, she gave the tiniest of half-smiles. He could see a look of regret register on her face for a moment. Then she turned to leave the dance floor.

  “Hey.” Winston grabbed her hand and turned her back. “Are you going to leave me hanging?” She was incredibly sweet and sensitive. It seemed so unfair that she was plagued with these attacks. That a moment in her life had brought about such devastating consequences.

  Ana narrowed her eyes. “I’m not sure if …”

  Winston kept ahold of her hand. “If you start to feel uncomfortable, in any way, tell me and we can stop.” He squeezed her hand. “No pressure! None whatsoever. We’re friends remember? Also, your doctor said that a bit of role-playing would help you, so what do you say we give it a try?”

  She sucked in a deep breath and gave a nod. “Yeah, okay. That would be nice. I haven’t done this since …” She stopped herself. “In a very long time,” she mumbled.

  “Come here.” Winston pulled her closer to him. “You tell me if you need to stop. I promise I won’t mind.”

  Ana reached up and put her arms around his neck. He gripped her hips. It seemed like the safest place to put his hands. That way, there would be distance between them. He smiled at her. “See, not so bad.”

  She smiled back. Her stunning blue eyes sparkled. The disco ball turned above them. “No, not at all.”

  They swayed to the music. She scented of something lightly floral. Her hair of coconut. She was soft and warm. Winston almost felt disappointed when a rock song started not too long after and he was forced to release her.

  “Thank you!” She smiled up at him. “That was … nice.”

  “Do you want—?”

  Ana’s friend walked up to them, she was frowning. She leaned in, speaking under her breath to Ana. “Jacob is flirting with one of the other women. Do you think he plans on taking her back to the hotel? I kind of just thought we would … you know. That we would …” She left the sentence hanging. “Not that I’m looking for a relationship or anything.”

  “Why not hang with us then?” Ana said, also under her breath. “Don’t go back if he seems to be into someone else.”

  Edith seemed to think on it for a moment. “Nah! We had such a good time, I’m sure he’s not trying to blow me off.”

  Ana nodded. “You know where we are. Let me know if you decide to leave with him.”

  “I will. Are you having fun?” Edith smiled.

  “I am, actually.” Ana smiled back.

  Edith nodded. “I’m glad.” Her friend winked at her. “See you later.”

  “Yeah.”

  Edith headed back towards the bar, making her way around groups of people. It wasn’t quite as busy as before.

  “So …” Ana stuck her hands in her pockets.

  “So …” He did the same. “I’m glad you’re having fun.”

  “You heard that?” She lifted her brows.

  “Yes, I did.” He frowned. “I told you that the males are reluctant to spend more than one night with the same female on account of them becoming attached. I think your friend might already like Jacob a little too much.”

  “I think you’re right, she hasn’t stopped talking about him.” She looked worried, lines creased her brow. “She’ll probably be hurt if he ends up leaving with that other woman.”

  Winston sighed. “It’s probably better if he doesn’t take her back with him. I know that sounds terrible, but if she’s already developing feelings for him it’ll only get worse if they spend another night together.”

  “Yeah, regardless of what happens, I don’t think we should be hanging around the Dark Horse on Saturdays anymore. It’s obviously not good for Edith. I told her that she’d be useless at one-night stands. Looks like I was right, she’s far too emotional.”

  He fought back disappointment at the prospect of not seeing her again. “I am glad you came this evening. You are definitely making progress. I like to think I had a hand in that.”

  She pulled a face, like he was a crazy person. “I can hang out at a bar with someone. You’re a friend, so I feel fine hanging out. It would be different if the guy was an actual prospect, like a real date. Or if I actually wanted to …” She widened her eyes. “You know … have sex.” She was so cute the way she said it. At the same time, he was a little put out that she didn’t see him in that way. Then again, it was part of the reason he enjoyed her company. No strings attached and all that. This female didn’t see him like just a piece of meat. It was refreshing.

  “Come back next month,” he blurted.

  She looked at him skeptically.

  “No, really! We can pretend date. Do that role-play thing your doctor said would help you.” What the fuck? He’d never dated before, now he was asking a human to fake date him? He needed his brain checked.

  Ana narrowed her eyes.

  Her aversion to the idea made him want to take her out even more. “Here.” He took out his cellphone. “What’s your number?”

  “Why?” She folded her arms across her chest. “Why do you want to fake date me?”

  “I told you, I want to help you. I haven’t been approached by any more females looking for a hook-up. It’s because we’re … together and I’m having a good time. Let’s help each other. I’ll call when I’m back in town next month. I’ll take you on a date. We can dress up and go out somewhere nice. I’ll open the door for you and hold your hand … the whole nine yards. I’m hoping you don’t have one of your attacks but if you do, I’ll help you through it. It’ll be fun to spend time with a female … with you … without … any expectations.”

  Ana looked thoughtful. “Like I said, Doctor Brenner did mention that role-play might help to desensitize me. I would have tried it with a friend of mine but he isn’t half as gorgeous.” She widened her eyes, looking shocked at the admission. “I didn’t mean it like that.” Then she looked totally appalled. “Not at all. It’s just that I don’t think it would work with Tom because I know him too well, I see him as more of a brother.”

  Winston grinned. She may not see him in that way but she did find him attractive. “It’s fine. It’s not like that between us, right?” He raised his brows.

  She snorted. “No, of course not.” He noticed her gaze move towards the bar. He also looked in that direction. It was Edith, the female did not look happy. She was arguing with Jacob. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to work out between them.”

  “Not such a bad thing considering he can’t have a relationship. Here …” He handed her his phone. “Give me your number. Next time it’ll be just the two of us. I’ll even pick you up.”

  “I still don’t get why you want to help me.”

  “I like you. I enjoy your company. I would love to fake date the hell out of you. I told you, we don’t have many females where I come from. I don’t want to have meaningless sex anymore but I still enjoy the company of the fairer sex. I know I’m safe with you.” He winked at her. What the hell? He didn’t wink at females, or beg them to hang out with him. There was something about this female. A deep-seated sadness. The pain in her eyes. He wanted to help her. Had enjoyed watching her smile and have fun. He enjoyed spending time with her and that was really the bottom line.

  She laughed. “Yeah, okay. Are you sure though? Have you ever seen anyone in the throes of a panic attack? A real panic attack? I was still okay the other night. I wasn’t too bad yet. I don’t want—”

  “I’m sure. Shifters don’t scare easily.” He thrust his phone in her hand just as Edith arrived.

  Her eyes were blazing. Her face flushed. “He left with the other girl.” Ana’s friend looked like she was about to burst into tears. Her lip even quivered.

  “Oh, honey.” Ana threw her arms around Edith and they hugged for a few seconds. Edith sniffed and wiped her eyes as they pulled away. Yup, she was crying.

  Winston didn’t know what to do, where to loo
k or how to respond. Jacob had done the right thing, only, he suspected that Edith did not want to hear that right now.

  Ana put her arm around Edith. “Let’s get a drink. He’s an asshole for—”

  Edith shook her head. “I would prefer it if we left. I want to go home and have a hot shower. There’s a tub of ice-cream in the freezer with my name on it. It’s double chocolate.”

  “Double chocolate will work every time. Okay,” Ana nodded, “let’s go then.”

  “Why don’t you stay?” Edith glanced his way. “I can catch a cab if—”

  “Rubbish!” Ana gripped her friend by the upper arm. “We came together and we’ll leave together. How many times have you left early because of me?”

  “But you guys seem—”

  “No but’s. It’s about time I returned the favor.” Ana pushed a few buttons on his phone. Then she pushed a few more before handing it back to him.

  “You’re positive you want to do this next month?” She looked unconvinced. “You are welcome to change your mind and I won’t mind in the least.

  “Are you kidding? I’m definitely sure. Hey, can I give you guys a ride?”

  Ana shook her head. “No, don’t worry about it. We’re good.”

  He hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets. “You sure? I don’t mind.”

  “I’m sure. Thanks for the fun evening. I enjoyed myself.”

  He wasn’t surprised she had turned him down. This female was used to doing everything for herself. “Me too.” It was true, he had. Without thinking, Winston wrapped his arms around her and hugged her in much the same way she had done with Edith. She sucked in air, clearly shocked, but she still returned the hug. The scent of coconut and flowers filled his nose.

  Then he and Edith said their goodbyes and he watched as they made their way through the busy bar, finally leaving.

  He really hoped she took him up on his offer. He was excited at the prospect of going on a fake date with her. Yup, he was definitely losing his mind.

  10

  Edith dipped her spoon into the rich dark ice-cream and scooped a large helping into her mouth. She sucked on the treat for a few seconds before chewing a few times. She savored the dessert, leaning back on the sofa, eyes closed until she finally swallowed, eliciting a low moan. “It’s almost better than orgasming, almost but not quite. Jacob was so much better than any ice-cream I ever had, chocolate or otherwise. I can’t believe he left with that hussy instead of me.” She gave her spoon another lick before dipping it back in the tub.

  “He’s not allowed to date ‒ to have any kind of relationship. You need to try not to take it personally. Even if he did really like you, and I’m sure he did, he couldn’t act on it.”

  Edith looked at Ana pointedly. “Winston asked you out on a date.”

  Ana gave a little snort. “That’s different. It’s fake dating … not the real thing.”

  “Fake dating?” Edith cocked her head. “Yeah right, tell me another one. You warned me that I was too emotional for a one-night stand well, right back at ya.”

  “It’s not like I’m going to sleep with him. We’re friends, that’s all.”

  “Don’t forget that I saw him.” Edith laughed. “He’s too hot to be a friend.”

  “What a terrible thing to say. That’s awful and so stereotypical. Next you’ll tell me that men and women, in general, can’t just be friends.”

  “Of course they can but only if there’s no sexual attraction. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed how sexy Winston is, how broad his shoulders are, how thick his biceps were in that shirt he was wearing tonight or how he filled those jeans,” she raised her brows and widened her eyes, “and yes, I’m talking about the crotch area.”

  Ana choked out a laugh and covered her mouth with her hand. “I can’t believe you said that,” she finally managed to get out.

  “It’s the truth isn’t it? The guy is packing.”

  “Edith!” Ana chided. “You can’t say things like that and no, I can’t say I noticed his … his … you-know-what. That’s just plain rude.”

  “Really?” Her friend looked shocked. “You seriously didn’t notice? You didn’t look? Not even once?”

  Ana shook her head so hard that she might give herself whiplash if she wasn’t careful. “No way! Just no.”

  “Okay then … you can fake date him in that case. I guess you do see him as just a friend.” She lifted her eyes in thought for a few seconds. “I don’t understand what’s in it for him though. He might have ulterior motives.” Edith held the tub out to her.

  “I don’t think so.” Ana scooped some ice-cream onto her own spoon. “He told me he’s done screwing around.”

  “Famous last words.” Edith wrinkled her nose.

  “I believe him. You should have seen how many gorgeous women approached him this evening. He said they just want sex from him but he wants to have a bit of fun without those kinds of expectations. Thing is,” she sucked in a breath, “we kind of both want the same thing, and I think he genuinely wants to help me.”

  “What do you want out of it?”

  Ana sucked in a breath and then slowly released it. “I think I agree with Doctor Brenner, I want to have a bit of fun.” She shrugged. “No more and no less. Just a little fun and if it helps me … get better.” She couldn’t bring herself to say the other words hovering on the edge of her mind … ‘move on’. Guilt flooded her for wanting that.

  “In that case,” Edith smiled, “go for it.” She winked at Ana. “I know I would.”

  Ana couldn’t get ahead of herself though. A month was a very long time. Everything could change between now and then. She needed to discuss this with her therapist. She needed to give it more thought.

  Fun.

  No strings.

  Just friends.

  Was it possible? She may not have noticed the size of his package. Did women actually check that out on a guy? Did they really? She may not have noticed that, but she had noticed that Winston was a good-looking guy. That didn’t mean she would ever end up liking him for real. It wasn’t like he would ever be in town enough for that to happen. Real relationships took a long time to develop and that happened when people were seeing each other all the time. Nope, she was good. Something that felt a little like excitement unfurled in her. The prospect of fake dating Winston was sounding more and more appealing by the second.

  11

  One month later …

  Ana looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her bed was covered in clothes. She pulled on the hem of her dress. It was too short. Maybe it was too much. It was the proverbial little black dress but on steroids, since the sleeves were black lace. She wore a pair of heels, which felt a bit on the high side. Especially considering she wasn’t used to wearing this type of shoe. Her toes were already pinching a bit. She had to say though, she did look really good in them. They made her legs look longer and her calves firmer. The whole outfit made her look really good. Too good maybe?

  Why did she care? It wasn’t like this was a real date or anything. That was the thing, she shouldn’t care. If she wore this she might look like she did, when she didn’t. Her heart sped up and her hands felt clammy. She sank down onto the edge of the bed and put a hand to her chest. The feeling didn’t escalate. Her mouth didn’t feel dry. There was an odd feeling in her stomach and her heart was beating a bit too fast but other than that she was okay.

  Shit! She realized with a start, she was excited about going out tonight. This wasn’t the start of a panic attack, it was excitement for the night ahead. She blew out a slow, easy breath.

  She smiled. This was good for her. Winston was right. Her therapist had also urged her to take him up on his offer, so when the text message had come through earlier that day, she’d agreed to let him pick her up and take her out. Her smile widened. A fake date was just what the doctor ordered. Quite literally.

  Ana stood up and smoothed her dress. This was too much though. She thought about changing into a pair
of slacks and a nice top.

  Just then, her doorbell rang. She looked at her watch. If that was Winston, he was ten minutes early. Who else could it be though? No one. There was no one else who would be ringing her doorbell this time of the evening on a Saturday.

  She made her way to the entrance hall and looked through the peephole. Oh god!! She leaned her forehead against the wood. Her view of the shifter had been distorted and yet she could still see how incredible he looked. He wore a dark blue button-up collared shirt. His hair looked trimmed. He had that whole five o’clock shadow thing going on. His eyes were a beautiful golden-brown. They reminded her of a wolf’s eyes. A shiver ran up her spine.

  Fake date. This is just a fake date. She was going to prove to Edith that a man and a woman could just be friends. She waited a little longer to make sure her throat didn’t close, that the room didn’t close in. Okay then. All seemed well. Maybe she should pack a brown paper bag just in case.

  “Are you going to let me in?” There was amusement laced in every deeply spoken word.

  “Yes, of course,” she quickly blurted way too loudly. She undid both of the deadbolts, one after the other and removed the chain. Then she unlocked the door and opened it. Lastly, she unlocked the security gate. “You’re early,” she announced, putting her hands on her hips. “I’m not ready, yet.”

  He whistled low, pretending to give her the once-over. “You look ready to me.”

  “Well, I’m not. I need to change. I also need to touch up my makeup and—”

  He gently gripped her elbow. “No, you don’t need to do any of those things. You look stunning. Almost too good considering this is a fake date.”

  “Exactly,” she blurted. “You are completely right.” She felt mortified. Hopefully he wouldn’t get the wrong idea. “I knew it! I’ve gone overboard …” She could feel her cheeks heat. What must he think of her? “I’ll just—”