by Lola Kidd
“Very nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand to Leigh. “I’m sure you’ll be a big help from here on out. I can’t believe Melly found a third assistant so quickly.”
“She’ll be my only assistant from now on,” Melly said. “I hope you don’t have a problem with that. Honestly, I don’t need anyone else to assist if I have her. My niece is very organized and always stays on top of things.”
Jasper had to stop himself from smiling at that line. He hoped to be on top of Melly’s oh-so-lovely assistant before the end of this wedding.
“Whatever you want to do with your business is fine with me,” Jasper said. He’d noticed that Leigh had brightened and stood up taller when her aunt was speaking about her skills. He made a note of that. “This is such a big job, you’ll need all the help you can get. If you say that Leigh’s the woman for the job, I’m all for it. Truth be told, I didn’t love your last two assistants.”
Leigh smiled and looked at Melly sidelong. “My aunt has a kind heart and can’t bear to be rid of loyal employees. I hope that if you have any problem with me, you’ll let me know immediately so I can correct it.”
“I’m sure I won’t be able to find any flaws with your performance,” he assured her. “And please, call me Jasper.”
She nodded curtly. “All right Jasper, can you please let me know what you need today?”
He invited them to sit and then pulled up the file he needed. “We’re going to need more appetizers for the cocktail hour. I know this is short notice again, but more than fifty people just RSVPed at the last minute. I know we were planning to have extras anyway, but I didn’t want to catch you off guard. You’re doing us a great service by helping with this. Roger, Cindy, and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
“You’re welcome. Is the list I have final?” Melly asked.
“Yes. That shouldn’t change,” Jasper said. “My only question is, can you get this all done in time with the funds we’ve allocated?”
“Of course, I won’t need that many more cooks to get this finished. We’re just going to be working a few hours earlier.”
“Great. Can we go over the full menu one more time?”
Melly nodded. “Sure. It’ll be good to catch Leigh up on everything too.”
As they went over everything, Jasper had to fight to keep his eyes off Leigh and on the menu. She didn’t say much, but he didn’t want to miss any precious words that came from her mouth. He had barely known her twenty minutes and he was already smitten. There was something about her that his dragon couldn’t get enough of. From everything he’d heard, this had to be his dragon reacting to meeting its mate.
It was an insane prospect, but it was the only way to explain the laser focus his animal had on Miss Ganza.
Near the end of the run-through, there was a buzzing and Melly looked at her phone with a frown. “Can you excuse me for a moment? This is important.”
“No problem.”
Leigh watched with wide eyes as her aunt left the room. Her smell of lust grew stronger. Whatever she claimed, he was having some effect on her.
He leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head. “Couldn’t stay away, could you?”
“I didn’t even know you were involved with this,” she said fiercely.
“Sure you didn’t. It’s only been mentioned in a few places. CNN, MSNBC, People magazine, E!News, the New York Post. You know, small local publications.”
“I don’t keep up with the news,” she insisted. She clasped her hands in her lap and kept her eyes on them. The muscles in her jaw ticked as she tried to keep her composure.
It was so cute.
“Sure you don’t,” he laughed. “You just happen to show up to work for me the day after running away from me. Total coincidence. I’m sure you didn’t beg your aunt for the job or anything.”
She looked up at him, green eyes flashing. “You mean the day after you stalked me in the forest.”
“Really?” Jasper asked her, incredulous. “I happened to land in the clearing where you were hanging out. I’m not the one who’s trying to play hard to get. You knew who I was the moment I landed.”
She crossed her arms over her ample chest. “I had no idea who you were when you landed. And I didn’t beg for this job. My aunt needed the help.”
“But you knew who I was when I shifted. Maybe you didn’t beg for this job, but you did ask to help. And it’s no secret who she’s working with.”
She laughed. “I knew who you were because you’re a celebrity! I didn’t set up some kind of elaborate plan to win you. This is all one big coincidence.”
He took his hands from behind his head and leaned forward, looking her in the eyes. “Or this is fate.”
She waved her hand and rolled her eyes. “There’s no such thing as fate.”
“You’re from a family of shifters. You must know about fated mates.”
“I’ve heard all the hokey stories, but that doesn’t mean I believe them.”
Jasper trained his ear to the door. He didn’t have the hearing capabilities of other shifters, but it was better than a human’s. Melly was still on the phone, but he didn’t know for how much longer.
“Have lunch with me?” he asked Leigh suddenly.
“What?”
“Have lunch with me.”
“I will not. I drove here with my aunt, and I’m leaving with her.”
“I can have my driver bring you back to your car. Have lunch with me.”
Jasper could feel himself changing. His dragon was fighting its way to the surface. It had been so good, but now that they were alone, it was fighting its way to the surface. He would remember to be more careful when he tapped into his shifter abilities when he was alone with Leigh. If she was his mate, his animal was going to use every chance available to try to gain control. It was going to start urging him to mark her as his own.
He clenched his fist tightly under his desk as he fought for control. He wanted to get to know Leigh before he did anything so drastic.
“Are you okay?” Leigh asked, leaning forward.
“I’m fine. Will you have lunch with me?”
“No,” she said quietly.
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to.”
“Yes, you do. It’s just lunch. What could possibly be so terrible about a little lunch date? Unless you’re afraid that you’ll fall in love with me.”
Her face turned deep red. “I will not fall in love with you because of one lunch.”
“I think you will.” His dragon stopped struggling to take over. Jasper was in control again. “That’s why you don’t want to do it.”
“It’s not professional.”
“Nonsense.”
Melly came back in. “Sorry about that. My assistants needed help with something.”
“No problem. I was just talking with your niece about having lunch. If you don’t mind, I’d love it if she stayed for a little ‘get to know you’ lunch. She said that you wouldn’t like it, but I think you’re more understanding than she believes.”
“You must have misunderstood,” Leigh said with a tight smile. “I have no plans to stay here and have lunch.”
“It’s fine,” Melly said dismissively. “I won’t say anything to your mother. Just be sure you get back before dinner.”
“Thank you so much, Melly.” Jasper smiled winningly. “I’ll be sure to get her back with plenty of time to spare.”
He gave Leigh a smug smile. Ever her aunt knew that she wanted to spend time with him. It was only a matter of time before he convinced her of what everyone else could see.
Seven
After saying goodbye to her aunt, Jasper led Leigh deeper into the mansion. The rest of the mansion was decorated conservatively without being boring. Everything was in a shade of beige, white, cream, or tan. There were vases of fresh flowers on the windowsills going down the long tan hallway they took to get to the dining room. Leigh knew that some people
hated homes decorated like this, but she loved it. The simplicity was so elegant.
They’d waited less than a half hour in a sunny room with floor-to-ceiling windows along one side. Leigh’s home was nice, but it was nothing compared to this. She couldn’t even imagine growing up in a house like this. She hoped she hadn’t looked too enthralled while they chatted, waiting for the food. She longed to see more of the house, but she didn’t want to give Jasper the wrong idea. She was interested in the house, not him.
They talked mostly about the wedding while they waited for the food and again after they started eating.
“The whole thing is pretty crazy,” she said. “Their daughters married cousins, and now they’re getting married. I can’t tell if it’s cute or creepy.”
“I think it’s cute. Roger’s a good friend, and I’m happy he’s found someone as nice as Cindy.”
“You know, there were rumors that you were going to marry Roger’s daughter.”
“Jealous?”
Leigh laughed. “Not at all. My cousin Fabia is really into celebrity gossip. I didn’t look into the family too much until Auntie Melly got the job.”
“Well, I never dated Jess, and I’m very happy for her. She has a lovely family. And now Roger will get to have a grandson and a step-granddaughter.”
“Are they going to be part of the wedding?”
“No, but they will be here. I’m sure their parents will appreciate a night out without the kids.”
Leigh could only imagine how exhausting it would be to have two little shifter cubs running around. She’d seen some pictures of the girls and their babies in the magazines that Fabia read. They were so adorable. She hoped she would get a moment to play with the little cubs at the wedding reception. Leigh loved babies, but she didn’t get a chance to spend much time with any. There weren’t many children in the Wasteland. Rightly so, since it was a rough town.
Thinking of babies while she was so close to Jasper wasn’t a great idea. Her mind went right to what Jasper would be like with a child of his own.
She imagined he would be much like her own father. She almost never saw him. She knew he loved her dearly, but he was always busy with work. As part owner of one of the biggest jewelry companies in the world, she imagined that Jasper was very busy.
Still, there was something sexy in thinking about Jasper holding a baby. He would probably make an amazing father, even if he worked a little too much. It wasn’t about the quantity of time a parent spent with their child; it was about the quality.
She looked at him quickly as he began to talk about his childhood. With a full head of rich blond hair and the body of a swimmer, Jasper was surely the man of many a woman’s dreams. If she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that he had the looks of the man of her dreams too. It was a shame that he was a shifter. If he had been a human, she would have been all over him.
She couldn’t honestly say that he was the worst man out there, but being a shifter, he wasn’t the man she wanted. She was determined to try to live a human life, and there was no way she could do that with a man like Jasper. He was one of the most famous shifters in the world. There was no chance she’d be able to pretend she was just a normal human and live among them. If she was with Jasper, there was no chance she’d ever have the ordinary life of her dreams.
Leigh hoped her aunt would keep it quiet for a little while that she was spending time with Jasper Collins. The minute her mother found out, she was going to be intolerable. Even though Melly had promised to keep this lunch a secret, Leigh knew there was a chance that Melly would tell Auntie Kim. And if that happened, it would get back to her mother.
She was only here to humor Jasper and to get him to leave her alone. Once the lunch was over, they could continue to work together without any sexual tension.
“What was your schooling like, Leigh?” Jasper asked, snapping her out of her own thoughts.
She shrugged and looked at her plate.
“Are you going to spend the entire lunch talking as little about yourself as possible? I love hearing myself talk, but I would like to hear a little about you too.”
Leigh smirked. “At least you can admit you like hearing yourself talk.”
“Obviously you do too. You’ve let me do all the talking. Look, I’m not that bad a guy. I know I can be intimidating, but I’m pretty easy to get to know. If you’ll give me a chance, I think you’ll see that for yourself, sweetheart.”
“I’m sure.” Leigh pressed her lips together in a firm line. She hadn’t meant to speak about herself much during the lunch “date,” but maybe that wasn’t the best way to go about this. He was a dragon shifter, after all. They were a tenacious bunch. Once they wanted something, they would stop at nothing to get it. Unless she convinced him that he didn’t want her or that she wasn’t worth having, he would keep pursuing her.
“Where do you live? Come on. It’s a simple question. I’m not asking you for your bank PIN.”
“I live with my parents.”
She didn’t want him to know where she lived, and she didn’t want him to ask her anymore questions about it. She wanted him to go back to talking about himself or talk about work more. She had to steer the conversation back to safe ground.
“How are your parents related to Melly? I’ve never spoken with her about her family. In fact, I don’t think I know anything about her except for the fact that you’re her niece and she has a husband.”
Leigh didn’t believe that for one minute. There was no way he would hire anyone without looking into their background. Not for an event this big, when the governor was involved too. The question was how much he had dug into Auntie Melly’s personal life.
“How close do you want to be to the caterer? I’m sure you must have done research on her before you hired her.”
Jasper sighed. “I don’t need to know more about Melly, but I am very interested in getting to know more about you.”
“You know something about me.”
“Fine. How about this: what do you think of my office?”
The question surprised her, but it was safe enough. “I like how your office is designed. Did you do it yourself?”
His eyebrows shot up “You really like it? An interior decorator picked most of the stuff, but I gave her the general idea of what I wanted. I’m surprised you like it.”
“Why?”
“I was just throwing something out there that I thought you’d be okay talking about. Most women can go on and on about how much they hate my office. I was sure you would too. I had taken you for more of a glamour girl.”
Leigh laughed. “Not at all. I don’t know where you’d get that idea.”
“You have a very glamorous air about you,” he explained.
“If you say so. I prefer the simple look. Clean lines and simple décor. Your designer did a great job.”
“Is that what you would want for a home?”
“Yes, I’d love a home office decorated like that. I bet the wall color would look great in a kitchen too.”
“Are you looking to get your own place?”
“One day. Hopefully soon.”
“Anyplace you’re looking at in particular?”
Leigh shook her head. “Anyplace that’s cheap and safe.”
“For rent or to buy? There aren’t a lot of options around these parts for rent, or so I’ve heard. Well, not unless you’re going to stay in the Wasteland, anyway.”
The hairs stood up on the back of Leigh’s neck. Why was he mentioning the Wasteland? No human would mention it unless they were speaking to someone they thought was a criminal. She knew she shouldn’t have said anything about herself.
“Why would I live in the Wasteland? I’m a human. I’m sure you can smell that.”
“Yes, but the first time I saw you, you were in the forest near the shifter territory.”
“So?” She couldn’t be sure that he knew anything about her or where she lived. If he had no idea that Melly had family in
the Wasteland, Leigh didn’t want to be the one to spill the beans. “I live near the Wasteland,” Leigh lied.
“Are your parents shifters, like Melly?”
“My mom is the same species. My dad is a tiger.”
“It must be strange living that close to a bunch of dangerous shifters.”
“Not really. Most of the people there would never hurt anyone.”
“I hope so.”
“This legislation to legitimize the towns will go a long way toward improving shifter-human relations. You’re doing work for it, aren’t you?”
“Yes, and I’m happy to do it,” he said. “As a shifter myself, I want to do whatever I can to help my people.”
“Why don’t you run for office yourself?” Leigh asked to change the subject. She was tired of dancing around the question of where she lived.
Jasper laughed. “I don’t have any interest in being the man in front of the camera forever. This wedding is really my last big media push.”
“What will you do after this, then?”
“I’d like to start a family and focus on the family business. That’s why I signed up for MateMe!”
“Which are you looking forward to more? Being a businessman, or a family man?”
“Family man,” Jasper said quietly.
He was looking at her intently. Leigh shifted in her seat. “I think it’s time I go. I don’t want to be too late for dinner. I still have to speak with my aunt before I head home.”
Jasper nodded and stood up. “Thank you for joining me for lunch.”
Leigh stood up. “Thank you for asking me. The food was delicious.”
Jasper leaned forward quickly and grabbed Leigh around the waist. He pulled her close and buried a hand in her hair, pulling her head toward him.
There wasn’t even time for her to resist before his lips were on hers. His tongue dipped into her mouth and tasted her. Leigh shuddered and pressed her hands against his chest in resistance.
For a split second, before she knew what was happening, she kissed him back. Her lips yielded to his, and she let him kiss her deeper. Leigh moaned into the kiss for a moment.
