"The bartender," Jason said, nodding his head toward Catherine. "He's asked her out five times. She turned him down flat every single time. Jeez, even I know when to give up."
“That’s because she hasn’t heard the rumor about how my dick’s bigger than all of yours. When she sees—” Nathan didn’t finish his sentence because Matthew grabbed him by the shoulder and slammed him against the wall. “What the hell, man?!” Nathan quickly composed himself and hunched forward. His eyes glowed an eerie green, indicating the presence of his wolf, but Matthew didn’t care. His dragon roared inside him in anger.
“Matt, what the fuck man?” Jason pulled him off, then stood between him and Nathan, probably knowing Matthew would never hurt his own brother. “You need to calm down; you’re putting everyone on edge.”
He looked around, and most of the shifters were looking at him warily, probably fully aware of the presence of his dragon. Even Tim, who was across the room, narrowed his eyes at him.
“I’m fine,” he said, then turned to Nathan. “You stay away from her from now on,” he warned.
Nathan’s face scrunched up. “Yeah, man, whatever. Bros before—” But he didn’t finish his sentence as Matthew let out another snarl, then turned away.
Matthew dragged his fingers through his hair. What the hell was the matter with him? Nathan was like a brother to him, and the Lennoxes owed a lot to his family. But he had nearly ripped the wolf shifter’s head off just for trying to ask Catherine out.
He walked over to the bar where two guys were hanging around, chatting and flirting with her. She seemed to enjoy the banter. Her laughter was like tinkling bells.
“Excuse me,” he said through gritted teeth.
Two pairs of eyes swung over to him. He was getting ready for a fight, but their eyes widened in recognition.
“Hey, Jason!” one of them greeted. A young kid, maybe no more than twenty based on the soda in his hand. “Wow, I didn’t think you’d hang out in places like this!” He stood up and shook his hand.
“Uh yes …”
"It's us! Colton and Jimmy." He gestured to his friend. "We work for you up in the mines. You welcomed us this morning; told us we were doing a good job."
"Oh right, yes." He nodded. Jason was scheduled to work in the mines today; that's probably why they thought he was his brother. He scented fur from the two men … hmmm … the big one, Colton, was probably a bear, and his friend smelled like a feline. Mountain lion or panther, he'd guess.
“Really glad to be part of the team,” Jimmy said.
“Uh, yes … same here.” He shook hands with both of them, unsure of what to do now. He was ready to fight them off, but they seemed to be good guys. His guys, apparently. “Yes, well, do you mind?” He gestured to the bar.
“Of course not! Can we get you a drink?” Colton called Catherine over. “Hey Cat, one beer for the boss over here.”
Catherine’s jaw dropped, but she just shrugged and said nothing as she reached for a beer in the cooler.
"Hey, no need … uh, thanks," he said as Colton handed him a cold bottle.
“Of course! Anything we can do for you, just say it.”
Hmmm. “Well, boys,” he said, as he sat down at the bar. “There is one thing.” He winked at Catherine. “Would you mind giving us some privacy?”
"What? Oh yeah, sure thing!" Colton said. As he turned away from Catherine, he gave Matthew a wink and mouthed good luck. He gave him a pat on the shoulder as both men walked away.
“Wow, must be good to be the boss,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Why yes, it is,” he replied.
“You get free stuff even though you’re already rich, and you can tell people to go away when you want to.”
"Hey, they gave me the beer," he said, putting his hands up. "And as for the other thing … well, I wanted to talk to you. Have dinner—"
“I thought your name was Matthew,” she interrupted. “Why did they call you Jason?”
“Oh you know, we get mixed up all the time.” He shrugged, not really wanting to talk about his brother.
She frowned. “People here are strange. I thought shifters were supposed to have good eyesight or something.”
“Huh?” What was she talking about? “Listen, I want to ask you—”
“Sorry,” she nodded to the people who sat at the bar, “I’m working.” She walked over to the waiting customers.
Matthew peered at them. Unfortunately, he didn’t know these guys and couldn’t just ask them to leave. But maybe he could persuade them.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” he said. “Can I buy you your drinks?”
“What?” one of them said.
“Sure!” another interjected. “What do you want in return?”
“Nothing. Just … take your drinks and go.” He put his black card on the table and slid it over to Catherine. “Just put it on this one, sweetheart,” he said, giving her a wink.
She frowned at him, but took the card and ran it. "Here you go," she said. When the group walked away with their free drinks, he gave her a smirk. "Are you planning on buying everyone's drinks?"
“I wasn’t, but now that you mention it …” Sounds like a plan.
“Arghh!” She threw her hands up and busied herself in the far corner.
Matthew interrogated every person who came to the bar, took their drink order, and passed it along to Catherine, ensuring none of them talked to her. Most of the guys shrugged and went on their way, but the few who tried to protest usually went away with their tails between their legs when he gave them his most intimidating I-can-literally-eat-you-whole look.
“You have to stop this,” Catherine said. “You can’t keep doing this. I’m going to talk to Tim.”
“He’s still making money,” Matthew pointed out. “And I made sure to tip you double each drink.’
Her pretty face went red. “Take it back.”
“Only if you go out—”
"No!" She slammed her hands on the bar. Her eyes went stormy, and her chest heaved with each breath. The only thing he could think of was reaching over and grabbing her for a kiss.
“Hey now, what’s going on here?”
Christ.
Jason.
“I heard you were buying drinks for everyone,” Jason said with a lopsided smile. He slid onto the stool next to him and put an arm around him. “Mighty generous of you, bro.”
“Will you tell him to please leave?” Catherine said, her eyes pleading.
“Is my brother bothering you? I’m shocked,” he said, putting his hand on his chest like a scandalized debutante. “Normally, I’m the troublemaker. Which is why I love pretending to be him so I can get away with shit.”
She let out a laugh. “Pretending to be him? How would that work?”
“Well, I know he doesn’t have the best fashion sense, but I just wear the same clothes, like when we were young.”
Her brows knitted. “Your mother dressed you alike when you were young?”
“Yeah, you know. Twins and all.”
Her eyes darted from Jason to Matthew, her mouth open. "You're what?"
“Twins,” Matthew repeated.
“People say I’m the better-looking one,” Jason added with a smile.
“You guys are kidding, right?” She shook her head. “This town must really be mental.”
“Wait a minute …” Jason’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying … we don’t look alike?”
“Look, if you guys want to pretend to be twins, that’s none of my business.” Catherine untied the apron from her waist. “I’m taking my break. Tim!” she called to her boss, signaling that she was heading out.
Matthew watched her walk to the back room. What the heck was she talking about? Pretend to be twins?
“Oh. My. Fucking. God.” Jason’s eyes were wide as he looked at Matthew. “She’s the one, isn’t she?”
Mine.
“How the fuck …” Did Jason feel it, too? Shit, he didn’t want to fight his brother for
Catherine, but he would if that’s what it took.
“Shit!” Jason slapped his thigh and let out a hoot. “She’s yours. That’s why you were going all caveman on her? Chasing off those guys?”
“How the hell did you know?” He sulked.
“Dude,” he put an arm around his shoulder, “don’t you ever listen to what Mom says? About girls?”
“You take girl advice from Mom?”
“Shit, no! Not the kind I’m interested in. I mean, you know, how she blathers on about her mother’s family and twins.”
Hmmm … he did remember her saying something about a legend with twins. He wracked his brain, trying to remember her words.
Jason let out an exaggerated groan. "I swear, and they say you're the smart one. She said, and I quote, ‘the one who knows you from your twin is your soulmate.' I never understood it all this time, but I guess she meant it literally.”
“Soulmate?” But humans didn’t have magic, except for maybe witches and warlocks. “That can’t be. No one else can tell us apart, not even mom.”
“Yeah, no shit.” He glanced at the back door. “What the hell have you been waiting for? Why aren’t you making her yours? Doesn’t your dragon think she’s your mate?”
“Fuck me.” That’s what his dragon was trying to tell him. Catherine was his. His mate. “Goddamn.”
“What’s the problem now?”
“She doesn’t want me.”
“What?”
"I keep asking her out, and she keeps turning me down. Fuck. I’m worse than Nate.”
“No way, dude. He’s not her mate. You are. Dammit!” Jason propped him up and gave his shoulders a squeeze, like a coach prepping a fighter for the ring. “Go out there and get her. You’re a Lennox. A dragon, for God’s sake.”
“You know what, you’re right.” He straightened his shoulders and marched behind the bar, ignoring Tim’s protests as he yanked open the door to the back room.
***
“Fucking rich boy shifters,” Catherine muttered to herself as she kicked the door to the back room shut. Oh she knew his type well. Throwing around their money, thinking they could buy anything and anyone. It was one of the reasons she hated her old life and had taken off for LA. Controlling rich men who thought they owned you.
And what was that weird thing about being twins? Were they fraternal twins, maybe? Jason and Matthew looked like distant relatives. Sure, they were the same height and had the same large frame, but Jason's hair wasn't as dark and it was much thinner, and his nose was just a bit too big for his face. His eyes were also too close together, and now that she'd seen them side by side, Jason's were a dull gray instead of bright silver.
She leaned against the wall, trying to calm herself. Was she overreacting? Why the hell did Matthew Lennox get under her skin so much? He was just a guy. She wasn’t some teenager pumped with hormones seeing her first crush. So what if Matthew Lennox was a tall drink of water on a hot day? It would never work out between them. He was a billionaire dragon CEO and she was … what? She was going to be leaving as soon as she had enough money, that’s what.
She was just in Blackstone to lay low for a while until she threw the Brotherhood's scent off. And getting involved with the biggest apex predator in the world was certainly not laying low.
The door to the storage room flew open. "I'm not done with my break, Tim," she said in an annoyed voice. But the shadow in the doorway was definitely not Tim. The hairs on the back of her neck bristled, and she recognized the man standing in the doorway.
“Excuse me, this is for employees only! Can’t you read the sign outside?”
Matthew strode toward her, his shoulders straight and back stiff. The air around her suddenly felt cold and thin as power rolled off of him. It was too much, and she backed away. He didn't stop, just kept walking toward her until he trapped her against the wall, hands planted on either side of her. Before she could protest, he lowered his mouth to hers.
Catherine stiffened, and time slowed down as their lips touched. His mouth was surprisingly soft, but his kiss was urgent. Hot desire curled out from her middle, spreading through her body as he moved his lips against hers in a slow dance that left her breathless. Her knees buckled, and, to steady herself, she grabbed onto his shoulders.
His lips coaxed hers, parting them so he could taste her. He was like a man dying of thirst, drinking from her like she was the only oasis in the desert. His mouth—God, his mouth—owned not only her lips but all of her. She was burning hot from the inside. Was this what it was like to kiss a dragon shifter? Or was it just Matthew?
Rough fingers brushed at the skin on her neck and moved up into her hair, curling around the locks. He pulled gently at her scalp, and desire shot straight to her core, making her groan. His mouth moved lower, and while she whimpered at the loss, she soon let out a gasp when his lips pressed against her neck.
“Matthew,” she whispered, lowering her eyes. His body was so close to hers, not touching, yet she could feel the warmth and power from him.
He pulled away from her, but braced his hands on the wall behind her again. "We're going out."
“Huh?”
“You. Me. On a date. When are you off next?”
“Uh, tomorrow?” Wait, was he asking her out?
“Okay then, I’ll pick you up at seven.”
Wait, he wasn’t asking. He was telling her. “You can’t—”
He cut her off with another kiss. “Don’t be late.” With that, he turned around and strode out the door.
“What the …” She blinked. She was going out on a date with Matthew Lennox. “Sonofabitch.”
Chapter Six
Matthew felt pretty proud of himself as he left the office at 6:45 pm on the dot. With focus and determination, he had finished all his work by six p.m., got showered and dressed in his private office bathroom (thank you, Mom, for that luxury), and then was on his way to pick up Catherine. Hopefully, she’d be ready because he sure wasn’t taking no for an answer. Not after that kiss. The memory of it would be forever burned in his mind.
To say he'd never felt like this before was an understatement. Sure, he'd had his share of women, but he'd always kept himself at a distance, never dating anyone seriously. He was just too busy, too focused on the future. Sex was a biological need, an itch he needed to scratch.
But with Catherine … this was it. She was his mate. And how he was going to tell her and make her his was going to be difficult. She was human. She didn't understand how fast it was for shifters, how, when their animals chose, that was it. No one else would do, not from this point on.
He had to make it work. He figured it all out in his head. Dinner at Giorgio’s, the Italian restaurant in town. Then maybe dessert and coffee at Rosie’s. Matthew planned to be the perfect gentleman tonight, just to make sure she didn’t have any objections. Take it slow, he told himself. Hell, he’d be glacial if that’s what it took to win her.
Matthew arrived outside Catherine's apartment building and parked in front of the hardware store. He got out of the car, strode to her front door, and pressed the doorbell. He waited for a few moments, then the silence from the other side made him start to wonder if she'd changed her mind.
Footsteps and the jingling of the doorknob made him straighten his shoulders. The door opened, and Catherine peeked out from behind it. With a long sigh, she pushed it wider and stepped out.
“You didn’t tell me where we’re going,” she said as she locked the door behind her. “I hope it’s not anywhere fancy because this is the fanciest thing I own.” She gestured to her outfit.
Matthew stifled a groan. The sweater dress not only made her eyes bluer but clung to her delicious curves. And those knee-high boots over her leggings looked incredibly sexy. He wondered if they would be difficult to take off. "It's … good. It's just a casual Italian restaurant."
She nodded. “Fine. Let’s go.”
Matthew tried not to let her flippancy get to him, but it was maddening
to want someone so much and to have them treat you so coldly. Where was the Catherine from last night? The one who responded to his kisses eagerly. He'd even prefer if she resisted and fought him like she did when she was at the bar. He shook his head mentally. Was this the way he had treated the women who hopped in and out of his bed? Someone out there was probably laughing at the karmic justice.
He led her to his Range Rover, opened the door for her, and helped her inside before he went to the driver's side.
Giorgio’s Restaurant was right on Main Street in Downtown Blackstone. The restaurant itself was older than him, as far as Matthew could tell, and the owner, Giorgio, was a good friend of the family’s.
"Matthew Lennox! What a surprise," Giorgio greeted as they entered. Matthew could remember coming here as a little boy for all their special family occasions, and the flamboyant owner looked the same as always—black hair perfectly coiffed, Italian-cut suit fitted to his slim figure, shiny black shoes polished to a mirror shine, and a warm smile. "I saw your name on the reservation list, and I thought you'd be here with your brother or sister." He looked at Catherine. "Not a gorgeous date."
Matthew laughed. “Giorgio, this is Catherine Archer. Catherine, this is Giorgio Allementari, owner of Giorgio’s.”
“Lovely to meet you.”
“Signorina,” Giorgio said with a deep bow. “You honor us with your presence.”
"Uhm, thank you," she said with a sheepish grin.
“Now,” Giorgio began as he took two leather-bound menus from the host’s table, “I’ll be attending to you personally tonight. And I have your usual table, of course.”
“Thank you.”
Giorgio led them to a large, semi-circular booth in a cozy corner of the restaurant. He gestured to the seat, and Catherine scooted in, placing herself on the farthest end while Matthew remained on the other side. Giorgio handed them the menus and excused himself.
“Your usual table, huh?” Catherine said without looking at him, her eyes fixed on the open menu in front of her.
“Family table," he corrected. Did he detect a hint of jealousy? Maybe she wasn't as indifferent as he'd thought. "We've been dining here since I was born." His father called it his "lucky" table, and it was only when he and his siblings were teens that the phrase made sense when Giorgio relayed the story of his parent's first date here. His mother blushed hard, while his father had a nostalgic (and slightly lecherous) smile on his face. Sybil refused to eat at the table for a year.
The Blackstone Dragon Heir: Blackstone Mountain Book 1 Page 4
