by Roxie Ray
“You prude. I should’ve listened to the guys. They told me not to waste my time, that you’d get me hot then leave me high and dry. Do you enjoy fucking with men, turning them on then leaving them wanting, or are you one of those women who’s afraid of sex? Or did you just think you’d get a few free meals and drinks out of this?”
My jaw dropped as his words registered. “Someone warned you?” Who had been talking about me? Nothing like this had ever happened. I’d never gone past a third date. When I was younger, because I didn’t have time, I had to spend all my time caring for Nana. Lately, it was because none of the guys I’d gone out with had interested me enough to continue.
I sucked in a deep breath to tell him to go to hell when a shadow fell over the table.
Looking up, and up, I found Stefan staring down at Micah.
And boy, did he look mad. The deathly cold expression on his face sent chills up and down my spine.
Good chills. I should’ve been scared at how angry he looked, but I wasn’t. I was turned on.
Damn it.
2
Stefan
I’d watched the two of them as long as I could. Of course, with my hearing, every word was as clear as if I sat at the table beside them.
Hearing Harley laugh at that fool had been a knife to my gut. My dragon, Eros, had cursed me when he heard her silky voice laugh at another man. He was pretty pissed at me for letting another man court our mate, but dragons tended to run hot anyway.
His anger was warranted in this case. I was being an idiot. I’d been about to give up my misery and just leave when things went sour at Harley’s table. I couldn’t claim her, but I didn’t have to subject myself to this torture.
I stiffened, a growl rising in my throat as his words registered. That son of a bitch called her a cock tease. His whispered words danced across my back like flames, igniting my fury.
Rip his head from his body.
It sounded like a good plan to me. Before I knew it, Axel cursed and I moved, then I stood beside their table, staring down at the insignificant man that thought he could bully my mate. I had no idea how fast I’d moved across the bar. Probably too fast.
The pounding sound of her racing heartbeat filled my ears like a thousand drums. She was scared and angry. She should’ve never been scared. Anger I understood, it happened. But scared was a state Harley never needed to be in.
Harley’s date—Micah, I knew from listening to their conversation—glared up at me. “Can I help you? What do you want?”
Deciding what to do took all of a millisecond. I stuffed my hand in my pocket and pulled out my keys. “Harley, would you care to wait for me in my truck? Hit the lock button when you get outside and it will chirp.” I wasn’t sure she knew which one it was.
“I know what you drive.” Her voice was shaky, but her face angry. She stared at the keys in my hand.
“I’ll be out in a minute and give you a ride home.” I leaned over and put the keys in her hands. When my fingers brushed hers, only my white-hot rage at Micah kept me from pulling her into my arms.
Micah grew even angrier and spoke through clenched teeth. “If you get in his truck, we’re going to have a fucking problem.” He put his closed fist on the table. A warning for me? Please.
I felt Axel and Maverick move closer. They were still a table away and out of Micah’s sight, but I knew they were there if I needed them.
I didn’t need them. One lousy human was no big deal. Tearing my glare from Micah, I looked at Harley and couldn’t help but smile at her. Looking deep into her eyes, I tried to reassure her. “I would never hurt you. You don’t ever need to be afraid of me. I’ll protect you. Please, go wait in my truck. I’ll be out soon. It’s the best way to keep you out of harm’s way.”
“Harm’s way?” Micah stood and bristled. “What do you think I’m going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I said, my voice low and gravelly. If I let it, it would be a full growl, but we were in a bar full of humans. No growling here. “There’s no telling what a man that speaks the way you spoke to Harley will do.”
Returning my attention to Harley, I found her staring at me with a thoughtful look on her face. “Okay,” she whispered.
She put her hand on my shoulder to step around me, keeping herself away from Micah as much as she could. He leaned forward, reaching for her arm, but I put my hand on his chest and pushed. I didn’t put much into it. If I had, he would’ve gone flying across the room. As it was, he stumbled backward and planted his butt hard in his chair.
Micah looked up at me, shocked. He hadn’t expected me to be so strong. People were usually surprised.
I turned my head to look at Harley, frozen behind me. “Go.”
She nodded and scurried from the bar. Axel followed and held the door open, then watched. I knew he was making sure she got in my truck safely.
I smiled, glad she was safe, far away from this dickhead.
Micah still sat staring up at me, but his shock was quickly turning to anger again. I cut to the chase before he could work himself up some bravery. “Your time with Harley is up. Don’t bother her again. Don’t ask her out. If you ever harass her again...” I shook my head instead of finishing, letting the threat imply itself.
“What?” Micah asked scornfully. He scooted his chair back to get space from me and stood again. “You’ll kick my ass?”
What the hell did he think I meant? “Yes.” I raised my eyebrows at him. Did he get it now?
He scoffed and shuffled to the side. “Fine. The bitch isn’t worth the hassle anyway.” He turned to get his coat off the back of his chair and his body tensed— I knew what he was about to do before he even took his hand off the back of the chair.
He’s a fool.
Eros was right. The fool tried to fake me out and swing at me. What an idiot. I stepped to the right and easily avoided his fist.
Unable to stop his momentum, he stumbled into me, so I had to catch him and push him back. This time I was even easier than the first time I shoved him, so he only stumbled back a few steps. He didn’t drop into his chair again.
You should’ve torn his throat out.
Eros was surprisingly calm about this. I’d expected him to be angrier.
He is no threat.
Ah. He was calm because he knew I had this under control. The puny human was beneath his notice. What a snob.
He snorted in response.
Micah lifted his fists and darted forward to try again. I sighed, bobbed around his hit, and gave him a quick, sharp jab in the kidney. Of course, I held most of my strength back.
The chair went flying as Micah grunted and bent over, then fell backward. He missed the seat, instead knocking the chair into the table behind him.
He wouldn’t be getting up to try again anytime soon. Grabbing Harley’s jacket, which she’d forgotten, I left Micah curled up on the floor, stepping over him to go check on Harley. Axel and Maverick followed me out of the bar.
“You did good, kid,” Maverick said once the door closed behind us.
Go to our mate.
Ignoring Eros, I looked at Maverick in surprise. He and Axel beamed at me.
“What?” I’d been sure they were going to berate me for causing a scene in public. A mixture of relief and pride filled me as Axel spoke.
“You handled the situation without losing your cool. That’s impressive for someone your age.” Axel held out his hand. “You’ll have to give Jury and Madd some pointers.”
Laughing, I shook both of their hands, thrilled that they were happy with the outcome of the situation. I wasn’t used to being complimented, so it was hard not to brush it off, but I was too pleased by their reaction to do that. “Thanks,” I whispered.
“Go check on your girl.” Maverick stepped to the side, giving me a clear view of Harley. “Handle her with care.”
Yes. Go do that.
She sat straight upright in my truck, looking from us to her phone over and over. I wasn’t sure
who she was texting, but it was probably Ava or Charlotte. The guys had said they’d gotten tight.
When she saw me coming her way, she put her phone down out of sight. By the way she leaned forward and wiggled, she’d put it in her back pocket. Her heart raced as I neared the truck. She knew I was her mate, even though she didn’t realize it yet. She couldn’t help the way her body reacted when she was near me.
I opened the driver’s door to my truck and jumped in. “Here. You should’ve started the truck,” I said. “It’s cold.”
She shivered and grabbed her coat, pulling it on. “I was so worried that I didn’t realize how cold I was until I saw my coat on your arm.”
We hadn’t been at the bar long enough for the truck to go completely cold, so I blasted the heat as soon as I turned over the ignition. “It’ll be warm soon,” I promised.
If you take her into your arms, she’ll be warm in seconds.
Would that I could’ve. “Are you okay?”
She wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. “Yeah. His words were mean, but nothing I can’t get over. At least he didn’t have a chance to do anything.”
The engine rumbled as I threw it in reverse. I’d modified it, putting a larger motor under the shiny red hood. My boss, Todd, let me use the shop all I wanted as long as I paid for my parts and supplies. I’d been fixing up the truck, installing a security system, bigger wheels, and a powerful engine. “I’ll get you home.”
She gave me her address. “Are you familiar with it?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know the street.” I didn’t elaborate, because I didn’t want to lie to her. But every time she had to close the shop down and work until eight, I’d followed her home. I was careful and stayed way back, but I had to make sure she got home safely.
It made me feel like a stalker, but I couldn’t stop myself. Her safety was paramount to me and Eros.
I felt Harley’s gaze several times on the drive home. I didn’t say anything, though, because I didn’t have the first idea what to say. I’d rebuffed her attention when we’d been thrown together at Mav’s house, then come to her rescue tonight. How was I supposed to explain myself?
She sighed a few times. I suspected she was prompting me to say something, and I wished I could. But nothing came to mind that didn’t sound terrible of me.
“Right there.” She pointed at her driveway, reminding me that I wasn’t supposed to know where she lived.
“Oh, okay.” I pulled in and looked at her.
“Thank you,” she whispered. The streetlight shone in through her window and made her hair look like it glowed. Like embers of a banked fire.
Shit. I had to talk to her now. “No problem. Uh, maybe you should try to, uh...” I cleared my throat.
She raised her eyebrows, curious what I was trying to say. “Yes?”
“Be careful. You know, about who you date.”
Oh, no. That was not the right thing to say. As soon as the words left my lips, I regretted them. Shit, shit, shit.
Her face fell. “You’re right.” She sounded pissed.
Eros chuckled. Good job.
“I will be more careful in the future. Clearly, I have terrible taste in men.”
Ouch. She’d put me in that category, too. I had to try to fix it. “Harley, I—”
“No, you’ve said enough. I do appreciate your help, though. Thank you for intervening. I was in over my head with Micah.”
She put her hand on the door handle and looked at me. I opened my mouth, desperate to say something, anything to make it right, but no words came out.
She got out, slammed the door and stalked into her house. At least one light was on. That night nurse was there, I recognized her car. I’d changed the spark plugs the week before. Her name started with a C. Clara or something.
I was glad she was there. It would give Harley someone to vent to, even if she would probably vent about me and my big fat foot in my mouth.
How did I get saddled with such a fool?
Eros wasn’t happy with me. He wanted me to claim her, but that wasn’t possible.
I didn’t go home to my apartment above the shop. Maverick had a shack up in the mountains. It was a bit of a drive, but it was secluded and private. Perfect for me to shift so Eros could let off some steam.
He ignored me for most of the hour drive, occasionally sending me waves of anger, frustration, and irritation. “I know, buddy. I’m frustrated at myself, too,” I said to the empty truck. Eros heard me in my head with no problem, but sometimes I spoke out loud when I talked to him. It made me feel less lonely.
He growled in response. It was going to be a long night.
3
Harley
If ever I’d considered calling out of work, it was today. With a sigh, I got out of my car and faced the back door of the salon. News of my date the night before was sure to have spread already. The bar had been full when Stefan intervened and sent me out to the truck. At first, I’d been embarrassed. Like I needed somebody to send me to the truck like a child. But after Ava called and told me that Stefan had punched my date in the stomach, I was glad I’d left. I didn’t want to be around all that violence. I didn’t want to be around Micah ever again, for that matter.
Ava had said that Maverick told her that Stefan handled himself well, holding back and doing the minimum to get the point across to Micah, who threw the first punch.
I put my key in the back door, but it was unlocked. I groaned. My boss, Laura, was here. Grasping the door handle, I sucked in a deep breath and went in. “Morning,” I called.
Laura sat at the check-in counter on her laptop. “Morning.”
I put my stuff in the back and went to the dryer, starting my daily routine. My first client wasn’t scheduled for twenty minutes, giving me just enough time to do what I did every morning: Fold the towels I’d put in to dry the night before. Get all the supplies out of the sterilizer. Check the polishes and shake any that looked like they were separating. Put out new ones if they were too low or wouldn’t mix anymore—It was a ritual, the same thing every morning.
On the days I closed the shop and came in around lunchtime, it bugged me to see that nobody else did all that I did. As the shop manager, I reminded them whenever I noticed things hadn’t been done. I’d started an opening and closing checklist to ensure everyone was on the same page, but it wasn’t always followed.
Jess, my newest hire, only worked a few nights a week. She was in beauty school and had already completed her nail tech portion. She only wanted to work for a little extra money as her parents paid for most things. She’d closed the night before and it looked like everything was done. The stations were dusted, the floor shone, and I smelled the special oil we used on the chairs. It kept them new and clean.
“So,” Laura said. She closed the laptop with a click. “I hear you had an eventful night.”
I didn’t turn around. Just kept shaking the neon blue polish in my hand. “Yep.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me about it?”
The old hag. She was a drunk and a sloppy one at that. She had built up enough business here to keep her in drinking money. The whole town knew about her drinking problem and the bar wouldn’t even serve her anymore. She always drank so much that she became belligerent and had to be escorted to a cab. She drank at home now.
I suspected she drank around the clock. She always brought a cup with a lid with her to work that I would’ve bet was something more than the cola she claimed to be addicted to.
“It wasn’t that big of a deal.” I straightened the bottles then moved to the coffee table in the waiting area, fanning out the magazines. “Micah got hateful, and Stefan intervened. Then Stefan drove me home.”
I unlocked the door to let my first client in. Another woman followed her through the door.
“Hey, girl,” Laura trilled. “Come on back.”
Wow. Apparently, Laura actually had a client today. That was rare. My client was a regular. She kept the appointment
for her acrylics every two weeks like clockwork. She always wore headphones and sat in the pedicure chair while I worked on her. Normally, I’d put a manicure-only at the hand stations, as it was much easier to do them there, but she liked to relax while she had her nails done. She said it was like a massage to her.
Whatever. She tipped very well. “Ready, Elaine?” I smiled at the older woman.
She nodded and put in her earbuds, shifting until she was comfortable in the seat. Laura and her client, who I didn’t recognize, came out of the back room. I didn’t know why she’d let her go back to the employee area, but it wasn’t my shop. Their murmured voices hushed the moment they came through the door, though.
The pointed looks they both gave me let me know exactly what they’d been talking about. Me and my disastrous date.
The front door alarm beeped as someone walked in. “Welcome,” I called without looking up from Elaine’s nails. “Have a seat and we’ll be right with you.”
“Micah is a good man,” Laura continued, ignoring the new customer. I looked over to see who it was. Another regular, Felicity. She walked around the counter and sat at the empty station across from Laura and her unnamed client. As she sat, she winked at me.
Laura continued after smiling a hello at Felicity. “You shouldn’t have let all that happen to him. I’m not surprised he kicked you to the curb after that.”
Felicity snorted. “Uh, no. My brother was at the bar last night. Sitting across from Harley and Micah.” I looked at her in surprise. I hadn’t seen her brother there. “He told me what Micah said to you, and Stefan should’ve done a lot more to that asshole.”
I smiled at her gratefully. “Thanks. It was pretty shocking.”
Elaine popped out her earbud. “Micah is an asshole. He dated my little sister, and she got away from him because she thought he would end up abusive.” She nodded at me, then put her earbud back in and closed her eyes.
