by Lynn Howard
“You saying you want me to kiss you?” he said, then winked at her when her cheeks went pink again.
“I want more than a kiss,” she mumbled under her breath. Surely, she had to know he’d heard her clearly. But she didn’t look embarrassed, didn’t look up at him with wide eyes. If he didn’t see her naked soon, he would end up with a permanent case of blue balls with as often as he’d been hard in the last twenty-four hours.
He had to change the subject and fast. “I have to go to work soon. You still want to tend bar?”
Her face brightened and he realized she was wearing makeup. Not too much. She was pretty either way, but the makeup really brought out those gorgeous, unique eyes of hers. “Absolutely. I mean, the girls think it’s safe. And you’ll be there.” Her features darkened with anger. “And no asshole will sneak up on me this time. Anyone tries anything, they’re getting fried.”
She lifted her hand and a ball of fire danced in her palm.
“I know that should make me nervous, and you’re going to think I’m nuts…but that is such a turn on.”
“Really?” she said, closing her hand around the flame with a teasing smile.
He pointed to his crotch hidden behind the table. She didn’t stand up and come to inspect it, but she did sit up a little more and crane her neck as if trying to see under the table. She then sat back and winked. “Just kidding.”
“I wasn’t,” he said behind his mug as he went to take a sip.
“Is what I’m wearing okay for work?” she asked, smoothing her hand down her top and Noah’s eyes followed that movement. He never thought he’d be jealous of someone’s own hands in his life.
“You look fine,” he said and cleared his throat. Not that it would help the deep growly sound caused by lust. “I’ve got to shower. Help yourself to the fridge or you can wait to eat at the bar.”
“Won’t I be too busy to eat at work?”
“It’s Sunday. We’re usually pretty slow on Sundays.”
Noah pushed to his feet and shuffled down the hall, snagging his phone from the couch as he passed. He wasn’t looking forward to the tantrum Shawnee would throw when he told her he didn’t need her to come in today. He didn’t need them both there on the slowest day of the week.
Shawnee surprised him when she sent a lone heart emoji in response. Guess Colton convinced her they could spend some alone time since she was off for the day.
Hurrying through his shower, he brushed his teeth, combed his beard, then used his fingers to comb his hair. He kept it short purposely so he wouldn’t have to mess with it every day. It was just one more thing that would cost him precious minutes that he didn’t have to spare.
Noah wrapped the towel around his waist and hurried to his bedroom where he pulled on a pair of jeans and t-shirt, then grabbed his socks and headed into the living room. Hollyn was still sitting at the table, but she’d turned the chair toward the room and pulled her feet into a criss-cross position. “How’re the fire codes in this area?” she asked.
Noah frowned at her as he lowered onto the couch to pull on his boots. “What do you mean?”
“I do this fire breathing trick. Humans think I’m blowing burning alcohol, although I’d still want the Shifters to think that’s all it was, too.”
Even after spending the whole day with his friends and after telling him about her magic trying to bind them, she was still nervous about other Shifters finding out what she was. Although, it was probably safer if they didn’t know. Just because his people would never turn her over didn’t mean there weren’t assholes who came into his place who wouldn’t jump on the first opportunity to make a buck.
“Do any humans go to your place?” Hollyn asked, finally dropping her legs and grabbing a pair of tennis shoes and slipping them on.
“Occasionally. That’s how Peyton and Tristan met.”
“Peyton is the blonde Nova calls Cujo, right?” she asked, standing and sliding her hands into her back pockets. The motion pushed her chest out and drew Noah’s gaze directly to them.
“Yeah,” Noah said, dragging his gaze back up to her face. “Tristan is a wolf from Big River. They’ll eventually come into the bar for lunch. And Nova likes to have all these cookouts. You’ll meet all the guys eventually.”
He watched her eye color change, but it wasn’t dramatic. And the scent rolling from her was more anxiety than fear. Good. Because he really wanted her to like his friends.
“You ready?”
“Yep,” she said, following him through the door.
As she followed close behind, all Noah could think about was their earlier conversation about her wanting him to kiss her, about wanting more than just a kiss. He was so tempted to turn and press his lips to hers, but wasn’t sure how she’d react to that. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to risk binding them even further.
And since she hadn’t brought it up again, he figured he’d let her lead. In the meantime, he’d have to do everything in his power to avoid touching her. And he had to keep his bear under control when other males talked to her and flirted with her while she was making drinks.
This was going to be a long fucking day.
Chapter Six
Just as he feared, the second word got out that Noah had hired a new woman to work behind the bar, the place began to fill up. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he apologized and then begged Shawnee to come in, even offering to keep a beer in front of Colton at all times, on Noah’s dime.
Fifteen minutes later, a beaming Shawnee showed up, Colton, Luke, Carter, Gray, Reed, Tristan, Micah, and all the women in tow, minus the babies.
“I asked her to come in because we were slammed. Why the hell did you invite everyone else?” Noah chided Colton.
“I just mentioned to Carter we were coming up. You can blame him for this,” Colton said, waving toward the entirety of Blackwater and Big River.
Noah turned his glare on Carter. There was no humor, no apologetic smile. He just kept looking from Noah to Hollyn and back again. He wanted an explanation. He’d barely told Carter Hollyn was staying at his house and that Aron had dropped her off. He’d yet to tell him everything. He wasn’t happy.
With a nod, he silently promised his stand-in Alpha – bear Shifter Clans didn’t have Alphas – that he’d fill him in on everything. Just not now. Now, he had a bar full of Shifters watching Hollyn.
Hollyn filled the drinks as fast as they came in, tossing a bottle behind her back and flipping it in her hand. She poured interesting cocktails when someone would tell her to make whatever she wanted.
Looking around the room, he suppressed the growl at so many sets of eyes glued to Hollyn. His anger and possessiveness were twofold – she was supposed to be hidden away, away from Shifters who could possibly tell others of her presence. That was a huge part of why he hadn’t yet told any of his Clan or his friends what she was.
The other and biggest part was the way his bear begged to be released. Too many males were watching her, smiling at her, flirting with her.
Mine, his bear growled in his head.
Yeah. I feel ya.
Shawnee smiled and laughed as she carried orders to the tables. Hollyn had the drinks under control, and no one was ordering food. Noah didn’t have shit to do.
So, he did something he’d wanted to do for years instead of Shifting his teeth and snapping at every fucker who dared look in Hollyn’s direction – he rounded the bar and sat with his friends. Leaning back, he watched Hollyn’s performance. He couldn’t help the rush of pride at how skilled she was, at how entertaining she was behind the bar.
Her eyes lifted and met his. Her smile widened and two things happened: his heart tripled its pace and his animal roared its approval inside his head. Noah was lost in her eyes. Lost in Hollyn. He knew it didn’t matter how hard both of them fought against fate or whatever it was pushing them together; they were meant to be in each other’s lives. He knew, deep down in his heart, he’d been born to take care of Hollyn, to make her ha
ppy, to make her smile. Just like she’d been born to melt his icy heart.
The jukebox was blaring Chris Stapleton music, but it was barely heard over the crowd as Hollyn locked eyes with him, shrugging as she stepped onto the bar. Oh shit. Was she going to…
Hollyn put a bottle to her lips and pretended to take a long pull. She then lit a match and blew a ball of flames. Even from halfway across the room, Noah could feel the heat.
Her show was probably really against the fire code, but he didn’t see any fire fighters or the fire Chief anywhere. It was his bar. As long as she didn’t burn the place down, he’d sit back and let her perform.
As much as he loved the idea of the bar being far in the black and the girls’ pockets being full of tips, he loved the joy shining bright on Hollyn’s face even more. She was doing something she loved, something she was good at. It was part of her old life that she’d gotten back. He loved watching her like that, loved the smile that stayed permanently on her face.
And…he loved her. Two days and he could feel his heart swell for her. His beast already claimed her. He could never mark her, but he could let Hollyn bind them with her magic. That was enough for him. Hell, just her saying she’d stay with him would be enough. As long as he had her in his life.
He’d do anything to keep her safe. He’d protect her with his own fucking body if he had to. And he knew his friends would keep her safe, too. He knew they’d watch over her just like the bears helped to watch over their mates and cubs.
He knew he loved her, but Hollyn had been right about something; they knew nothing about each other. He still had no idea whether she had a family looking for her. Friends? If her former boss noticed she was gone, he either reported it to the human cops, who couldn’t do a damn thing, or he thought she’d just quit and didn’t give a shit.
There was more, too. He wanted to know everything. He wanted to know her favorite color and favorite food, her favorite music and movies. He wanted to know all her deep, dark secrets. And he wanted her to know his life, too. Not that he had any secrets. After his parents had died, he’d pretty much just worked nonstop, stepping in to fight beside his friends when they needed him.
“She’s really good,” Emory yelled over the noise.
Noah nodded with a grunt, but he didn’t look away from the beautiful woman stacking shot glasses for another trick. His face split with a grin as she did this thing where she held up the shakers and poured shots evenly, but the colors changed for each shot.
And then she looked up to see if he was watching. He gave her a wink and a nodded of approval. What he really wanted to do was take her home, pour those shots all over her body, and lick them off.
“So you two gonna date or what?” Nova yelled over the chatter and music.
Noah looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. “What are you talking about?” Just because Hollyn and Noah were talking about it didn’t mean he wanted the whole world to know yet. He still had to talk to Carter and the rest of the Clan. But honestly, if they thought her presence was too dangerous, Noah knew he’d leave with her. It didn’t matter to him that it was happening too soon or that he’d feel her emotions; Hollyn was his.
“You have goo goo eyes,” Nova said, propping her chin in her hand and batting her lashes.
“What the hell are goo goo eyes?” Noah grumbled, finally peeling his stare from Hollyn to frown at Nova.
She waved a hand around Noah’s face and raised her brows as if that explained everything.
Turning to Gray, he shook his head. “Does she ever exhaust you?”
Gray snorted and grinned. “Every day, man.”
“Hey!” Nova said, sitting up and jabbing her elbow into Gray’s ribs.
“She’s trying to say you two look like you’re in love,” Callie said from beside Micah whose arm was draped possessively around her shoulders. His coyote-wolf mix didn’t like so many males around their mate. Micah had always had a hard time controlling his animal half.
Noah had never understood that. Until yesterday. His bear was constantly scratching at his skin to get out. But he couldn’t mark Hollyn. It was like he was constantly repeating that to himself and his bear for fear his animal would force a change and hurt the Fairy who was currently laughing as some dickhead leaned over the bar and said something to her.
Her smile faltered a bit and the humor left her eyes. She glanced in his direction then back at the guy. Even from where he sat, he could see her tense as the smile completely faded from her face and she shook her head a couple of times and took a step back. When the fucker leaned forward, his hand outstretched, Noah realized he had two choices: Get his ass up and stop the dick wad or let his bear have his skin.
Shifting in his own bar was out of the question. He’d told every single Shifter who’d come in to stay human more than once. He couldn’t go against his own rule.
Run the asshole off it was, then.
Pushing to his feet, Noah kept his focus on Hollyn, internally warning her to keep her gifts to herself. She didn’t need them to feel safe, not here, not with Noah, the rest of Blackwater, and all of Big River there. If she conjured any fire, everyone would know she wasn’t just some human woman he’d hired. They’d know immediately she was an Elemental Fairy. And just because he trusted his friends, didn’t mean he trusted anyone else there. Even the best people could be turned bad for the right amount of money.
Noah rounded the bar and stood in front of Hollyn, crossing his thick arms over his chest. “You need something?” he asked.
The male’s eyes left Hollyn and lifted to Noah. The dude was a Shifter, but he was smaller than Noah, thinner. “Was just trying to get that pretty thing to go out with me,” the dude slurred.
“Looks like she’s not interested.” Noah said, turning to glance at Hollyn over his shoulder as if confirming his statement. She mimicked Noah’s stance with her arms crossed and her feet spread hip width apart. She shook her head. “There you go. She’s not interested. Go find your friends. Leave her the fuck alone or get the fuck out.”
The guy was drunk, but he didn’t appear to have a clue about Hollyn’s bloodline, nor did he appear dangerous. Just horny and intoxicated – never a good mix.
“I didn’t know she was taken. Sorry,” the guy said, holding his hands up and turning to walk away. He snapped his fingers and turned back. “Forgot my drink. You’re a lucky bastard. Hope you know that. Not many humans can handle this shit, and you’ve got one who obviously can.”
The fact he was talking about dating human women made Noah a little uneasy; it would take one bad date for his entire species to be exposed. But Noah relaxed and shook his head when the guy saluted him with his glass, sloshing alcohol everywhere.
Turning to check on Hollyn, his breath caught in his lungs when she grabbed his face, pulled him down, and pressed her lips to his. She held there for a few breaths until her body began to mold against his and her arms wrapped around his neck. Noah pulled her closer, tangling one hand in her hair and tilted her head to deepen the kiss. She’d drank something sweet. Her lips were softer than he could’ve imagined. And if there had been even a sliver of doubt that Hollyn was his, that doubt was erased by the feel of her in his arms. It was perfect. She was perfect. The moment for their first kiss might’ve been far from perfect, but he had a feeling he knew why she did it; she was letting the entire room know her heart was claimed.
****
If Hollyn could’ve climbed Noah’s body, she would have. But there was a roomful of people watching their PDA. Not that she cared if they saw her kissing Noah. She was done fighting it. She was done trying to resist the urge to feel him against her. Even if they didn’t close the bond soon, she needed to feel Noah inside of her. And she gave zero shits that it had only been two days. They’d just pretend it had been two dates. So what if it was one day short of the unspoken rule of waiting three dates.
Pulling from Noah, she giggled at the rattling feeling under her palm as he growled his disa
ppointment. Yep. She felt the same way. But they couldn’t exactly get naked and bump uglies on the bar top.
Noah bent and pressed one more kiss to her lips, then the tip of her nose, then her forehead where he lingered, his breath warming her face. He was so big and kind of burly, and now she was seeing a more affectionate, sweeter side of him. She had to admit, she liked both sides. And she really wanted to see his bear. She’d only caught a glimpse of him last night, but she wanted to see him face to face, feel his fur, look into his animal’s eyes.
Would his bear recognize her? She had some questions for Noah, questions she hadn’t bothered to ask Aron because she frankly never thought she’d need to know.
Noah took a step back and bent his knees so they would be closer to eye to eye. “You okay or do you want me to take over?”
“I’m good,” she said and realized how breathless she sounded. One kiss and she was about to have a heart attack. She could imagine how her body would react once they were finally naked.
As much fun as she was having, she couldn’t wait for the night to end.
And in a blink of an eye, it did. Noah came back around the bar and helped her wash dishes. “Last call, assholes,” he bellowed out.
Hollyn turned wide eyes on him. “You always talk to your customers like that?”
He frowned at her in confusion. “Like what?”
“You just called everyone assholes.”
Noah straightened and looked around. “Well…they are. Most of them, anyway.”
“I don’t think they even notice,” Shawnee said as she brought more empty glasses to them and tossed the empty bottles.
Noah’s friends called their goodnights, told her how awesome she was and how much they couldn’t wait to see more. And then it was just Shawnee, Colton, Noah, and Hollyn.
Colton helped Shawnee stack the chairs while she swept up dirt and broken glass. Hollyn and Noah worked behind the bar, restocking and cleaning the glasses.
