She cut her eyes upward with a slight lip curl. “Yeah, Boss.”
“Now, clean that shit up.” He stepped right through the middle of the mess as he walked by.
“Where’s my drink?”
“Clumsy bitch.”
The barrage of insults continued as Ronnie tried to clean up the mess. “Okay, guys. I’m coming,” she said breathlessly.
For fuck’s sake, his woman, Ronnie, was on her knees cleaning up for these bastards and all they could do was talk bad about her. Without thinking, he jumped over the bar in one graceful leap. That one move made all the belligerent bastards near the bar stop yelling. He pulled the tall trash can closer to his woman and lowered to her level, clasped her hands gently, and took each glass piece from her.
Ronnie smiled wistfully. “Thank you.”
Already, he knew, he would do anything to see her smile. He smiled back, then used the small hand broom and pan he found nearby to clean up the rest.
“Hey!”
Oz lifted his eyes towards Ronnie’s boss.
“Get the fuck from back here!”
Ronnie looked between the two men, then whispered, “Maybe you should go.” She touched his arm and gave it a little squeeze. “I really do appreciate the help though.”
His heart started to thump in double time. This woman, his woman, was trying to protect him and she didn’t even know him. No one had tried to protect him in a long time. He patted her hand with a smile before he stood and positioned himself between the guy and her. His leopard’s fur tingled just under his skin. It wanted complete control, but Oz couldn’t do that in a room filled with humans and other shifters. It would be a complete bloodbath. He released the cat just enough to get his point across. From one blink to the next, his eyes went from pale green to a deep emerald.
The guy took a step back. “Ronnie, tell your boyfriend to get from back here or that’ll be your job!”
Ronnie said from behind him, “Thank you, but you probably should go.”
When he didn’t respond, she touched his hand and moved into his line of view. The cat had yielded his threat when she touched him.
“Your eyes—”
He lifted his brows in response, but Ronnie didn’t seem phased, she just kept talking.
“My sister’s eyes do that sometimes change colors. When she’s angry, mostly. I wish mine would, then dumbasses would know not to touch me.” Ronnie looked around at the few guys still at the bar. “Everything’s okay now. Let me get you your drink.”
Her brown eyes were beautiful to him. If he continued to look at her, he could get lost in them. His leopard dialed it down, and he emitted a pained grumble that didn’t sound remotely like, “Thanks.”
She laughed and turned him around by the shoulders. “You know the way out.” But before kicking him out, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, then gave him a big push.
The crowd made kissy noises, but Oz didn’t care. Ronnie didn’t know that that kiss had just sealed her fate.
The back corner had one stool near the small riser. In some circles, it could be called a stage, but truthfully it was a five by five area with a step. Just enough room for one singer, and maybe a guitarist. The stool was hard as a brick, but he laid his back against the wall to have a full view of the front door, the two exits and Ronnie. No matter the place, Oz hated having his back exposed. If someone wanted to attack him, he was damn well going to see them coming.
The cigarette and cigar smoke gave the place a hazy glare. It assaulted his sense of smell, but not enough to make him leave. When he was younger, a crowded place like this would have sent his telepathic ability into overdrive. In those days, the overstimulation would have made him pass out, but now he had full control over his ability. If he wanted to hear one person’s thoughts or multiple, he could. Occasionally, with a clear mind and deep concentration, he could detect a person’s deepest/darkest secrets - even if they weren’t thinking about it.
A petite girl who looked barely old enough to come into this type of establishment, let alone work there, placed a tall glass, complete with a cherry, in front of him. “She must really like you.”
“Who?” Oz whispered.
“My sister.” She looked back at the bar. “She never gives anybody anything, and that, my friend, is on the house.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of bills, thumbed off a twenty, then placed it on the table. The girl stepped back.
“I was given strict instructions not to take any money from you.” She used one finger to push his money away. “But I’ll give you a tip.” She looked around, then leaned in and whispered into his ear.
He couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying, because he caught a whiff of something that smelled like home and unfamiliar at the same time. The deliciously sweet scent reminded him of fresh-baked apple pie. He inhaled again, and this time the aroma stunned him. There was no way Ronnie and this girl were sisters. Ronnie was human, and this girl was about to go through the Sí-sheng Shu.
The first change and heat.
This girl was a shifter.
Chapter Ninety-Eight
What was going on with her? She let this guy touch her? Ronnie never let anyone lay a hand on her. There was something about him though. It was the way he looked at her with those cat-like green eyes. Nothing like the other yahoos in this dump. She knew exactly what they wanted. This guy looked at her like he wanted to eat her up. That should scare her, but it didn’t.
When he touched her, electricity seemed to hum up and down her spine. It was like
