Jude speaks up, breaking me from my thoughts. “Hey, listen, I know you don’t really know me but take my number and if you need anything, and I mean anything, don’t hesitate to call. Especially if that creep shows back up at your place. I’ll gladly stop by and scare him off, no woman should be afraid in her own home.”
I hand him my phone, saying, “Here go ahead and program it in.”
He winks at me and that alone is enough to make my panties wet. Fuck he’s beautiful.
He hands me back my phone and offers to walk me out. As we walk out, he takes notice of my car.
“Hot damn that's a beauty. Yours?” he questions.
“Yep, my grandad left it to me when he died. My most prized possession, next to my dog and cat of course.” I chuckle.
“Dog and cat? So you like cats?” he asks.
“Oh yeah, I love them. Raven’s a sassy little bitch but she is loyal as they can be. Not your typical house cat either. And the relationship between her and my Great Dane is quite comical to say the least.” I smile.
Unlocking my door, I turn to thank him. And without realizing what I’m doing, I kiss him. Shit. What the hell is wrong with me? But that spark, holy shit the sparks I feel with that kiss. I’ll be seeing him in my dreams for sure.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. That was totally inappropriate, I don’t know what came over me. I feel a weird connection to you, and I acted on impulse.” I can feel the blush covering my face and want to die.
“Don’t apologize, I feel the same way,” he says before leaning in and kissing me.
Devouring me is more like it. I swoon, letting down my guard as I get into this intense make out fest with a man I barely even know. But damn if it doesn’t feel right, so I follow my gut and go with it.
Pulling away and leaving me breathless, he says, “If you need anything, call me.” And with that he turns back toward the club.
“Thank you,” is all I can muster before getting in my car and taking off.
Trouble, with a capital T. That man is trouble, but I’m not backing down.
30
Jude
Did you feel it?
I told you. Our Mate.
Did you hear what she said about the creep?
We should follow her. Keep her safe.
No. That’s what the creep does, he follows her. She’ll call when she needs us.
Pansy.
Asshole. I’m respecting her space. I don’t want to be that douche nozzle who follows someone around and stalks them.
It’s not stalking.
It is. Now relax, she said she’ll call. If she doesn’t then we’ll see her Monday. That’s when I’ll break the ice of who she is and who we are.
Fine.
Fine.
I swear he doesn’t think sometimes before he speaks or acts. And that can get us both hurt or worse, killed. I totally understand where he’s coming from, but we don’t want to scare her off before we even get the chance to spend real time with her. I know once we do, that she’ll accept us, because I know she felt that spark too.
I go on about getting things ready for the club to open and have a meeting with my security team. Big parties mean possibilities of a shitfest, and I prefer to have them prepared. Better safe than sorry. And through the whole meeting all I can think about is Sharayah and her cute ass. And those lips, damn I could kiss her all day and still never get enough; letting her leave was by far the hardest thing I’ve done to date. And I did some pretty hard shit in my SEAL days.
I shake off the chill that comes over me at the thought of my days in the service and get back to business. We get the bar all stocked and ready as the girls start trickling in. Gonna be a long night.
Party hard, but work harder. That’s my motto. Rolling outta bed, I check my phone for any missed calls or texts. Nothing. No news is good news, right?
I get up and get the day started. Shower, coffee, and out the door. Some people crave routine, me not so much. I like the idea of getting up every day with a clean slate.
As the day edges on I run some errands and swing by the clubhouse before heading up to work. Another busy night scheduled for the girls. Must be wedding season, lots of bachelor parties are scheduled.
Still, as I work, all I can think about is the gorgeous redhead that’s mine. Damn, that sounds weird, even in my head. But if there’s one thing our animal side knows without a shadow of a doubt is who our mates are. And as much as I want to deny it or ignore it, the spark I felt when she kissed me and the pull I feel in her presence says it all. She’s our mate.
Told ya.
Shut up.
Now can we go to her?
No.
Why?
Because she’ll call if she needs us. I don’t want to scare her.
But…
No, no but’s. She’ll call.
And with that he goes silent. Pouting is more like it, but he needs to understand we have to approach this with care. She’s a human, she probably has no idea that shifters even exist. She’ll call. If she needs us, she’ll call.
The hours fly by and the club is in full swing, almost at capacity and money is flying left and right. I take my usual spot in the back corner where I can see everything. Been a quiet night, almost closing time.
Our last girl exits the stage and Brent makes the announcement I’ve been waiting for all night. “We here at the Luscious Leopard want to thank you for coming out and showing our girls a good time but
