Holy shit! I had to get out of here before I went super-nuclear on somebody.
“Toni?” The voice cut through my anger, chilling it immediately.
My eyes sprang open, and I found Jake standing in front of me and frowning deeply.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his tone critical.
I couldn’t answer. I was trying hard not to slap him and demand what he was doing here with that blonde.
He snatched my glass from the bar and smelled its contents. “Whiskey sour,” he said with relief. He leaned closer. “Are you here alone?” He glanced around the room. “Is Stephen with you?”
“No, I’m not here alone,” I said, finally finding my voice, the pissed-off version of it, anyway.
“Who did you come with?”
“That’s none of your business.”
He cracked his neck and blinked slowly as if to calm himself. Then, obviously failing, he grabbed me by the arm and pushed toward the far corner of the room. “You shouldn’t be here. These types of parties are not for...” He searched for a term.
“Weak Skews,” I said in a sardonic tone.
“Exactly.”
I jerked out of his grip, still digging my fingernails into my palms. “I told you already, Jake, quit acting like you care. It’s getting tiresome.”
“Damnit, Toni. Do you have a fucking death wish?”
“Maybe I do.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“And you shouldn’t be an asshole, but you don’t seem able to help it either.”
He took a step closer, barely leaving an inch between us. My shoulders hit the wall as I tried to pull away, but there was nowhere to go. He leaned closer, his nose almost touching mine, his breath hot on my lips. Those silver eyes roved around my face and stopped when they reached my mouth. I felt my anger melt and quickly morph into something else.
“Leave me alone,” I said, but my words carried no authority whatsoever.
“I should.”
“Go back to your blonde.” I hated to let the jealousy show, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Green looks good on you,” he said with one of his crooked grins.
“You should check your eyes. The dress’s color is plum.” The hell if I was going to admit I was jealous of that pasty blonde.
“My eyes work perfectly fine.” His strong hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me against him.
His solidity felt divine as my torso molded to his like a puzzle piece finding its match. He buried his nose in my throat and inhaled deeply. “What do you do to me?” he growled against my skin. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
My entire body filled with butterflies, and that awful feeling that I was about to go postal on the world disappeared. In its place, heat and want built up, and before I knew it, my hands were on his chest, exploring, enjoying the feel of his perfect body.
He inhaled sharply at my touch and let his lips glide along my jaw while his other hand slid behind my neck and held me in place.
Desire surging through me, I pulled away, grabbed his face in both hands, and pulled him in for a kiss. Our lips touched. A pang of heat thrilled its way straight to my core. His velvety tongue slipped inside my mouth, insistent and possessive. His strong arms wrapped around me, crushing me against him.
We can be together, Jake. I’m not what you think I am.
I’m what you need me to be.
The words sprang into my mind, unbidden. I could tell him what I was, and we wouldn’t have to fight this anymore. We could have a future together. I could be the one to help him fulfill the promise to his father. I could be the one to help him continue his legacy.
Our attraction was inevitable. It had always been. Maybe, somehow, he’d known what I was. And maybe I had, too.
His right hand found the slit in my dress and caressed my inner thigh. I let out an involuntary moan. He hooked his hand behind my leg, hitched it to his waist, and settled between my legs. He deepened his kiss, savoring me, letting his own desire run rampant, quickly meeting mine.
He pulled away. “I’d better stop.” Breathless, he rested his forehead on mine. His upper lip shivered.
I opened my mouth, irrational words ready to spring forward, to let him know how I felt about him, but they dried up as quickly as they formed because I noticed the blonde standing behind him. Looking annoyed, she tapped him on the shoulder.
Jake took a step back and glanced over at her. She put a hand on her waist and jutted out her hip, demanding an explanation with her mere posture. I could tell immediately that she was a werewolf.
His expression gave nothing away. He didn’t look surprised or sorry to have been discovered.
“You have to admit, our date wasn’t going too well,” he said.
Really? Oh, my God. What a bastard!
Why did I fall for this man? He hadn’t just met her. He had brought her here on a date, and this was how he treated her?
The blonde glanced at me, looking at a loss for words. She didn’t seem angry at me, which was as it should be. She wasn’t here on a date with me, so I didn’t owe her any consideration, but Jake did, which made him a son of a bitch.
“Can you believe this guy?” she asked me, looking truly disappointed as if she’d expected more and had received a negative value instead.
I shook my head. I’d thought Jake to be better. He had been better with me, at least for the few months we dated after I graduated. But maybe, this was the Jake everyone had warned me about in the beginning. What was to prevent him from treating me this way at some point? Scratch that, he’d already treated me like garbage. He’d already lied and abandoned me. Falling for him again was like shooting myself in the foot with a
