Jaime scoffed, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Don’t fall in love with the pretty human.”
“I won’t,” I promised.
She shook her head like she didn’t believe me, but she still said, “I’ll drive you over.”
That evening, Jaime drove me to the club. My stomach was in knots as we cruised along the Pacific Coast highway, catching glimpses of the ocean, before we reached his club. She pulled up in front and I climbed out.
“Call me if anything feels weird,” she said. “You know you’re never alone, Mel.”
That was the thing about being a shifter; we were pack animals and for better or worse, we were never alone.
I’d felt lonely for a long time, though.
“I know.” I smiled at her, or tried to, before I limped around to the trunk and got my duffel bag.
The velvet rope was up outside the club already, but there was no one lining up yet; the club was still closed.
The big, bald-headed bouncer headed toward me, reaching out for my bag. “I’ll take that for you.”
I stopped dead as some strange impulse twitched for me, deep inside. There was something strange about the bouncer, something I hadn’t scented in the crowd. He didn’t smell quite human, but he wasn’t a wolf, either. There was an unfamiliar deep earthiness to his scent, and my nostrils flared, trying to tease it out.
“What are you?” I whispered.
He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Besides one of the many people you can consider your boss here now? I’m not having that conversation on the sidewalk, girlfriend.”
He threw my duffel bag over his shoulder and gestured me toward the club. “I’ll get this taken up to his place for you. Go inside and find the manager. She’ll set you up with your training.”
“Where’s...where’s Kingston?” I asked.
“He’s running late from some business,” he said. “But don’t worry. We’ll look after you.”
He sounded genuine, even though knowing he wasn’t human set me on edge.
I chewed my lower lip, staring up at him, and he leaned in to whisper to me, “I’m a bear shifter. And you are really innocent, aren’t you, little wolf?”
I jerked away from him. “You know what I am?”
He nodded.
“Does Kingston?” I demanded.
“I assume so. You wolves stick out once you learn to spot one—you’ve all got the same bad attitude and you’re never alone.”
I frowned at him, but he seemed amused. He jerked his jaw toward the door. “Go. I’ll let Luck know you arrived on time.”
I walked into the empty club. I hadn’t been sure what to expect, but the manager was nice to me as she set me up with another server, Emily, to show me the ropes. As she showed me around, Emily kept glancing at me curiously. Her perfume almost masked her scent for me, but now that I knew what I was looking for, I was sure the tall, brown-haired girl with the broad shoulders and curvy figure was a bear shifter too.
I frowned. I’d been intimately close to Kingston, and I hadn’t noticed anything strange about him. But maybe he was a bear shifter too.
That information shifted the whole balance of power. Bear versus wolf was a very different fight than human versus wolf, and unease twisted through my stomach. And yet... I couldn’t imagine him hurting me.
“So how was Luck?” she asked, staring at me curiously as the two of us leaned against the tinted windows, knowing no one could see us as we peered out. The velvet ropes had already filled with people lining up to be the first into Bliss.
“You don’t know?” I raised my eyebrows as I studied her. “It looked like he was covered in girls when I was here before.”
“Oh yeah, but he never sleeps with employees,” she said. Her lips arched mischievously. “I love working here, but if I ever quit...”
I smiled.
“I heard from Aaron that he never lets anyone stay overnight.” Her gaze flickered to the bear shifter who worked as the bouncer. “You must be special.”
I scoffed at that. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure he won’t do that again.”
“Why’s that?” she asked, her big eyes genuinely curious.
Wait, no one knew why I was here? I’d have thought they’d all know that I’d taken something from Luck, and I was here to serve my sentence.
But then the doors opened, and I was saved from having to answer the question.
All night long, I kept searching for him in the crowd. The atmosphere in Bliss was electric, and as I learned the ropes, my nervousness faded away. I stayed with Emily, helping her, but as the evening wore on, she started sending me off on my own.
“You’re a natural,” the manager told me with a smile. The pulsating lights on the dance floor washed her platinum blond in shades of lavender, rose, and lime in turn. “Take the booth in the back right corner on the balcony.”
“Got it,” I said.
I headed up to the balcony. The music pulsed on the stairs underfoot, and seemed to flow through my veins. Part of me still wanted to dance when I heard it.
Then I saw the man sitting in the booth, his head down as if he were lost in thought, his tall, athletic body twisted to one side with his arm on the back of the booth. Even without seeing his face, I knew that body. Kingston Luck. The music might as well have stopped. The rest of the world faded for me.
He looked up, as if he felt my gaze, and those green eyes seemed to pierce me.
He patted the seat beside him, and I slid in next to him.
“What would you like?” I asked, and there was a faint harshness to my voice that gave away my nerves. I bit my lower lip.
“I heard you’re doing well,” he said. “As I expected.”
Those words sent a strange rush of warmth through my chest, despite the cool way he looked at me.
“You’ve got strange recruiting methods for your wait staff.”
His lips quirked. “I’ve got a waiting list of people who want to work at Bliss, Melanie.”
Was I supposed to feel lucky? His gaze was too intense, and so were the feelings that crowded my chest whenever I looked at him. I glanced away, over the crowd, watching all the people dancing under the strobing lights. The music and atmosphere were still heady, but everything else faded for me when Kingston was around, as if he was the brightest star in the sky.
If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought that my mating bond had triggered when it came to Kingston Luck.
I leaned in toward him, and he inclined his head, giving me his ear. The delicious, spicy scent of his aftershave, or maybe it was his own scent, washed over me when he shifted closer. He definitely didn’t smell like the bear shifters. His scent alone made my nipples pebble, even before my lips brushed his smooth cheek by accident as I leaned in to whisper.
I whispered, “You’re not a wolf, are you? Or a bear?”
His lips quirked faintly, as if the idea were ridiculous. “No.”
“But you know what I am...”
He nodded. “I do.”
“And you still want me in your...”
“Business? Condo?” His brows rose as he turned toward me. “Not bed. I should mention now, I don’t sleep with employees.”
“Good,” I said, a little too quickly.
“Great,” he said. “I’ll show you upstairs. I think you’ve worked enough tonight.”
He raised a hand in a wave to the manager as the two of us passed through the club to the elevator. The noise in the club had been so intense that the silence felt blissful, and I sagged against the side of the elevator.
“How’s your ankle?” He didn’t look at me, his hands folded behind his back with perfect straight posture, but I still had the sense he was examining me.
“A little stiff, but I’m fine.”
“You don’t complain much, do you?”
“I have some positive qualities.”
His lips twitched, but he didn’t quite smile. The elevator doors pinged open and I followed him through the dark penth
ouse.
The view out the floor-to-ceiling windows of city lights and the bright blue of the ocean beyond almost brought me to a stop—I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was—but I made myself follow him back down the hall.
Last time, I hadn’t even noticed the guest room across from his, but he opened the door and showed me a beautifully decorated bedroom. Glass doors at one end opened onto the same balcony that wrapped around the penthouse, but my view was of the city. I wandered through the room, peeking through a door to one side to my own bathroom, with a deep tub that seemed built for two.
“You should be comfortable in here,” he said. “Let me know if you need anything. I believe you know where the ice is...I believe you know where just about everything is.”
His tone was mild. He was already stepping out of the room when I called after him, “Kingston.”
“Yes?” He paused, knitting his arms over his powerful chest.
“Why are you doing this?”
It would have made more sense to me if he wanted me to sleep with him.
Despite everything, I still wanted to sleep with him.
He studied me, then he said, “Because I want to.”
I waited until he closed the door behind him to mutter, “Okay then.”
Chapter Ten
The next day, I slept in late, exhausted from the night before. By the time I got up and made myself coffee, he was gone.
He came in when I was halfway through eating cereal on his couch. I dropped the spoon into the bowl, feeling uncomfortable considering last time I helped myself to some cereal... and some gold.
His t-shirt clung to his powerful body with sweat, and his dark hair was spiky with it, but he still looked sexy as hell. I was willing to bet he even still smelled good—at least to me. I bit my lip as I tried to focus on the TV I’d turned on. When he was in the room, he was all I could think about.
“There’s a grocery list on the fridge if you want to add anything,” he said. “My housekeeper comes in Monday and she delivers groceries on Tuesday.”
“Thanks.”
He went through the apartment and the shower turned on. I tried not to fantasize about stepping in there with him, about the feeling of the water pelting my body and Kingston sliding into me from behind...
But when he emerged half an hour later, dressed in yet another perfectly fitted suit, he gave me a curt nod and headed out the door.
Maybe living in close proximity to the beautiful man who ignored me was my real punishment.
The next week went by like that. I went to class and hung out at the pack house to do my homework. I stayed as far away as I could from Kingston except for coming back to his place to shower and sleep. I didn’t put anything on his damned grocery list, but I did pick up my own cereal to replace what I’d eaten—I didn’t need to owe him more—and my own groceries.
When I worked on Friday night, I couldn’t help being keenly aware of his presence in the club. I always knew where he was in the crowd, even when I tried to convince myself to ignore him. It was like my body responded to him, no matter how much my brain thought I should just get through my sentence and get back to normal life.
Then Saturday night, some guy kept trying to talk to me, popping up in an irritating way while I was working. I was friendly at first, and by the time I switched to acting icy, it seemed to have no impact on him. He only grew more determined...and more crass in his offers. I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t care too much if he wanted to embarrass himself. Maybe someone should teach him not to annoy women, because I doubted I was his one-and-only server he was rude to, but it wasn’t like he could hurt me.
“I’ll switch tables with you,” Emily told me. “That guy seems like a pain.”
“Thanks,” I said. I ignored him when he tried to flag me down next, since Emily had already told him I was going on break and she would take care of him.
But he reached out and grabbed my arm as I went by. “Hey, I’ve been trying to get your attention.”
I glanced down at his fingers, which were still tight on my bare skin. “I’m not your waitress anymore.”
“It’s not another drink I want,” he said.
Kingston suddenly loomed over us both, his jaw set. “Time for you to go, friend. I think you’ve had one too many if you’re hassling my servers.”
“I’m good and so is she,” he assured Kingston.
“I’m not,” Kingston said, his voice suddenly very soft and very dangerous. “Get up.”
The guy stared at him, his eyes narrowing.
When he opened his mouth to scoff, Kingston moved faster than should be humanly possible. He grabbed the front of his shirt and jerked him out of the seat with his left hand, punching him across the jaw with his right. The guy didn’t have time to react before he slumped back, unconscious.
I stared at Kingston in shock as he threw the guy over his shoulder and carried him through the club. The entire scene had been so quick and so quiet that except for people who moved aside, frowning as they noticed Kingston’s burden, he barely drew attention.
He carried the guy out the back and deposited him into the alley behind the club. I followed him, standing in the doorway. Despite the city lights, the scent of jasmine hung in the cool night air.
“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded. “I didn’t need you to rescue me. You know what I am. You know that.”
“I know.” He dusted his palms together as if the guy carried some kind of dirt he had to get off his hands.
My feelings were a roil. Kingston was far more dangerous than I had realized, and yet, my traitor body responded with a strange thrill of desire.
“I can take care of myself!” I stepped down into the alley, letting the door close behind us as I glanced both ways to make sure we were alone.
I’d thought he must be a human, since he didn’t seem like any shifter I knew. But suddenly I wasn’t so sure.
He leaned close to me, bracing one hand against the brick behind me.
“I know,” he said again, that warm, sexy voice of his very soft, “but you don’t have to.”
He was so close to me that my heart began to race. I wanted him to kiss me, and to distract myself from the ache I felt when his strong jaw and those tender lips were near mine, I asked, “What are you, Kingston?”
His brows rose, and I thought he was going to answer me before his lips twitched in a smile. “Your boss.”
“What else?”
He toyed with the ends of my long, dark blond hair, wrapping them between his fingers, and my breath hitched at the gentle tug against my scalp.
“I’ll tell you this summer,” he told me softly, then reached behind me for the door.
Chapter Eleven
The weeks passed in a blur that blended into each other. Before I knew it, it was fall semester finals. The pack house was loud and chaotic—all the time—and I started studying at the bar in the kitchen. That meant I saw more of Kingston, and he would quietly refill my coffee cup if he came into the kitchen. He moved on stealthy feet, as if to make sure he didn’t want to disturb my studies.
When he came into the kitchen while I was studying late one night, he leaned on his corded forearms against the bar. “You don’t have to work this weekend.”
“I will,” I said, my pencil still scratching across the page.
“You won’t.”
I lay my pencil down in my book and looked up at him. “I’ve got one more test Monday and I’m almost done with my papers due Tuesday. I’m fine.”
“That’s why you’re drinking coffee at midnight?” He picked up my mug and glanced into it, then set it back down. “You could use the rest. Why are you arguing with me?”
I have no idea, but I’m probably not going to stop.
“You keep late hours,” I pointed out.
“I own a nightclub.”
I rolled my eyes.
“No work this weekend,” he said, his jaw set.
“If you insist,�
� I muttered.
He shook his head as he headed out of the kitchen.
Once he was gone, my lips curled up into a smile.
Why was their some part of me that liked the way he bossed me around?
When winter break started, I packed my bag for my flight home to see my brother and his pack. It felt strange to leave Kingston, for some reason.
“I’ll drive you to the airport,” he said when I walked into the living room with my bag.
“I already called an Uber,” I said.
“Cancel it. You must be spending a small fortune, you take an awful lots of Ubers,” he observed.
“Well, someone made me move out of my walking-distance apartment,” I pointed out, and he frowned. “My friends can’t always pick me up.”
“I see,” he said.
“What are you doing for Christmas?” I asked.
“This.” He raised his hand to indicate the apartment. “I have to work. And I always host Christmas dinner here for anyone at the club who doesn’t have a place to go. Mostly, I’ll be surfing. Reading. Working out.”
The thought of him being alone at Christmas bothered me.
“Enjoying some peace and quiet,” he added, as a faint smile came to his lips.
“I’m a very quiet roommate,” I pointed out.
“You disturb my peace,” he said.
I raised my eyebrows. “How’s that?”
He rolled his eyes as he picked up my bag. “I don’t know. You just do.”
“You could let me move out.”
“Not a chance. Not until summer.”
To my surprise, Kingston parked at the airport instead of just dropping me at the curb for my gate. He walked me to security before he handed over my duffel bag.
I glanced over my shoulder once I was through the security line, looking for him, but I’d lost him in the crowd.
It was funny how strange it felt to leave him behind.
Chapter Twelve
Kingston
Christmas came and went, with the usual dinner with my friends; the long-term staff at Bliss had come to feel like family. But the condo felt too quiet when they’d all gone.
Our New Years’ eve party was always a big deal, and that distracted me a bit—but not enough—from the way my thoughts kept turning back to Melanie.
Bound to Change: A Limited Edition Spring Shifter Romance Collection Page 8