Mistletoe & Mayhem

by Brenda Trim

  Jessie wanted to plant her fist in the bimbo’s face. She was shameless as she batted her lashes at him, practically pushing her aside. “Would you like another drink, Jessie?”

  She tore her gaze away from the waitress and the smirk on his face made her realize that she was scowling. “Yeah, sure. Another would be great.”

  “And, I’ll take a Bud Select, in a bottle, if you have it. Play pool with me?” It took a minute to realize James was talking to her and not the waitress.

  “Sure, but I have to warn you, I’m terrible. My brother is the pool player in the family. He’d be a better opponent.” Was she insane? Who cared if she sucked at pool. He might get the urge to suck on her finger again. Or, better yet, places further south that needed attention right now.

  James turned and gathered the balls to one end of the table. Her breath caught at the way his muscles moved in a fluid motion beneath his tight jeans and t-shirt. She chanced a glance at his ass. Yep, it was still magnificent. “I want to play with you. I’ll even give you some pointers, for a small fee.” He winked again and she couldn’t help but smile back. He had a way of making her nervous and putting her at ease all at the same time. “So what do you do, Jessie?”

  “I used to be a flight attendant, but since I was turned I’ve been working for Elsie Tarakesh at her charity. It’s not what I want to do forever. I’m just doing it to help out and keep busy until I get my feet under me again.” She was babbling like an inane loon and to make matters worse, he seemed to be a guy who paid attention and caught every detail of what she said.

  He rolled the cue ball down to her. “Ladies first. I imagine being confined in a small plane with humans would be a challenge right now. It will get better, just give it time.”

  She gripped her stick and tried to line up a break, but only managed to hit one of the corner balls. “I know. I’ve managed to get my hunger under control, but I’m not so confident under those circumstances. That could be bad all the way around. Plus, I have no desire to go back to that mundane life.”

  “So, what do you want to do?” he asked, leaning over to take a shot. The ropes of muscles in his arms flexed and she imagined what it would be like to be embraced by those strong limbs. At that moment, all she wanted to do in life was him.

  Afraid she would open her mouth and insert foot, she stayed quiet while he played his turn. The heat beneath her skin built as she watched him move around the table. He had an innate grace that hinted at the wolf beneath his skin. She had no doubt he would be a demanding and passionate lover and she was close to throwing him across the table by the time it was her turn.

  She almost dropped her stick and he went behind her and put his hands on her hips. “Angle them like this,” he murmured in her ear as she followed the suggestion of his hands. She lamented when they moved from her hips to her shoulders where he positioned her. “Okay. Now, hold the stick straight and aim for the center of the cue ball.”

  Her wrist fell and the stick hit the felt tabletop. “I’m bad, but not usually this bad. You may want to play with Chase, after all.”

  He held her gaze and allowed her to see the desire. “It’s not Chase or the waitress or the damn game that I want, Jessie.”

  She opened her mouth to respond when she felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the caller ID. It was Cailyn. “Hold that thought. I need to take this call.”

  She put her finger in one ear to drown out the noise in the bar. “Hey girl, what’s up?” She heard Cailyn’s voice, but only managed to understand a few words. She looked up at James and said, “I can’t hear a thing. I need to step outside. Don’t go anywhere before I get back.”

  He crossed his feet at the ankle as he leaned against the table in that way of his and smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of it, baby.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  James couldn’t erase the smile from his lips. Jessie had captivated him from the start with her awkwardness and shy demeanor. He’d seen her pumping gas from the street, and, even though he still had a half a tank, he couldn’t pass by without talking to her.

  He knew right away that she wasn’t human, but he didn’t know what she was. She had fangs but wasn’t a vampire. Damn, she was sexy as hell. Long blonde hair went halfway down her back and was a stark contrast to her chocolate brown eyes that sparkled. She had a lean muscular build and her tight sweatshirt hugged breasts that any man would fantasize about caressing. Her jeans were slightly loose but he didn’t miss her round ass when she turned to leave. His wolf came to life at the thought of mounting her. And her scent. Fuck, he was going out of his mind when lavender reached his nostrils. Fruity, clean, crisp. His cock sprang to life with a painful need to fill her. It was a miracle he remained cool and allowed her to leave. She was lucky he didn’t jump in her car and fuck her every which way but loose.

  His curiosity about the female refused to be denied, so, of course, he had followed her. It was second nature for him to blend into his surroundings and he easily found a spot where he could observe unnoticed outside the home. It had surprised him when she had called the humans mom and dad. His acute hearing picked up the entire conversation as he watched her interact with the family. Now that he understood what had happened to her, his protective instincts were going haywire, wanting blood for her suffering.

  The waitress returned with their drinks and put a little extra sway in her hips when she moved. He held back his laugh. She was all but stripping in an effort to get his attention, but he wasn’t attracted to her in the least. He couldn’t think of anyone, or anything, but Jessie.

  “Thanks,” he told her, accepting his beer as he handed her a twenty and glanced around the bar. Jessie was right when she said the place was a hole in the wall. There were faded posters announcing the bands from a decade ago and half the neon beer signs didn’t work anymore. The pool tables needed new felt and the dart boards had seen better days, but it didn’t matter. He’d gone there to see her and didn’t give a shit what the place looked like.

  Suddenly, his neck prickled with alarm. She’d been gone an awful long time. He set his beer down and made his way through the crowd and out the front door. He skimmed the dim parking lot, but didn’t see her anywhere. He glanced to his bike which was parked next to her car, noting she hadn’t left. A female’s shout coming from the right side of the building had him hurrying in that direction.

  He rounded the corner and came to a halt. Jessie was surrounded by six human males who were taunting her, threatening to harm her. When one boasted they planned to take turns with her, James’ wolf took over. No one was laying a fucking finger on her.

  In a flash of light, he shifted to his wolf and before he could blink, was on all fours. He took off, paws scrabbling over the cement. Jessie screamed when she saw the wolf and it took him a minute to realize she was yelling his name, not shouting in fear. His only thought was to get to Jessie’s side and protect her.

  He viciously growled as his sleek, chocolate brown wolf slammed into one of the males. A shriek sounded as arms and legs tossed end over end away from James.

  “Be careful, they have guns,” Jessie warned as she grappled with one of the young males.

  “What the fuck is that thing?” James half-expected the male to shit his pants with the amount of fear he smelled coming off his body.

  “I think that’s a wolf.”

  “That’s the biggest damn wolf I’ve ever seen. It looks more like a horse,” whined yet another male approaching the group. That made seven. Not impossible odds, in his opinion. He’d been outnumbered before.

  None of them could be older than their early twenties. Hell, one of them barely looked old enough to drive. Clearly, their bravado came from their overconfidence in numbers and reliance on their weapons. James understood pack mentality, but there was foolishness and then there was complete idiocy and these fucktards were beyond idiocy. Only one of the seven posed any physical threat, the rest were scrawny and in need of a gym.

 
Jessie kicked the one standing closest to her and knocked him down. “That’s your worst nightmare come to life.” James admired her bravery and confidence when faced with a challenge. Yeah, that shit was a turn-on.

  “Get the wolf,” ordered a scrawny male whose pants were belted around his ass. A glint of silver caught his attention and James saw the weapon. He lunged and snapped his jaws around the thug’s arm, causing him to drop the gun.

  “James!” Jessie yelled at the same time gunfire echoed through the night as his wolf yelped and crumpled to the ground.

  “Not so tough now, are you?” the male sneered.

  The bullet had gone into his left flank and burned like a bitch. The wound wouldn’t kill him and his body would heal itself once he removed the bullet. He looked up to see that two of the males had used Jessie’s preoccupation to grab hold of her arms.

  Time to fucking end this. He sprang to his feet and headed straight for the one on her right. She read his intention and perfectly timed her actions with his. She yanked her right arm free and swung her left arm around, sending the male flying.

  “Did you see that? Rico fucking shot him and he got up like nothing happened. I’m outta here man.”

  “Yeh, no bitch is worth dying for anyway.” His wolf’s growl rumbled deep in his chest as he slowly walked towards Jessie and they scattered into the night like the cockroaches they were.

  Soft, warm hands ran through his fur and cupped his jowls when he approached her side. “You are a gorgeous wolf. Are you okay?”

  The shift back to his male form was more painful due to the injury, but having Jessie’s hands on his face more than made up for it. He sat on his uninjured side and she knelt next to him.

  He nuzzled her hand. “I’ll live. They didn’t hit anything major, but I’m going to need you to dig the bullet out of my thigh.”

  Her eyes went wide and she glanced down his naked torso to his injury. He heard her swallow and her face turned bright red when she noticed the evidence of his attraction to her. Hell, he couldn’t hide it and didn’t want to. “Ummm…I’m not sure I can touch you with your…parts so…just out there.”

  He smiled as her shyness came back into play. Lavender mixed with scents of her arousal enveloped him and it took all his effort not to unleash his beast on her. She may have been aroused, but he sensed her fear, as well. “I’m not even qualified to do that. We need to get you to Basketaine. They must have a doctor like they do at Zeum.”

  He chuckled when she mentioned taking him to the Dark Warriors. He had no desire to be around a bunch of males at the moment. Whether she took the bullet out or not, he wanted to explore the intense attraction between them. “I’m not going anywhere. I can’t reach the bullet. You’re going to have to do this. I trust you.”

  “You’re losing a lot of blood. I know it won’t kill you, but this looks pretty bad. I have no idea if you can get an infection. You need a medical professional to help you and since you can’t go to a human hospital, I’m taking you to the warriors. That’s the only choice”

  He traced the blush on her cheek and cradled her face in his palm. Jolts of electricity sparked between them. “You’re cute when you babble, you know that?” He gave in to the desire that had been riding him hard for the past few hours and brushed his lips across hers. Her lips were full and soft and she tasted sweeter than wine.

  He pulled back to see eyes glazed with desire, lips slightly parted. The sight begged him for more. “I need your help, baby. I want to keep kissing you and I can’t do that very well while my leg is bleeding.”

  She gasped and brought her hand to her lips. “Oh my,” she whispered. She opened her mouth to say more and then closed it. She sat there staring at him for so long he thought she wasn’t going to help after all. “I’ll do it, but you need to tell me what to do. I don’t have any experience with this.”

  “I have a small duffle in the saddle bag on my bike. Can you grab it? I have a knife in there. I parked next to your car.”

  “Fine, but I’m not cutting you. If it comes to that, I’m getting Chase and he can help you. I must have truly lost my mind to be agreeing to this,” she mumbled as she walked away.

  James crawled to the side of the building and leaned his back against the wall. He turned his leg into the light and saw that the skin was beginning to heal over. They needed to hurry or she would be cutting into him and wouldn’t be happy about it.

  He was thankful none of the patrons of the bar had heard the altercation or gunshot and came to investigate. If humans would’ve seen him in his wolf form, he could’ve exposed the realm. He wasn’t concerned with the gang members. They probably had rap sheets longer than his dick and wouldn’t dare go to the authorities.

  Jessie hurried back to him, clutching the duffle like it was a lifeline. She set it down next to him. “It looks like it’s already healing,” she commented after she looked at his leg.

  “I know.” He pulled the knife from a side pocket and tried to reach around to get to the wound to see it better. “You are going to have to cut my leg so you can reach the bullet.”

  “How the hell do I get myself into these messes? This was supposed to be a night of cheese fries and beer. I won’t lie, I had hoped to see you again, but the last thing I imagined was that I’d be slicing into your flesh,” she rambled as she took the knife from his hand and was quick about cutting into the healed skin.

  “Thank you, by the way. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if you hadn’t showed up. There were too many for me to fight off.”

  “You’re welcome, Jessie. Although, you were doing a pretty good job at fending them off. You’re tough.” She smiled at him and in that moment he knew all he wanted was to see her smile like that every day for the rest of her life.

  “Okay, you’re going to have to dig in there and get the bullet. Don’t worry about hurting me. It’s a minor irritant when I know my reward is a kiss.”

  She didn’t hesitate to force her fingers into wound and feel around. He gritted his teeth against the pain. “I don’t recall agreeing to a kiss for this. You assume I will want to touch you after this.” She scrunched her nose at the sight of his leg. Cutest fucking thing ever.

  “Okay, how about we switch places. You strip, show me what aches and I’ll take care of your needs,” he husked.

  “You are very dangerous, James.” She found the bullet and had to dig deeper to work it out of the hole and he was in considerable pain by the time she was done.

  She rifled through his bag and came out with a pair of boxer briefs. She went to press the cloth to the wound and he stopped her. “I’m going to need those unless you prefer I go commando.” The wound was already healing and would close on its own shortly so he wasn’t too concerned about the small amount of bleeding.

  She glanced down and his body responded to her gaze, hardening and lengthening. “Clothes would be a good idea right about now,” she stuttered and thrust the boxers into his hand.

  Chuckling, he got dressed. “Now, how about that kiss?”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Jessie was wrapped around two hundred pounds of hot, hard mancandy and she was in heaven. She had run into the bar, tossed her keys to her brother and told him she’d see him at home later. By the scowl he gave, her she knew he didn’t agree, but she was out the door before he could open his mouth. There was no way in hell she was missing this opportunity. For all she knew, she’d never see James again and she didn’t believe in regret.

  The vibration of the engine between her legs had her feeling wild and free. She held him tighter, her fingers biting into the solid wall of his abdomen as he turned the bike down the road she’d indicated. He suggested a hotel but that just seemed so plain and ordinary. It was a beautiful night and she wanted him to see one of her favorite nearby spots, Golden Gate Park. It was cold outside, but if the night went as she hoped, she’d be warm in no time.

  James found a parking spot and she hopped off as soon as he put the kickstand down. He gr
abbed her hand and the warmth spread from her palms all the way to the tips of her toes. She led him down a dirt path to a small pond and sat down on the grassy bank. He sat behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Her heart galloped in her chest and, suddenly, she was nervous and didn’t know what to do. The night air was colder than she realized and she couldn’t stop the shiver that crept along her skin.

  James quickly jumped up and within minutes he’d gathered some fallen limbs and cleared an area beside them. Within minutes, a small fire crackled, warming her instantly. The flames danced and sexy shadows played across his face, and, that fast, arousal blossomed in her core.

  He sat beside her, gripped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, and made her face him. “I’ve been patient, baby, but I need that kiss, now.”

  Her mouth went slack at his bold demand and her body melted towards him. He took her mouth with command, drugging her with his essence. He nudged her lips apart for a deeper taste and dove inside, stroking against her tongue. The power and force behind his kiss was staggering. She moaned her pleasure, surprised at the feral sound of her need. Within seconds she was hot, wet and ready for him.

  James was an excellent kisser and she had never been more turned on by so little. Then again, all he had to do was look at her with those eyes and she was lost to him. He broke the kiss and nibbled the edge of her mouth. Lust, fierce and raw, took control of her body. She was hotter than the fire burning beside them and couldn’t stop now if she tried.

  She climbed onto his lap and ripped his shirt down the front. He growled at her and grabbed the top of her shirt. “Wait, I don’t have any other clothes. I won’t have anything to wear.”