by Lola Kidd
Then she came to her senses.
This was Jasper Collins. She didn’t want him to kiss her. She had to stop this and stop it now.
Eight
Jasper’s dragon roared as Leigh opened her mouth to him. He knew that if he could get her alone, she would realize she liked him too. He was a genius.
He pulled her closer, but she stiffened in his arms and pressed hard against his chest. “Stop.”
“Never been with a shifter before?” he murmured in her ear.
She punched him in the chest. “Let me go!”
Jasper let her go immediately and took a step back with his hands in the air. “Whoa. What’s wrong? Did I hurt you? Did I do something wrong?”
Leigh was breathing deep and her cheeks were flushed. “You kissed me.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah and you kissed me.”
“No. You just kissed me.”
He dropped his hands and laughed. “Mine wasn’t the only tongue moving. Don’t tell me you’ve never been kissed before.”
She smoothed down her shirt but didn’t say anything.
“Wait, are you a virgin?” He was hard at the thought of getting to be the first to claim her. Not that it mattered to his dragon. The beast didn’t care who had come before; it only cared that he was going to be her last.
“Does that make you hot?” she scoffed. “Sorry to ruin your fantasy, but no, you wouldn’t be my first.”
“I don’t typically think about other men when I’m fantasizing about a beautiful woman.”
Leigh grimaced. “Whatever. I need to go home.”
“So, you didn’t like it? That’s the story you’re sticking with?” he smiled. “I’ll win you over soon enough, Leigh Ganza. Thanks for having lunch with me. We should do it again.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Fine. You will be joining us at Roger’s home for the rehearsal dinner and for the final tasting before the ceremony, right?
Leigh nodded. “Of course. I’ll be there for everything my aunt is.”
“But you should know that I mean business, Leigh.”
She relaxed. “Glad we see eye to eye on this. I feel the same way. We should try to keep these meetings as professional as possible in the future.”
“No,” he smirked. “I mean, me and you? This isn’t some fling or a challenge for me. I think you’re my mate and I’m not going to rest until you feel the same way.”
She laughed. “Good luck with that. Can you get your driver to take me home now?”
“He’s waiting up front. I had him on standby since we started eating. Didn’t want to break my promise to get you home on time.” Jasper led her though the house, back to the front door.
“Thank you for lunch,” she said at the door. She held out her hand.
“That’s it?”
“Is there something else I can help you with before I go?”
“I just told you that I think you’re my mate and now you want to shake my hand?” He squinted at her. “You don’t have any reaction to that news besides a laugh?”
“I’m sure you say that to all the girls. Look, I’m not some human looking to have sex with a shifter. Nor am I a gold digger out to bag some rich guy.” She held out her hand again. “You want to sleep with me. No big deal. I intend to keep this relationship purely business.”
Jasper’s mouth turned down in a sharp frown. “I don’t just want to sleep with you. I think we have something in common, and my dragon thinks that you’re someone special. Doesn’t that interest you at all?”
“Not really,” she admitted. “Pretty words aren’t enough to make me fall into your bed.”
“So what you’re saying is, I need to try a little harder. Step my game up.”
She rolled her eyes and sighed, exasperated. “Goodbye, Jasper.”
He shook her hand and pulled her close before letting go. “I don’t mind a challenge. You aren’t going to be able to hold out long. I guarantee it.”
She smirked. “You’re going to be very sad in the near future, Mr. Collins. I’m not some silly girl waiting for her white knight to come and sweep her off her feet. I don’t plan on falling in love with anyone for quite some time.”
“If I know one thing, it’s that you can make all the plans you want. None of it matters when the universe has other ideas. You can’t plan on love.”
She pulled her hand from his grasp. “Maybe not. But I know I won’t be falling in love with you tonight at least.”
Jasper held open the door for her to step inside. He crouched down next to the car before letting her leave.
“Hold on. Can I at least have your number?” He smiled when she rolled her eyes once more. “Who’s got the dirty mind now? I mean strictly for work reasons. What if I need to get ahold of you for some work-related reason?”
She considered him for a moment before pulling out her phone. “Give me your number and I’ll text you.”
He gave her the numbers and pulled out his phone. He waited until she had texted him before nodding at her. “Thanks for joining me. I can’t wait to see you again.”
“I hope next time you’ll be able to behave yourself.” She pulled the door shut and left having the last word.
He didn’t go back inside until the car had pulled away and was out of sight. Who was this girl?
Jasper had no idea how he was going to convince her that he was serious. What else did she want to hear? He had never been so honest about his intentions with a woman before. Well, not unless you counted one-night stands, and this was nothing like that. He wanted to get to know her. His dragon wanted much more than that. He was being straight with her and she wasn’t having any of it. He loved a good challenge, but it was also quite frustrating.
He wondered how much easier this would have been in his parents’ day. He and Leigh had been matched by a matchmaker, after all. Kind of. That was how his parents had gotten together. If she couldn’t trust the matchmaker, or even his own declaration of his intentions, who would she listen to?
Jasper didn’t have much time to date until after the wedding, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find a way to connect with her. He went to his computer and started looking up facts about matchmaking in the past. He texted her links to all the articles.
These people know what they’re doing, he told her.
And? she sent back.
And maybe you should listen to them, or at least give me a shot, he texted.
She didn’t text him again, so he sent her more articles about matchmaking and then started sending her articles on shifters and their mates. He wanted her to know that he wasn’t using some line on her. His dragon really did want to be with her.
I know all about shifters and their mates, she sent.
Yes, but you didn’t seem to believe it. I wanted you to see some scientific evidence that the bond between a shifter and his mate is real.
It was a while before she texted him back.
Thanks for the interesting read. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Didn’t know there was research backing all this stuff up. Doesn’t change my opinion of you, but it gave me something to do on my ride home.
Finally, he sent her articles about his love life. Some of his exes had talked to the press. He hated that people he cared about betrayed him like that. He almost never read the articles, but he knew the gist of what they were all saying. He thought their words would make his point for him even better than he could.
The biggest complaint from his exes was his inability to commit. He’d never told any of them that they were his mate, and he hadn’t wanted to get serious with any of them.
Why would I want to read about your ex-girlfriends? Leigh finally texted him back.
I want to show you that I don’t just tell people they’re my mate all willy-nilly.
I know how the media works, she sent. They want to paint you as a playboy. Doesn’t make any of it true.
These articles go back a decade, and more than seve
n women are saying the same thing, he argued. I think you can easily see that there’s a pattern here.
Fine, I believe you. You’re a heartless playboy who never wants to commit to any woman, she sent. But that doesn’t make me want to date you.
But you do believe that I’m not using some line on you?
Sure.
Good enough, Jasper told her.
And it was. She had liked the kiss, and even though she said she would be all business, she was texting with him about personal topics. Shifters and their mates had nothing to do with the catering. They were having a friendly conversation.
This was a good start. She was going to read all those articles again once she was at home. Then, he’d be in her head. It was only a matter of time before he was in her heart too.
Nine
Leigh merged off the highway with a vengeance. She knew she should have never given Jasper her phone number. He texted her two mornings later to ask her to come to his place for an emergency meeting.
He’d been vague about what the meeting was about, but she couldn’t say no. He’d been sending her emails nonstop about shifters and their mates and the scientific theory behind mate marks. He’d also sent her some journals about the shifting process and the theories behind why shifters existed.
Truth be told, they were all quite interesting. The science behind shifters had never been one of her topics of interest until now. But once she started reading the articles, she was up half the night reading everything as fast as he emailed it over. She didn’t want to marry a shifter herself, but it was cool to see how it all worked. No one knew for sure how shifters shifted or the true origin of their powers, but this was all better than the crackpot conspiracy theories that were floating around the Wasteland.
Even though she loved the stuff he was sending, Leigh still wasn’t in the mood to see Jasper again. She knew he would try to talk her into dating him again. Having to turn him down every two seconds was exhausting. After the long drive, she could think of a million other ways she’d like to spend her time.
Her annoyance level started to rise as she sat at his front gate security building. They had to call down and verify that she was allowed to come in. The entire time there were paparazzi reporters standing outside talking about her. She made sure to keep her back to them so they couldn’t get a good picture.
She breathed a sigh of relief when one mentioned that she was working with the caterers. They lost interest in her after that. The guards apologized for keeping her waiting once they got the okay to let her in.
She took the long winding driveway down to Jasper’s guesthouse and was surprised to see him waiting for her outside when she pulled up.
“Took you long enough,” he scolded. He was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeve V-neck shirt. A simple outfit that looked like a million bucks on him.
“Mr. Collins. Pleasure to see you again. Sorry I took so long to get here,” she apologized. “What can I help you with today?”
“Here’s the car now.” He motioned with his head to the sleek sports car pulling up behind her. “If you’ll give your keys to my driver, he’ll park your car in a better place.”
“Where are we going?”
“I’ll explain on the way. You don’t mind if I drive, do you?”
She grinded her teeth, but nodded. “That’s fine.”
They got into the sports car and Jasper pulled away quickly.
“You might want to put on your seatbelt. I’ve been told I’m a bit of a speed demon.”
“I was already going to.”
They took the back entrance out of the estate, presumably to miss the paparazzi.
“Was the drive up nice?” he asked her conversationally.
“It was really great. I always like having to drive for two hours unexpectedly,” she deadpanned.
“I was going to send my car, but I had a feeling you wouldn’t like that very much.”
“I’m not going to like any of this if you don’t explain yourself soon,” she said coolly.
“Our destination is a bit of a surprise, but I need your help with something. It won’t take us much longer to get there.”
“Are you kidding me?” Leigh asked, exasperated. “You better not have brought me down here to take me out to lunch and trick me into a date again.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. I need your professional opinion on something. After our last conversation, I had a feeling you would be of great assistance.”
That meant that this wasn’t going to be a professional meeting. She’d gotten all dressed up in one of her best dresses and heels for nothing. She should have known better than to trust him. It was a good thing this was going to be a short assignment. Working for her aunt was quite easy. It was working with Jasper that was proving to be a problem.
She’d already gotten all of her work done for that day. It had taken her way less time than expected. Mostly her job consisted of calling vendors and making sure food was going to show up on time. Jasper with his endless articles was going to try to sweet-talk her whenever he had the chance. It wasn’t professional, and it only took her away from her real work. She was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt today, but it wasn’t looking good.
“I’ve had a great morning. Thanks for asking,” Jasper said, grinning at her. “I’ve read over Roger’s final vows. He wrote them himself and they’re very romantic. Would you like to have a preview?”
“No thank you. It’s nice that you’re helping him. I expected you to stick to the logistics and not worry about the personal part of the wedding.”
“Roger is a good friend. I want nothing more than to see him happy. I care as much about the personal touches as I do the security detail.”
“I’ve always found it interesting that you would be good friends with somebody who hated shifters.”
“He doesn’t hate shifters. It’s a common misconception. He did have some misinformation before, but I think my friendship has helped him see the error of his old ways.”
“It must have, since he did put the new legislation out. It was a wild turnaround.”
“I can be quite persuasive.” He winked at her, but didn’t say anything else.
They were getting into the city already. There were small shops and lots of people walking on the sidewalks. She’d always wondered if the little town near the Collinses’ manor had sprung up just to service the family with their endlessly deep pockets. Whatever the origin, the small town was now an adorable tourist destination.
“Where are we going?” she asked again.
“We’re already here.” They were in front of a furniture shop.
“Is this the new boutique?” Leigh had heard of this shop from her cousin. They had all the best new accessories for home and lifestyle. Everything here cost a fortune.
“It sure is. I’m looking for something for my office and I thought you could help me pick it.”
Leigh knew she should be annoyed, but she was incredibly curious to see what was in the shop. This place was invitation-only. It was run more like a club than a store. She was sure it wasn’t going to stay in business long and she thought the marketing gimmick was elitist garbage. But she desperately wanted to see the inside now that she was so close.
“One quick look around and then we’re going to go. I can’t believe you brought me all the way out here for some shopping.”
“Not just any shopping. Shopping for my office that you adore. You have the same style, so you’ll be much more help than my silly personal shopper,” he reminded her. He handed his keys to a valet and then ushered her into the store.
Inside it was all sleek lines and lush fabrics. It looked much more like the shop on the inside than she was expecting. Except for the blackout window front, she could have been inside any Macy’s.
And the price tags. The price tags were very different from anyplace she would go shopping. There was a lamp at the entrance with a $4000 price tag on it. It was outrageous.
&nbs
p; “Mr. Collins.” A saleswoman dressed in all white greeted him with an air kiss. “So happy to see you again. What can I help you find today?”
“We’re going to have a look around. I’ll call you if I need any help.”
The woman nodded and smiled at Leigh. “I see you have a new personal shopper already.”
Leigh nodded. She didn’t want to give anyone any ideas. It was best to say nothing. She knew how fast gossip traveled when Jasper was involved. Better to be his personal shopper than potential lady friend. Nobody would want to buy a story about Jasper shopping for pillows with one of his workers. But if the woman thought she might be his girlfriend, Leigh could only imagine the flurry of stories this trip would spawn.
“I was thinking maybe some new pillows for the couch and a painting for the wall across from the window,” Jasper said, making a beeline for the back of the shop. There were eight to ten paintings up on the wall. They had a similar aesthetic. Abstract lines and lots of color. It would be a nice addition to Jasper’s a modern office.
Leigh pointed to one that looked like a painting of a small boat on the sea. “I like this one. It’s not what you would expect, and it’s a little traditional, but I think it’s beautiful.”
Jasper nodded. “I’ll take it.”
The saleswoman appeared as if out of nowhere. “Did you need something, Mr. Collins?”
“I’ll take that painting near the top. Number three.”
She nodded and walked away.
Jasper took Leigh to where the pillows were. This one could have had her busy for hours. There were four couches to one side topped with black and white pillows. Even though it was a neutral color scheme there were endless possibilities. On the other side there were couches filled with colorful pillows.
She thought back to Jasper’s office. He had one small taupe couch and there were two black chairs across from his desk. The chairs didn’t need any more cushions, but the couch was a little plain.
She went to the black pillows and started sifting through them. She came up with one that had white and gray splashes on it and another that had white starbursts. The fabric was so luxuriously soft she wished she could have some to make a throw for her bed.