by Lola Kidd
“Are you a shifter like your daddy?” Leigh asked in a singsong voice. The baby talk had just come naturally. She knew he couldn’t answer, but it felt wrong not to be talking to the little guy.
He gave Leigh a big smile, then took his drool-covered hand out of his mouth and touched her face. It was kind of gross, but Leigh couldn’t help but coo at his little gesture.
“You are too cute,” she told him. “I could run away with you and keep you all for myself.”
“I don’t think his mother would be too happy if you did that.”
Leigh turned to see Jasper leaning against the door frame behind her.
“Did that dragon just ruin our moment?” she asked Todd. “Yes, he sure did. When you grow up, make sure you don’t turn out anything like him. Sneaking up on unsuspecting ladies.”
Jasper snorted. “Yeah, a multibillionaire dragon shifter who saves damsels in distress. What an awful thing to be.”
Leigh scowled. “I’m not a damsel in distress.”
“Not right now. But I’m sure that in a few hours, you’ll need rescuing again.”
Jasper held up a red flower.
“Where did you get that?” Leigh frowned. The flowers for the evening were all white. That had been the bride’s request.
“From the centerpieces. The florist ran out of white and for some reason thought it was okay to put red in a few of them.”
“Oh no,” Leigh held the baby out to Jasper. “Take him! I have to go and fix this.”
Jasper shook his head. “No you don’t. I already took care of it.”
“Thank you,” Leigh said. She bounced Todd on her hip. “Okay. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if you turned out like him.”
The bathroom door opened, and Jess stared at the two of them. “Hey, Jasper. Hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”
“Nope. I was just talking to Leigh and your little man.” Jasper came over and took Todd from Leigh. “Has he shifted yet?”
“Not yet,” Jess said. “I’m dying to see if he’s a shifter like Alec.”
Jasper took a long sniff of the baby’s hair. “He sure doesn’t smell human. I bet he’s got a little cub in there that wants to come out and play.”
“That’s what Alec and Tyler say, too,” Jess said. “But he’s almost eight months, and still nothing. Not even a little growl.”
Jasper played with the baby and said something else to Jess. But Leigh couldn’t follow the conversation anymore. There was a roaring in her ears and a strange contraction in her stomach. She pressed her legs together as she watched Jasper play with the baby. She was sure she could feel her uterus contracting. She had never ached so badly for a man before—and not just to sleep with him. She wanted him to put a baby inside of her.
The feeling was so strong, it made her knees weak. This was new for her. She’d been attracted to men before, but nothing like this.
Mate, she realized. She wanted to mate with him. This was insane. She had never had a thought like that before. It had to be the baby in her arms. She didn’t like Jasper like that. He was being nice, but they were just friends. She was going to marry a human after all. Maybe she was going to get her period soon. That always made her wanted to get down with every hot guy she saw. There were so many explanations for the way she feeling. It had nothing to do with Jasper.
“Leigh?”
Jess and Jasper were both looking at her expectantly.
Her face felt hot. “I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“I was thanking you for watching Todd for me,” Jess said. “Are you feeling okay?”
Leigh waved a hand at her. “Yes. I think I’m just a little hungry. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch.”
“Well, come grab a seat at the table the minute you get a chance,” Jess said. “Don’t feel like you have to work all night. This is a pre-celebration dinner. We’d be honored to have you and your aunt join us.”
“None of this would be possible without all your hard work,” Jasper said.
“I will. Please excuse me.”
Leigh left them on shaky legs. She didn’t have anything to do and had no idea which way she should go, but she had to get away from Jasper. She wasn’t sure she would be able to control herself, even in front of Jess and the baby.
God, she hoped that whatever this was, it would stop soon.
She took a turn and then went down a long hallway. In a big house like this, there was bound to be another bathroom on the main floor. They had two dining rooms, for goodness’ sake.
She gave up trying when she reached a staircase. She knew it was rude, but she had to find a bathroom, or at least a room with a door so she could shut herself away from other people. She needed to be alone until she could calm herself down.
She blamed all of this on Jasper, his stupid dragon, and her aunt’s assistants. If that one girl hadn’t come to bother her, she likely would have been out of the bathroom before Jess got there. And if she hadn’t run into Jess and her adorable baby, she wouldn’t be in the situation she was in now.
Full-on lust.
There was a good chance she was going to have to leave before the dinner even started. She didn’t think she could trust herself in a room with Jasper all night. Just looking at him was going to be too much.
As she thought about his annoying face, her sex throbbed.
She went into the first room she found and closed the door behind her. Then she pressed her mouth hard against her hand and screamed.
What was happening to her?
The room she’d stepped into appeared to be a spare office. Not Roger’s; she knew that was downstairs, near the front of the house. This room had a desk, but it didn’t look used. There were empty pen cups on the desktop, but no computer. Perfect. She could wait here for an hour if she needed to. Her aunt was going to kill her for disappearing, but she had no choice. She needed to be alone.
There was a knock at the door, breaking the silence. Leigh stood still. Whoever it was could look for their own room to hide out in.
“Leigh? Are you okay?” Jasper asked from the other side of the door.
Damn.
Twelve
Leigh didn’t think he could hear her breathing through the door. She stayed quiet and waited for him to go away. She couldn’t see him now, not when she wanted him so badly.
“Leigh?” The doorknob turned, and Jasper came into the room.
Leigh cursed herself for not checking to see if the door was locked. “Yes? Do you need something? I want to be alone for a minute.”
He came closer. “You don’t smell like you want to be alone. And your heart is racing. Are you sure you’re okay?”
She nodded. Her mouth was too dry to try speaking. He was standing entirely too close to her, so she backed up. “I’m fine. Just leave me alone.”
But he took a step closer. “Are you sure you want me to leave?”
She didn’t. “Yes. I want to be alone.”
“Was it the baby? Want me to go beat him up?”
Leigh laughed softly. “I don’t think his parents would appreciate that.”
“His dad is a tiger. I’m a dragon. Pretty sure I could take the whole party if I wanted to. Seriously. One word and I’ll go get that little bastard.”
She opened the door a sliver more. “It wasn’t the baby.”
“Jesus. You’re all red.” He put the back of his hand against her forehead. “You feel hot. We should take your temperature. You might have a fever. Have you been feeling okay?”
“Not really. I think it’s just nerves.”
“Do nerves usually make you look like a tomato?”
“Thanks.”
“A sexy tomato.” Jasper amended. “What are you nervous about?”
“I don’t know. What if this gets all messed up? My aunt’s assistants are pretty incompetent, and they’re running around trying to do everything. I can’t stop them and do my job. I’m going to mess up.”
“You aren’t doing this alo
ne,” he said softly. “If something goes wrong, it isn’t just on you. Not that anything will. We’re almost done already and it’s going off without a hitch.”
“You think so?” she asked him.
“I know so. Melly is going to get so much business once this is all done. You’re going to have to start working for her full-time. I mean if she can afford you. You’re doing such a great job.”
“She isn’t even paying me.” Leigh took a shaky breath. She was starting to feel better already. “You should get back down to the party. I’ll be fine. I just need a few more minutes alone.”
Jasper stepped closer until he was practically touching her. She could smell his expensive aftershave and see the five o’clock shadow that was just beginning to show around his jawline. Heat was radiating off his body.
She bit her lower lip as she shook slightly. She longed to reach out and close the distance between them.
“The party won’t miss me. You sure you want to be alone?”
Leigh was sure. She was so very sure. She tried to form the words but couldn’t. Her body wouldn’t let her send him away. Instead, she grabbed his face and kissed him hard.
“That’s what I thought.”
Jasper pushed her back against the desk. She knew it was wrong; she knew this was a bad idea, but she had to do it. She had to get him out of her system. Maybe this would stop her from wanting him ever again. She didn’t know what was going on, but she couldn’t stand being apart from him. She needed to feel his hot skin against hers.
Yes, this made sense. There was a good reason for her to do this. It was crazy, undeniable lust. She was making a good decision. If she didn’t give in, she would spend the whole party thinking about him. She already knew what he looked like naked, and it was spectacular.
He wrapped his hand in her hair and kissed her greedily. She returned his kiss with equal force and fumbled with his shirt. She managed to get his belt undone and pull his shirt out without looking. She ran her hands up under his undershirt and felt all along his chest and stomach.
His body felt even better than it looked. Shifters had the best bodies. He was so very warm too. She wondered if it was a dragon thing. Feeling him wasn’t enough. She needed more. Right now.
She broke the kiss and pulled her panties down. She turned around and bent over the desk. “I want you inside of me.”
Jasper hissed as he unbuttoned his pants. Leigh gasped as he rubbed his hard cock against her ass before sliding into her wet channel.
She arched her back and pressed her ass back against him. He moaned and thrust in deeper, again and again, filling her until she thought she would burst.
“God,” he groaned. “You feel so good.”
“More,” she begged. “Jasper… keep going. Don’t stop!” Her legs began to shake as the pleasure built inside of her.
Even the sound of his breathing was a turn-on, bringing her closer and closer to climax. She thought of the dragon for a moment, how huge and elegant and powerful it was—and that did it. She moaned loudly and called his name as her orgasm ripped through her body. A moment later, Jasper was growling along with her.
When they were finished, he lay inside of her, still breathing hard. “That was amazing.”
Instead of answering, she squirmed away from him and pulled her underwear up. Now that they were finished, her senses came back to her. She was immediately aware of the mistake she’d just made.
“Where are you going?” he asked, frowning. “You don’t have to run out right away. You can sit with me for a moment. Seriously. Nobody will miss us for a few moments longer.”
“I need to see if my aunt needs help,” she said without turning around.
“Not right now.” He tried to pull her against him again, but she resisted. “Why are you being so weird? It was just sex.”
“I need to go.”
“So, that’s it?”
She couldn’t stand how hurt he was. “Like you said. It’s just sex.”
“Yeah, but we’re still friends right? Friends don’t just run out and leave each other when their pants are down. Relax, Leigh.”
“Why did you agree so fast?”
“What?”
“You didn’t even try to stop me.”
He laughed. “I’m not in the business of turning down beautiful women who want me.”
She looked at him finally. Something was troubling her. “Be honest, do you still think I’m your mate?”
He was quiet while he pulled up his pants and buckled them. “Honestly?”
“Yes. That’s what I asked for.”
“Yes. I do think that you might be my mate. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to go all crazy and stalk you now that we’ve had sex.”
“Really? Because everything I’ve read this week says that once a shifter bonds with their mate, it’s over. They won’t stop until they’re able to mark the other person.”
“I guess, but I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to force you to be my mate unless you want to.”
“I’m sorry, Jasper. I shouldn’t have done this. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Maybe you felt something for me too. Even if it was only for a moment, you felt something too. Something so powerful you had no choice but to act on it.”
She looked at the floor. “Maybe. But that doesn’t mean I’m your mate.”
Jasper cleared his throat. “You won’t even consider it. Am I really that horrible?”
Leigh could hear the hurt in his voice. “I don’t think you’re horrible. I just don’t want to marry a shifter. I don’t want this. I’m sorry. I never should have allowed this to happen.”
“So what now?” he demanded. “You start ignoring me? Pretend that I’m just some client?”
“I’m going to do my job, and then I’m going to give you some space.”
“What if I were a human?” he asked bitterly. “Would it be different then? I bet it would be. I bet you would jump at the chance to be with me if I were a human.”
That was her cue to leave. She left without saying anything else. This was for the best. Whatever came out of her mouth next would be wrong.
She felt awful, but she hadn’t been thinking in the moment. She’d only been thinking about herself and her pleasure. There was no way to take back what had happened, but she hoped that by removing herself from the situation, she wouldn’t hurt him.
When some time had passed, maybe she’d be able to be friends with him again. She would find some way to make this up to him in the future. She did care about him, but she couldn’t let herself fall in love with a shifter. Not when she was so close to leaving that world behind. She owed it to herself to try living like a regular human. She’d waited her whole life for this. She couldn’t let one moment of lust ruin it all.
Thirteen
Jasper pulled on his tan blazer and looked in the mirror. Then he yanked the jacket off and threw it at the wall. Nothing he had was right. He’d tried on all of his summer blazers, and none of them was good enough.
This was the first day he’d be seeing Leigh since they’d had sex. He was going to confront her about living in the Wasteland and about her family. He’d been doing a lot of research since he’d last seen her. It was better than dwelling on what had happened. He felt better when he was being productive. He’d used his time very wisely.
He’d found out so much about her in the last week. Not that she’d told him any of it. Everything had been pieced together from various sources. He was pretty sure she was the daughter of the head of the Ganjis Shifter Society. Really, it was a crime family. Her father the mayor hid his connections well, but it was the only explanation that made sense.
The Shifter Society were the enforcers in Ganjis and were at odds with the Brotherhood in Rose Valley. Both were having trouble with the upcoming legislation. Her father supported the legislation, unlike the rest of his group. That would explain why Leigh had been so nervous when he’d dropped down in the woods. She
probably though he was someone out to get her. It was a wonder she didn’t have better security around her.
Jasper wouldn’t put it past some of the more violent shifters in the area. It would be the perfect way to get back at her father for supporting Roger’s initiative to make the Wasteland part of the state. The legislation would make all the shifter towns similar to Native American reservations. It was a pretty good deal, and it would make the towns much safer and more prosperous.
The problem was that many of the inhabitants of the towns only lived there because they couldn’t fit into the human world. Many shifters were like Jasper’s family had been before they came out. They hid their true nature in an attempt to blend in with the humans. The shifters who lived in the Wasteland didn’t fit in with human society easily, and some were even criminals. There were rumors that the Ganjis Shifter Society killed shifters they thought were too dangerous. That was why there was a feud between them and the Brotherhood. Jasper didn’t know if all that was true or not, but his possible relationship with Leigh made things difficult either way.
He didn’t know if it was smarter to work with the Brotherhood or the Shifter Society, but if there was any kind of attempt on Leigh’s life, the choice would be made for him. It would be entirely too awkward to turn down her family’s request for help and then try to marry one of their own. She seemed to be close to her family and spoke fondly of her parents. Yes, she wanted to move out, but what young woman didn’t?
She hadn’t wanted him to know who she was or where she lived. He only had confirmation because he’d paid the driver who had taken her home. He’d had to pay double to get the address and not just a general “she made it home safely.” Jasper had wanted to follow her by air, but it was too dangerous. She would never have forgiven him for “stalking” her.
He was sure she was his mate, but she still seemed like she wanted nothing to do with him. He knew she’d enjoyed what they’d shared, and she was grateful that he had helped her with the centerpiece problem. Any of the other women he had dated would have already been falling into his arms, and his bed, by now. Any other woman would be thinking about marriage by now. He had told her that she was his mate, for goodness’ sake. Any other woman would have jumped at the chance to be his mate and wife.