His half-cocked grin told her he expected her to say something about his popularity. “I come here a lot.”
The menu reminded her of the bars back in Tavish, the kind appropriate for family nights out and football games. She ordered a chicken sandwich and fries. Him? A triple burger with the works, fried okra, onion rings, and coleslaw. The way he mowed his food down made her wonder when he last ate.
To her disappointment, they didn’t talk much.
So different from any meal shared with Shain, which included heated looks, sensual innuendos, and him watching her lips like they fascinated him.
No. That’s not normal. This is normal. This is how a typical date should go.
“Get enough to eat?” he asked, finishing his last bite of food with a gulp of beer.
“More than enough.”
“Good.” He slapped the table lightly. “What’s your game, woman?”
“Um.” She looked around. “Darts?”
The atmosphere was more like home than anywhere she’d been in the city. The country-bluesy music. The yard games. The casualness. People shouting over people. Men acting competitive and women gushing about kids and Pinterest boards.
Why was she growing uncomfortable, then?
She had fun playing darts with him the first round, and she’d won–or he’d let her. Because after that, he destroyed her. After three rounds, Jackson declared it was time to move to the next spot, some bar where a band he liked played.
Once again, he was a Big Man on Campus as soon as they entered.
While the country band entertained the crowd, Jackson checked his phone, chatted with the bartender, and made his rounds while Kimber sat at the high-top alone.
Would it have been like that with Shain, had she been a vampiress and able to visit his favorite haunts? From the way Shain had described his life to her, it paralleled Jackson’s status. Popular. Social. Networker. Hand-shaker.
But Kimber would never know.
And she shouldn’t have been surprised. Jackson was an alpha. Anywhere alphas went, they wanted to dominate the room. Some did it by taking a table in the back and staring everyone down, like Alpha Amos, and some worked the room, like Jackson Crawford.
When he returned, Kimber was determined to have an actual conversation with him for once.
“They’re good, right?” he called over the music.
She nodded and leaned in. “So, were you raised in Georgia?”
“I love this part.” He clapped with music and tapped his foot.
Okay, then.
Once the song was over, he turned to her with a smile. “Damn, you sure are pretty. There’s not a man in this room who doesn’t wish he was me.”
Most women would melt at the flattery, but to Kimber, it felt like he’d said those lines to many others before. At least Shain’s compliments had always seemed solely for her.
She tucked her hair behind her ear, disappointment sinking her stomach. At herself. At the date. At her expectations, which she hadn’t been aware of until now. “I asked if you were born and raised in Georgia?”
“Oh, right. No ma’am. I like to consider myself a native now, though.”
That was it? It was the kind of question he could’ve easily expanded on, like where he was actually from, what brought him to the area, why he left his original home. Most shifters didn’t leave, especially if they aimed to become an alpha.
Okay, then she’d answer. “I was born in Wisconsin. In the middle of the night, during a snowstorm on a full moon. In a police station. My mother told me she thought it was a sign.”
He raised his brows. “A sign of what? That you were special or something?”
Uh. She didn’t know how to take that comment. Shain would’ve found the details of her birth at least somewhat entertaining. Winter storm. A full moon. Police station. Come on. “Oh, uh, no, just that, I was going to give her trouble.”
Though, her mom hadn’t raised her long enough to find out.
Jackson reached down and squeezed her knee. “I like trouble. And of course you’re special. Look at you.”
Yes, please, she wished he would. Try again with him. You’re giving up too easily. “Okay, when you’re not busy being in charge of the pack, and you’re not at Big Flip’s, or supporting local bands, what else do you—”
Jackson looked up and exclaimed, “Mack! You sonofabitch. You still owe me from poker last week.”
The muscular shief with dark hair long enough to tuck behind his ears came over and grabbed a chair, turning it around to sit on it backwards. They grabbed forearms respectfully, but she saw Jackson sit up a little taller.
“Hey.” Mack glanced at Kimber. “Whoa. Hi.”
Jackson stiffened. “She’s with me, man.”
“I have eyes,” Mack responded, not taking them off her.
“What’s new?” Jackson asked him.
Mack took a second to drag his gaze to Jackson, his smile only a hint above artificial. “Nothing. Word is, you’re close on that land deal.”
“I am.”
“Close isn’t the same as closed.”
Jackson’s mouth flattened. “It’s done. Paperwork is all but filed.”
“Right.” Mack switched his attention to her. “What was your name again?”
She shook his hand instead of his forearm, out of respect to the alpha. “Kimber.”
“Kimber? Is that short for Kimberly?”
“Is Mack short for Mack Donald’s?”
The shief laughed, giving a nod at her. “She’s cute.”
“She sure doesn’t think the same of you,” Jackson drawled.
“You’d be surprised what women think of me.”
So not in the mood for more shifter dick measuring, Kimber pushed up from her seat. “If you’ll excuse me. Ladies’ room calls.”
Once behind the sanctity of the restroom door, she took a deep breath. How long could she stay in here without him checking in on her?
The band started another set. God, she wished she was having a good time.
When she headed back to the table, Jackson was putting bills on it. “You wanna get out of here?” he asked her.
Oh, good. He was taking her home. “Sure, I’m ready.”
They got to the truck when he asked, “Where to now? You pick.”
What? Hadn’t he had enough of this “date”? It was almost eleven. “Think I’m good for the night.”
“One more beer. Look, I know it wasn’t the most romantic date ever, but I’ve been gone a while. People expected me to make my stops. And to be honest, I wanted to show off to you a bit, so you can see that although I’m a new alpha, I’m plenty established. I know we haven’t really had a chance to talk.”
No shit. But she should cut him some slack. “It’s okay. That’s how it is when you’re leading a pack.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” He started the truck, then took her hand in his, rubbing her knuckles. “Me and you this time. You pick the bar. I promise, no alpha business.”
She removed her hand, feeling uneasy with affection, but open to try and salvage the night. Why not? Maybe the date could turn around after all. “Okay.”
Yelp gave her a handy list of bars and lounges to choose from. The Golden Tankard was close and sounded like a cool place to check out.
It was an open, hip, two-story brick venue, with a dance floor on the first level, surrounded by booths, and the second floor with high-tops and pool tables.
They went upstairs and claimed one section with a sofa, loveseat, and coffee table.
Once the server greeted them and took their order, Jackson sat on the couch, and Kimber purposely chose the chair beside it. Sharing a seat didn’t feel appropriate.
He seemed a little disappointed she didn’t sit next to him.
The waitress set down their beers and their bill. Not so discreetly, Jackson checked her out. They exchanged smiles, then she left. He watched her for a second, then said, “I’ve never been here befor
e. Little too uppity, but they’ve got a good selection of IPAs. Ten bucks for a beer? Damn.”
“Uppity” seemed a little harsh. While it wasn’t as laid back as the other venues, it was hardly swank. It was clear Jackson preferred venues where he was recognized.
At least it wasn’t so loud they couldn’t talk. She put cash down next to the bill. “This round is on me.”
“Cool. Thanks.” Beer in hand, he leaned on his elbows and smiled at her. “So. Lucinda told me you’re like, the bank teller for the pack.”
Bank teller? Really? “Bookkeeper.”
“You handle everything? The bills? The incoming and outgoing?”
“Well, yes. And taxes. Tracking the pack’s contributions. Keeping us on the level with the humans so they leave us alone.”
“Paying off law enforcement and whoever?”
“Someone has to do it. The humans, at least where we are, prefer to do business with a shiya. Whenever a shief tries to do it, it always ends in tempers and fights.”
He slowly smiled. “They must trust you a lot.”
Why did the look on his face give her pause?
Just then, his gaze moved past her shoulder, and he visibly tensed.
What the…? Did he see another alpha or something?
“Vampires.” Jackson’s growl vibrated the surrounding air.
In disbelief, she turned her head to look.
The group in the corner. Three of them, talking amongst themselves, drinking. He could smell them from this distance? “Oh. Well. They’re over there and we’re over here. They won’t bother us if we don’t bother them.”
“Just their presence bothers me.”
Kimber swallowed some beer to hide her sigh. Awesome. Another alpha marking a place that wasn’t even his territory. “Jackson, who cares? Just let them—”
He shot up from his seat. What was he going to do?
She stood up too, irritated. And slightly concerned he would start something he couldn’t finish.
When one let out a roar of laughter, she actually witnessed the hairs on Jackson’s forearms rise. “We can go somewhere else.”
He whipped a hard look on her. “I’ll protect you.”
Over-the-top macho chest-thumping was so unattractive to her. What was he trying to prove? That he was tough? “I won’t need protection if you just leave them alone.”
He ignored her. “God, they just suck all the good air, don’t they? Just like they suck the life out of anything they can get their hands on.”
Wildly untrue, but she bit her tongue. When he strode toward the group, she thought about ditching him, turned off by his warped sense of chivalry or dominance or whatever the hell it was. But then she thought she might be the difference between him getting killed or getting slack.
She followed him reluctantly, embarrassed in advance.
“Hey,” Jackson spoke with venom.
The vampire with his back to Jackson stiffened. The group fell silent and still, catching his alpha scent. Like slow motion, the dark-eyed man with a pomp hairstyle turned, his face a blank, tightly drawn mask.
Kimber stopped just behind Jackson. Purposely not at his side. She didn’t want to give them the impression she agreed with what he was doing.
The vampire with the cut cheekbones raised a brow. “What do you want, shief?”
“It’s alpha. And what I want is for you and your kind to leave. You’re making my woman uncomfortable.”
Wait, what? His woman? It was a first date. He had no claim on her. And why did he have to include her when he was the only reason they were standing there?
Kimber closed her eyes, summoning patience. Instinct guided her to reach for his hand, hoping the gesture would distract him.
It worked.
Jackson looked at her with surprise as she laced her fingers in his, though she actually wanted to recoil and apologize to the vampires. “I’d rather just leave, Jackson,” she said in a soft, pleading tone, avoiding eye contact with them.
“Your lady wants to go. If I were you, I’d do whatever she asked.”
Unfortunately, that comment broke the distraction she’d created as Jackson tensed again. “Don’t even look at her, vamp.”
“You should walk away while you still have both legs to do so.”
“I could break all of you without breaking a sweat.”
The trio inched closer in unison, like three phantoms without feet.
“How clever. Would you prefer to end this civilly, or fatally?” asked the third vampire with several thick gold rings shining on his fingers. He chuckled over his shoulder to the other two. “It’s been a long time since I’ve put my hands on a live animal.”
Jackson snatched the vampire’s lapels with one hand, growling with a show of his white teeth.
“Enough,” commanded a male voice hidden behind them.
Gravity dropped from Kimber’s feet.
That voice.
The world around her stopped, the breath in her lungs seized. An intense energy rushed from the floor to above her head, sending her pulse to a wild rhythm, her ears ringing. Nya, who’d been dormant until that moment, woke up, surging adrenaline in Kimber’s veins.
Just like the night at the dance club, like slow motion, the other three vampires parted as the fourth man rose.
Shain.
No. No, it couldn’t be him. Not her first night out. Not on her first attempt to move on! She snapped her hanging mouth shut. To disguise the shock on her face took every ounce of strength she’d gathered for the past two weeks.
Shain stepped up to the alpha, then halted as he saw her. His mouth parting briefly before he clamped his jaw. He glanced down at her and Jackson’s intertwined hands.
The reaction in Shain’s gorgeous eyes was momentary, barely a flicker of some emotion too swift to analyze. But she saw it.
Electric sorrow cracked through Kimber. Like she’d betrayed him.
Her body shook almost violently.
Jackson mistook her physical reaction for distress and squeezed her hand tighter, although she tried to let go.
“It’s all right, sweetheart,” Jackson soothed. “He doesn’t intimidate me.”
Becoming breathless, her words came out trembling, even though she was nowhere near afraid of anyone except herself. “Jackson, please.” Please, if we don’t leave, I don’t know what I’ll do. Because she was so very close to throwing her arms around Shain. Insanely close. And if she did, she would have to be insane, because they’d both pay an enormous price for it.
The nearness of him, looking unbearably handsome and healthy in his dark suit, was more than she could bear. Obviously, he hadn’t lost any sleep. Had moved on. And flourished with his new alliance.
Shain brought the glass of whiskey to his mouth and took a sip, staring at the alpha, taking measure. “Yes, Jackson. Take your shiya and leave.”
I’m not his. I could’ve been yours. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t stop staring at Shain, didn’t care if any of the other men took notice.
“No vampire tells me what to do,” Jackson stated.
Almost appearing bored, Shain said silkily, “It’s merely advice, not a command. In the spirit of good nature, have the server put your tab on mine. The name is Trevyn—”
Jackson spit on Shain’s shoe.
Kimber cringed, then pleaded Shain with her eyes to look at her.
He wouldn’t.
Jackson went on. “Two of my brothers were murdered in the past three months. One of them was a father of five, the other about to become a judge. Drained dry. Thrown in the gutters. I’m ready to even the score tonight if I have to stand here another second—”
Shain lifted a hand. “We’ll leave.”
One of the men shot him a look of incredulity, “But, Trevyn!”
“Fuck this alpha,” snarled the first one.
Shain glanced back. “I’m leaving.” He finished his drink. “I’m not in the mood to fuck or fight tonight.” He cast seve
ral hundred-dollar bills on the table before he turned to leave. Not even sparing Kimber one glance.
One by one, Shain’s friends followed him, scowling at her and Jackson. Rightfully so. The vampires had done nothing wrong.
The urge to vomit had Kimber pressing the back of her free hand to her mouth.
Way too soon.
She thought she’d never see Shain again, and the first random place she picks is the same one his group is having drinks. Who would’ve thought vampires would even hang out at a venue like this? Seemed below their standards. Especially Shain. Wasn’t he beyond VIP now?
Realizing she was still holding Jackson’s hand, she yanked from his grasp, disgusted, shaken, and done. And still staring after a vampire she loved.
“Pussies.” The smugness in Jackson’s tone infuriated her more than it should have. “It blows my mind to hear when one of them actually kills one of our kind. Spineless immortals. All of them.” He had the gall to wrap his arms around her. “You’re still shaking. Sweet thing. It’s all over.”
“I want to go home,” she choked out.
“They’re gone now. Let’s go back to our cozy little corner.”
She grabbed his wrists and forced his arms off her. “They were minding their own business, and you had to go alpha on them for no good reason. Well, I’m not impressed. I’m very sorry to hear about your brothers, but threatening to kill others in the name of others killed is why this war goes on and on. Take me home.”
Confused anger flew across his gaze. “They were motherfucking vampires.”
“So what?”
“So, I don’t tolerate them anywhere near me and neither should you.”
“And I don’t tolerate dates who seek confrontation, even an alpha. I would’ve expected way more self-control.”
His eyes glowed yellow for a second, and he sniffed at her insolence. “Clearly your isolated little life up there has sheltered you. Lucky you for not havin’ to deal with them like we do. Here’s a heads-up: If you don’t confront them first, show your dominance and claim your space, they’ll sneak up behind you and stab you in the back. Just for the joy of it.”
Oh, please. “Not all vampires are ravaging murderers, just like not all shifters are drooling beasts.”
The look of disgust on Jackson’s face should’ve shamed her. It didn’t. His natural scent came off strong, the cologne dissolving from its force.
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