“Lyla, this is the most people we’ve ever had here!” Betsy exclaimed, gripping Lyla’s arm excitedly. Betsy’s auburn curls bounced off her shoulder as she turned her head around to look at the banquet hall, filled to bursting with bodies.
Lyla smiled sardonically.
“That might have everything to do with your brother being back in town,” she said, nodding her head in Jonah’s direction.
He was standing by the stage, looking delicious in a snazzy, form-fitting black and white tuxedo. A small crowd of people were swarming him, and Lyla felt a twinge of jealousy in her stomach as Cameron laughed loudly, gripping his bicep under her long, pink fingernails.
“I can’t believe that woman,” Betsy said, though her voice was much more good-natured than Lyla was feeling about the whole display. “She’s always trying to get her hands on the next most eligible bachelor.”
“You’d think he was a piece of candy or something the way she’s looking at him,” Lyla said bitterly.
“Well, you know Cameron. She’ll do anything to make herself feel better. Always sees herself as the belle of the ball. It was a bit much during school, really. She caused a lot of drama. Always wanting to be the center of attention.”
“I bet,” Lyla mumbled.
Another harsh pale of laughter erupted from Cameron’s pink-made up lips and, to Lyla’s relief, Jonah extracted himself from her claw-like grip and made his way back toward Betsy. Once he was standing right in front of her, Lyla’s irritation faded and all she was left with was the comforting scent of Jonah’s gentle cologne.
“Had enough of Cameron, did you?” Betsy asked with a laugh. How could Betsy be so calm about it? It was disgusting! Then again, it was Lyla who was consumed by jealousy, not Betsy.
“She’s always been a little too much for me,” Jonah said, his eyes settling on Lyla. They lingered upon her. “You both look beautiful tonight.”
A surge of heat swept through Lyla’s body, and she swallowed hard, unable to deny the vivid chemistry between them. Her shifter blood may have prevented her from being able to shapeshift, but she still had heightened senses. And according to those senses, there was something between them. Something raw. Powerful.
But when Betsy laughed at Jonah’s comment, denying it and returning the compliment, Lyla was able to get a grip on herself. It was unlikely that Jonah would actually be the kind of man she could let into her life. And even if he was, that would mean risking the most meaningful friendship she had ever had.
“I can’t believe how successful this night has been so far,” Betsy said, changing the subject and distracting Lyla from her thoughts. “I’m actually really looking forward to the auction.”
“It’s going to be great for your organization,” Jonah agreed.
“Oh!” Lyla exclaimed. “I should be getting the merchandise ready for auction. It’s almost time.”
Jonah seemed disappointed; at least, Lyla wanted him to be disappointed, just as she was, and Betsy nodded.
“I’ll be up there in about twenty minutes. Try to get everything organized while I get everybody ready to open their pocketbooks.”
“You want them to donate, you should get Jonah to do the auctioning,” Lyla half-joked. “You’d probably get Cameron to empty her purse on the floor in front of him.”
Betsy laughed softly, but it was clear she didn’t like to talk badly about anybody, even the town gossip. Pack pride was strong within them, and again, Lyla couldn’t help but feel jealous. Sometimes, she just felt so left out without a pack of her own to protect her. Sure, Betsy cared for her as a good friend would, but that didn’t make it any easier to be left out during times like this.
“I’m just going to go then,” Lyla said quietly, removing herself from the conversation. She walked up to the stage and could feel all eyes on her as she began to organize the merchandise for Betsy to auction off.
About twenty minutes later, a dark shadow fell over her face and she smiled up at it.
“I nearly started bidding on Cameron’s pathetic donation at $100,” Lyla said with a laugh. “It was the card for Douglas’ things.”
“Well, you don’t want that tiny contribution to get to her head any more than it already has,” Jonah said, his deep voice shocking every nerve in her body. She could listen to him all night.
“No, I really don’t,” Lyla said with a small laugh. “She’s a pain in the ass.”
To her surprise, Jonah laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that made her heart leap in her chest. His handsome eyes sparkled and he nodded.
“That’s very true,” he said. “Just like my big sister. Guess who she suckered into doing her job tonight?”
“You’re actually doing the auction?” Lyla exclaimed, unable to hide the glee from her voice.
It seemed like such a funny thing to have Jonah do. He was such a quiet, contained kind of man. The idea of Jonah putting himself out there in front of the whole town was both amusing and admirable. It wasn’t that he didn’t seem confident. It just didn’t seem like the kind of thing he’d like to do. Maybe he was feeling more open to it since he hadn’t seen most of them in so long. Or maybe he was just doing it to contribute to his sister’s cause. Either way, she liked him even more for it. As if that were possible.
“I thought it might be fun to do it together,” Jonah said. “I’ve been having a good time with you.”
The air between them became alive with energy as she studied him; he looked unbelievable in that suit, his clean-shaven face and mysterious brown eyes all the more enigmatic against the luxurious backdrop of the banquet hall. He’d even slicked his dark hair back off his forehead, giving her an even better view of his chiseled features. The man was flawless. And, he was leaving her speechless.
“All right everybody!” Betsy’s voice rang out in the crowd. “It’s time to start the auction!”
Jonah smiled graciously at Lyla and turned his back on her to face the crowd.
“Good evening.”
Lyla was electrified as Jonah’s deep voice rang out over the bustle of the crowd, even without a microphone. The crowd was immediately silenced for a moment as Jonah continued.
“My name is Jonah Lucas, brother of Betsy Lucas, founder of Shifters United.”
The room suddenly erupted in applause, and Lyla looked around in shock. None of the events that Betsy had held had managed this type of attention. She almost felt bad that it took Jonah’s presence to help Betsy’s event to really thrive. You would think pack animals would be more concerned about the homeless shifters in their city.
Soon, Lyla and Jonah were swept up in a shockingly fun and amusing auction, and by the end of the night, they had raised over $10,000 for Shifters United. The evening ended with Lyla in a daze, and soon, their guests were filing out, leaving only Betsy and her small inner circle to clean up the banquet hall and pack everything into her little minivan.
“Thank you both so much,” Betsy said, her eyes shimmering with tears. “This really couldn’t have gone better. Now I’ll have enough to help everyone for the next six months. It’s a miracle.”
“No, it’s just because everyone wanted to see Jonah,” Lyla said, giving him a nudge. He grinned briefly, causing her heart to tremor mildly. “I’m pretty sure Cameron made a high bid on her little basket of things so that it sold for more at the end of the night.”
Betsy chuckled. “Either way, it was a huge success and I couldn’t have done it without the two of you.”
“I’m sure you would have managed,” Jonah said. “You’re a miracle worker.”
Betsy beamed but said nothing, and finally, Jonah turned to Lyla.
“Thanks for tonight,” he said, his dark eyes flashing. She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks, but thankfully, it was dark outside and nobody would be able to tell; at least by sight. Who knew what full-blooded shifters like Betsy and Jonah would be able to sense?
They parted ways and Lyla walked to her car alone. When she looked back behind her, her heart palpitated when she saw that Jonah’s dark eyes were following her across the parking lot. He gave her a slight nod before climbing into the minivan with Betsy, and Lyla watched, her chest tight, as Jonah and her best friend disappeared into the night.