“Jason, did you hear what I said?”

“Huh? What?” Jason’s head snapped back toward Jessica. “Sorry, babe, I was, uh, distracted by work stuff.”

Jessica’s full, red lips turned out into a pout. “I drove all the way here and got dressed up for you, and you’re thinking about work?”

“Aww, sorry,” he said, leaning in close. Her perfume was sticky and cloying, but he forced himself to nuzzle at her neck. “Won’t happen again.”

“Good.”

He searched his brain, trying to figure out what she had been saying. Since they met at the restaurant where they had dinner, she’d been talking about herself—where she got her hair done, her nails, her expensive clothes, and her boring job. “So, tell me again about your evil boss?”

“Oh, yeah. Well the other day, I’m like, texting with my friend Gina—she’s like, in crisis mode because she caught her boyfriend in bed with some skank, right? Anyway, he catches me texting her and it’s like, almost my break, yeah? And then…”

Jason pasted another smile on his face and nodded. Pretending to listen to chicks was a skill he’d perfected over the years. But he wasn’t zoning out right now as Jessica continued to talk about her boss. No, his mind and gaze kept wandering over the table across the room.

Motherfucker. He didn’t know Catherine was having her bachelorette party tonight. Of course, he didn’t think to ask, but still … the moment he walked in and saw Christina, he knew this was a mistake. Correction: the moment he saw Jessica at the restaurant, he knew it was a mistake. His damn dragon knew this was wrong and was making him pay.

It was a good thing Jessica was human or she’d have felt the fight the animal inside him was putting up. But he carried on with the farce of a date anyway as he didn’t want to humiliate Jessica by simply telling her the date was over. He may be a bastard when it came to women, but he wasn’t a heartless bastard.

He should have ended the date right after dinner, but she’d insisted on coming here. Did Christina see them yet? Didn’t seem like it. She was casually chatting and sipping on her wine without a care in the world. Then she started flirting with Nate…

He loved Nate like a brother, but he was well aware of what his friend was thinking. As soon as he cozied up to Christina, Jason knew what he was doing. He’d have done the same thing after all, and knowing how hard he pursued Catherine, he knew Nate would be relentless. He kept his gaze fixed on them, his body tensing as the seconds ticked by.

He shook his head. This was getting to be too much. Maybe he should just turn his attention back on his date.

“Jason!” Jessica snapped. “Now what’s the matter?”

“Huh? I’m listening, babe.”

“Good,” she said with a smug smile. “So, that’s a yes then? On my last question?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.”

He glanced back at the table and frowned. Christina was gone. Where the hell was she? Catherine had come back from the bathroom, Kate was slamming back more tequilas while Sybil watched, and Nate … well, he was gone too.

“Bastard,” he growled and disentangled Jessica’s arms from his torso. He didn’t even give a backward glance as he marched toward the door. He pushed it open, storming out into the dark parking lot. He recognized Nate’s figure, standing in front of the doorway, scratching his head.

“Where is she?” He grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around.

Nate’s eyes glowed an eerie green and a growl escaped his throat, the wolf inside him making its presence known. But when he saw Jason, he reared back. “What the fuck, man?” His eyes, returning to normal, looked confused. “Who are you talking about?”

“Christina,” he said through gritted teeth. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know!” He put his hands up. “Catherine asked me to check on her. But she’s gone.”

A cry and then a moan from somewhere in the back of the building caught their attention, making them both start. His dragon roared and he sprang into action, reaching the source of the sound within seconds.

A man was lying prone on the ground. Standing over him was Christina, looking down at him with disgust on her face. A fierce determination marred her features, but as she looked up, her face softened. “Jason?”

“Christina.” He approached her slowly. “What happened?”

She shrugged. “He slipped. And fell. Then hit his head and knocked himself out.”

Something wasn’t right, he could feel it. “Should we call for an ambulance?”

She glanced over to her side. Jason didn’t notice the other woman pressed up against the side of the building, sheer terror in her wide, green eyes. “You okay, Penny?” she asked.

The young woman’s pretty face was ashen, but she nodded.

“Did he touch you?”

Penny shook her head, but her whole body was trembling.

Christina squatted down and leaned over the man, checked his pulse, and then his head. “He’s not bleeding out. I’m sure he’ll live,” she said, pure distaste dripping from her voice. “You could wait a bit until he regains consciousness. I’m going to go back to the girls.”

He watched as Christina casually walked away without a second glance. What the hell happened? Jason turned to Penny, but the young waitress scampered away before he could say anything. He told Nate to take the guy to Blackstone Hospital, and his friend simply carried the unconscious man over his shoulder and loaded him into his car.

He was still puzzled. It didn’t look like the guy had any injuries from the fall. Maybe a small bump on the back of his head, but nothing that would knock him out. The man was over six feet tall and probably 250 pounds, though most of it was fat around his middle. There was something else going on.

Jason walked back into The Den, intending to find out the truth. There was no sign of Penny. Or Jessica, for that matter. But, Christina was definitely there. In fact, she was the center of attention. A group had formed around the girls’ table, laughing and cheering.

“Slam it down, girl!” Kate hooted. “C’mon!” She filled another shot glass in Christina’s hand from the bottle. “One more! One more! One more!”

“Excuse me,” Jason said as he pushed his way into the crowd. He grabbed the glass.

“Hey!” Christina slurred. “I wasn’t done with that.”

“Oh, you’re done,” he said, tossing the glass aside. He grabbed her hand. “C’mon, time to go home.”

“I’m said I’m not—stop! Put me down!”

“Holy shitballs!” someone, probably Kate said.

Christina weighed nothing at all, and he patted her backside as he slung her over his shoulder. “Party’s over,” he said to the other girls. “Get in your party bus and go home.”

“Let me go, you…brute! Vlaca!” He strongly suspected it wasn’t a very complimentary word, directed as it was with pure venom toward his backside. She let out a string of curses in a foreign language, but ignored her.

“Where are you taking her?” Catherine shouted. “Are you bringing her back to the castle?”

“I’m gonna sober her up first.” He continued walking outside, Christina screeching like a banshee.

“I said put me down!” She beat her fists on his back. “Where are you taking me?”

“We’re gonna get some hot coffee and then you’re going to tell me what happened tonight.” They were a few feet away from his truck and all he had to do was open the door and push her inside.

“I can’t … Oh my God, everything’s going black...” She went limp in his arms.

“Mother—” He gritted his teeth and then eased her down, setting her on her feet, his hands holding her steady. Her eyes were closed and her head lolled back. “Christina. Are you okay? Wake up!”

Her eyes flew open and then she moved away from him, quick as a rabbit. Jason let out a curse. Still, she was no match for his speed and she only got a few steps away before he caught up with her.

“Bloody hell,” she shrieked. He pulled her back to his truck, pinning her against the side. “Let me go! Why are you doing this?”

“Why am I doing this?” he roared. “Dammit—” He couldn’t stop himself even if he wanted to, and his mouth came crashing down on hers.

She struggled for a moment, a snarl escaping her lips, but he silenced her and soon she was returning his kiss. Eager, wet, and warm. She tasted like sunshine, like berries bursting with ripeness.

Arms snaked around his middle, pulling him closer. He obliged, pressing her up against the truck, letting her feel how much he wanted her. A gasp escaped her mouth as his rock-hard cock pressed against her stomach. He’d been hard the moment their lips touched. Hell, he’d been sporting this hard-on for her since they met.

Moving his lips lower, he nuzzled at her neck, her sweet scent wrapping around him. “Jason,” she moaned, pushing her body up against him. He hooked his hand under her thigh and wrapped her leg around his waist. She arched her back and ground her hips over his erection.

He could come right now, dry-humping her against the side of his truck. But that wouldn’t sate him at all. He knew had to have her, be inside her.

He slipped his hands down her back and then inside her leggings, over the sweet curves of her ass and between her cheeks. His fingers skimmed lightly over her tight little rear hole and she shivered. Maybe another time, he thought, as his digits found what he wanted. She was already wet, her pussy lips dripping.

“Fuck, baby, you’re incredible.” This was better than in his imagination.

“Jason, please.”

Did she even know what she was begging for? From the wetness on his fingers, he knew. He pushed a finger inside her tentatively, making her tense, and then relax against him.

“More,” she rasped. “More.”

Blood roared in his ears and he captured her lips again, his tongue dipping into her mouth as his fingers did the same to her tight little snatch.

She cried into his mouth, and he felt her tighten. She threw her head back, banging it against the glass, and let out a desperate yelp. He thrust deep into her, her slick cunt gripping his fingers as she came, her body shuddering then slumping against him. Withdrawing his hands from her, he lifted his fingers to his mouth and tasted her.

God, she was fucking amazing. This felt amazing. It felt right.

“Christina,” he whispered against her neck.

“Jason, I…” Her body froze. “Jason, this isn’t…” She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him gently away.

Confusion muddled his brain. “What’s going on?”

“I just—She shook her head. “Why did you kiss me?”

“I did more than kiss you,” he said.

“We can’t do this.”

Her words washed over him like cold water. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just that…you…” She stammered. “You don’t really want this, do you? I’m just convenient, the closest girl you can get your hands on.”

Irritation scratched at him. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“What about her?”

“Who?”

Anger burned in her eyes. “That girl you were with?”

Shit. Jessica. He’d forgotten about her. “She was nothing.”

She let out a sarcastic laugh. “Which just proves my point.”

“Excuse me?” What the hell was she going on about?

“I know your type,” she spat. “You jump from one bed to another—”

“Stop!”

“Well, do you deny it?”

He couldn’t of course. And how dare she, anyway? He was single and free and he never hurt anyone, at least not on purpose. Whenever he took a girl home, he made his intentions clear: one night only. He never pretended to be anyone else and didn’t need to apologize for being who he was. But, the look in her eyes … was she hurt? His own emotions were making it too hard to judge. “I’ll take you back.”

“No,” she said. “The girls are still here.” She nodded to the pink Hummer across the parking lot. “I’ll get a ride with them.”

He watched her go, his feet rooted to the spot.

Mine!

“For the last time, shut the fuck up!” He was done. Done with this whole thing. He was going to ignore his dragon from now on. If the pain ripping in his chest was any indication, mates were much more trouble than they were worth.