If someone had told Tania that her future included working out of a nightclub as a dancer to make ends meet, she would never have believed them. But this was her life. No one had any idea what she'd gone through, and she didn't make it a point to parade around talking about all the misfortunes that had led her here either. However, the lifestyle she swore she'd never lead was very much her reality now. At twenty years old, she was doing the very thing she said she wouldn't do.

After phasing out of a group home for orphaned teens just months earlier, she'd been unable to earn an honest living. The fastest way to pay rent and eat every day was to find an employer who would hire her despite her criminal and juvenile record. Lack of blood relatives here in Aspen Valley didn't help either. Family roots ran deep in this town and opportunities were granted based on who a person knew. The practices were unfair and all, but considering how some people couldn't be trusted, Tania understood…for the most part. But it still sucked. As soon as she had enough money saved up to get out of this town, she'd be on the next bus out.

Too bad she hadn't mentioned anything to Eliana yet. Her roommate and best friend wanted to stay in town, swearing up and down that one day her birth mom would come back and find her. In the meantime, Eliana's goal revolved around flirting and befriending as many rich town folks as she could by working as hired help at their functions. Tania's ultimate goal was to start over in another town altogether.

They were both lost souls, but Tania had already come to grips with the fact that she'd never know who her parents were. No one around here would care if she just suddenly got up and left. Which was why she hadn't given a second thought about leaving without a trace.

To get the funds they needed to pursue their endeavors, Tania and Eliana found a help wanted ad calling for dancers at LIVE nightclub just days before they were scheduled to be evicted from their apartment. It had only been a week, but she still hadn't gotten used to the catcalls and unsolicited grabbing from the men who frequented the club. They told her she wouldn't be touched. They lied. But she'd already made more in tips than wages from her part time day gig busing tables at a local diner. If she quit now, she'd never be able to pay bills or afford to leave this town when the time was right.

"You…" One of the guys in the section Tania was working pointed at her. "How about you come give me a lap dance? We're not throwing all these bills for you to just stand around there."

His speech was slurred and he was clearly drunk. He grabbed her by the forearm, hard, barely giving her a chance to set down her tray. His greedy gaze flickered across her scantily-clad body. The night manager—Brenda—insisted on the tight leather uniform, acting like she didn't give a shit whether the girls were trained properly or not. All she seemed concerned about was whether we would appeal to the current clientele on any given night. On this night, rude college assholes swarmed the place.

But what did she expect? This was a shifter-owned nightclub with practically no rules. The place attracted the dangerous and the rowdy. No other nightclub in Aspen Valley catered to such a diverse mix of patrons. From the way things looked tonight, there were more human men than shifter men in the place. Maybe all the grown male shifters had better things to do than get drunk off their ass with college boys. Believe or not, the male shifters followed the rules of the establishment better than their human counterparts. Tania found the shifters to be calm and mysterious, but she'd only witnessed this behavior in their human forms. She had no idea what went on behind closed doors or when they were away from the nightclub.

As Tania swayed her hips to beat of the music in front of the asshole with the seemingly endless supply of cash, she tried to pretend that this was the only place she'd rather be. The jerk put on a show, grabbing a folded wad of money from his front pocket and began slipping bills inside of Tania's waistband.

"You got anything else going on besides this?" he asked, a dangerous mischievous grin on his face. "Like, you know…late night activities."

"I'm just a dancer. I don't do that other stuff," Tania told him. "You'll have to go to the back for that. Talk to Brenda."

"Oh, come on. You attend the university, right? It's the week before graduation," he urged.

"No can't do," Tania pulled away from him, grabbing up her tray. If he was going to be persistent about it, she was out.

"Wait," he said, flashing a wad of cash. "The pickings in the back are slim. What if I choose you? Can I go ahead and place the order right here and cut out the middle ma—er…woman?"

Tania glanced from him to the Benjamins in his hand. She estimated that he was holding at least a stack. Half of that would pay her portion of one month's rent, and the other five hundred bucks would go right into her get-the-hell-out-of-dodge fund.

"And if you get your friend to join in the mix and let my best bud watch, I'll double that," he added, grinning like he knew he had her sold.

"Like I said…I dance. I bring drinks. I don't suck or fuck. Get your hands off me or I'll ram my fist down your throat while your best bud watches," Tania told him.

He seemed taken back by answer as his eyes widened in shock. The guy beside them overhead the exchange because he spat out his drank and began laughing hysterically.

"Looks like you got slammed!" the asshole's friend hollered.

The asshole stood up, knocking over the table in front of him. "You fucking slut!"

Tania was two seconds away from slapping him when two bouncers intervened.

The older bouncer nudged his way between them. "What's going on here, kids?"

"I'll tell you what's going on. You people should hire some more qualified whores in this place. I came to have fun—"

The younger bouncer in the leather jacket grabbed the asshole around the neck, his big forearm flexing as he squeezed the air right out of him.

"Watch your mouth, dude," he warned the asshole. He then turned his gaze toward Tania. First, he took in her face, his eyes lingering on her features as if he knew her. And then he took in the rest of her from head to toe and then back up again. Despite the thick tension in the air, it seemed that time stopped as their gazes met. His eyes were a deep green with hints of amber mixed in. He was hot as sin. Hotter than any bouncer she'd ever seen.

The hot bouncer in the leather jacket turned his attention back to the asshole he had by the throat and loosened his grip. The asshole thought he was free to be an asshole again, but hot bouncer grabbed him up by the collar.

"For disrespecting the lady, you can get your privileged ass out of the club," hot bouncer told him.

There was more protest on the asshole's part as the bouncers pushed him out of sight.

Eliana caught the last half of the exchange. She slipped off the lap of the man she was dancing on and pulled Tania aside.

"What happened?" Eliana asked, once we were out of earshot.

"I can't do this anymore. I think I'm done pretending that I like being treated like a cheap two-dollar whore," Tania exclaimed.

"Cheap two-dollar whore?" Eliana frowned and then pulled out several big bills from Tania's waistband. "This looks like more than two dollars to me. Would you rather two dollar tips at the diner or two hundred dollar tips over here?"

Tania sighed, deeply. "Neither. Look, I'm done for tonight. I'm going to clock out and wait in the car for you."

Eliana rolled her eyes. "If you say so, but I can't leave right now. I have a fine to pay off next week. They threatened to have the cops come pick me up if I don't. I really need that money."

"Do what you gotta do," Tania said, pulling off her apron. "I've had enough. I'm calling it a night."

Before Tania could change her mind, she pushed through the crowd, making a beeline for the time clock.

If she kept this attitude up, would this part time gig remain as lucrative as it used to be? And if she didn't get her act together, she would be stuck in this town forever. Yet, there was no way that she could stand to be treated like a meaningless whore by dickheads like the one she encountered tonight. Not even for thousands of dollars. If the boss, Brenda, wasn't such a bitch, she'd approach her about only working on nights where there were less college students and more mild-tempered shifters. At least they left her alone and did what was expected.

As Tania would expect during the busiest time of the night, there was no one to stop her from ending her shift early. Even the employees lounge was half empty and no questions were asked as she tugged out of the barely-there uniform and pulled on her clothes. She hightailed it toward the backdoor toward the parking lot to wait in the car that she and Eliana shared. Closing time was in an hour, but she hoped that her friend would be done by then. On second thought, the guy she was flirting with seemed to have had an endless supply of cash, so who knew how long it'd take her to empty his wallet.

Rolling her eyes, Tania passed a few security guards manning the back door and walked out into the night. The late November chill swept across her face, and suddenly she realized that she'd left her jacket inside. The temperatures had dropped drastically compared to when she first arrived to work her shift. Despite the bite in the air, there was no way she was going back inside the nightclub. She'd rather freeze to death than run into another privileged college asshole.

"Hey," a deep voice called out from behind her.

She spun around the spotted the hot bouncer with the green and amber eyes posted up against the wall with one of the security guards. He pushed off the wall, leaving the other man drawing away on his cigarette.

He was bigger and taller than she thought and the closer he got to her, the more she realized how hot he was. But why was he coming to her? She didn't know him.

"Um…thanks for handling my little issue back there," Tania said.

"That's what I do," he said. "Are you okay?"

She nodded.

He wore the standard bouncer attire. All black. Down to his leather jacket and work boots. There was a long moment of silence as he looked her up and down, not even trying to hide the crooked grin spreading across his handsome face.

His gaze paused on her cleavage. But of course, it did, he was a guy. She almost rolled her eyes, but then he asked, "Where you get that mark from?"

He was referring to the small birthmark close to her collarbone. The mark was small she wondered how he even saw it. Most people never asked.

"It's not a tattoo. It's a birthmark," she told him.

"You've had it all your life?" he asked.

She wondered why he was so concerned about something on her skin that was half the size of a dime. "I noticed it when I was twelve. Right around the time that I uh…" She didn't want to explain to a stranger that the mark showed up when she started maturing. "Look, it's just a birthmark. Not all people have them, but I do."

"Okay," he said, pretending to dismiss the issue, but from the look on his face I could tell he was curious about the small mark.

Maybe she'd been too defensive about her mark. Or maybe she just wanted to get home and forget what happened with the asshole back there.

"You don't look like the type to sell services. What's a girl like you working here for?" he asked.

Tania shrugged. "Money. Isn't that why we're all working here?"

"Some of us actually like it," he replied. "Don't you?"

She cast him a look of indifference. "What does it look like?"

"I don't know. Some of us like pretending and playing hard to get too, right?"

Tania wrapped her arms around herself as another gush of wind came at her. "That's not what I was doing. Anyway, I really appreciate what you did in there." She turned on her heels and fished her car keys from her handbag.

"Wait!" The bouncer followed her. "I'll walk you to your car."

Tania couldn't help but wonder what he wanted in return. Men…they all wanted something. Before she could ask him why he was being so nice to her, he pulled off his leather jacket and laid it across her shoulder.

"Thank you," she said.

The jacket brought instant warmth and comfort to her, the plush internal lining reminding her of a soft fleece blanket. Not only that, his scent surrounded her like a thick fume of cologne. He smelled of earthy air and rugged male.

"Do you work tomorrow night?"

"I don't think so. Not after that."

"Fair enough. You live around here or something? Let me guess…you're enrolled in the college," he said.

"Yes and no," she answered.

He kept up with her hurried steps with little effort. Although, she wasn't even trying to lose him. She enjoyed the company of this handsome stranger.

"I'm Noah," he said. "From Minnesota. Timber Rock, to be exact."

"Minnesota? That's a long way away."

He shrugged. "Naw, it's not the far."

"How long have you been down here?"

"Just a couple months," he said. "Where have you been hiding?"

"I haven't been hiding anywhere."

She smiled, taking him in once more under the light of the moon, which allowed her to view his complete profile. His eyes were more amber than green now. His jaws were wide. With a strong chin. He had the kind of lips that women raved about. The kind of lips that were meant for kissing all night long while in the throes of passion. Without his leather jacket, his body was in full display for her viewing. She wondered what he looked like without the clothes. He sported arms so muscular and thick that he could probably pick up logs for days. The rest of him…well…just looking at him sent a flush of heat up her spine. He was keeping her warm alright, and in more ways than one.

"May I at least have your name?" he asked, his voice sending warm pulses along her spine.

"Tania."

"Tania, you're beautiful," he said.

She grinned. "You're being extra nice."

"Can't a guy do that?" Noah exclaimed.

"Sure," she said.

"What? You're not into guys like me?"

She gave him a sideways glance. "Guys like you? Want to explain?"

"Different. Less than perfect. Arrest record over a mile long. Dodged a few misdemeanors. And maybe a felony or two," he said.

"At least I know who I'm dealing with," she stated. "The difference between you and me is that I haven't dodged any misdemeanors. I'm not very good at dodging anything, I don't think."

He stopped short. "What's that mean?"

"What do you think?" she asked, without stopping.

It didn't take him long to realize that she wasn't stopping for anyone and he caught up with her again.

"You've been arrested before?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm not a felon though. You've got me beat with that one. And most of my arrests stemmed from juvenile offenses. I was underage and did what I thought I had to just to make it."

He seemed flabbergasted, and even in the dark, she could detect the hint of curiosity that flashed in his eyes.

Tania stopped in front of a little red Honda. "Well, this is our ride."

"Our?"

"Eliana and I share the car. It's an old clunker, so we share the repair bills too…and those do come frequently," Tania said.

"Is she your sister or something?"

Tania leaned against the car. "No. She's my roommate. We got kicked out of the orphan four years ago, and we've been friends ever since."

His raised his right eyebrow. "Orphan?"

She shrugged. "Yep. Orphan."

"Oh…"

"Well, don't look at me like I'm helpless or something," she teased.

"No, that's not what I was thinking," he said. "You just don't look like the type…"

She chuckled. "A little while ago, I didn't look like the type of girl to work at a club like this and now I don't look like the type to be orphaned. Confused yet?"

He laughed. "I know we've just met, but I'd like to learn everything about you, Tania."

"I'm sure you would. In either case, I've moved beyond all that now."

"If it matters to you, I'm somewhat of an orphan myself," he said.

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. When I was just seven years old my old man left me to live with my aunt and uncle. He told them he'd be back for me after his tour overseas. Months passed. Years passed. He never returned."

"Did you try to find him?" she asked.

"Of course. I was just a kid, but I followed up with some of his workmates at the paper mill only to find out that he only spent eight months overseas, and then when he was called in for duty again, he didn't show. The military labeled him AWOL."

"So, you grew up with your cousins then?"

"Yes. They had a full house at the time. Ten kids or so. I was just one more kid running around there who they barely kept tabs on. By the time I was ten, I was hanging out on the streets. In the woods, too. Mostly in the woods."

"But you knew your parents. You knew what they looked like. You knew their names. I didn't know mine," she said.

He sighed. "Yes, in a way. My mom died after giving birth to me."

"I'm sorry that happened to you," she replied.

"In answer to your question…am I confused yet…I've been confused." He shrugged. "But that's alright. I'm making it out here just fine."

"Yes, you are. Is that why you moved here? To get away?"

"To get away? No." He shook his head. "I'm only in Aspen Valley temporarily. I'm on an assignment."

"An assignment?"

"Yeah," he said.

Tania ran her gaze over Noah's flawless physique again. Something about him was different and maybe even a little off, but that's what made him all the more intriguing.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Tania saw the back door to the nightclub open. Eliana emerged in a fit of giggles with two men coming out behind her. Leave it to Tania's best friend to lure men from out of the club, even after hours.

"Well, I have to go," Tania said, as she shrugged off his coat.

Noah placed his hand on her arm. "No, keep it. It's getting cold. I'll get it from you when I see you again."

"Thanks."

"So, does that mean you'll come back?" he asked.

"I don't know. I think tonight's experience solidified it for me. I'm not cut out for this kind of work."

"Fair enough. Where can I find you then?"

Tania's gaze flittered behind Noah to Eliana and at how happy she was. Without worry and just enjoying her life as best she could. Tania wanted that.

"I work part time at Betty Jo's cafe. I'm a waitress."

He smiled. "Perfect."

"Tania, you ready to go?" Eliana asked as she approached.

Surprisingly, the two men weren't on her tail anymore.

"Yeah," Tania said, fumbling for her keys and still unable to take her eyes off of Noah.

"I'll see you around then," Noah said, backing away from her.

"Yeah…see you around," Tania said.

Before long, he'd put so much distance between them that his body became no more than shadow as he retreated back to the night club.

Once Tania was inside the car and had the engine started, Eliana asked, "Cute guy. Who was he?"

"He said his name was Noah."

"Noah? Never heard of him. You like him, don't you?"

"I just met him," Tania said.

"So?" Eliana replied.

Tania went home that night with a grin on her face that she couldn't even hide from her best friend. The other thing she went home with was his scent from the leather jacket. He reminded her so much of what she wanted in this life. The perfect husband. A family. And security.