The smell of stale smoke and cheap whiskey filtered through the door before she reached it. Any other time, she would have turned away and saved her sensitive nose the trauma, but she couldn’t stop, not now. He had made his choice, and now she was making hers, not that he had given her any other option. Sighing, she opened the heavy wooden door. She would endure yet another evening of endless propositions, leering glances from the men, and scathing looks from the women. It was almost laughable. If only they knew, she had no desire to have any of them, not a single smelly, disgusting one.
It was crowded, more so than the other nights. With the weekend approaching, the good—and not so good—people of Glen Farley were out in droves. The loud din of drunken voices had her wishing there was another way, but the way he kept running from her, she couldn’t afford to wait. For once, she was glad the little town wasn’t bigger with more nighttime entertainment options. It didn’t matter that seeing her with that woman had torn her heart in two, or that nothing she’d ever find could replace what they could have had. She had to do what was right for her. She would release him and be done with it.
Chapter 2
Why had he let Luke talk him into coming out? Brycen tipped his bottle back, letting the cool beer slide down his throat. It wasn’t that he didn’t like to go out and have fun, but he wasn’t in the mood. In fact, his foul mood hadn’t lifted since his meeting with Alexandra in the woods. The woman had all but goaded his mate into attacking. Had the she-dragon taken the bait, nothing he could have done would have stopped her from killing the idiot in her rage. He should have stepped aside and let her become she-dragon fodder for her idiocy alone. Of course, he wouldn’t have, but after the stunt she’d pulled, she would have deserved it.
Had he known after all these years he would find his mate, no amount of money would have been enough to convince him to take this job. But the fact was he had, and until it was done, he had no choice but to keep Alexandra safe.
Brycen had yet to lay eyes on her, but she smelled like heaven, and she was looking for him. Once this job was over, he would be free to go to her. He would grovel and beg forgiveness, and he wouldn’t stop until she accepted his claim. He just had to stay away from her for one more week, and then all bets were off.
Luke came back to the table with a tall brunette hanging on one arm, and an overly done blonde on the other. “Look what I found at the bar.”
Brycen lifted one eyebrow. “I thought you were going for more beer.” All he wanted to do was go back to the forest to finish his mission until his week was up, not deal with bimbos and drunkards.
“I was, but these two lovely ladies were standing there all alone with no place to sit, and since we have two empty seats, I thought I’d escort them back to the table before getting our drinks.” He brought the brunette to his side of the table, claiming her for his own before settling the blonde next to him. “This is Julie, and that lovely lady is Christine. Keep them entertained while I get those beers.” He winked at the girls before heading back to the bar.
Damn Luke for trying to set him up. He had nothing to say to these women, neither of them elicited a response anywhere near what just the scent of his mate did in him, but he wasn’t a total bastard. He cleared his throat. Just then, a tingle starting at the base of his skull slid down his spine to land hot and heavy in his groin. The door swung open, allowing fresh air to carry the scent that tormented him day and night straight to him. Shit. He had to get out before she realized he was there.
The blonde next to him shimmied closer and put her hand on his upper thigh. He hadn’t even realized she’d been talking, much less putting such a possessive move forward. He was going to kill Luke. “I’m sorry, ladies, I have to run.” He shoved his stool back, letting her hand drop from his lap, fully intending to leave without saying another word, but his friend sat him down again.
“Hey, wait. She’s here. That new singer everyone is raving about is coming on. Stay for a while. I heard her a few nights ago. I still can’t get her sexy voice out of my head.”
The brunette huffed, but stayed where she was, then smiled at Luke when he winked at her.
“Man, I can’t. I have to go. You guys have fun, though.” He made to stand again, but then a woman walked up the darkened stairs to the stage, and he froze. If he tried to leave now, she would spot him as he passed the stage on the way to the door. Damn it. Fuck. Damn it. Maybe there was a back door to this dive, and he could sneak out that way. When she stepped into the spotlight, he froze.