Tempting His Mate(3)
There was such a strong, commanding note in his voice that she felt it all the way to her toes. For once in her life Ella decided to take what she wanted. To not be what her parents and her pride expected of her. “Well, thank you. Listen, I’m leaving and…” Oh, no, her courage was failing. She couldn’t just proposition a guy. It wasn’t in her DNA to be that bold. How would she even ask? “So, just…thank you.”
Feeling lame, she turned to the bar and grabbed her purse, but before she’d taken a step, her tall wolf was there, leaning against the bar and completely invading her personal space without even touching her. He wasn’t as tall as she’d originally thought. Everyone was tall compared to her though. He was probably five feet ten, and those shoulders…her fingers itched to run over them.
“My name’s Asher,” he rumbled in that deep voice and she realized she’d been blatantly staring.
“I’m Ella.” And she wasn’t going anywhere, she realized. Not until she got a taste of this sexy male. Something told her one taste wouldn’t be nearly enough.
Chapter 2
One week later
Asher Kincaid stared at a drip of condensation rolling down the neck of his green beer bottle as he waited for Max and Grant to return to their high top table. Until a couple days ago Asher hadn’t seen Grant in over five years, but it was good to know his cousin was so happy. And all because of a human female. Well, she wasn’t human anymore now that they’d officially mated—and married per her human customs.
Glancing around, he frowned, wondering where the hell they’d gone to. Then he spotted Max McCray, second-in-command to Grant, sauntering toward him, beer in hand and a shit-eating grin on his face.
Max slid onto one of the stools across from him. “Sorry, Lauren’s here, had to stop by her table.”
Asher stared at his old friend, unable to believe the transformation in him. And all because Max was mated now. Asher glanced over at the table where the cute jaguar shifter and some of Grant’s female pack members were sitting and laughing.
The Sunset Martini Bar was a lot different from the Crescent Moon Bar where he’d been in the past, though they were both owned by Grant’s pack. The Kincaid pack. Asher had never been in the Sunset Martini Bar until now. Red and purple-hued overhead lights illuminated everything, creating a dim, soft glow around the place. Instead of just high-top tables there were thick microfiber chairs in a roped off section where people could drink and talk in a quieter setting. Jazz music filtered through the speakers, adding to the relaxed atmosphere. Not exactly his style but now he realized that Grant and Max had wanted to meet there because their ladies would be there.
“It’s good to see you so happy,” Asher murmured, pushing down the twinge of jealousy that burgeoned up inside him. It made him feel like a dick. He’d been happy once and he’d let his mate down. It didn’t matter that a hundred years had passed. He’d fucked up and nothing could bring her back. A decent male would be happy for his friend.
Max nodded. “Thanks, man. I’m glad you’re joining our pack. Can’t believe how long it’s been since we’ve seen you. Didn’t think you’d ever want to settle down.”
Asher had been contemplating this move for a while. After living the life of a lone wolf for almost a century, he was beyond exhausted. He had enough money to last ten lifetimes and if he wanted, he could start his own pack. But he’d never be happy as an alpha. It was a lot of responsibility and after letting down his mate, hell, he didn’t deserve to have that many people depend on him. He didn’t even deserve a mate.
Though the petite blonde he’d met a week ago had made him seriously reconsider his self-imposed lone-wolf status. He’d felt such a strong connection to the curvy, traffic-stopping woman—stronger than he’d ever felt with anyone—one that he’d never imagined and he’d wondered if maybe… He took a swig of his beer. No need to even go there. After a night of non-stop sex she’d skipped out on him while he’d been in the shower. She’d told him she was going to get them breakfast but had never come back. At first he’d been worried but then he’d seen her fucking note and just been pissed.
“Whoa, man, what’s up?” Max’s concerned voice cut through his thoughts.
Asher blinked and focused on his friend. That’s when he realized his claws had extended and he’d sliced into the glass bottle. Not all the way through, but there were five perfect claw marks in it. Glancing around, he breathed a sigh of relief that no one had noticed him. This might be a shifter hang out, but humans frequented the posh place too. “Nothing, sorry. Where’d Grant get off to anyway? I thought you two wanted to do this sit-down tonight?” They’d wanted to go over Asher’s transition into the Kincaid pack in a casual setting. Times were changing and when he’d contacted Grant about joining, Asher had been surprised by how fast his cousin agreed. But the alpha had a prime territory and had been ambushed by some vamps about a year ago. It hadn’t been a targeted attack against his territory, but something like that happening wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities.