She tested the drink and smiled. “It’s great. Thanks.” The cocoa was sweet and the schnapps created a minty heat in the pit of her stomach. She wrapped both hands around the mug, greedily absorbing the warmth.
“Why do you hate motorcycles? Lots of people are afraid of them but you seemed almost hostile.”
The past tugged at her heart, threatening to shatter her fragile composure. Tonight had been enough of a nightmare without adding memories to the mix. “My fiancé was killed on a motorcycle.” She forced the fact out without allowing her soul to register the loss. “If he’d been in a car when he was hit, he might have survived.”
Jake nodded and compassion lit his gaze. “I’m sorry. That must have been horrible.”
She accepted his statement with a nod and raised her mug to her lips. The past could not be changed and right now the future required her full attention.
“How’s your brother doing?” Jake returned the schnapps to the freezer then gathered what he needed to make her sandwich. “He was still unable to transform last time I talked to Erin.”
Taking a long, slow sip, she decided what to tell him. The rebels had been searching for one of their own when they stumbled upon Dhane in a secluded laboratory. The female cat they’d been searching for was there as well, but Dhane still owed the rebels his life. Jake probably knew more of the details than she did, so there was no reason to lie. Still, it felt odd to share secrets with a cat.
“Landon has been keeping Lexxie informed and Lexxie tells me. It’s too dangerous for Landon to call me directly.”
“Have they made any progress?”
A faint smile curved his lips and Heather realized she hadn’t answered his original question. “His shifts are still spontaneous. Or actually he can intentionally shift into a wolf, but he has no control over when he shifts back.”
“That would be…inconvenient.”
“To say the least.”
“How long have you known Lexxie?” His lips finally parted as he assembled her sandwich.
She wasn’t fooled by his casual tone. There was a wealth of meaning in the question. “We grew up together. She’s like a sister to me.”
He glanced at her, eyes suddenly vivid green, before he turned back toward the counter. “She’s quite a character. Very talkative.” He crossed the kitchen and handed her the plate supporting a massive sandwich then returned for his mug of hot chocolate.
She laughed. “Are you going to help me eat this?”
Pulling out the stool next to hers, Jake joined her at the bar. “You said you were hungry. Satisfying appetites is what I do.”
“So I’ve heard.” She quickly took a bite of the sandwich to hide her smile.
“I was talking about the tavern.” He ran his index finger down her arm, drawing her gaze back to his face. “What were you talking about?”
Awareness arced between them, tense and electric. She’d felt this crackling pulse before but it had never been so powerful. “Lexxie mentioned your fondness for casual relationships.” She tried to minimize the inference but suspected it was too late.
His brows arched then he raised his mug to his lips. After taking a nice long sip, he licked the residue and looked into her eyes. “And Lexxie is a dependable source for information?”
Damn. She really didn’t want to go down this particular road. Admitting she knew what he and Lexxie talked about made her look like a coconspirator. She wasn’t here to be seduced. Was she? She took a deep breath and whispered, “She has a tendency to exaggerate.”
He chuckled and took another drink. “Oh I don’t know. Sometimes her observations are surprisingly insightful.”
“You don’t know her as well as I do.” She swiveled toward the bar and picked up the other half of the sandwich.
He watched her eat as he sipped his hot chocolate. She could feel his gaze on her but didn’t look at him. She was only here for one night. It didn’t make sense to start something she wasn’t prepared to finish. Jake was tempting as hell. She was the first to admit she was attracted to him, but indulging that attraction was just plain foolish.
“Will any of the other packs offer you shelter?”
Rather than carelessly dismiss the possibility, she took a moment and ran through the various packs. Her father was network Prime, which meant he was the most powerful canine alpha. “There are two pack alphas who resent my father’s power. They might be willing to shelter me just to spite him.”
He shook his head. “You’d be right back where you started. Any of your father’s enemies would force a mating bond or worse.”