Page 28 of The Wild Moon
The bar itself was a public establishment, registered and all that fun stuff, but it was invite-only on weekends and occasionally during the week. That way, only trusted patrons were allowed in, meaning they could host their underground fight network without fear of reprisal from the law.
Tables that would normally be laid out in the center of the room were stacked beside the bar to create more room, and I looked idly in the mirror behind Jakoby, watching the cage. It was empty now. My fight had been the last one scheduled for the evening.
I wondered more about Mr. Unknown.Did he show up for the fight? Or just after? Why was he here, and why give me that line if he didn’t intend on saying more?
Beside me, he continued to people-watch. I chuckled internally. I was a shifter. A predator by nature, used to stalking my prey, taking the time necessary to get what I wanted. This man, he exuded the same attitude, but he wasn’ttrulya predator. He was human. If he thought I was going to grow impatient first, he was in for a rude awakening.
Or so I told myself. The truth was probably a little grayer than that.
I couldn’t deny that I was intrigued by him.
In that instant, I knew I was going to lose the battle. I’d gone and admitted to myself that I wanted to know more about him. It grated to know he’d beaten me. I didn’t like losing—even when I was paid for it—but I could be gracious about it.
“Do you have many friends here?” I asked, turning to face him.
The smug look of victory flashed through his eyes, but like a true professional, he didn’t linger on it. I tilted my head in acknowledgment, letting him know I was fully aware of the little game we’d played. I wanted him to know that I’dchosento break the silence, that my speaking wasn’t done out of ignorance.
It made me like him more. This man was a professional. Used to getting his way, perhaps, but not an asshole about it. He just enjoyed the game.
“A few,” he admitted with a tiny smile.
I swallowed against the sudden weightlessness in my stomach when he did that. I was so unprepared for my body to have that sort of reaction that I panicked and, desperate to dosomethingto stall for time, I downed the rest of my drink.
Oops.
“Just a few?” I said as the liquid burned pleasantly into my stomach.
What am I doing?
“It’s hard to make true friends in my business,” he said quietly, his eyes sweeping the rest of the bar. “So, yes, just a few. Real friends.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “People like that are too few and far between.”
“So,” Mr. Unknown said. “Will I be seeing you around here more often?”
It was my turn to smile. “I suppose you’ll have to come back and find out for yourself,” I said, deciding to play it a bit mysterious.
Mr. Unknown chuckled, the smooth, velvety sound an instant point of attraction. Was there anything about this man thatdidn’tooze sex? I swear he could crook a finger at me and I’d explode simply from imagining what he could do with it. Okay, maybe not literally, but everything about him was designed to be as beautiful as possible.
From the messy, light blond hair to the pale skin, sharp jaw and suit that he wore like a second skin. This man was dangerous. Human or not, he was an alpha predator of his kind, and I knew it. Worse,heknew it. I suspected he was holding back in giving me the full treatment, though I couldn’t figure out why.
“It’s not often someone spars with me,” he said, still smiling.
Is that what I was doing? Because it felt like I was trying my best simply to stay afloat.Maybe that’s more than he’s used to? Maybe he’s used to women simply submitting instantly, doing as he pleases.
My mind wandered, curious as to whether he had a place nearby, because a part of me wouldn’t mind submitting to him. I’d neverbeenwith a real man, and all my senses were screaming at me that this man was one. That he could do what my ex never could.
Besides, where was the harm? I could take him if he truly tried something wrong. I wasn’t going to be in any danger, and in my sex-deprived brain, that was the perfect time to submit. When it was all for fun. And pleasure. Yes, lots of pleasure, that much I knew he would give me.
Maybe life in the city doesn’t have to be as bad as I thought it would,I thought, already mentally preparing to leave with him, even though he’d not invited me.
I leaned in just a hair, eager to draw in more of his scent, that rich, oaky aroma that I’d picked up a time or two already, completely at odds with the smell of booze and stale cigars filling the rest of the room. As I did, I stiffened, my nostrils filling with another scent. One I had hoped never to smell again.
There was an Aldridge in the crowd.
Chapter Seventeen
“Is everything okay?” Mr. Unknown asked, leaning slightly closer.
