Dragon Star (A Shifter Football League Novel) (20 page)

“A bond hard to describe. Like the bond that links us with these woods, but much more intense. I’ve got this need to protect her, to take care of her for the rest our days, but it’s insanity, we’ve only just met. And the words I’ve heard come from those lips.” He pushed back from the table. “How could such words come from my mate?”

“What words?” Jenny placed the tea next to him. It was luke-warm, just how he liked it. He had trouble understanding how women like his sister could drink scalding hot tea, it was like a silly little superpower. He started sipping away at it, and his troubled creases softened as a broad smile broke free.

“She wants to develop a planned community here. She’ll house us, probably away from all the other normies. Put a big development up, and we'll have roads and fast food and maybe even a mall.”

Jen flinched. “She's in charge? Since when?”

“Probably since her father tried to illegally cut down a forest and all the bad press forced him to resign.”

“That'll do it. Yep. Oh, you are right. You're very right. This is bad. Bad, bad, bad...” She paced around the room, reminding Jax of himself.

“I don't think my bear is right,” Jax said, hanging his head low. The admission pulled him toward a dark pit of depression.

“Your bear is fine,” she told him, shaking his shoulders.

“How can we be sure? Did Dad know he was going crazy? Or did he deny it to the end?”

Her eyes shimmered with the beginning of tears, and Jen’s grip on his shoulder weakened. Jax wanted to let his sister have his seat. Talking about their father always seemed to hit her hard. It bothered him that he'd even brought it up. Every time he did, it was like a punch to his gut as well.

“You're not like him at all. Don't say that. Don't you ever say that.”

“Then she must be my mate.”

“We'll get to the bottom of this,” she said, reinvigorated. “Give me your paw.”

“Give you my paw? Why?” He slipped his hand underneath the table. What sort of nonsense was this?

Jen crossed her arms sternly. “Just do it. You want to figure out why your bear is so disturbed, don't you? Let me do a paw reading.”

He squinted with one eye, the other bulging. “Paw reading? You've officially gone mad, sis. Maybe we should be talking about
your
mate.”

She hid a grin and pointed to the ground in front of her. Fine. Jax would do it. Only because he was out of options. Jenny could brew some delicious tea, and he'd heard other bears talk about her “witchy powers”, so why not allow her to do a reading? It might help him make up his mind, even if he didn't believe in all of it.

Jax stood, made space, then shifted into his black bear. The next image he had was of the quaint house being much smaller than he remembered. Not fazed at all, Jenny held her hand out, asking for his massive bear paw.

His paw fell in her hand. His instincts resisted, but he settled his animal urges and focused on keeping it outstretched – such a human thing to do. Jenny seemed to have trouble keeping the heavy paw up.

“You've got one heavy paw. Maybe this was a bad idea,” she wheezed. She dragged it over toward the table and dropped it like a ton of bricks on top. Jax kept it rested there and snorted his displeasure.

She began to trace the smoothness of his heel. He winced and pulled away a little.

“Don't be a baby, Jax.”

He growled. His sister was the only one who could get away with calling him a baby.

“Hmm,” she mumbled, her brows furrowed in concentration. Jax growled again, as if saying, “Hruh?” She shook her head and ignored him, continuing her reading. When Jax did it again, she shushed him.

“Okay,” she said after drawing her conclusions. “Take your paw off the table and shift back.”

Jax did. His sister had turned away to let him get dressed again.

“You're not crazy. What
is
crazy is not listening to your bear. Your bear is very upset with you.”

Clothes on, Jax fell into the chair and kicked his legs out with a long sigh. “You're kidding me. That girl can’t be my fucking mate.” He paused, then craned his neck at Jen. “Where'd you learn to do that, anyway?”

“I don't like the skepticism in your tone. Your bear was clear.” Jen frowned at him. “You know what happens to people who don't listen to their bear. Dad didn't suddenly go crazy. He refused to listen to his bear's needs for years like a stubborn ass. It was a long process, and I don't want to see you go down the same path. I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

She pointed to the door. “I
refuse
to see you go down that path. You’ve always acted like a stubborn ass like he was, but I always thought you were better than that. You need to leave. The next time I see you, I expect to hear that you've claimed your mate.”

“All right, all right,” Jax grumbled as he got up.

He grinned sheepishly at her. Bothering his sister was an old game that he never grew tired of. “I can't believe I'm saying this, but thanks for the paw reading.”

“You don't really mean that. Go, Jax. For real, I don't want to see you until I know you've listened to your bear.”

He turned around at the doorway. Stretching from the frame, he peered in at her. “Don't worry, sis. I would never let that happen to me if I could stop it. You know that.” She peered back at him and didn’t respond.

Jax rolled his eyes before he took off, saying under his breath, “It could’ve been anyone. It had to be her.”

Mia. It had to be Mia.

* * *

T
he last time
Mia had lived here she'd been a young teen. She remembered hating it back then. She’d wanted more. More excitement. More things to do. More people. More of everything. Now, she relaxed in the backyard with the fall foliage, reading a book, sipping some coffee, enjoying everything that she had detested years ago.

Mia worked in Boston watching over the corporate offices. Her father dealt with most of the big business deals, instead she was tasked with keeping watch on everyone, like some kind of inside snitch. They paid her well, but she always wished for different responsibilities.

Now she had more than she could handle.

The meeting with Jax had been two days ago, and she still had no clue how to move forward. Eventually, she would need to put her book down, develop a game plan, and act on it. For now, she remained sitting on the stone patio, sucking in the steamy aroma of hot coffee and crisp autumn breezes and loving it.

Far away from Boston, all the madness seemed like it didn't even exist – like she had years to make up her mind. It was alarming how calming the woods were. Much of the land farther from the house hadn't fared well due to early logging practices, but it was clearly much less hectic than inner city Boston.

“Excuse me, Mis-Mia,” the housekeeper said. Mia instructed him to call her by Mia, instead of Miss or Ma’am. She hated Ma’am. It always made her feel old, made her think about how she wasn't married yet, hadn't found the one.

“Yes?” she asked, turning around, hair prickling at the nape of her neck.

“There's someone here to see you.”

“Who is it?”

“They wouldn't tell me their name.” The housekeeper, a lanky man with black-rimmed glasses, nodded toward the front of the house. “He said he was here to discuss business. He's a very large man.”

“With a beard and a rough voice?”

He nodded and smiled now. “Yes.”

“And he's in a foul mood?”

“I do believe so. Would you like me to tell him that you'll meet him another time?” A grin started to creep on his lips.

Did he think that they were in a relationship?

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Mia said.

Fear gripped her. Her stomach churned, but she still stood up and placed her book down and walked around the house to the driveway to meet Jax.

He waited for her there, looking tall, wide, and very defiant.

Mia ran her nails through her hair to straighten it in a jiffy, then stopped before him while taking a big gulp.

“Hello, Jax,” she said, her voice cracking in the beginning. “Have you come here to agree to the deal?”

“So we can all live in monstrosities like this?”

He nodded his chin toward the three-story home with its vast acreage. The home went for millions. It wasn't Mia's. Her father made it clear she would need to earn her wealth. And she always wanted something more cozy, anyway.

“Something like this. Yes. A little cozier, and less extravagant, but yes. A house.”

Jax gazed up at it in disbelief. “Ever stop and think about what you're doing to the world in your quest for comfort?”

“Please, don't talk down to me. You must've come here for a reason.”

Jax scratched his beard – that neatly trimmed beard that Mia thought about rubbing herself against. How could someone so mean look so cuddly? Cuddly and...sexy. The perfect combo, like his sole purpose on this Earth was to give orgasms, then wrap girls in his capable arms afterwards.

Mia snapped out of it.

Jax seemed to be just as concerned. Something had changed in him, something that softened him, something that Mia couldn't place.

He said, “You're the one who asked if I changed my mind. I suppose a simple ‘no’ would've worked.”

“That’s right.”

“No. The answer is no. And forever it will be no as long as I live.”

She turned on a heel and expected to head back to her reading. “Then I'm not sure why you came here.” Of course, reading would be difficult with all the anger boiling inside her.

“Wait.”

“Huh?” She spun back around.

Jax's nostrils flared. His shoulders shrugged, muscle rippling underneath his thin t-shirt. It looked like the hard ass bear was about to break.

“I did come here for a reason.”

“A reason other than turning me down again?”

“Yes,” he stated, and he took two steps forward, effectively placing him one step away from Mia with his giant strides.

“I've never really done this before. Where do I start?” he asked no one in particular. He peered off into the treetops as if asking them for the answer.

Get on with it. You are really starting to annoy me, bear. You're pushing my buttons, and I am not in the mood right now.

“You should come with me to the Park, check it out,” he lingered.

“I already have all the information I need.”

“No, I mean...check it out...with me.” He tugged at his beard. What the hell? “I’d like it if you’d...I don’t normally do this so formally.”

“Wait, are you asking me out?” Mia blurted. She bit down on her lip. Hard.

Yikes….
the realization hit her like a bolt of lightning, and she must’ve looked struck senseless.

“I’m not asking you out. I’m asking you to come with me and enjoy a night out at the Park.”

She wasn’t convinced. “It sounds like you’re asking me out.”

He about tore his beard off he tugged it so hard. “Sure, I’m asking you out. If that’s what you want to call it.”

A rush of blood ran through her as she thought about being close to Jax. Him asking her out, even if he didn’t want to call it that, had come as a complete shock.

“No, not happening. If that’s your best attempt…”

“Sorry, I didn’t want to scare you. The truth is…” he started as he cut off her escape. His massive torso, his thick legs, and his seemingly never-ending shoulders filled all of her vision. Jax sucked her into his caramel eyes, his vicious lips, gleaming with the hint of a white, hot-blooded smile.

This man could go from cold to hot in an instant.

“Why I didn't say anything earlier is because I don't usually ask. This is a new thing for me, and the way I act around you is something new, too. With that body of yours and that smile, you've got my full attention. So take my offer. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'm going to have to tell you everything I want to do to you, and seeing how flustered you're getting right now, I don't want to scare you more than I already have.”

The words somehow escaped her mouth. “Good idea.”

“Then it's settled. I'll pick you up here at three tomorrow. We'll make this an all day thing.”

“All day?” Maybe he was telling the truth when he said he never went on a date before. This was the weirdest request she'd ever heard, but Mia found it charming. And she was curious.

He'd been right, too. Those words burned Mia up. She wanted to race inside and bury her face in the freezer.

“That time is fine. Pick me up then.”

“Three,” he repeated.

“Three,” Mia parroted as she retreated. She kept repeating it in her mind.

When she saw that bear again, the last thing she would have expected was for him to come onto her. What she expected was for the bear to eat her alive. But the way he looked at her with pure lust left her even more confused about the deal she needed to make.

Mia headed inside, dropped on her bed, closed her eyes, and tried to imagine a solution…and hoped that the world would stop spinning so fast.

Three. She’d get to see Jax again at three.