Dragon Star (A Shifter Football League Novel) (22 page)

“You'll need to turn around and promise not to look.”

Agreeing, Jax turned around. But then Mia paused, her fingers on the strap of her dress.

“Wait, what did you say? When did I see you naked?” she asked.

“When I shifted. You must've seen something.”

“I saw your cute butt, if that's what you're implying.”

“Did you really?” he asked, his voice husky, sounding worried.

Mia stifled a laugh. “Calm down, I didn't see anything. I was too freaked out. All I remember seeing is a bunch of muscle turning into a big furball. It was hard to make out heads or tails.”

“Get in here. This cute butt is waiting impatiently. This cute butt doesn't know how much longer it can wait, being so cute. God,
cute
. No one's ever called me cute before.” He rolled his eyes as he back-stroked.

“I didn't call you cute. I called your butt cute.”

“You know what I mean...” he growled.

It still sounded like he kind of liked it. “Keep your eyes closed,” she warned him. Then she got to it. She worked quickly.

Mia stood exposed in her plum bra and panties, picked for the date. If Jax turned around, he'd get an eyeful. Her curves were on blast, the hip hugging panties accentuating the V down to her sex – aching, tightening, needing Jax, no matter how much she told it to stop.

Usually, it wasn’t a problem. Now it was like her pussy had a mind of its own. She had been ready to call that part of her a lost cause. Not now.

She did a running leap toward the pool. She felt awkward since she'd gained so much weight from her sedentary office job. Not like it was a new thing, since it was something that Mia wanted to change for many years, but it never happened.

Earlier, Jax said he liked girls with curves in all the right places. His heady look hinted that he was talking about Mia, but she couldn't be sure, nor would she assume.  It was best to take the leap, dunk herself under, and hope that Jax didn't see much.

That’s exactly what she did. The jump wasn’t exactly graceful, though. It was more like a cannonball.

When she came up for air, Jax was soaked, and she was laughing, trying to stifle it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to splash you.”

“I ought to dunk you back under for that.” He started toward her. She squealed, fearing what would happen if he snatched her.

“No, don’t put me under,” she screamed.

“Fine,” he said with one swift charge, lifting her from underneath. “I’ll help keep you up, then.”

Mia wanted to right away tell him that this wasn’t any better. Except she met his stare. Her fussing stopped. So did her screaming. She was silent. Still. She knew that she could never tell him to unclasp his arms. It simply felt too right.

Then the spark set light, and she was consumed in that erotic fire that she’d tried so hard to dismiss. There was no dismissing this.

The longer she didn’t respond, the more obvious it became that they were sharing anything but a romantic embrace. Mia was about to wriggle her way free, or attempt to wriggle out of Jax’s burly hold, once she feared that he’d been confused, rather than on the same page…

As she started, he pulled her closer, snatching her lips with his. It was madness. It was magic. It was a few seconds of horny clashing, their tongues entwining, rubbing, and flicking, and her thighs even jerking, then becoming a feverish humping for more. When he broke away, she was still swimming in those pools of honey, still gaping at him, unsure what she’d do next, or what he’d make her do.

His grip tightened on her hips. Mia couldn’t understand the way he looked at her. Did he want everything? So soon? She couldn’t give him that...couldn’t give him her womb....that was what he wanted, wasn’t it? That lustful, blazing look told her he wouldn’t be satisfied with a kiss, but would go all the way, until there was nothing left for her to give.

Mia, pregnant, on the first date?

She could’ve laughed...if she didn’t think it was possible.

Instead, she tore free.

“That’s enough, Jax. Don’t think this changes anything,” she said. She almost wanted to retract it right away.

But she didn’t.

“It doesn’t change a thing. You’re still mine,” he growled.

She scurried off to the edge of the pool, where it was safe, far away from Jax. Scary, pushy, Jax. “We still have business to discuss,” she said sternly as he rose out of the pool, like Poseidon himself.

Jeez. He was big. It looked like he was swimming around in a foot of bath water once he stretched and looked down upon her.

“Go,” he said, fire in his eyes, but now for all the wrong reasons. “I was right about you, and your clan. Bad blood. The lot of you.”

That stung. But Mia didn’t want to leave yet. Now that he turned her away, she wanted to fight to stay.

Had she said too much?

Maybe she should’ve known better than to turn down a proud bear.

“Go,” he said again, this time, pointing to the edge of the woods.

“Go where?” she asked. She shrugged quite helplessly. There was nowhere to go. They’d gotten there by truck, then a long walk through the woods, and by the time she would get back, it’d be dusk.

There was no way he could be that cruel to send her through the dark woods alone.

Jax tore from the pool, climbing out, upon which she could gaze upon all of his wet, shimmering muscles. Too bad they would be off limits. He looked really hot right now.

“I’ll walk you to the edge of the woods. Then one of your house pets can drive you home,” Jax said in a huff. She hurried, clutching her clothes to keep up with him.

How had she managed to screw something up with such a hot guy? The first guy she’d actually enjoyed kissing for once?

Maybe that was it, she realized, as she lunged ahead to keep up with his long strides. Maybe Mia was terrified of actually falling for someone.

This land...and Jax...were magic, and magic was something that Mia had long ago stopped believing in.

* * *

J
ax watched
her leave from the edge of the woods. Despite his flared temper, it was still hard to see her off without driving her there himself. The need to protect his mate, to right all wrongs between them, was strong still, and it reminded him that they were made for each other.

Or perhaps, he thought now, she had cursed him.

The bear gods were cruel. They had given him a love that didn’t understand him, that cared about nothing more but cold and calculating business. Only cared about getting ahead by any means.

Whoever picked her up sped off in a squeal of brakes in their tiny mid-sized car.

With her presence vanishing into the distance, her power over him slowly lifted, and in its place came waves of displeasure. He had a sense that all was not right, an unsettledness in his gut that was impossible to shake.

This would sometimes happen whenever he thought of his mate, but now it was enough to bring him to his knees.

Instead of dropping, he let what strength he had take over, and he shifted.

Once again, he was wild and carefree. Once again, the influence that Mia had on him was gone as he whipped past the dark maze of trees, far into the woods. The moon usually cast its glow through the treetops, yet this night, it was cloudy. Jax might as well have been running blind, if it wasn’t for his excellent sense of smell.

Snuffling, trudging, he galloped through the ancient trees. His senses were heightened, and he felt very much alive, and his mate’s name didn’t even cross his mind once while he broke through the Tall Trees and onto the steeper climb up the rocky mountains.

He dug into the rocks with his powerful, yet adept paws. Jax was massive, barreling forward, the momentum and his sheer strength allowing him to easily climb the craggy path, when a human looking at him might believe due to his size that he would be slow. He was anything but.

Jax reached a rocky ledge. He stopped to sniff and look out into the night.

The ancient trees were still so tall that he needed to lift his heavy head to see the tops. He started to, but a need welled inside of him that told him to keep running. He wasn’t exhausted yet. He needed to be exhausted.

Now, the beast had taken over. Jax let his animal side run free, and that’s exactly what it did. His bear charged up the path, worn by so many shifters climbing the mountain. Wild, thorny berry bushes stuck out from the yellow grassy sides of the path, yet they couldn’t penetrate his thick hide.

Where was the water? The rushing water with its leaping salmon, that would surely calm this emptiness inside him? An urgency stabbed at him, and he lowered his head, charging ahead, his hind legs burning with how much exertion he was putting them through. When he got to the top of the mountain, Jax didn’t stop to take in the scenery.

Below, a river, teeming with salmon, bubbled and called him. They would be harder to catch in the dark, but Jax was up for midnight fishing.

Once he got to the river, snatched the first salmon in his jaws, and tore into it, Jax wasn’t satisfied.

That was unnatural. And alarming.

His bear roared its displeasure. The roar bounded off the tall wall of mountain, and when it came back to him, he could hardly believe it had come from him.

He didn’t know where to go. The night was still young, but he didn’t think that would matter. With no choices left, he ran ahead, following the stream, but not long after he realized he might be going mad, and by then, it was too late.

He blacked out.

* * *

J
ax woke
as his bear snarled and growled at chirping birds. Even the sound of the pattering stream bothered his head. The bird that he’d snarled at, bounced on its feet, quirked its head at him, and then jumped onto his head. He shook it and it fluttered off.

A bird mocking you was a bad way to start the day.

He shifted back into a human. Sitting on his knees, he peered around at his surroundings. Black Bear Peak was far away. He’d done a lot of running last night. Apparently, he’d passed out, since he didn’t remember anything, only that he’d tried to catch some fish but had been unsatisfied.

Like a bad hangover, memories came seeping in, memories that he wished he could’ve forgotten in some drunken stupor, but were still fresh wounds.

Jax started back toward the village. If he was lucky, they’d think that he’d stumbled onto some of the Black Bear Moonshine and had a night of drunken abandon. If he was lucky.

If he was unlucky, they’d think he was going mad, just like his father. The bear who had given them all such bad names, who had done some unspeakable things and tarnished their reputation for years.

Jax walked into more trouble in the village. There was commotion that he could hear from miles away, but he didn't want to shift again. Didn't trust himself to shift. That was quite unlike him, and extremely worrisome, like he'd been neutered in his sleep. Today was just a bad day, he told himself. Tomorrow, I'll shift again, and it will all be fine. No worries about mates or losing my mind. No worries at all.

"We've got to do something," someone shouted as he emerged through the sparse woods, onto the dirt path that led to the main path on which most of the homes presided.

Jax hurried along. As head alpha of the entire clan, it was his responsibility to keep everything running smoothly. Of course, it figured, as soon as he was away for a night, everything went to hell.

Where was Keith? Usually that old bear could keep the peace.

Troy stood out from the crowd. He was standing on top of a tree stump and waving his hands frantically, stirring up the mob.

"It's either we fight back or they take everything from us."

"Hold on right there," Jax said flatly. Everyone spun around and hushed.

He looked down, and saw he was still naked, his cock swinging back and forth. Shifters were used to nakedness. Many of them standing there had seen him naked before, but a few of them hadn't. His cheeks began to burn in embarrassment.

"Where have you been?" Troy asked. Jax didn't like his tone. The low grumble, a warning, clearly stated this to Troy.

"I've been late night fishing."