Impulse (2 page)

After what Logan did to him, of that I had no doubt
.

“That’s not it,” I said. “This is hard for me to get used to. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this serious with anyone, and it seems like a few ghosts haven’t left the graveyard.”

It was a silly reaction and I knew the reason behind it, but old habits are hard to break. Logan somehow made them breakable.

He slid the glass to the left and his brows pushed down. “This is serious for you?”

Flustered, I picked up two ice cubes and put them in the empty glass. A few dates and I was already labeling our relationship as serious? Nice move. Time to go to the tattoo shop and ink my forehead with the word “desperate.” Somewhere mid-thought, Logan rolled an ice cube over my hand and I squeaked, pulling out of reach.

He laughed darkly. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

A group of people walked by and one of the men lingered at the edge of our table. The sleeves of his blue shirt were rolled up to his elbows, displaying dark hair on his arms. He flicked his eyes between us.

“No one wants to see this,” the man snarled.

Logan sat still, staring at his plate.

“I’m sorry, see what?” I asked.

His tan face mashed together when he scowled. “You should stick to your own kind… whatever that is. Relic? Maybe—” His eyes narrowed at me. “Are you a Shifter?”

Logan’s chair scraped against the wood floor and he rose to his feet—towering over the man with resolute eyes.

“Quit pissing on territorial lines, Shifter. This is none of your business.”

The Shifter ignored him, staring down at me. “You’re a disgrace.”

My heart stammered when Logan placed his hand on the man’s shoulder and slowly pushed him until they faced one another.

“Say it again,” Logan dared in low, threatening words. “I want you to say it again and disrespect my female.”

“Your female, huh?” The Shifter bravely looked up. “Is your cock so small that you can’t get your own women to—”

Logan slapped a hand across his mouth and leaned in, nose to nose—giving the man a good look at the darkness pulsing in his eyes.

“There are no laws against what we do, only opinions. Your opinion doesn’t matter to me, but disrespecting this female does. Tip your head to her once more and I’ll place my jacket on the back of that chair and we’ll take a walk where Breed rules don’t apply. Care to discuss your opinions on this matter any further?” Logan’s nose wrinkled, drawing in a scent.

The man backed down in defeat. Obviously not an alpha Shifter, just a jackass.

Logan’s eyes slanted, as if watching me in his peripheral. “For the record, my cock can only be measured in decibels from the screams of the female it pleasures.”

I snorted and looked away as Logan turned to sit down. The man walked by me and slid his eyes down to my hips. “Keep her,” he murmured. “Nothing there to grab on to anyhow.”

My face heated with embarrassment.

Logan stopped and tilted his head—nostrils flaring. With alarming speed, he spun around and hit the Shifter with a solid fist. The man struck the wall and crumbled to the floor. Logan stood astride the man as two of his buddies hauled him off. I couldn’t be sure if it was the Shifter’s words that provoked him to violence or because he picked up my scent when I blushed. When a waiter hurried over, Logan reached in his pocket and handed him a folded bill.

And that was that.

I wasn’t appalled by the sudden burst of violence—I was flattered. He could have let it go or speared him with a few words, but Logan Cross had stood up for me and let the Shifter know that he wasn’t going to allow even a passing insult slide.

He took a seat and dipped his napkin in the glass of ice water, pressing it against his knuckle.

“I’m sorry that you had to listen to that,” he said between clenched teeth.

When the waiter walked by, I grabbed the sleeve of his shirt. “Excuse me. Could I have my wine in a paper cup?” I flashed my eyes at Logan. “Sorry, I don’t want to shatter any glasses tonight.”

He wasn’t laughing.

In fact, Logan leaned in and seized my left hand. His thumb stroked over my wrist, capturing the tick of my pulse, which readily quickened. My smile faded at the intensity of his stare and the inflection in his voice as it deepened. “Careful not to challenge me with a dare, Little Raven. I always make good on my promises.”

When he flicked his finger on a crystal glass, a note lingered between us and I flushed. I felt it all over, from the sting on my cheeks to the warmth in my chest.

His lip twitched—restraining a smile—and I pulled my hand out of his grasp and pretended that my dress needed straightening.

Logan relished these moments. Time unrolls before an immortal’s feet like a never-ending carpet, so in his eyes, he had all the time in the world to make me blush. It was a slow buildup of anticipation before we saw each other; there had been little opportunity for intimate conversation on our dates. Logan rattled my nerves and made the hairs on the back of my neck rise up with his penetrating gaze. He affected me the way sunlight does with a morning glory whenever he spoke in that manner.

In fact, Logan loved getting me flustered. I would see the glint in his eyes whenever he silenced me with his wicked tongue.

“I can’t believe he had the nerve to come right up to us and say that,” I said in disbelief.

Logan held a closed fist to his chin. “Breed will voice their opinions—especially when they think it concerns one of their own.”

“What made him think I was a Shifter?”

“It’s hard for them to tell when you don’t have any distinct features. Shifters always have their noses in other people’s business; they’re territorial. Let’s eat,” he said.

After we finished our outrageously overpriced meal, I declined dessert, insisting I was full.

“I heard something interesting,” I began, anticipating his reaction. “The Gathering is coming up.”

Logan sat back in his chair and folded his arms. When his jaw clenched, hardening the bones in his face, I realized that dessert was going to be the can of worms I just opened. The Gathering was a long-standing tradition among Chitah. Every three years, they assembled in search of their kindred spirits. They believed that each man had one Chitah soul mate. They could live a lifetime and never find her.

Many years ago, Logan married a woman who was murdered by a Mage. While she wasn’t his soul mate, he’d settled for love. He told me that most Chitah men didn’t mate until they found their kindred. A man would readily leave his family for her. Logan claimed the magnetic pull could not be ignored and no force could sever that feeling—even if she chose another man. I raised the topic because I wanted reassurance. How could I get involved with a man who would drop me like a napkin if destiny walked by in a pair of stilettos? If his kindred spirit existed, then I needed to know which of us he would choose.

“Where are you going with this, Silver?”

I set my napkin on the table. It had a faint lipstick smear and I frowned. “I think you should go.” He glowered at me and I leaned forward and spoke in a private voice. “Don’t look at me that way. If your kindred spirit is out there, then I’d rather you meet her now instead of hiding like a coward.”

“Would you be pleased if I found another?”

No, I wouldn’t. I would want to snatch her by the hair and swing her around until…

“If you believe there is a woman you would pursue until the end of time, then you have to go. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone you settled with, don’t you think?”

“This is not a winnable argument,” he said, shaking his head and pulling the collar of his jacket away from his neck. While he looked dashing in a suit, he also looked uncomfortable. “There’s no reason for me to go when I’ve already stated my intent to court you.”

“What if I said I won’t see you anymore unless you go?”

His eyes skidded to mine. “Then I would go.”

“Settled. I’m not trying to push you away. I’m protective of my feelings and if this is important among your kind, then be fair with me, Logan Cross. I don’t want to get serious with someone who’ll discard me the second he lays eyes on his soul mate. Maybe I’ll have peace knowing she hasn’t been born, or that this is nothing more than the power of suggestion and tradition. You’ll have a few drinks and… well, I don’t know what the hell goes on at those things. Karaoke?”

Logan burst out laughing and a few heads turned in our direction. “I’ll go if this pleases you, Silver. But only on the condition that you accompany me and stay away from any microphones.” He pushed an empty plate to the side.

“I thought it was exclusive?”

“They make exceptions if you’re partnered with someone.”

“Who would go with their partner? Talk about three’s a—”

“Chicken?” Logan leaned back in his chair with a confident gaze and a broad smile stretched across his face.

“Throw down the gauntlet, Mr. Cross. You and I have a Gathering to attend.”

Chapter 2

The car took an unexpected turn off the highway on our drive home
. Darkness spun around us when we exited the city, and I watched Logan apprehensively.

“Where are we going? You aren’t taking me to your secret cave, are you? Because that’s not how I roll. The dinner was expensive, but if you have some kind of expectation of payment due—”

“I would never be so crass,” he said, cutting me off.

Logan had a commanding voice, but there were times when it was a seductive purr. I found each of them to be equally attractive.

Lately, cheesecake had become my new obsession and once he found out through idle table conversation, we weren’t leaving the restaurant without it. The box rested on my lap and I drew in a deep breath, releasing a moan with my sigh.

“Are you going to keep staring at that box? Have a bite.”

“It can wait,” I mumbled.

In a quick motion, he flipped the lid open and pulled off a wedge, shoving it into his mouth.

“Hey! You’re ruining it!”

“Then have a bite,” he said with a mouthful, giving me a sideways glance. “It’s delectable… like a certain Mage I know.”

While he was still chewing on his slice, I pulled his smudgy fingers to my lips. In retrospect, I’m not sure how clever that idea really was. I took his fingertips into my mouth and sucked off the chocolate cream, my teeth scraping against his skin. Logan drew in a hard breath, and the engine roared as we picked up speed.

“Silver…
stop
,” he panted. His eyes hooded with a possessive gaze.

“You were right, Logan. It’s delicious.” In one long stroke, I licked his thumb from base to tip.

His voice deepened. “If you keep touching me like that, I’m going to touch you back.” Darkness swirled in his eyes before switching back to amber.

The car made an unsteady jerk and I freed his hand. On second thought, I’d rather make it to our destination alive than wind up tangled in the windshield because I got overzealous from a few glasses of wine.

Despite his amorous words, Logan was a gentleman. His customs were foreign, but I was learning to appreciate how Chitahs revered women. It wasn’t easy for them to have a daughter and as a result, they were very protective of their sisters, respectful to their mothers, and honor bound to their wives—or mates, as they called them.

Logan’s silver car eased off the road in the middle of nowhere. He opened the door, took my hand, and quietly led me to a dark meadow.

An oversized blanket smothered the grass in an open area. Wine, glasses, and a small basket lay at our feet while the universe covered our heads.

“What’s this all about?”

“Sit,” he requested, extending his arm.

Logan dropped to one knee, set down the box of cheesecake, and opened the wine. He filled our glasses and lit several large candles. When he removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, I noticed his muscles. They were amazingly proportioned and solid. Not big at all, but athletic. He stretched across the blanket on his left elbow, casually bending his right knee.

“Did you just see that?” I asked, pointing at a white streak that flashed across the sky.

A smile softened his eyes and a memory rushed back. When Logan protected me from Nero’s guards, I had to talk him out of his primal condition. While I’d forgotten about my ramblings of meteor showers, Logan had not. Evidently, he marked his calendar for the next big show and orchestrated this entire evening. It was something I’d never experienced, and he was giving it to me on a silver platter.

I set my glass on a flat tray and placed my hand on his chest. “Are you trying to give me the stars?”

Logan’s chin lifted imperceptibly and he began to purr. That natural ability was a mystery, but it had to do with how the blood flowed through his chest and larynx. I felt it strongly around his neck and it rumbled in his chest. When that wonderful sound poured out of him, I wanted to curl against his body. He captured a lock of my hair between his fingers while keeping a steady gaze on me.