I lived a sheltered life until I met Noah. He showed me his world and how Breed lived. My father resided apart from the Breed districts, so my interactions had primarily been with humans. Because they were drawn to Shifter energy, I had to be vigilant around them. My father warned that our energy attracted the wrong sort.
I often wondered if my traits were genetic or learned behavior. While I desired to be like everyone else, I also wanted people to accept me for who I was. No one was asking the lady bending over the pool table in red pumps to be less outgoing. But people viewed shyness like a flawed characteristic that needed to be fixed.
I propped my elbow on the table and tucked my fist against my cheek. As my gaze drifted from the bar to the pool tables, it stopped on a man whose eyes were laser focused on me. His unwavering stare sent a shiver down my entire body.
The male companions at his table briefly looked my way before carrying on their conversation.
His heavenly face looked the same as I remembered when it was on top of me, behind me, and below me. I’d given him a ride one night while providing a group of strangers an escort to take Mercy to a Relic. What ensued after we were alone was otherworldly, a memory that incinerated every sexual fantasy I’d had before or since.
He was devastatingly handsome—a strong jawline; a light, sun-kissed complexion; and sensual lips that once kissed me with passion and reverence. His blond hair faded to light brown at the roots, and he styled it forward in textured chunks. It wasn’t disheveled like that night when my fingers had delightedin stroking the bristly hairs of his undercut. The style highlighted his masculine but soft features, and even from across the room, he stood out among other men.
His impeccably sculpted body remained a familiar memory in my arms. If there was an anatomy book for the perfect male specimen, that man’s picture would be in there.
I still couldn’t get over how an incredibly sexy man like him could haveeverbeen attracted to someone as quiet and ordinary as me. The way he talked, the way he moved. The way he had looked at me with ravenous eyes.
Then it hit me—I’m sitting across the room from a man I had a one-night stand with, and Noah will be here any minute!
After a gulp of air, I considered getting up and fleeing the scene. But as quickly as the thought entered my mind, the Adonis looked away.
He doesn’t remember me.
That realization sliced through my heart and gutted me like a fish. All this time, I’d held him in high regard as the greatest sexual experience of my life, and to him, I was forgettable. Just another conquest in what I presumed was a list of many.
Panic turned to disappointment, and disappointment turned to guilt.
Noah worked tirelessly to build a better life for me, and how did I show my thanks? By sleeping with some random stranger that I’d picked up on the side of the road.
One who wouldn’t even look up again.
I sipped my water and stared over my shoulder toward the door.
This is a good thing,the voice in my head chanted.If he doesn’t remember you, he can’t expose you. Noah doesn’t have to know you slept around.
Nope. That wasn’t making me feel better. Sometimes my own thoughts were intrusive and toxic.
I could never take back my mistakes. All I could do was try hard to be a better person. Noah was my first, and I didn’t know how to behave like other Shifter women. I didn’t realize how complicated relationships were—how I would be constantly tested.
I stared at the charms on my bracelet, studying each one closely and recalling what it meant. It was the only thing that centered me in uncomfortable situations.
And this level of awkward had graduated from moderate to nuclear.
“Hey, baby.” Lips touched my ear, and Noah’s hand curved around my neck. He chuckled softly. “I love it when you jump like that. Miss me?” He slid into the chair across from me and smiled at his beer.
“They’re having pot roast today. The waitress said it’s really good.”
Noah stroked his scruff after gulping down half the glass. “That’ll work.” He glanced over his shoulder, scoping out his surroundings. “Why the hell are we sitting by the door? You know I don’t like my back to a crowd.” After a swift examination, he stepped out of his seat and took my hand.
As long as I was tethered to him, I didn’t feel self-conscious. It was as if his energy channeled through our hands, giving me the confidence to meet eyes with others.
When we stopped at a booth, he gestured for me to scoot in so he could sit beside me.
“Well, you went and moved on me,” Mercy said with a hand on her hip. “Can I set you two up with the lunch special? Everything’s on the house. Pot roast, white rice, grilled corn, and French bread.”
“It smells so delicious,” I said. “We’ll have two.”
Noah gave me a peevish look before charming Mercy with a winning smile. “Do you have salad?”
Mercy touched her turquoise earring. “I suppose we have something we could put together. Do you want two of those on the side?”
