STORY EXCERPT

“Need a top up?” a deep voice asked.

“What?” Jasper looked up and stared. It was rude, but he couldn’t help himself. 

The largest and sexiest man he’d ever seen sauntered up to him, and Jasper didn’t even hear or sense him approach. He must be some kind of shifter, and judging by the interested but hungry look in the stranger’s eyes, he was of the predatory sort. 

At six feet three, this guy towered over Jasper. Every inch of the stranger looked chiseled in muscle and black ink. Jasper swallowed, dragging his gaze from the rough and handsome face and further down. Seeing the bulge in the stranger’s jeans, he could feel color rising to his cheeks. What would this man think of him now? 

Sweat beaded down his back. Jasper recalled tales of humans who looked at shifters wrong and how they ended up. The exact opposite happened.

“You like what you see, little human?” 

God, that deep and husky voice melted his insides. The shifter had tempting lips, too, but there was an edge of cruelty there, the promise of dominance Jasper secretly craved. None of the men he’d dated had been able to give Jasper what he needed. Why did he feel this stranger could fulfill all his dark desires? 

Fantasies of being dominated by a powerful shifter worthy of his submission weren’t healthy. Those kinds of dreams would get him in trouble with his father, but Roman Haddock wasn’t here. That knowledge bolstered his confidence. His heart thumped. Jasper already broke one rule by coming here. Couldn’t he break a few more? 

Like Peter said, this was a one-time thing. This would never happen again. They couldn’t afford to slip out of Faith Valley again.

Realizing the shifter was waiting for an answer, Jasper said, “And if do?” 

He let out a breath when the stranger closed one huge hand on his chin, tipping it, forcing Jasper to look at those dark eyes laced with gold. Jasper had heard of this phenomenon, that shifters eye’s changed color to that of their beast when strong emotions rode them. 

“I thought you were a timid, little thing. I scented you the moment you came in with your friend. Your friend hunted for a hook-up, but you remained in the shadows.”

The fact this man confessed to scenting the way an animal marked its prey should alarm him, but it only heightened his excitement. 

“I don’t usually do this kind of thing.” Realizing he blurted those embarrassing words out loud, Jasper could feel his blush deepening. 

“Baby, that’s not hard to tell.” The shifter began stroking one callused thumb across the side of his chin, the motion distracting. “What’s your name, little human?”

“Jasper.” 

Why did he do that? Peter and he agreed to use pseudonyms just to be safe so no one could trace their way back to them. According to Peter, it wouldn’t matter anyway. People who came to Club Claw weren’t looking for anything permanent. Search, fuck, and leave. Those had been Peter’s exact, crude words.

“Sean.”

“No last name?” 

“You didn’t offer yours. So, can I buy you another beer? Unless we’re both clear on what we both want and we can skip to what we came for.” 

“What we came for?” Jasper repeated. Part of his mind couldn’t believe this gorgeous specimen of a man was still talking to him. 

In response, Sean grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled their lips together. The kiss was explosive, waking something inside Jasper he didn’t know existed. His very animal clawed at the surface, but he wasn’t a shifter. Was this desire then? Sean moved his hand to the nape of his neck, sucking and nipping his bottom lip. 

Jasper had never been kissed this way, all heat and demand. He could only respond, liking a little roughness, a little bite of pain. When Sean pulled away after giving him a glimpse of heaven—or hell. Jasper couldn’t tell. He panted. Jasper showed the shifter the plea in his eyes and even rubbed his body against the shifter without an ounce of shame. 

Good God. What was happening to him? It seemed common sense went right out the window ever since Sean entered his line of sight. 

“You taste better than I hoped, little human.” 

Jasper touched his lips, still swollen from the kiss, and made a decision. “Let’s get out of there.”

“Alright.” 

Sean grabbed his arm and began leading him outside. Jasper noticed a couple of jealous men and women gave him envious looks. He caught Peter’s eye before leaving. They shared a nod. If something happened, Jasper knew who to call. He doubted Sean would hurt him though. 

It was an irrational thought, given Sean was a shifter, but he somehow knew Sean would not take advantage of Jasper unless he begged. Besides, Jasper wasn’t some weak, spineless victim. He had pepper spray in his bag and knew a few self-defense moves. Yeah right, as if that could keep a shifter away. 

“Having second thoughts?” Sean asked, seemingly reading his mind. 

They stopped in front of a vintage, but well-maintained, Harley. Why wasn’t Jasper surprised that Sean was every inch the bad boy he imagined?

“No. I know you won’t hurt me.”

Sean raised an eyebrow. “You’re right. I don’t take the unwilling.”

“Do I look like I’m saying ‘no’?” Jasper had never done anything so reckless. He was a rule follower, not a rule breaker. Excitement hummed in his veins. Sean took out a spare helmet from the back of the bike and tossed it at him. 

Jasper fumbled for it but managed to catch it and put it on, excited to see where tonight would lead. Sean mounted the bike and Jasper stared at the werewolf’s powerful back muscles for a while. He’d caught a glimpse of what looked like a werewolf pack tattoo on the side of Sean’s neck, so he assumed wolf was Sean’s animal group.

“Get on, baby. It’s time I give you an education.” Sean flashed him a devilish grin.

ADULT EXCERPT

“I’m not yours,” Jasper whispered.

“You will be after tonight.”

“Tonight is a one-time thing.”

“Suit yourself, baby. The more you lie, the harder it gets.” Sean licked the side of his neck, right where his pulse raced. “I can taste your heartbeat.” 

Sean put his mouth over the pulse, and he shivered. Thankfully, the shifter pulled away, yellow gaze dark with desire.

“You’re wearing too many clothes.”

“So are you.”

“You surprise me at every turn, bold, little human.”

“I’m not bold. I’ve been a coward my entire life.”

Sean growled softly under his breath. “You aren’t a coward in my eyes, little human. Do you know why we don’t take humans often?”

“Because we’re weak?”

“Some humans are skittish things, but you, you might look vulnerable on the outside. Inside, you’re made of steel.”

Sean lewdly rubbed himself against Jasper’s body, doing little to help Jasper’s nerves. It felt good, Sean’s muscled body against his slender one. 

“Take me already,” Jasper whispered. “Please.”

“Oh, I like that. Let me hear it again.”

Jasper repeated the words. That seemed the trigger because Sean started peeling off his shirt. They didn’t seem to move fast enough. They tore at each other’s clothes with a ferocity Jasper didn’t know he possessed.

“You could be a shifter, little human, with those hidden claws of yours.”

“I’m not usually like this,” he murmured, groaning when Sean put his hands on his waist. 

“Mount me.” 

“Really?” Not wanting to disappoint his lover, Jasper nodded. With Sean’s help, he wrapped his legs around Sean’s waist. The wall dug against his back. God. This was so hot. 

“Wait,” Sean muttered, quickly bending down to scoop up his jeans and take out a tube of lube.

Clearly, Sean was ready for the night. The thought of Sean with another man sent a stab of unwarranted jealousy through Jasper. He shook the thought off. Sean wasn’t anything, simply a guy he just met. That wasn’t exactly true. 

Sean might be a stranger, but he’d connected with Sean on some intimate level. They didn’t just hit it off—Jasper couldn’t recall the last time he felt this way around another man. He also had a feeling it was unlikely he’d meet an amazing guy like Sean again. Sure, Sean was a little domineering, but damn, he didn’t realize what a turn-on that was. 

Sean nipped his ear, making him groan. God. Every gesture this man did drove him insane with lust. Sean’s dick was brushing against his thigh. So huge, Jasper didn’t think he’d ever seen such a huge cock before.

“You’re so large. Can you fit inside my tiny hole?” Jasper whispered.

* * * *

Sean didn’t expect anything to come out of tonight. Frequent visits to Club Claw always resulted in regret when morning came. Not to mention the horrible numbness he felt after. Sean didn’t think of himself as the kind of shifter who was content with settling down. The notion of being tied to one man his entire life terrified him during his early days. 

Only when he scented Jasper enter the club did his entire world come crashing down. For some strange reason, his little human thought he was joking around when Sean mentioned Jasper was already his. 

Over the past year, he’d seen several of his pack members finding their intended mates, including the Alpha, Beta, and several enforcers. Jealousy sometimes hit him whenever he saw a happy couple, but if he looked further, Sean knew the ache started years ago. When had he grown tired of waking up next to a stranger whose name he didn’t bother remembering? 

Sean was tired of one-night stands. He yearned for something real and solid. Jasper blew all his expectations out of the water. Sean didn’t think a feisty human like Jasper existed. Jasper smelled from out-of-town, but Sean would get the answers soon enough.

In the present, he was aware of Jasper gripping his biceps, looking uncertain, but not willing to back down. He had no idea why Jasper would call himself a coward. What Jasper did, facing down a shifter, took tremendous guts. Other dominant shifters might like obedient mates, but where was the fun in that? 

A mate who constantly challenged him was tons better. 

“I’ll fit in you,” Sean assured Jasper with a kiss. Each time he claimed Jasper’s mouth, it seemed he couldn’t get enough of the human’s taste. “You’ll take me in you, won’t you baby?” 

Jasper looked at him. Resolve filled the human’s eyes as he nodded.

“Put your arms around my neck,” Sean instructed. Once the human obeyed, Sean worked lube onto his fingers and inside Jasper’s puckered entrance. He pushed a finger in, then a second. “Tell me, pet. How many men have you let inside you?”

“Not a lot.” Jasper looked embarrassed by the question. At Sean’s look, Jasper relented. “Three. None of them were any good.”

“Why’s that?” Sean curled his fingers, getting a loud moan from Jasper. 

The human’s eyes widened. “Do that again, please.”

Since Jasper asked so nicely, Sean brushed against Jasper’s prostate again. Jasper dug his fingers into his shoulders, but Sean didn’t mind.

“I asked you a question, pet,” Sean reminded him.

“None of them are you?” Jasper phrased his answer like a question.

Sean beamed at Jasper like a proud teacher. “Fucking right.”