AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But,” Ree protested.
“I see some girls from the salon, so I’m going to dance with them. Don’t worry about me.” She winked at Ree and mouthedhave fun, which made Ree’s cheeks turn scarlet.
Mercy strode from her sister and Duke, making her way to the table where her client Maisie and a few stylists from Mercy’s salon were waiting.
“Who’s the hunk with your sister?” Maisie asked.
“His name is Duke,” Mercy said.
“He’s a snack and a half,” Donna said, fanning herself. “All this shifter hotness. Now that Mercy’s here, we should definitely go dance!”
Mercy nodded and walked with the trio into the crowd to dance to the band playing a cover of a popular song. Despite the people, Mercy was very aware of the man at the door, his eyes on her like he couldn’t function unless she was in sight. She’d never been so fully attracted to a man before, and since he worked at the bar, she assumed he was a shifter – perhaps a lion like Duke.
Was it animal magnetism? Or just plain old lust at first sight?
Her stomach flipped and she closed her eyes, her mind and heart in full agreement that it was anything but lust.
Hands settled on her waist and she opened her eyes with a gasp, finding herself staring into the bouncer’s handsome face.
She stopped swaying and dropped her hands to rest on his. “Hi,” she said.
His eyes were golden, and the scent of sunshine and tall grass enveloped her as he moved a little closer. “Hi.”
Everything around them dropped away. She couldn’t hear anything but the beating of her heart.
“I’m Barron Kincade. You’re beautiful.”
She smiled. “Thanks. I’m Mercy Hendrix. I thought you didn’t have a break for an hour.”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t wait to come talk to you.”
She moved a little closer, their bodies brushing as everything within her quieted. “You were watching me.”
His dark brow arched. “You were watching me, too.”
“Why?” Her heart started to pound, and she licked her lips. He tracked the motion with his gaze, which morphed between gold and chocolate brown.
“You’re mine.”
Tilting her head slightly, she looked at him for a quiet moment. It was the strangest thing a guy had ever said to her. She didn’t want to play games. She’d come to the bar looking for fun, but it appeared that something more serious was on the menu.
“I’m your what?”
He growled softly and cupped her face. He brushed his lips over hers once and then again. “My mate. Let me take you somewhere quiet so we can talk. It’s too noisy here and my cat is going nuts.”
Ree had made Mercy promise she wouldn’t bring home any strange guys, but there was something very familiar about Barron. She looked over her shoulder and found her sister and Duke in the booth, making out like teenagers. She smiled inwardly. So much for not taking strangers home.
“My sister’s with Duke. Do you know him?”
He lifted his head and looked in the direction she pointed. “He’s the alpha’s son and co-owns the bar. Did you and your sister ride together?”
“Yep. She has the car keys.”
He looked back at Mercy, brushing her cheeks with his thumbs. “I don’t think your sister is going home with you tonight.”
“Oh?” she asked with a chuckle.
“Duke’s not the sort of male to act like that in public with a female he’s not interested in. I believe, but I’m not sure, that they’re heart-matches, too.”
