Chapter 5

She shouldn’t have been shocked to find him waiting outside near the back alley, but she was. Her wolf's senses picked him up the moment she walked out the back door. After the events of the night before, she was more alert to her surroundings.

The stench of the alley couldn’t completely hide the musky scent of the man, and she was sure she could hear a heart beating not too far away.

Mia stalled for time by slowly locking the bar’s back door and double checking it. Then she had no choice but to walk out of the dark alley. And of course, her senses had not lied. Asher was right there, leaning against his red and white Ducati bike barely an arm’s length away from the alley’s opening.

She stopped walking and glared at him. “You have trouble hearing or you’re just trying to piss me off?” she asked in a clipped tone.

The smile on Asher’s face didn’t falter. “I was thinking more along the lines of charming you, by showing you how persistent I can be and just how much of a gentleman I am.”

“It’s not working.”

“Really?”

“Really,” she said in an even colder tone.

Asher’s shoulder lifted in a small shrug. “I guess I will have to review my approach. How about you tell me what I am doing wrong while I give you a ride back to your apartment?”

Mia was definitely shocked. Had the man really just stuck around to give her a ride back to her apartment? Was this all about his concern for her safety again? She shook her head. This man didn’t know her and he had no idea what she was. If he did, he would have realized she didn’t need his help or concern for her safety. She could handle herself better than he could. And last night should have made that painfully clear. Yet, there he was again, waiting for her.

She looked at him up and down like she was sizing him up. He really was a handsome human. After leaving the bar, he had discarded his leather jacket and unbuttoned the shirt he had on. It was a warm night, so it was perfectly normal. Although she wished he hadn’t. She hadn’t needed to have a more mouthwatering sight of his chest. It had been fine imagining the muscles under his clothes without seeing them. Now she saw them and she realized her imagination needed some work. She hadn’t done him justice. Or maybe she had been trying to save herself from the effect his body had on hers.

His chest and abs were firm, not a trace of fat on them. Asher was obviously a man who took great measures to have a good body, but it didn’t look like he was obsessed about it. Then there was something she never would have imagined. He didn’t look like the type. Something about the man screamed an expensive education and suits. Even if both days she had seen him, he wore faded jeans and a leather jacket. The only thing about him that looked expensive was his bike. But she could almost sense it. This wasn’t his everyday life. She could picture him in an office giving orders.

That was why the sight of ink on his chest was even more strange. She couldn’t see it fully or clearly, but she would be damned if she was going to make any sort of effort to get a better view. Just the fact that she had noticed it and her attention was captured was bad enough.

Her wolf became antsy inside of her, clearly not getting the message her more reasonable human brain was trying desperately to transmit. Suddenly, she was noticing too many things about Asher Deavan. His scent floated more strongly above all the foul smells that usually surrounded the bar. He wasn’t aroused. That was a relief. She didn’t think she would have tolerated that wave of pheromones right in that moment.

Mia realized, though, that she had to get away from him, and fast. “I don’t need a ride.”

Asher didn’t miss a beat. “I didn’t say you needed one. I was just offering, as a gentleman.”

“Well, I am not interested in your offer.” She started to make her way past him. Asher’s hand shot out and grabbed her arm. She gave his hand a look like it was covered in sewer waste. “Remove your hand or lose it.”

He blinked and immediately removed his hand, then stepped back and raised his hands in a placating manner. “Easy.”

She didn’t respond; she continued walking and he let her go. For a moment he considered following her behind from a distance, just to make sure she got home ok. It was the middle of the night, for God’s sake. His gut told him that would be a terrible idea, though. A sigh of exasperation escaped his lips. He had no idea why he was getting so worked up about this woman, but clearly, it was beginning to affect his better judgment. Maybe it was time to get back to his life. After all, this had only been a time away from his life to reflect and come to terms with what had happened. It was not time to start something new, no matter how tempting it looked. But damn, it was tempting.