Chapter 3

The adrenaline leaving his body made it hard for him to comprehend what she was saying. Almost in a dazed state, he followed her gaze to his arm. Strangely enough, that was when he felt the pain. He was indeed injured. The sleeve of his leather jacket was torn and soaked from what he could see with the help of moonlight. A small part of him wondered how she had known and noticed before he did.

“Oh.” He used his right hand to check the extent of the damage. “It doesn’t look that bad. I’m sure it’s just a scratch.” It also didn’t hurt like an injury hell bent on killing him, so he was certain he would be okay.

  

Mia knew it wasn’t that bad, it was indeed just a scratch, but she couldn’t just leave him there after the idiot had tried to help her, even though it hadn’t been necessary. That brought another question to mind.

  

“What were you still doing here, anyway?”

Asher looked suddenly uncomfortable and avoided her eyes. Mia’s eyes narrowed. “What. Were. You. Doing. Here?”

Asher immediately raised placating hands. “Take it easy. It’s not what you are thinking. I just wanted to be sure you would get home safe.”

  

An incredulous look formed on her face. Then she looked confused before it morphed into anger. “Did I give you the impression I am a hopeless damsel in distress?”

Asher looked at the two men still very much unconscious on the ground. “Definitely not.”

Mia followed his gaze. She realized maybe she had taken it a little too far. She was supposed to keep a low profile. This was not it; she wasn’t supposed to intentionally draw attention to herself, and beating up two young men in the middle of the night, with a witness, was definitely the opposite of low profile.

“Where did you even learn to fight like that?” Asher asked. He sounded very fascinated and just a bit apprehensive, like he feared she would use her skill on him.

“I didn’t know this was a get to know you tea party. Where are the balloons?”

“Wow. Are you always this cold, or are you giving me an exclusive privilege?” he drawled.

    

Some noises cut through the silent, chilly night air. Both their heads turned to look at one of the men on the ground, groaning in pain. It was time to get out of there.

Mia looked at Asher. The right thing to do would have been to let him sort out himself. She didn’t need to get more mixed up with him than she already was. But she couldn’t let a bleeding man go just like that. He had tried to help her. She hadn’t needed it, but still it had to count for something. She was part beast, but she wasn’t heartless.

“Where is your car?” she asked suddenly.

“I didn’t drive here.”

“You walked?”

Asher chuckled. “No, I was enjoying a ride on my baby.” He half turned his body and pointed at something.

She looked and saw the bike parked in the dilapidated sorry excuse of a car park. Wow, she thought. She had a thing for bikes. Loved them, in fact. She immediately knew what she was looking at. “Ducati 1098.”

Asher looked impressed. “She knows bikes,” he said slowly, in awe.

Mia ignored the interest that flashed and intensified in his eyes. She walked towards the bike, stopped at its side and faced the owner. “Here is the deal… you are coming home with me, so I can clean up your wound… then you leave and we both have a good night’s rest and never see each other again.”

He liked how her plan had started, not so much how she had ended it. But he held his tongue. The woman didn’t look like the type to be argued with. Besides, he was more interested in spending more time with her than arguing the details. A brief crazy idea flashed through his head. If he played his cards right, he might just end up spending the night in her bed.

A smile twitched at the corner of his lips. “Deal.”

  

She looked at him for a second more as though she was having second thoughts. Then shook her head and sighed. “Fine.” She gestured to the bike. “Let’s get moving.”

The ride to her small apartment took them less than ten minutes. Far too short for Asher to fully appreciate her body so close to his, but he consoled himself that he could get more if he played his cards right.

Asher got off the bike and followed Mia to a building that made his skin crawl. He hoped it was the lack of proper lighting that made it look so bad, but he doubted it.

  

The two store building looked like something Hollywood would use in a horror movie. It was perfect for any plot involving hauntings or serial murders. The moon light only made it look worse even though there was at least one security light at the front of the building. The two store building was old and falling apart. He counted at least three windows that were broken and sealed with anything from boards to duct tape. The paint was peeling off too. As though that was not bad enough, the immediate area around the building looked like a dump site. There was clutter everywhere and a strong, foul odor floated in the air.

  

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath.

Mia was already pushing the front door of the building. She turned and looked at him. From the look in his eyes, she guessed what had crossed his mind. “Were you expecting a five-star hotel? With a pool and valet, perhaps?”

  

She could smell disapproval and distaste from him in waves, and it irritated her. Who was he to judge? From the bike and his clothes, she could tell the man had a little spare change in his wallet. She did not have that luxury. And besides, she had specifically picked this dump because even a wolf wouldn’t find her here. The place smelled like death enough to mask her own scent and make it almost impossible to find her, which is what she wanted. She had two parks after her, dammit. She couldn’t stay in a five-star hotel even if she could afford it.

She didn’t wait for his response and walked into the building straight to her apartment. The building had four apartments. Hers was the first one on the right. It was convenient and had a window in the back that gave to an alley, perfect for escaping in case of an emergency.

He followed her with slow measure steps as though he feared the building or the floor would collapse under his weight. Mia wasn’t in the mood to play host. She crossed her tiny living room, which was empty except for one wooden chair. She pointed at it. “Sit down. I will get the first aid kit.”

Asher was frozen at the entrance of her apartment. He watched her walk into what he assumed was the bathroom. The feelings that had ambushed him earlier and caused him to wait outside the shitty bar for this woman, only quadrupled.    

He knew bartenders in tiny towns couldn’t get paid much, but this was worse than what he had expected. She was living in a dilapidated haunted building, in an apartment the size of a shoe box. He had seen bathrooms that were larger than her entire apartment. And he had definitely seen toilets with more furniture. The apartment was almost empty. One wooden chair in the tiny living room. He could see the equally tiny kitchen. There wasn’t much there either. A small, old fridge looked like the most expensive item she owned. Who the hell lived like this?

Mia returned with a first aid kit and found him still at the threshold of her front door. Anger and irritation hit her in equal measure. “Look, buddy, it’s been a long night. I don’t have time to waste on you. Sit your ass down, so I can clean your wound, then you can be on your way and I can get some sleep. My bed is calling my name.”

Asher’s eyebrows arched. “Do you actually own a bed?” he asked skeptically.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

He waved a hand around like the answer was obvious. Then his brows furrowed. “Are you in some kind of trouble?” He had to ask because he couldn’t imagine a sane person would willingly live like this.

In a sudden moment of panic, her heart started beating so hard and fast, for a moment, she feared her wolf would rise to the surface. Mia drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. He knew nothing; she reminded herself.

When she was certain she was back under control, she walked over to him and grabbed his injured arm. She didn’t need him to sit down to take care of it. It was actually a good thing the man remained close to the door, so she could kick him out as soon as she was done.

She already knew the wound wasn’t serious, but she needed better access to it. She placed the first aid kit on the floor by their feet and then started to maneuver the leather jacket off the man.

“Hey.” Asher resisted. He wanted answers, but the woman was now in a hurry to clean his wound.

Mia stopped and placed her hands on her hips. “Take it off, or I rip it off, it’s your choice.”

Apparently, Asher’s brain was not communicating properly with his dick. While the woman’s living conditions still bothered his mind, his dick took her words like an invitation and hardened.

She hadn’t looked down to see the bulge in his jeans, but somehow she knew, and she glared at him. Asher swallowed. He was not very proud of himself; he hadn’t had such uncontrollable desire since he was a teenager. This was ridiculous.

Reluctantly, he removed his jacket, deciding to get it over and done with. Questions could wait. And maybe the smell of antiseptic cream would remind his body why it was a bad idea to lust over the sexy bartender.

She made quick work of cleaning and wrapping the scratch on his arm. Then she stood back and folded her arms. “Leave.”

“Excuse me?” He knew she wanted him gone, but geez, the woman could have waited three more seconds at least.

“Get out of my apartment.”

Asher gave the said apartment another look. “Ok, hold up. First of all, please answer me… Are you in some sort of trouble? This is hardly a proper living condition for a rat. I can’t let you live like this.”

  

Her brows rose with an incredulous shock. She chuckled, but it sounded ugly and cold. “You can’t let me?” she asked in a voice that dripped of ice. “I don’t answer to you. I don’t owe you an explanation and I certainly don’t care what you think about my living conditions. Get the fuck out of my apartment.”

Asher opened his mouth to say something, but it never made it past his lips because in a split-second, she moved forward and physically shoved him out the door before slamming it in his face.

  

The walls vibrated from the impact and Asher almost feared the act would cause the roof caving in. He waited a few tense second, then let out a relieved sigh when the building didn’t collapse around him.

He could hear the woman storm and curse through her apartment. He stood there for a second, contemplating if he should knock. Then he shook his head and walked away.

He had a few inches on her and maybe fifty pounds too, but the woman had pushed him like he was a skinny kid. Asher put his jacket on and headed for his bike. It was past two in the morning, he still had to find a place to sleep for the night. Dealing with pissed off, strangely very strong young women at that hour was not wise.

He sat on his bike and looked at the building. He wouldn’t let the matter go, though. There was no way he could.