When Danna returned to the reception desk to answer the phone, Jean said, “Well, if you’re set on going on this date, you can at least tell me about him.” “His name’s Jackson. He’s a web designer.” “Sounds boring.” “All you’ve heard is his name and occupation.” “Exactly. Already he sounds boring. Now, if he was a tall, ash-blond alpha male with an inner wolf—” “Jean,” she groaned. “Fine. So where are you going on this date?” “We’re going to the Moroccan restaurant near your place.” One of his brows lifted. “Oooh, maybe I’ll pop in then.” “No. You’ll grill him like he’s being interrogated for a murder charge.” “Yes, for your own good. For all you know, he could be a murderer. An ax murderer, even. There could be bodies hidden under his patio.”She growled, “You’re a pain in my ass.” She continued to be a pain in her ass all day—dedicated it to poking fun at a guy she hadn’t

“Hello, Tasha,” rumbled Onyx, though he didn’t look at her. He only had eyes for the nervous male opposite him. Despite the dark emotions circulating through Onyx , his voice was surprisingly even. He couldn’t believe that she’d done this. He’d thought he was making progress, thought she was coming to accept his part in her life. And he’d hoped to God that meant she’d soon let him in—even if it was only slightly. He was fine with letting things move at her pace, despite how much it was killing him not to claim her. But he wasn’t fine with her dating other guys. And if she’d thought differently, she didn’t know him at all. Tasha chanced a look at Onyx’s flawless face, and it verified what his stiff posture hinted at. He was boiling with anger. As he met her gaze, his eyes warned her not to challenge him. Her wolf shrank away—not out of fear, but because she had no intention of taking any blame here; her wolf hadn’t liked being around the ot

Guilt nibbled even harder at Tasha as she heard the despondency in his voice. She also found that she didn’t like that he’d called her . He abandoned you, remember, a voice inside her snapped. Yes, he had. But he had also apologized to her, had also been gentle with her, and had never once lost his patience with her no matter what she said or did. Even when she’d physically hurt him that first night, he’d never hurt her, never tried to intimidate her, and never tried to suppress her with his dominant vibes. More importantly, he hadn’t left her no matter what she’d done. “It wasn’t that I wanted to hurt you.” “Oh, really?” His voice dripped with skepticism. “Okay, maybe I wanted you to hurt a little. But I needed to know you weren’t going to abandon me again.” “Ah, I see; well I’m so glad I passed your little test,” he said bitterly. At this point, his head was starting to pound so hard that the sound of his own voice hurt. “What you’re

The next morning, Tasha was ready to slip on her shoes and jacket when her cell phone rang. Digging it out of her purse, she saw that the caller was Jean. “If you’re calling to check if I’ll be late, the answer’s actually no, so—” A snort. “Well that would be a first. But that’s not why I’m calling. I want you to take the day off.” Surprised, she paused in her movements. “What? Why?” “I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that you and Onyx have some serious talking to do. He was severely pissed last night, Tasha, and I can’t say I blame him.” She didn’t blame him either. “You told him about the date, didn’t you?” “Yes. But Trevon was following us anyway, and it wouldn’t have taken much thinking on his part to work out what was going on. What happened when you got back home?” Sighing, Tasha fell back onto the sofa and told him everything. “Is he as good with that mouth as I’ve been betting he is?” A half smile surfaced

Suddenly unsteady, she took a seat on the sofa. She’d noticed the occasional tint of pain in his eyes, but she hadn’t prodded him about it, determined to hide her concern for him…like an insensitive bitch—something out of character for her. She’d let the anger she harbored change her behavior in some ways. No more of that. That wasn’t the person she wanted to be. “I didn’t know about the headaches.” “Why would you? I’ll bet you haven’t taken the time to try to know him at all.” “Look, you can take as many potshots at me as you want. But not now, okay. I need to understand what’s happening with Onyx. And if you’re not going to let me wake him up and talk to him”—not that she really would disturb him, but Trevon didn’t need to know that—“then you’re going to have to be the one to tell me.” He snorted. “After what you did last night, I’m not in the mood to tell you shit. I’m guessing part of the reason you went on that dat