Batch (Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (Desired by a Dragon Book 2) Read online

  “No, you’re right. That wasn’t Dylan.” I shook my head. My smile stretched wider, even though I knew it shouldn’t. I’d cheated on someone. It was not a smiling matter.

  “So what’s not-Dylan’s name?”

  “Batch.” My heart beat triple time, and I didn’t know why, but I watched closely for her reaction.

  She wrinkled her nose at the name. “Why does that name sound familiar to me?”

  “Probably because he’s the one who was tracking Vanessa.”

  “Oh. Yeah, I remember Silas mentioning him.” She took another sip of her coffee. “He’s staying here for a little while, isn’t he? Silas mentioned something about the possibility of another hunter coming to search for Vanessa.”

  “Yeah, he is staying here.” I tucked my hair behind my ears and stepped farther into the kitchen. “Is there any more coffee left?”

  “It’s probably enough for another cup.” She situated herself in one of the chairs at the table in the corner. I could feel her eyes on me, but I refused to look at her. I knew what question was surfacing in her mind, and I didn’t want to answer it. “Does Silas know the two of you are seeing each other?”

  It took her a little while to add on seeing each other, and I wondered if it was because she wasn’t sure what to label us as. I didn’t blame her. She knew I was involved with someone else, and she knew Batch had recently come to town.

  “No.” I shook my head as I grabbed myself a mug from the cabinet. “And I don’t think Batch wants him to.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  I poured myself what remained of the coffee and stirred in a few heaping spoonfuls of sugar along with a little cream before I answered her. “Because it’s basically what Batch told me. He doesn’t think we should be together. He thinks Silas wouldn’t approve.”

  “Whoa, wait a minute. Back up some.” She held out her hand as though to stop the flow of my words. “Is this something that’s been going on for a while? Because it sounds like you have some history together.”

  A long sigh expelled past my lips. I took a sip from my coffee, tasting to make sure I had the right sweet to bitter ratio before I moved to sit at the table with her. “I don’t know. I guess there’s always been something between me and Batch. At least I know I’ve always felt something, but I could have sworn he thought of me as nothing more than Silas’s little sister.”

  “What happened then? Because what I saw had nothing to do with him thinking you were anybody’s little sister.”

  I chuckled, but it was in an effort to hide my embarrassment. “Yeah, I know. I’m not really sure what happened. Back before my brothers and I left home, Batch and I had… a moment. It was passionate, sweet, and sexy.”

  “And the two of you couldn’t get it out of your mind, could you?”

  “You’re really good at this. You should be a psychiatrist,” I insisted.

  “Well, I sort of am. I mean, you should hear some of the conversations between me and my hair clients.” She laughed. “Not only do they walk away looking better than when they came in, but they also feel better because it’s sort of like a mini therapy session. Not with everyone, but with some. Most just enjoy gossiping.”

  “I can see that.”

  She sat her coffee mug on the table and leaned back in her chair. “Don’t sidestep telling me more.”

  “There really isn’t much left to say.” I shrugged. “We had sex and I left the next day with my brothers.”

  “Yeah, I got that already.” She locked eyes with me. “So how did everything that happened months ago lead to what I witnessed upstairs?” A crooked grin sprang onto her face.

  I took a sip of coffee, stalling as I gathered my thoughts. “I don’t know. It happened so fast.”

  “Do you regret it?”

  “No.” I didn’t hesitate in my answer. There wasn’t a single second of what happened between Batch and me tonight I regretted.

  Well, maybe there was one thing—I wished I had thought to close the door before we started, so we wouldn’t have been interrupted.

  Violet stared at me with an odd expression.

  “What?” I asked when the expression only seemed to intensify after a few seconds, but she still remained mute.

  “I don’t see what the problem is. You like him. He obviously likes you.”

  “My brother is the problem, apparently.” At least he was if you asked Batch.

  “I don’t understand that either. You’re a grown woman. Silas has no say in who you date or what you do. And Batch seems like he’s a grown ass man too. Silas doesn’t get to dictate your relationship with him.”

  “I already said that to Batch, but it didn’t seem to matter.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t need to hear it. Maybe he’s the type who needs to see it in action.” Violet stood and headed to the sink to rinse her mug. Once she was finished, she turned to face me and leaned against the counter. “I know dragons are all about boundaries and loyalties, but maybe that’s what’s tripping the two of you up. Maybe Batch is stuck between the boundaries and loyalties he has for your brother, and resisting what he obviously feels for you because of it. Maybe you should pursue him. See if you can get some of the guy’s walls to break. Maybe persistence will work with him.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Do you want to be with him?”

  “God, yes!”

  Violet laughed at my quick response. “Then go get your man.”

  She was right. Batch was mine, and I shouldn’t let his loyalties and boundaries in regards to my brother stand in the way of that any longer.

  “Was that too forward of me?” Violet chewed her bottom lip as though she worried she’d said something she shouldn’t have.

  “No, it was exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you.” I left the table, taking my coffee with me, and headed upstairs to finish getting ready.

  Thanks to Violet, I knew exactly what I needed to do. First, I had to break things off with Dylan like I’d planned to anyway. Then, I needed to pay Batch a visit. I knew Becky would have taken him to The Den. She always hung out there. The only thing I needed to figure out was what I could say to Batch that would make him rethink his views in regards to our relationship and my oldest brother.

  I was both terrified and excited as I thought about the endless possibilities of the night.

  Six

  Batch

  I opened my bike up wide, needing distance between Scarlet and me. How could I have allowed myself to go that far with her? Again. And how in the hell could I have been reckless enough to not bother closing the damn door? Thunder rolled overhead as though it were in sync with the hatred boiling through my veins. Lightning flashed in the distance and the first droplets of rain pelted against my helmet. The Den shouldn’t be hard to find. When I’d talked with Becky earlier, her directions had seemed easy enough. A couple of turns, a long stretch of road, and then a couple more turns. She’d described the place as a hole in the wall tucked in some mossy trees.

  My grip on the gas loosened as the long stretch of road I’d been on came to an end, rounding into a sharp corner. I came around it too fast, nearly kissing the bumper of an old beat up truck trudging along at a snail’s pace. The rain picked up and I could feel fat droplets pounding through my jacket and soaking into my jeans. Irritation sparked through me. I knew I wouldn’t be staying too long tonight, but I at least had to make an appearance. My shit mood wasn’t Becky’s fault. If I was honest, it wasn’t Scarlet’s, either. Truthfully, I wasn’t pissed at anyone besides myself.

  I knew better than to screw around with Scarlet, but I couldn’t stop myself. I’d known it would be hard to control my desire for her once she was in my sight, but Silas needed me. Or at least he would, once the hunters came looking for Vanessa. It wasn’t a matter of if they would come, it was when. My intuition didn’t lie about things like that.

  Sick of being stuck behind the slow moving truck, I weaved to the side of the road, checking for oncoming traff
ic. Once I noticed the coast was clear, I revved the engine and soared past. The Den happened to be just around the corner. Thankfully I noticed the sign before I passed the place, lost in my speed-demon moment. I hit my brakes too hard as I cut into the parking lot, causing the ass end of my bike to fishtail across the loose gravel. My eyes scanned the building as I came to stop in the first available parking space.

  I stepped off my bike and removed my helmet so I could scope the place out better. It wasn’t half bad; I didn’t know why Becky had called it a hole in the wall. It was nice. A large set of wooden stairs ran zigzag along the front of the building. From where I stood it looked as though lights had been embedded in the stairs to help guide a person to the entrance. Beneath the bar was a screened in area lit up by white Christmas lights I assumed was reserved for smokers. My eyes traveled the length of the building again, pausing once I reached the wall of windows that allowed a person to peek inside. Droplets of water dripped into my eyes as I continued to stare inside. The rain was beginning to let up, but it didn’t matter because I was already soaked. I tore my eyes away from the place and lifted the seat on my bike so I could store my helmet inside.

  “There you are,” a sultry female voice yelled over the storm from somewhere close by. “I was beginning to think you stood me up.”

  Becky stood at the entrance to the screened in area. She was dressed in a pair of skintight black leather pants and a set of killer heels. Her yellow top seemed to highlight her bright green eyes even through the distance. She looked good, but she wasn’t Scarlet, and after what I’d been doing barely twenty minutes ago, it suddenly seemed wrong to be here.

  I wasn’t the type of guy to lead someone on. I didn’t like games. Hearts were fragile, and it didn’t matter if you were human or shifter.

  “Nah, I’m not the type to stand someone up.” I locked my seat and started across the parking lot to where she stood, smoking a cigarette.

  She exhaled and smoke curled around her face as she eyed me. “I didn’t think you were, but I have to admit that you had me worried, especially with the way you were looking at Scarlet back at the restaurant. I figured the two of you would hook up and you’d forget about our date, or you’d get into a fight with her and leave town as fast as you came in.”

  She was good, but I wasn’t about to show it. I screwed my face up into a neutral expression. “Well, here I am. Looks like you were wrong on both accounts.”

  Becky’s head tipped back as a sexy, feral laugh vibrated from her. “Yeah, I doubt that. I can smell her on you.”

  I arched a brow as I stared at her. “You can smell her on me?”

  “Don’t look so surprised, dragon boy. You’re not the only shifter in this town.” She flashed me a wicked grin before dropping her cigarette on the ground and extinguishing it with the toe of her heel before starting for the stairs.

  I followed after her. “Never said I was.”

  The music grew louder the closer we got, drowning out my words. I knew she’d heard me though, because she glanced at me from over her shoulder and winked as she opened the door. I watched her as she proceeded to weave her way through the crowd. She reached back and fisted the front of my t-shirt, pulling me along behind her as she made her way to the bar in the back. Bright green neon lights spelled out the name of the place along the wall. My boots scuffed along the concrete floor as we headed toward two open bar stools at the end. Two women stood on top of the bar dressed in black leather outfits similar to Becky’s, while a third seemed to be punching something into the touchscreen monitor mounted to the wall behind them.

  “What the hell?” I’d been to many bars, but never one quite like this.

  Becky sat on one of the stools and patted the other. “Sit.”

  I did as I was told, still dumbfounded by the place. The feel of Becky’s eyes on me had me shifting to glance at her. She’d leaned against the counter and propped her head up with the palm of her hand. Her bright green eyes, which eerily matched the sign on the wall opposite us, were fixated on me in an intense way. I gathered she was waiting for me to say something, but I wasn’t sure what. I’d never been good at reading a woman’s mind, but then again, I never met a man who was.

  “Well, what do you think of the place?” She waved her hand as though she were showing the place off.

  “It’s okay.”

  She sat up straight as though I’d offended her. “Just okay? Come on, this is the best damn bar you’ve ever been to. Go ahead, admit it.”

  “Okay. It’s the best damn bar I’ve ever been to,” I said with a chuckle.

  Satisfaction swirled through her eyes and twisted at her lips. “I know. After all, it belongs to my sisters.” She pointed to the three women maintaining the place, causing my gaze to drift to them.

  I could see the similarities. Not only did they all share the same black hair and bright green eyes, but they had facial features similar to one another as well.

  “I can see the resemblance now that you’ve it pointed out.” I shifted my gaze back to her. “What made you decide not to become partners with them? Were you not invited?”

  She didn’t seem as though she was the youngest. If I had to guess, I’d imagine she might fall somewhere in the middle.

  Becky waved my words away. “Eh, I wanted to do my thing for a while.”

  “Which included becoming a waitress?” The words made me sound like a dick—I knew it as soon as I said them.

  Her eyes flashed. I’d pissed her off. “Yes, it did.” She flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder and shifted on her barstool to better face me. Her eyes roamed over me as though she was studying me before lifting her gaze back to mine. “Four Horsemen.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her, unsure what the hell that meant. “Excuse me?”

  Her red painted lips twisted into a devilish grin as amusement flickered through her bright eyes. “I said Four Horsemen. It’s a drink made with equal parts of Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Johnnie Walker, and Jameson. Since you’re being an asshole, I assumed you’d order the drink of choice for most assholes that come into the bar.”

  My head tipped back in laughter. This chick was good. She was nice to look at, had a way with words, and obviously knew the shifter world. If my heart wasn’t already taken by someone else, I’d give it to Becky in a second.

  “I’m joking. You’re not a liquor guy.” She leaned forward as though she was getting a better view of my soul. “I’m guessing you’re more of a dark beer kind of guy. Something with a good hoppy flavor, am I right?”

  “Absolutely.”

  High heels clicked across the wooden bar top until they stopped directly in front of me. My eyes slipped up the length of the woman standing before me. She seemed younger than Becky, but not by much. Maybe a year or two? The young thing cocked her hip to the side and placed her hand on it. There was a hose in her opposite hand, and she wasted no time pointing it at me.

  “If you try to get frisky with my sister, this hose will cool you off real quick. Get what I’m saying?” she snapped.

  I held my hands up in surrender and tried to dim down the grin that wanted to spread across my face, knowing smiling probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do. “Got it.”

  “Put the hose away, Breanne,” Becky insisted. “And get us some drinks instead.”

  “Just letting this guy know ahead of time someone here has your back.” Breanne hopped off the counter and hung the hose up along the back wall. “Usual for you?”

  “Yeah, and one Midnight Ryder.” Becky crossed her legs as her eyes drifted back to me. “What do you think my usual is? I was able to guess yours, can you guess mine?” There was a challenge reflected in her eyes that excited me. It reminded me of Scarlet.

  Yeah, if my heart didn’t already belong to Scarlet it sure as shit would beat outta my chest and land in this woman’s lap.

  I thought for a moment before answering. While I wasn’t much of a drinker, and bars weren’t typically my scene, I felt confiden
t I could guess her drink. It wouldn’t be too fruity or anything too sweet, and it definitely would have a punch.

  “I don’t know, you seem like a shot kind of girl. Maybe tequila or vodka.” I could see her taking a shot of either straight, without the help of a chaser.

  “Pretty good. You’re not too far off.” She nodded her head as though she was pleased with my assessment. Her sister slipped a red drink in front of her and she immediately took a sip. “Cranberry and double vodka. See, I told you that you weren’t far off.” She winked.

  Breanne slipped me a tall glass with one of the darkest beers I’d seen yet. I lifted it to my lips, trusting Becky could pick out a style of beer I’d enjoy. The taste of hops hit my tongue and I felt myself relax. After the night I’d endured, a beer was exactly what I needed.

  “Do you dance?” Becky asked as her teeth nibbled on her straw.

  “Dancing isn’t my thing,”

  “I didn’t ask if it was your thing. I asked if you danced.”

  I grinned and shook my head. This woman was a real piece of work. “Then I guess my answer is no, I don’t dance.”

  “Tonight you do.” She set her drink on the bar top and got the attention of one of her sisters. Grabbing my beer, she pushed both drinks to the edge of the counter. One of the two sisters I had yet to meet scooped them up and tucked them behind the bar. Becky grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward the dance floor, where a new song was beginning to play. “And I’m not going to take no for an answer.”

  I didn’t fight her. Instead, I allowed her to pull me into the mix of people. She stopped in the middle of the crowd and began to sway her hips to the beat of the song. It was one I hadn’t heard before, but then again, music wasn’t my thing either. I preferred silence. Music was a distraction, and while I’d been tracking Vanessa, distractions weren’t welcomed. Distractions would get someone killed.