Stalking the Pharmacist (4 page)

Scott blinked back the tears and made his
way through the throng of cars until he found his old Mercedes, jumped in, and
started the car. He’d been young and blind when he’d married his wife. He
hadn’t believed any of the stories about perfect pairs and just hoped that he’d
be happy. That the woman he bred
with,
trusted and
loved, would be right for him. But he’d never been more wrong.

Chapter Three

Jack took a sip of red wine and let the
liquid,
flavored
with a touch of liquorice,
slide
down into his gullet. His eyes were trained on the
sway of Ashleigh’s rounded hips while she danced with Laura on the makeshift
wooden stage. She was one hell of a sensual woman.

“She is a beautiful woman, Jack.” His uncle
John stepped up beside him, laying a hand on his arm that was both reassuring
and paternal.

“Yeah, thanks, Uncle John.”

He continued to watch Ashleigh move to the
music, her lush ass and breasts moving and swinging in an incredibly enticing
way. She threw back her head and laughed at something Laura said,
color
flowing into her cheeks and brightening up her whole
face.

Something had happened to her, both Rosalie
and Laura had
eluded
to it. A messy divorce was one
thing, he’d had one of those, but there was something more going on and he was
going to get to the bottom of it.

“
You
spoken
to her much yet?”

Jack chuckled and shook his head.
“Yeah, for all of two minutes.
She found out I was just a
stupid jock and bolted.”

John’s eyes went wide as his mouth fell
open. “You’re kidding me?”

Jack burst into laughter, drawing the
attention of most of the people in the area, including Ashleigh, who quickly
turned away again with a slight tilt of her chin.

“Nope.
Miss
pharmacist
thinks I’m not suitable.”

John frowned. “Does she know anything about
perfect pairs?”

Jack shrugged and took another sip of wine,
loving the warmth in his belly. He smiled at his uncle. “Not unless Rosalie or
someone else explained it to her. If she had, she wouldn’t have been worried
about me being a footballer. Scott’s smart enough for both of us. He’s always
been strong where I’m weak.”

John huffed. “Yeah and if you ask Scott,
you’re the charming, good-looking one. You each have your strengths. It’s not
about weaknesses.”

Jack shrugged, not particularly caring
about that at the moment. All he wanted to know was when and how he could get
into Ash’s pants. His body was aching in the weirdest way. Like when he needed
a run, he was jumpy and tight, yet he’d worked out this morning pretty hard.
Exercise wasn’t the solution to his current predicament.

He knew he needed some sex, preferably
something long, hard, and all-consuming. Not that he’d had any decent sex in a
long time, but hey, there were always women around if he really needed them.

Yeah
right.
Like you’ll touch another woman now that you’ve met
Ash.

“Jack! I didn’t realize you were here.”

Speak
of the devil, here comes one of those available women now…

“I think I’ll take my leave, Jack.”

“Yeah, no worries, Uncle John.” He gave his
uncle a wink and the old man shook his head with a chuckle and moved away.

Jack turned to greet the woman who wanted
his attention.

“Tania, how are you?”

The little redhead went up on her tiptoes
and kissed him on the lips, lingering a little too long for just a hello. He
pulled back, feeling a chill sneak up his spine.

He swung his gaze in that direction to find
Ash glaring at him, before she quickly moved back into the circle of dancers.

Jack grinned, happiness filling him up at
her obvious display of jealousy. He turned back to Tania, who cooed and made
slutty eyes at him.

“I’m good, Jack, but you never called me
back for a second date.
Naughty, naughty.”

She smacked him lightly on the hand, and he
bit back the warning growl that rose. She didn’t know yet, no one did, but he
was officially off the market.
Forever.

“No
darlin
’, I
didn’t and I can’t now. Can you let the women know that Scott and I have found
our perfect mate?”

He broke the news with a smile, but it
didn’t stop the little hellcat’s expression from clouding, her eyes practically
spitting fire up at him. Bloody shifter women and their fiery tempers.

“You’re fucking kidding me!
Since when?”

Jack grinned at her and couldn’t help the
little tap he gave her under her chin. She really was ugly when she let her
true personality come out.

“Nope, I’m not. Does it matter when? Just
spread the word for us, okay?”

Tania hissed through her teeth, and Jack
stared down at the woman he’d taken into his bed on only one occasion.
One time too many.
He’d rarely met a more selfish female
in his life. His mind shifted to Ashleigh and the change she would make to
their life. His belly fluttered with excitement. He would never have to date
another woman ever again.

Yes!

He laughed as Tania flung her hair over her
shoulder and sauntered away. He never thought he’d be happy to see the end of
his single life, but he was.
Deliriously so.
If Tyler
and Brandon’s obvious contentment was anything to go by, then his and Scott’s
future was suddenly looking a hell of a lot brighter.

John reappeared suddenly and tapped him on
the shoulder.
“Looks like she’s leaving.”

Jack’s gaze snapped back to the dance floor
to see Ash picking up a coat and kissing the bride goodbye.

“Thanks for the heads-up, Uncle John.”

Jack jumped off the patio and headed over
to where his woman stood, enjoying the nervous flutter within his belly as he
approached her. He hadn’t felt this excited over a female since he was a
teenager.

Ash pulled out her mobile and tapped at the
screen a few times.

“You need a lift?”

She looked up at him with eyes clouded by
alcohol. Those pretty blue irises sharpened in a moment when she realized who
he was.

Good
girl. You’re aware of me too, aren’t you, beautiful?

“No. I’m calling a taxi, thank you.”

Laura stepped up beside him, squeezing his
arm. “
Ash,
let Jack take you home. He’s safe as pie, I
promise.”

Well, he wouldn’t say that himself, but he
appreciated Laura’s support.

“Where are you staying?
The
Trenthy
Inn?”

It was the only decent accommodation this
side of the city, and he wouldn’t want her staying anywhere else.

She nodded, glancing from Laura to him like
an animal pressed into a corner.

“Thanks, Jack.” Laura patted him on the
shoulder like it was all sorted and headed back to her party.

Ash sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat
as she placed her mobile back into her bag and pulled on a black jacket.

“Shouldn’t you be taking someone else
home?”

Jack shook his head, placed a hand on the
small of her back, and began guiding her around the house and toward his car.

“No, my brother went home hours ago.”

“I was talking about the redhead.”

The words were said with such spite Jack
couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips.
“Jealous,
beautiful?
You don’t need to be. I told her to take a hike.”

Ash’s eyes flicked up at him in shock
before she pulled the jacket tighter around her body.

“This is mine.” He indicated the silver
four-wheel drive, and she moved around to the passenger side.

He clicked the button and the lights
flashed. Ash slid in and buckled her seat belt.

He shook his head and moved to his own
door. She was such an independent little thing.

Jack climbed in and started the car,
carefully negotiating around the street still full of vehicles. The party would
go well into the night, probably only stopping when the sun peaked over the
mountains. He turned the radio on and began to hum, not wanting to rush her or
be pushy.
Trenthy
was a good twenty minutes away.

She stared out the window for the first
five minutes,
then
turned back to him with a jerk and
a huff.

“Why didn’t you go home with the redhead?
She wanted you.”

Jack grinned at her before he returned his
gaze to the road.

“Because I’m done dating.
I told her that Scott and I were no longer
single and that she needed to tell the rest of the women.”

“The other women?
Why would she need to do that?”

Jack shrugged, not quite sure she wanted
all the details about their shifter family just yet.

“We have a pretty tight-knit community.
Word will spread quickly.”

Ash crossed her arms,
then
went back to staring out the window.

Butterflies fluttered like crazy in Jack’s
belly as he held his breath and waited for her to ask the more obvious
question.

Go
on, beautiful. I know you
wanna
know.

Her expression was angry yet her words
lacked heat when they finally filled the quiet of the truck’s cabin.

“But why are you both now off the market?”

Jack glanced over to find her still staring
out the window. Why not tell her? She’d obviously seen the marriage/mating
today, and someone must have told her about them.

“Because we’ve met our
perfect mate.
Finally!
After twenty long years, it’s about time, really.”

The
Trenthy
Inn
was up ahead and Jack slowed down to park on the opposite side of the street.
He turned the engine off and unclipped his seat belt, watching as she did the
same.

“You don’t mean…” She finally lifted her
head and looked at him, her blue eyes wide and as deep as an ocean. It looked
like he could dive straight in.

“I do.”

He reached over and cupped her face,
pulling her toward him as he moved to meet her halfway. Their lips met and Jack
gasped as surges of
spiraling
pleasure consumed him.
He pulled her closer, sliding his tongue between her open lips and tasting her
for the first time.

Oh
wow!

He shuddered where he
sat,
his body in an ecstasy it had never felt before, confirming without a doubt
that she was the one. Her sweet mouth was addictive and his heart stuttered in
his chest. She moaned and pulled away, looking up with eyes full of lust laced
with fear.

****

Ash had tingles of heat swamping her
senses, running down her arms and legs and playing havoc with her hormones. She
needed this man on a carnal level she’d never experienced within herself
before. Her core was aching and tight, wanting.

“What…why?” She couldn’t put a full
sentence together as she stared up at the gorgeous man who had just kissed her.
Memories of her marriage came flooding back.

She straightened up and ignored the
pleasure coiling in her belly.
Not again,
no
.
She’d promised herself, never again.

“Thanks for the lift, Jack.”

She grabbed her bag and opened the door,
her knees shaking as she stepped out of the vehicle and began the trek to her
room.

Oh
God, I can’t even walk!

The huge car was the perfect way to stay
upright as she clung to the hood and pulled herself around the SUV. Just a
hundred feet and she’d be inside the front door. She had to get the key out of
her bag…

“What’s your story, little spitfire?” Jack
came around to her side and wrapped his arm around her waist, supporting her as
she made her way across the road and up the stairs to the front door. His
strength and warmth drew her in, so she couldn’t resist pressing against him,
her need to be close to him almost as startling as the instant lust that
flared.

“My story?”

“Yeah, your story.”

Jack easily lifted her up the last step,
then let go of her slowly. As his heat left her, it felt like she’d just
stepped out of a hot shower into a cold room. A whimper escaped her throat
before she clenched her teeth tightly together.

Jack grinned and stayed close as Ash let
them into the building and moved along the small corridor and up to the room.
Her room.
Should she ask him in? No. It was too soon for
that, but amazingly, she was actually tempted. If his kisses were anything to go
by, then he would be an amazing lover.