to have your baby sister drag you home as if you were a child?"
"Not my problem. Okay, we'll do it the hard way then."
Quickly taking hold of Hayes' wrist, Billie bent his arm back behind him and forced it up toward his shoulder blades. Hayes yelped and fell forward onto the bar. For good measure, Billie dug her thumb into the inside of his wrist, at the base of his palm, to keep him pinned in place. Hayes began to swear at her as she rifled through his pants' pockets looking for his car keys.
* * * *
Royce watched the scene taking place over at the bar. He was sitting in the back corner of the club far enough away that neither participant could see him. His lips twitched with amusement.
He had watched the woman enter the club and then head for the drunken mortal who sat at the bar. She hadn't looked at all thrilled to be here. Normally he ignored such goings on, but there was something about the woman that drew his eye. She was pretty in an understated way. Her long black hair fell around her shoulders to the middle of her back. He really couldn't tell what kind of figure she had because of the loose fitting sweats she wore. He had the feeling she wasn't the type of woman who cared what other people thought of her looks anyway.
When the conversation seemed to get a little heated, Royce found himself on his feet heading toward them. Just as he reached them the woman pinned the man to the bar and started to search his pockets.
"Do you need any help?"
The woman turned to take a quick look at Royce and shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but I can manage." With a sound of triumph, she pulled out a set of keys from the man's pocket.
Royce sucked in a sharp breath as he caught his first whiff of her scent. Taking another breath, he drew it deep inside his lungs until her scent was all he could smell. The wolf inside him threw back his head and howled with longing. Royce fought the urge to pull her into his arms, to claim her as his. Her scent said she was his mate, but it was her being a mortal that made him want to resist the mating urge that had risen up inside him. He had lost one mate who was mortal. He couldn't take a second mortal as a mate.
Oblivious to what Royce was going through, she released the man's arm and dangled the keys in front of his face. "Let's go."
Unable to stop himself, Royce moved nearer to the woman. She wasn't all that tall, the top of her head barely reached the middle of his chest, but there was a toughness about her that made up for her lack of stature. He took another deep breath, knowing her scent would be forever burned into his mind, never forgotten. When she took a step back and rammed into his chest, Royce bit back a moan of pleasure.
She quickly turned around and apologized. "Sorry about that." A look of interest spread across her face as she stared up at him.
* * * *
Billie knew she was staring, but she couldn't stop herself. The man standing in front of her was breathtaking to the max. Visions of wrapping herself around his well built body and kissing him until they both couldn't think straight flitted through her head as she looked into his hazel eyes. She usually didn't find herself instantly attracted to a man. Growing up in a houseful of males, she was much more comfortable around men than she was women so she tended to be treated like one of the guys. But she definitely didn't want this particular guy to think of her in that way. He was someone she wanted to get up close and personal with. He had perfect good looks with his square jaw, chiseled lips and straight nose. He wore his golden brown hair long so it fell just past his shoulders. Billie had the strongest urge to run her fingers through its length. And he was tall, which was something she liked in a man. He had to be no less than six foot six.
The silence seemed to stretch between them. Billie could tell the interest she felt was not totally one sided. His gaze swept her body hungrily. Not wanting him to think Hayes was anything