Sinclair already had a beer waiting for him before he sat on the bar stool. "They give you any trouble?"

Luke shook his head and swigged the beer. "The second those little shits get caught they turn into kittens. I'll be worried the day they realize that their claws can actually cut."

Sinclair smiled and moved away, wiping the other end of the bar.

Luke shot a glance back towards the table where the red head had been sitting. He'd only been outside for five minutes and hoped that she hadn't left yet. But no one was sitting there anymore. Turning back to his drink he caught a whiff of a subtle floral scent. At least, it would have been subtle if he weren't a shapeshifter. But enhanced senses came with the game. For him it smelled like he was walking through a rose garden, but at least the scent seemed all natural. Some synthetics made him sneeze.

He looked towards the scent and smiled when he saw the red head. A part of him was disappointed that she wasn't a shapeshifter – he couldn't think of any that would wear such a strong perfume – but that didn't last long. She didn't take a seat, instead leaning against the bar and standing close. Her elbows rested on the ledge and her back arched showcasing the incredibly alluring curve of her chest.

Luke's gaze trailed down, taking in her emerald eyes and bright red lips. He expected her skin to be lighter, most red heads' were, but she wore a nice tan like she lived in the sun. A slinky dress barely covered her from shoulder to mid-thigh and he was thankful for that tight material. And he was also thankful that his jeans were hiding the effect she was starting to have on him. Damn if he wasn't half-hard just from looking at her.

She leaned closer, her shiny red lips tantalizingly near his cheek. "Buy me a drink?" She breathed into his ear.

Luke suppressed a shiver as her breath caressed his skin. Damn it had been a long time if one little human was having this effect on him. Something niggled at his senses while he stood there. Something smelled wrong, not unhealthy, not the creeping rot of a vampire or the burnt danger of a witch, just off. "What kind of drink?" He asked, still studying her. She was doing the same.

She reached around him, her breasts brushing against his chest. Luke didn't suck in a breath. He didn't tighten up. He was an alpha cat and he didn't react like a randy boy when a hot woman got close. She grabbed his beer and put the bottle to her lips, taking her time to sip it. He watched her swallow as the liquid slid down her throat. "This one." She smiled and lingered just inches in front of him.

Luke could tell she was trouble, and just the kind he wanted. He rested his hand on her hip. She smiled even further. Looking at her face he saw where the weird scent was coming from. Her hairline was wrong, it didn't line up like it should. She was wearing a wig. It seemed his red wasn't what she seemed. Disappointing, but he would live. "You've taken something of mine," he said. He grabbed for his beer but she held it out of reach, "I think that makes me entitled to something of yours."

"Does it now?" Her voice was melted chocolate, smooth, warm, everything he wanted.

He wasn't getting his beer back and he didn't care. "It does." He put just enough command into the flirtation and saw her grin. "Tell me your name and I'll forgive you."

She swallowed the rest of his beer and leaned past him to set the empty bottle on the counter. Once again she brushed up against him. "It's Katie." That was all wrong for this woman. Katie was the name of a girl, a simple, cute girl. And just from looking he knew she was anything but simple. "Who are you?" she asked.

He leaned in closer, catching her scent, something ethereal under the flowers and synthetic hair. He wanted her naked before him, her secrets bared to his senses. "My name is Luke." He couldn't answer her entire question - any human would think his answer was crazy. But they didn't need words between them now, not when the chemistry was ramping up everything inside him. His cat was scratching inside his skin, waiting to roll around and show off for her. He pulled her close and she came with no resistance.

Just as he brushed his lips against the skin at the base of her throat he heard a voice clear behind him. Luke came back to his senses for a moment to see Sinclair standing behind the bar, twirling his rag with a smirk on his face. "What kind of store do you think I'm running here?" The gruff man asked.

While there were perks to being the alpha, he couldn't just run roughshod over his people's territory. Luke grinned and nodded. He kept Katie close, but spoke against her ear instead of kissing her. "Want to get out of here?"

She glanced behind them, towards the opposite wall. All Luke saw were a few patrons sitting at the tables and EC's eclectic décor. A few mirrors and posters, the head of an elk, and an old clock. But when she looked back she smiled. "Now you're speakin' my language." She spoke with a bit of a drawl, her g's dropping off the ends of words. Luke couldn't wait to get her alone and hear what else she would say.

He led her out of the restaurant, one arm possessively around her waist. A few pack members eyed him, but they said nothing, their expressions carefully neutral. Luke Torres did not pick up women in local bars. Ever. But there was something about this one that he wasn't letting go.

Vince and friends were long gone and the parking lot was full of cars but no people. Katie didn't make a move to go to her own vehicle, letting him lead her to his motorcycle. If he'd known he was going to pick someone up, he would have brought a truck. But her eyes lit up when she saw the sleek black bike. Perhaps it was a good choice after all. "This is yours?" Excitement lit her words.

"For years now." He wanted to say that he'd won it in a card game or found it in an abandoned garage and restored it from a rusted heap. But the origin was far too mundane for that. He'd simply purchased it after falling in love at first sight. "Where are you—" His phone interrupted him, vibrating in his pocket. An alpha's work was never done. He gave her an apologetic glance and answered. "It's Torres." Gone was the flirtatious man he'd been with her. Now his voice was pure business.

Maya Nunez, his head of security, spoke. "We've had some anomalies tonight. I think it would be best if you come check out the security feed."

He wanted to curse. Here he had a beautiful woman who seemed to like him and his bike, and he had to go home. For a moment he considered taking her with him. But she was human, and that couldn't happen. "Got it. Prepare a report." He hung up and looked back at Katie. "How long are you in town?" She didn't live in Eagle Creek, he would have recognized her.

She shrugged, disappointment in her words, "I'll be around for a bit. Who knows?"

Oh, what the hell. He pulled her close and captured her lips with his. If this was the only time he'd ever see her, he was letting himself have that much. Her arms went around him and she opened for him, her tongue tangling with his. Damn. Luke had made a terrible mistake.

One taste of her was never going to be enough.