As she led him out the back door and down an alley to another side street, she did her best to focus on what had just happened with the two League members and Duncan Parrish. Because if she let herself remember the conversation right before that, she'd lose focus. And considering how powerful Duncan's reach was in Reno, she couldn't afford to be distracted until Wes was safely back on PineRock.
Wes's dragon paced inside his head, snarling every few seconds as Ashley led them to some unknown destination.
His beast spoke up. We should've been able to challenge those humans to defend our mate's honor.
And be thrown in prison as a result? You know any type of altercation in the human sphere doesn't end well for a dragon-shifter, even if the human was the one to start it.
That's why Ashley needs to live on PineRock. It's the only way we can protect her.
His instinctive side agreed. The looks and words from that smarmy asshat who'd tried to act the hero back in the bar rang warning bells inside Wes's head. Wes was pretty sure they'd see him again at some point. And when that happened, the fucker would no doubt be the furthest thing from a hero.
Even if he lacked the League tattoo, Wes suspected the human male was aligned with them in some way.
Ashley finally stopped at a small, red car. She gestured toward the passenger side. "Get in."
The car was different from the one she used for ADDA—it had to be her personal one—and sliding into the seat, he smiled at the unicorn plushie sitting on the dashboard. The butter
fly crystal hanging from the rearview mirror glinted slightly pink in the pale light. He snorted. "Where are the rainbows and kittens?"
She gestured toward the back. "Right there."
Sure enough, there was a kitten stuffed animal on the back seat and some butterfly and rainbow heart stickers on the rear window. It was such a contrast to her usually dark, nondescript shirt and trouser outfits she wore for work. "I'm almost afraid to see what your home looks like."
She winked. "Well, it's your lucky day because you're about to find out."
His dragon hummed. Good. We'll have her alone and can convince her she needs to be our mate.
Ignoring his beast, he replied, "It'd be safer for both of us back on PineRock."
She pushed the Start button, and the car roared to life. "My place is closer. And there's no way I'd be able to concentrate all the way to PineRock in the dark. Even if I've been there a thousand times, the roads are little more than dirt sometimes."
"That's by design, as you well know. To keep the League and other unwanted visitors away."
She pulled into the road and, without moving her gaze from it, said, "Regardless, I should be just under the legal limit right now since I didn't finish even half my drink, and I don't want to test my reflexes if I can help it."
"You should let me drive. It'd take half a bottle to get me drunk, and I barely had a few sips."
To his surprise, she pulled over and faced him. "Will it be a battle for you to follow my directions? I don't want to waste time with male bullshit about finding things on your own."
He smiled. Wes would never tire of her directness. "You're one of the few females I'd take orders from."
He hadn't meant for the words to be chock-full of innuendo, but they ended up that way. And as they stared at each other, he heard Ashley's heart rate skyrocket.
His dragon spoke up. Hurry up and change places. I want her alone.
Even though Wes would never allow his dragon to get out of control, he agreed they should hurry. To make sure Ashley was safe and nothing more, or so he tried to reassure himself.
Quickly exiting the car, he was at the driver's side before Ashley had done more than unfasten her seat belt. He opened the door. "Are you going to scoot over or climb out? Either way, make a decision because you can't sit in my lap."
She snorted. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? But it'd defeat the purpose of not getting into an accident. You'd have no blood left in your brain to make any decisions at all."
What he wouldn't give to stand there trading barbs until he could haul her against him and kiss the living shit out of her.
As she climbed over to the passenger seat, her dress sneaking up precariously high, Wes's heart skipped a beat, and his cock turned hard again.
He needed to get his female safe and do everything he could to make her his. There had to be a way where Wes could protect her, and she could still help his kind.
Ashley gestured toward the now-empty seat, and Wes sat down. After they were both buckled in and he’d shifted the car into Drive, he asked, "Where to?"