A siren. She was a fucking siren. Engaging and entrancing the crowd so effortlessly. All those snarls, twangs, and gritty vocals went straight to his cock.

There was so much passion in her, she was unbelievably compelling and made him feel . . . greedy. At that moment, he wanted to own all that passion. Wanted it for himself. Wanted her for himself. And that thought made him straighten in his seat, double-blinking, because there had never been a single time in his life when he’d felt remotely possessive of a woman.

He barely knew Mila. Hadn’t even touched her. And yet, there was something about her that pulled him in. It was because she was real, he realized as he watched her perform onstage—no alter ego, no fake stage persona. She was authentic. Didn’t put on a show or wear a mask. She was true to who she was whether she was cutting hair, singing onstage, or merely sitting at a bar.

Many people wore masks, even if it was only for the workplace or for dealing with strangers—it was human nature, really, to wrap your sense of self in protective layers. If people hurt or rejected the mask, it wasn’t so personal; it lessened the pain. But Mila was just . . . Mila. And he suspected that was part of where her steadiness came from. Only someone who was truly genuine could have that degree of inner balance.

His wolf was just as captivated by her performance. Was just as hungry to touch and take.

A hand snatched his empty beer bottle from the table. “Want another?” Charlene asked.

“No, thanks, I’m driving,” he told her.

Everyone clapped as the song ended. Mila gave a brief shout-out to Harley and the DJ before thanking the crowd and wishing them a good night. Dominic watched her disappear off the stage and then waited impatiently for her to walk out of the door that . . . and there she was. Instead of walking to the bar, she turned the corner that led to the restrooms.

Dominic stood as he spoke to Jesse. “I’ll be back soon.”

Jesse sighed, casting a brief glance in the direction that Mila had headed. “You’re wasting your time with that one. I’m sure a woman being uninterested is something of a novel concept for you, though,” he teased, his mouth quirking.

“I don’t think you should take her rejection personally, Dominic,” said Charlene. “I’ve seen plenty of guys come on to Mila. She’s not mean about it, but she shoots them down.”

Dominic’s wolf growled, not liking the idea of her being hounded by other males. “I won’t be long.”

Charlene frowned. “But—”

Ignoring her, Dominic left the VIP area and began winding his way through the cluster of tables. Some of the females tried catching his attention, but he simply said his hellos and never broke stride as he shouldered his way through the throngs of people and finally turned into the long corridor.

There was a line near the entrance to the women’s restroom, so he waited near the exit, his hip propped against the wall. It wasn’t long before Mila came strolling out the door. Seeing him, she came to a sharp stop and sighed, rubbing her temple as if weary. It was probably odd that that made him smile.

Dominic let his gaze rake over her. “Me. You. Handcuffs. A paddle. Any questions?”

“Yes, why haven’t you been committed to a mental health facility?”

He put a hand to his chest. “That hurts.”

“Not as much as our weird-ass conversations do.”

Chuckling, he pushed off the wall and crossed the space to her. “As it happens, my Alpha is considering having me committed. Especially since I keep claiming my watch is magic. But it really is.”

She gave him a droll look. “Is that so?”

“Oh yeah.” He glimpsed at his watch. “According to this, you’re not wearing underwear.”

Her brows drew together. “Actually, I am.”

“Really? Hmm.” Frowning, he tapped the watch. “Must be an hour fast.”

She shook her head, lips twitching. “Unreal.”

Dominic boldly stepped into her personal space and cupped her hip. Her pupils swallowed the color of her eyes, and a flush built on her cheeks. “You didn’t call me,” he said softly.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Why not?” He traced the hollow of her hip bone with the pad of his thumb. “You want me. Maybe even as much as I want you.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t attracted to you. Just that I wasn’t going to sleep with you.”

“Who said anything about sleeping?”

Mila almost shivered as that soft, silken whisper feathered over her skin and promised a sexual satisfaction she’d yet to experience. She was so susceptible to him, it wasn’t even funny. Blindsided by sexual chemistry, her hormones were in a frenzy and her skin was all tingly.

Her cat was . . . well, not pleased to see him. She was never happy to see anyone. But the feline didn’t find him quite as annoying as she found most people. She liked his strength, boldness, and determination. Even liked his playful streak, despite not being particularly playful herself.

Feigning indifference—or at least giving it her best shot—Mila sighed. “Don’t you think this is a little sad? You’re a grown man so bad at handling rejection that you absolutely have to seduce the girl just to reaffirm your sense of manliness.”

“It would be sad if you were right. I won’t deny that your unequivocal no pressed a button for me. But that wouldn’t have been enough to maintain my interest in you if there hadn’t been other things at play. I could list all those things, but you’ll just accuse me of feeding you shit to flatter my way into your panties.”

“I don’t wear panties, I wear thongs.”

He swallowed. “And now I know there is a God.”

Mila smiled before she could stop herself. “You’re insane.”

A group of girls stumbled out of the restroom, almost going ass over tit. Before they could bump into Mila, Dominic smoothly pulled her into the little alcove branching off the corridor. He gently straightened one of her curls and then let it go, smiling as it bounced back into shape. “I’ve been wanting to do that since I first saw you on that stage. I like watching you sing.”

Her brow creased. “Don’t you mean hearing me sing?”

“No, although I do love your voice. It’s all sex and sin and soul. I swear, you could sing the alphabet and my cock would get hard just listening to you. But I also love watching you perform. You get this intensity about you, like you’re crackling with energy. Your eyes gleam, your face gets all flushed, and your body oozes sex. And it makes me wonder if you look like that when you come.”

It wasn’t until her back hit the wall that Mila even realized he’d been slowly and expertly herding her backward. “Smoothly done, GQ. Now step aside.”

Instead, he caught her earlobe between his teeth. “Shall I tell you what I want to do to you?” He breathed her in, filling his lungs with her. “I want to taste and nip that very bitable mouth. Want you naked beneath me so I can play with those pretty breasts and suck on those nipples. Want to spread your thighs and eat your pussy until you come all over my mouth. And then . . . then I’ll fuck you. There’ll be nothing slow or easy about it. I’ll fuck you hard and deep.” He slid his hand from her hip to her lower stomach, splaying his fingers wide as he added, “So fucking deep you’ll feel me right here. And you’ll come screaming.”