Free Fiery Temptation by Marisa Chenery Page A

his bedroom, looking at the things on top of his dresser, then out of the bedroom window, to the backyard below. She didn’t seem to have had an adverse reaction from him absorbing some of her life energy. Granted it hadn’t been very much, before he’d pulled away from her completely and broken the connection between them.
    Once he finished, Jalen led Neve downstairs to the living room. They sat on the black leather couch as they waited for his friends to arrive. He turned on the cushion so he faced her and picked up her hand. He stroked his thumb across the back of it.
    “Everyone is going to like you,” he said, trying to end the silence that had fallen between them. He’d also caught her giving him a strange look from time to time. He had no idea what she thought about what had happened in his bedroom and he wasn’t ready to find out just yet. That could come afterward—once he’d faced the hard part of revealing his true nature.
    Neve chuckled. “You sound so sure of that.”
    He shrugged. “I do. I can’t see anyone not liking you. You’re one of the easiest people I know to get along with.”
    She shook her head. “Thanks, but why the sudden compliments about my personality?”
    Jalen reached across and stroked the fingers of his other hand down her cheek. “So I’m not allowed to compliment you?” He pulled back.
    “I didn’t say that.” She lifted their joined hands and kissed his. It just seemed like an out of the blue kind of thing is all.”
    “Well, get used to it, because I’m going to do this often.” The sound of the doorbell had him letting go of Neve’s hand. He gave her a quick kiss before he stood. “That must be our company. I’ll be right back.”
    He hurried to the front door and opened to it see Gannon and Arwen standing on the other side. Jalen stepped back and waved them in. He gave Arwen a kiss on the cheek as she walked by. He also noticed her eyes were light hazel, the color before they’d changed after her mate had shared his life energy with her. With Gannon’s help, she’d learned to hide the silver of what her eyes were now, just as well as any of them.
    After closing the door, Jalen followed Gannon and Arwen into the living room. He walked by them and went over to Neve. She stood and smiled at the newcomers, her gaze seeming to linger more on Gannon, staring at him in a starstruck kind of way as she’d done to him when they’d first met.
    Making the introductions, Jalen said, “Neve, this is Gannon and Arwen.”
    “Hi,” she said.
    “I’m thrilled to meet you, Neve,” Arwen said. “It’s about time someone else from the band found a girlfriend. I’m sadly outnumbered.”
    Jalen gestured for Gannon and Arwen to take a seat on the leather loveseat kitty-corner to the couch. He was sure the others would be along soon.
    “I hear congratulations are in order,” Neve said. “When’s the big day, Arwen?”
    Gannon’s mate smiled at him, then turned back to Neve. “In six months. I would have been happy with just a small wedding where it was only immediate family, but my mom insisted on something a bit bigger.”
    “At least, she’s not inviting everyone she knows,” Gannon said as he put his arm around Arwen’s shoulders and pulled her tighter against her side.
    The doorbell rang again. Jalen got up to answer it. This time it was Malik, Trae and Keiran.
    “So who is this person you want us to meet?” Malik asked as they waited for Jalen to shut the door.
    “Her name is Neve.”
    All three men had been in midstride, heading in the living room’s direction when they came to a stop and turned to stare at him. They all wore the same surprised looks on their faces.
    “What?” he asked.
    “You’ve invited us over to meet a woman?” Keiran asked incredulously.
    “Don’t act as if you’ve never seen me with one before,” Jalen said.
    “It’s not that. It’s the point that you actually want us to get to know her. Usually you don’t keep a