Sassy Ever After: Sassy and a little Bad-Assy (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Jessie Lane Page A

want to go just yet?”
    Nikki snorted. “And you want to stay, why? So you can give me some more cheesy pickup lines? Buddy, if I wanted to hear those, all I have to do is go back and visit your bar.”
    A growl burst through the air between them, and it took her a second to realize it was coming from him.
    This time, it was his turn to take a deep breath. “Look, let’s not talk about you getting pickup lines, all right?” Holding out his hand, he continued, “Your name is Nikki. In case you didn’t catch it yesterday, my name is Cruz.”
    Cruz kept holding his hand out in the space between them until she realized he wasn’t going to give up, so she placed her hand in his big one to give him a quick handshake. That handshake turned into something else altogether. What exactly, Nikki couldn’t say. What she could outline was how warm his skin felt against her own and the strength in his fingers as he gingerly brought her hand up to his face and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. Not to mention, the way a slow heat started to move through her entire body.
    Instant attraction. Chemistry.
    Whatever it was, it damn near knocked her on her ass.
    It wasn’t love at first sight by any means, but it was definitely something more primitive or instinctual. It felt like, at the touch of his lips on her skin, Nikki’s entire nerve system lit up like one of those old-time pinball games. If she had lights and music in her system, they would have gone off loudly enough to wake up the neighborhood. It was perhaps the craziest thing she had ever encountered in her entire life, and that was saying something since she was pretty sure her entire family was certifiable.
    Apparently, she wasn’t the only one affected by the touch. Cruz’s eyes seemed to glow a bit, making the dark chocolate depths of his gaze molten. Damn, the man was dangerous to her girl parts.
    Trying to put her wits back in order, Nikki pulled her hand out of his grip and noticed how Cruz only seemed to let it go reluctantly.
    Clearing her throat, she murmured, “Got it. I’m Nikki, you’re Cruz, and yesterday is forgiven. That cover it all?” She tried so hard to make herself sound confident and sure again, but even she heard the little waver in her voice.
    Cruz shook his head. “Nope.”
    “No?” she repeated, surprised.
    He shook his head. “Nope.”
    “Well, what do you want now?” Nikki asked, confused as hell.
    She watched, rather like a fascinated school girl, as the side of his mouth slowly tipped up into a grin. “I don’t think I can have what I want just yet, pretty girl. Perhaps you can give me what I need, though?”
    “What’s that?” she croaked.
    “Time with you.” His words were firm and unrepentant.
    “Why do you want time with me?”
    “You want the truth, or do you want pretty words?”
    Nikki rolled her eyes. “Pretty words aren’t always true, and true words aren’t always pretty, so hit me with the truth, big guy. I’m sure I can take it.”
    “You know I’m a wolf shifter, yes?”
    Nikki nodded.
    “Do you know what a true mate is?”
    She told him no.
    At the shake of her head, Cruz began to explain, “Fate, mother nature, God—whoever you want to pin it on—gives each shifter one true mate during their lifetime. As the stories of my kind go, biologically, true mates are perfectly compatible. After they accept one another, they merge on a soul level, becoming emotionally bound to the other. In essence, true mates are what humans call soul mates.”
    Perplexed about where he was going with this, Nikki asked, “And …? What does this have to do with me?”
    “You’re my true mate.”
    Those four words seemed to echo in the air around her, or maybe it was in her head. Nikki wasn’t quite sure, because suddenly, she was a wee bit lightheaded and a whole lot of confused.
    Cruz stepped closer to her. “You said yourself that the truth isn’t always pretty. I’m not sure how you feel about what I just