by Nicole Hall
The curve of her ass was a fine thing, but the way she crooned to the animal as if it was a beloved pet pushed him over the edge. She opened her heart to everything around her…and he could use that.
“C’mon, let’s get you home.” Seth held out his hand to help her up, and Keely looked over her shoulder at him. For a second, her eyes glittered with joy. Then she blinked, and the caution returned. Her hand slipped into his, and it was Seth’s turn to blink. For a second, he wanted that look to be for him.
Seth hauled her up, and kept her hand firmly in his as he strolled down the path with her. He told himself it was to soften her up, but it felt dangerously close to a lie. Keely tried to pull away once, but gave in with a half-hearted shrug.
“This is by far the weirdest date I’ve ever been on.”
Seth glanced down at her. “Who said it was a date?”
She sent him a knowing look. “You tried and failed to hit on me, and now you’re holding my hand captive. Looks like a date to me.”
Seth smirked, ignoring the rush of possessive anger that accompanied the thought of her on other dates. “You need better dates.”
She sighed. “That’s the truth.”
A strange noise from the grass made Seth cock his head. A second later, sprinklers popped up and started shooting jets of water in wide circles. He grinned and moved toward the streams.
Keely pulled back on his hand, but couldn’t break his grip. “What’re you doing?” The closer he got to the water, the more panicked her movements got. “Seth, I don’t want my bag to get wet.”
It was a fair request. He paused long enough to grab the strap with his free hand and yank it over her head. The sidewalk was mostly dry, so he left it where they were standing. Acting on impulse, he pulled her closer and scooped her up into his arms.
“Seth!” Keely squealed, but a big smile broke across her face.
“I’m going to run us through as many of these sprinklers as I can before they turn off. You have one chance for me to put you down, but I should warn you that I’m going to judge you hard if you decide to take the easy path.”
She squirmed once, then settled down against his chest, hooking her hand behind his neck and looking up at him with her island eyes. “It’s not giving up if I don’t want to get soaked with ice cold water.”
“Adventure waits for no one.”
Her gaze dropped to his lips, then back up, and Seth’s blood rushed south. “Is that what you’re after? Adventure?”
At the moment, Seth’s desires were a lot less abstract. “I’ll settle for a run through the sprinklers.”
“You promise not to drop me?”
“I promise not to hurt you.” The words slipped out unintentionally, but Seth realized they were true. He wanted to keep her safe, maybe even from himself. “Last chance, trouble-maker.”
Keely met his eyes, and he had the feeling she knew he was offering more than a mad dash. She leaned closer, her mouth a breath away from his ear, and whispered, “Go.”
They made it through four sprinklers before she wriggled out of his arms. Seth felt a pang of disappointment that she’d quit so soon, but she turned to him and raised a brow.
“Race you back?”
Keely didn’t wait for an answer, just took off running across the park toward her building, giggling wildly. Seth took a quick detour to snatch her bag off the sidewalk, then followed her through the wet grass. He was careful to keep her bag dry as he dodged blasts of water, and he was only a few steps behind her when they left the park.
They slowed to a stop on the sidewalk, and Seth tossed her bag to her. Keely had no trouble catching it. Her pale blue tee shirt was plastered to her, so she set the bag down at her feet. The sprint had left her panting, and Seth tried valiantly to keep his eyes off her chest.
If he’d learned anything in the last hundred years or so, it was that females didn’t like being ogled, also that he needed to be much clearer about his intentions when getting involved. Not that he intended to get involved with Keely. The attraction to her surprised him, but in the end, he thought he could make it work in his plan.
He’d better, because attraction or not, Seth needed her.
KEELY
Her boobs were showing. It was all Keely could think about, and she wasn’t sure how to act to not draw attention to them. She wasn’t large by any feat of the imagination, but there was enough there that she couldn’t run around braless, thank goodness. Her bra was the only thing keeping her from fleeing down the street to her house.
Seth squeezed water out of his chin-length hair then ran a hand through it to push it back from his face. She was pretty sure he hadn’t intended to draw attention to his impressive biceps, but his shirt was just as wet as hers was.
Keely needed a distraction for her lusty body because her brain had given up a while ago. “Thanks for bringing my bag. I can’t believe I forgot it there like that.”
Seth gave her another one of those wicked smiles. “Looks like you owe me a favor.”
“Wouldn’t that make us even, then? Or were you happy as a llama?”
He shuddered. “I try to make the best of any situation, but being a llama sucked ass.”
“See, even.”
Seth shook his head. “You were the one who stipulated that there were no obligations from your actions. That works both ways.”
Keely wrung out her clothes as best as she could and sighed. “I don’t suppose you have the kind of magic that would make us dry instantly, do you?”
“Regretting your decision already?”
“No, just the consequences.”
Keely shivered as the wind picked up, and Seth’s brows drew together. “We can discuss my favor on the way back to your place.”
They were only a few blocks from her place, but Keely was strangely reluctant to hurry home. Well, there was no reason to hurry. They could meander. Normal people meandered. It didn’t have to mean anything. She picked up her bag and started off in the right direction at a slow pace.
Despite Seth’s insistence on a favor, she didn’t think he’d actually need anything more from her. What could she possibly offer him? Jobless and soon to be homeless, all she had of value was a collection of first editions she kept at her mom’s place. There was always the crazy hope that he’d ask for a sexual favor.
Keely still tingled from him holding her. She’d had to make him put her down because her raging hormones had threatened to take over. Any longer pressed against him and she would have done something stupid like lick the drops of water off the corded muscle of his neck. A shiver raced through her, but not from the cold.
Down, girl.
Seth seemed oblivious to her internal struggle as he walked next to her. “As you’ve probably figured out, I’m not human.”
Keely glanced around, but none of the other pedestrians were paying them any attention. “You look human.”
He cast her a sidelong glance. “A lot of creatures look human. That doesn’t make them safe.”
She snorted. “Being human doesn’t make them safe either. Lots of humans are dangerous.”
“Probably, but throwing magic into the mix always makes it worse.”
“You don’t have to convince me of that.”
Seth was silent for a moment. He stared at the row of brick buildings they walked past, but she didn’t think he saw them. “Why were you so angry when you found me?”
Keely pressed her lips together. Why not tell him? Most of the anger had faded, but there was still a simmering chunk inside her. Talking about it might help it go away. “My boss is an ass who fired me instead of giving me the promotion he’d hinted at. I’m pretty sure him and his whole company are breaking the law in some way, but I don’t know how. Oh, and my expensive new stiletto broke.”
He chuckled. “That explains the flying shoes.”
“Yeah, sorry again.” Keely sighed. “Then when I got home, I got some more bad news and told my alpha roommate I was moving out.”<
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His attention flew back to her face. “Alpha roommate?”
“You can get rid of that look right now. It’s not a sexual thing. She’s the leader, that’s all.”
“I see,” he said solemnly.
He totally didn’t see, but Keely was fine with that. “So essentially my life is in shambles.”
Seth smiled. “But you still stopped to help a poor llama.”
Keely met his eyes for a second, then looked away from the heat there. “He was very insistent.”
“So I hear. About my favor…”
“I’m not doing another favor for you. Besides, I thought you were going back to your life. That’s what you said when you were still furry.”
“I decided that your pushover status made you useful in other parts of my life.”
Keely scoffed. “I’m not a pushover.”
“Please. It took me less than fifteen minutes to convince you to kiss my ass, literally. I’ve had a harder time convincing my cousin to make me dinner, and he loves cooking.”
Warmth crawled up Keely’s cheeks. “How about we don’t mention the ass-kissing thing again? I have a reputation to maintain.”
“How intriguing. I promise not to mention it in front of other people.”
Keely narrowed her eyes at him, but he’d gone back to watching the passing scenery. She could see her building on the next block. If Seth wanted a favor, he’d better spit it out or he’d lose his chance. Then again, he knew where she lived, and he definitely sounded like he intended to keep pestering her. Yep. Pestering. That’s what he was doing.
“If you’re not human, then what are you?” Her tone was more abrupt than she’d meant it to be, and Keely winced. Sometimes her tact left her completely. “If you don’t mind telling me.”
“Some creatures consider that a very rude question.”
Keely held her breath, then it whooshed out when he continued.
“I don’t, but I don’t think I’m going to tell you yet.”
“Why not?”
Seth stared straight ahead. “I have my reasons.”
Keely nodded. It hurt a bit that she’d spilled her sob story to him and he didn’t want to reciprocate, but it was his life. His information to share or not. She couldn’t very well get angry at him for keeping his secrets to himself.
They arrived at her row house, and Seth walked with her up the steps to her door. Keely reached for the knob, but he clasped her hand instead.
“I have a proposition for you.”
Keely almost made a Pretty Woman joke, but considering her earlier hope that he’d ask for a sexual favor, it seemed in poor taste. She also didn’t want to discourage him if that’s where he was going.
“Yes?” Keely’s voice didn’t betray her inner hussy.
“Since the favor I’m going to ask is a rather large one, I want to offer you something in return.” He pulled a key fob out of his pocket with his free hand and held it up.
“I won a brand-new car?”
Seth chuckled. “This is the key to my apartment.” Keely’s eyebrows shot up and her heart raced. He wasn’t going to actually suggest a sexual favor, was he? He continued as if she hadn’t reacted. “You need a place to live, and I have a spare bedroom. You can stay with me, rent-free.”
“Are you insane? You can’t just offer your apartment to random women. What if I were an axe-murderer? Or a vegan?”
“I trust you.”
Keely shook her head. “Well, that’s a terrible decision. What if I bring you down with me as I’m self-destructing?”
Seth lifted her hand and kissed her palm. Heat tightened her insides, and Keely gasped. She burned at the brush of lips against skin.
“What if I don’t mind a little destruction?”
That was a way better come on. It pained her, but even her inner hussy couldn’t agree to the deal. “I’m not having sex with you in exchange for a free apartment.”
A surprised laugh burst out of Seth. “I’m not against the idea, but that wasn’t what I had in mind.”
Keely had mostly stopped listening after I’m not against the idea. “What?”
“You can stay with me for as long as you need in exchange for a different favor.”
She narrowed her eyes, trying valiantly to stick with the conversation this time. “What exactly is your favor?”
“I need you to be my mate.”
3
KEELY
Mate? Keely figured Seth was up to something, but mate sounded a lot more permanent than she expected. “How is that not sexual?”
“If you were my actual mate, it would be sexual, among other things, but I need a fake mate.”
Keely held up her free hand. “You need to start further back in the story.”
“I’m not from around here.”
“I got that much. Skip ahead. The short version with one hundred percent truth please.”
He pursed his lips. “I was banished from my homeland almost a hundred and fifty years ago for something I didn’t do, and I want to find out the truth.”
Keely whistled. “A hundred and fifty years? You look good for your age.”
He looked away, and she regretted her snarky comment. He’d given her what she’d asked. The least she could do was take it seriously.
Keely knew the pains of missing home without being able to easily return. She had her own reasons for staying away, but she also had her roommates and the row house behind her to ease the sadness.
She squeezed his hand. “You want to go home.”
His attention came back to her, hesitant. “I have things I need to do there.”
“What does that have to do with a fake mate?”
“We have a tradition that’s a loophole in my banishment. Once a year, the clan performs a ritual for mated pairs. It’s such a big deal that I think even banished clanmates can return. With their mates, of course.”
“You want me to pretend to be your mate so that you can gain access to your homeland?” The words sounded far-fetched when she said them out loud, and Keely wondered what the people walking by would think if they paid any attention to the conversation.
“Yes.”
“What do you expect to do there?”
“I told you. Find out the truth of what happened a hundred and fifty years ago.”
Keely cocked her head. “Why didn’t you do this a hundred and forty-nine years ago?”
“I didn’t know it was a loophole until last year. My cousin returned with his mate, and a comment in passing made me realize the potential.”
There was more to that part of the story, but Keely couldn’t see how it was important at the moment. She had a more pressing question she needed answered.
“What exactly does being a mate entail?”
His grin returned, taking on a distinctly naughty tilt. “Pretty much what it sounds like. I suppose you could compare it to a human marriage, but there’s magic involved in the binding.”
“So I’d be your fake fiancée?”
“Not quite. My kind marry, but it’s superficial. Mates are rare. That’s why the ritual is important. We’d have to convince everyone in my clan that you are my mate or I won’t be allowed in and I certainly won’t be allowed to stay.”
Keely took a deep breath. She could fake a relationship, but her attraction to him was all too real. Was his? Or was he playing her to get what he wanted?
Worse, did she care?
This morning, her biggest concern had been which restaurant to pick for her celebration dinner, and now she was considering moving in with a guy who she’d met that afternoon. A magical guy. With a crazy story that she stupidly believed based entirely on his word.
Seth must have sensed her wavering because his grip on her hand tightened. “I’ll pay you for your time, of course.”
Talk about a Pretty Woman scenario. “You’ll pay me and I can live with you rent free? No other requirements than that I pose as your mate?”
“No other requ
irements, but we’ll have to spend some time getting to know each other. The clan would expect that I’d know things like your last name.”
“Do you know my first name?”
“Keely. Of the wild and the Wood. Benefactor to ducklings, sprinkler sprinter, and tri-state champion in shoe throwing.”
His words made her smile, as he’d probably intended, but the pragmatic part of her that she’d painstakingly built up needed time to consider the proposition. No matter how badly the wild side wanted to jump on the adventure.
“I need to think about this.”
Seth rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “Don’t think too long. The ritual is on May first.”
“That’s only like three weeks from now.”
“Plenty of time to learn, and you can stay in my apartment as long as you need past that.”
“What happens if your people don’t believe us? Do I still have a place to live?”
“I promise that no matter the outcome, you’ll have somewhere to live.”
Prickles chased across the hand he was holding and faded up her arm. The feeling triggered a vague memory of something Charlotte had said once. “Are you magically bound by promises?”
Seth grinned. “Why? Does my touch make you tingle?”
Keely groaned. “And we’re back to the terrible come-ons. If this is a regular thing, I’m going to need more than free rent.”
He leaned forward, his voice low and rough. “I think I can come up with something.”
Her breath hitched, and Keely dug her nails into her thigh to keep from reaching for him. She was having trouble keeping up with which side of the bonus sex they were on. Seth held her gaze and kissed her fingertips, then released her and bounded down the steps. Keely’s heart beat wildly as she watched him walk away from her.
The heat from his touch slowly faded, and Keely wrapped her arms around herself. Her wet clothes felt clammy in the shade, but she wasn’t ready to face her roommates yet. Seth had said a lot of pretty words, but he’d skillfully avoided answering several of her questions.
