She immediately put a brake to where those thoughts were leading. Oh, no. No way. She was not going to go there. Get a grip, Adrianna.
“You okay?” Julianna asked. “You zoned out for a while there.”
“Er, I’m just … hungry,” she said quickly. “How about I make us some dinner? All this moving made me famished. Mama said she had the restaurant staff stock up the kitchen.”
“Thank God,” Julianna declared. “Because I’m not cooking after carrying all your stuff up from the car.”
“You don’t cook, period. Or rather, you can’t cook.” Her sister’s helplessness in the kitchen was a joke in the family. Everyone tried to teach her. Even their cousin, Dominic, who had the patience of a saint, gave up. Julianna could burn water without trying.
“Gahh, you know what I mean.” Julianna pushed at her playfully. “Go on and make me some lunch!”
“Is that any way to talk to your Alpha?” she teased.
“You ain’t my Alpha yet.” Julianna stuck her tongue out. “I’m gonna lie down here and nap for a bit.”
“Fine. Come down in an hour. I should have something ready by then.”
She hauled herself out of bed and headed down to the kitchen, opening the cupboards and the refrigerator door, assessing what was inside. As her mother had said, it was indeed stocked with various ingredients plus some desserts from the restaurant.
Hmmm. She tapped a finger on her chin and saw the jars of red sauce. Ah! Muccino’s secret tomato sauce, made from scratch. Her great-grandparents had brought the recipe from Italy and only shared it with family. Of course, she knew how to make it, but it was a multi-day process. They also had commercialized versions of it in the various restaurants they had all over the world, but usually, they had to change it to suit the local taste. These were the real deal, probably made by Uncle Dante, Gio, or Dominic. She grabbed the jar and then some flour and eggs so she could make some homemade pasta.
Cooking in this kitchen brought back all those good memories of Nonna, her family, and her childhood. She put the sauce in a pot and put it over the stove so it would be ready for the pasta. As she mixed the flour, eggs, and water on the large kitchen table, she remembered how Nonna Gianna patiently taught her how to get the consistency right to make perfect pasta. She sniffled. I miss you so much, Nonna. A tear threatened to fall down her cheek, and she rubbed it away with a flour-stained hand.
“Who has made you cry?”
Her head shot up so fast she went light-headed. “What are you doing here?” The shock of seeing Darius standing in the doorway made the words spew out of her mouth.
He stared back at her with those eerie cobalt blue eyes. “I am here because I was tasked to protect you. The Alpha informed us that you would be moving today, and so here I am.”
“I told you, I don’t need any protection,” she huffed.
“Your front door was unlocked,” he said with a frown. “Anyone could have come in here.”
“We don’t lock our front doors out here,” she said.
“That needs to change.”
He strode forward, his bulk making the kitchen feel smaller. Adrianna felt her mouth go dry as her gaze followed the broad length of his shoulders and his muscled tattooed arms. Today, he was wearing a dark gray shirt that clung to his upper body, emphasizing the perfect V-shape of his torso.
She groaned inwardly as she felt the heat pool in her belly. Madre de dio, that body should be illegal in the Lower 48, plus Hawaii and Alaska.
“Miss Anderson?” He cocked his head. “Are you all right?”
Oh, God, and he just caught me gawking. “I’m fine,” she snapped. She turned around, nearly slamming into an open drawer she had forgotten to close. Shit! What was the matter with her? Why was she acting like a schoolgirl with a crush? Pull yourself together and have some dignity. She was thirty-one years old, the president of an international company, and about to be Alpha in her own right. It wasn’t like she was a virgin. She’d had serious relationships in the past. But thinking about the last time she’d slept with anyone made her seriously depressed. Maybe that’s it. She was losing her mind from lack of sex.
A discrete cough jolted her back to the present. Taking a deep breath, she brushed her hair back and faced him.
“Have you eaten?” she blurted out, then flushed. Jeez. Now she was acting like an Italian mother. She stalked over to the fridge and opened the door, bending down to search for the parmesan cheese.
Oohhh. The cool air felt good, and hopefully it could help the fire burning in her cheeks and … elsewhere. Grabbing the block of cheese, she stood upright and closed the door behind her.
He was still standing in the same spot, staring at her, his face stony. Did nothing affect him at all? Was he just one big block of cold, unfeeling ice?
She turned her attention to the pot of boiling sauce on the stove. Grabbing the spoon, she put it to her lips. Perfect. She turned back to face Darius. “Do you want to taste?” She offered him the spoon.
Slowly, he stalked toward her, eyeing her like a wary animal. She extended her arm so she could put the spoon closer to his mouth. To her shock, he grabbed her wrist, sending zings of electricity up her arm, and she got a whiff of that delicious vanilla scent of his. It sent her brain into overdrive and her wolf into howls of delight.
She tamped down her hormones but couldn’t help but watch as he opened his lips and took a taste of the sauce from the spoon.
“Well?” Her voice came out breathier than she wanted.
“It is … nice.” His expression turned flat, and he let go of her hand.
She felt even more frustrated at his cool indifference, even as her body reacted to being so close to him.
Darius obviously felt nothing. And that was good, she told herself. If this whole thing was going to work, she would have to keep him at an arm’s length. Still, she knew she was attractive. An ex-boyfriend had compared her curvy body to Botticelli’s Venus, and her face was pretty enough. For God’s sake, she couldn’t even go to industry conferences without an escort because she kept getting propositioned by various chefs and CEOs. So, maybe her ego was getting just a bit bruised because Darius didn’t seem to have the same reaction she was having to him.
“What’s going on here?”
Julianna’s voice made her take a step back away from Darius. “Julianna.” She cleared her throat. “What are you doing here?”
“Me?” Her sister marched into the kitchen. “What is he doing here?”
“Like I explained to Miss Anderson,” Darius began. “I am here to protect her.”
Julianna’s nostrils flared. “So you say.”
“I should inspect the perimeter,” he said, turning on his heel. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.” He disappeared out the back, the door shutting behind him with a loud thud.
“I still can’t believe Mama agreed to this,” Julianna huffed.
“I know, right?” She sighed and massaged her temple. “Lunch will be ready soon. Did you wash up?”
Julianna guffawed. “Yeah. And you should think of doing the same.”
“What do you—” She glanced toward the mirror hanging above the sink. “Oh, madre de dio!” She looked like a disaster. Most of her hair had come out of her bun, and her cheeks and temples were streaked with flour. The front of her shirt was splattered with red sauce and worse—she didn’t realize how thin both her shirt and bra were, and her nipples were poking through the fabric.
“Gahh!” She reached for the nearest kitchen towel and wiped her face, but really, she just wanted to hide the blush on her cheeks. Darius had seen her like this. No wonder he was eager to run away.
“Adrianna?” Julianna eyed her suspiciously. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” She tossed the towel towards the sink. “I’ll finish up the pasta and we can eat soon.” Hopefully this day wouldn’t turn into a bigger disaster.
Darius didn’t return until after they had finished dinner. Adriann
a would have called him in to eat, but she was still mad—that she had reacted like some hormonal boy-crazy teen around him, and he didn’t react to her at all. He could starve for all I care.
However, the Italian in her couldn’t help herself, so as soon as he walked back in the door, she said, “I made you a plate, it’s in the fridge. Now,” she shot back to Julianna. “Where were we?”
Julianna stared back at her from across the kitchen table, her mouth open.
Adrianna crossed her arms over her chest, signaling that she was not open to talking about this.
Her sister shrugged and pushed a folder at her. “What do you think of this one?”
After lunch, she and Julianna had decided to tackle the task of picking out recruits for the New Jersey Security Team. Frankie had assembled all the applicants’ files and handed them to her daughters so they could come up with a shortlist of candidates.
Adrianna opened the next folder with the applicant’s details. “Chase Harris. Personal trainer and boxer.” There was a photo of the young man, probably in his early twenties.
“He actually applied for a position in New York. Meredith sent his file over.” Meredith Jonasson was the New York Security Team’s second-in-command. “She really liked this guy, but they already had enough recruits for the year.”
“Let’s put him in the ‘yes’ pile. Who’s next?”
Julianna picked out another folder and slid it toward her. “Mark Jameson. High school football and track star, just graduated last spring.”
She opened the folder. “He’s been working different odd-jobs since then. His family’s been in Jersey for three generations.”
“Sounds like an ideal candidate,” Julianna said.
“He seems too young.”
Adrianna turned her head, then had to crane her neck when she realized he was actually standing right behind her. Darius had a plate in his hand, but was staring down at the folder in front of her. “Is that so?” she asked. “And how old were you when you started training to be an enforcer?”
He seemed taken aback by her question, but gave her a nod. “I apologize if I have overstepped my bounds. I shall finish my meal outside.” Without another word, he strode out the back door that led to the porch.
She watched him leave, not knowing what to say. Did she want him to stay? It didn’t seem right, having him waiting outside like some servant.
“Ahem.”
Her head snapped back to her sister, and she sucked in a breath. “What?” she asked.
Julianna was staring at her, her eyes narrowed. “I don’t like how he looks at you.”
“Looks at me? Like what?”
“Like he’s the Big Bad Wolf looking at Little Red Riding Hood.”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s always got this look in his eye when he thinks no one is looking,” Julianna said. “I saw it when he first came into that meeting at Muccinos.”
“You’re being ridiculous. He can’t stand me, obviously. Look how fast he left.”
“I know when someone’s trying to hide something. The way he’s so controlled around you isn’t normal.” Julianna glanced at the door. “Don’t be an idiot, please.”
“Excuse me?” she huffed.
“I’m just saying …” Julianna grabbed a couple more folders. “Let’s get through the rest of these applications, then I’ll contact everyone we want to see and set up interviews. I’ll talk to them first and then you and Mama can do the second round.”
She groaned. Who knew becoming Alpha was so tedious? It was worse than running Muccino International. At least at the company, she had an HR department who took care of all the hiring. “Fine, let’s get this over with.”
At least all this Alpha stuff would help distract her. Still, she couldn’t help but ponder on Julianna’s words. Did Darius really have something to hide? She could always rely on her own instincts when it came to business, but it felt like she was fumbling in the dark when it came to him. He was just so unreadable.
Aside from looking over the applications, there were still so many other details they had to take care of. By the time they finished, it was already late. She got up and stretched her arms over her head. “I have an early day tomorrow.” Now that she was living here, her commute would be twice as long, plus she would have to drive herself back and forth.
“Do you suppose the Big Bad Wolf went back to his house of sticks?”
She chuckled. “I think you’re mixing up your fairy tales.”
“Never did believe in them.” Julianna got up and opened the back door. “Jesus Christ on a cracker!” she exclaimed, jumping back. “How long have you been standing there?”
Darius had his back to them, his large frame nearly covering the entire doorway. “I have not left at all.” He nodded to the empty plate on the floor. “Thank you for the meal.”
Julianna waved a hand at him. “Well, we’re headed to bed, so you can go back to where you came from.”
“I cannot.”
“You can’t mean to stay here,” Adrianna interjected. “Why don’t you go back home for the night?”
“The compound where I live is a two-hour drive away,” he stated. “It would seem impractical. But do not worry about me. I will sleep in my car.”
“Your car?”
“I’ve slept in worse places,” he shrugged. “Besides, what if you were attacked in the middle of the night?”
“I can take care of us,” Julianna huffed. “And the house is being protected by magical spells plus a high-end security system on the perimeter. The feed goes directly to the New York Security Team.”
“Still, The Family has been tasked to look after you, and if something were to happen, then we would be responsible,” he said. “Good night, ladies, I will see you in the morning.”
“Stubborn idiot,” Julianna spat. “Are we really going to let him creep outside while we sleep in here?”
“What do you want me to do? Have his car towed away?” Maybe she should have him hauled off the property. Or report him as a prowler. “Let’s just go to bed. I’m tired and I don’t want to deal with this anymore.”
Julianna elected to stay in Uncle Dante’s old room while Adrianna had taken the master bedroom in the house which had been her mother’s when she lived here. It was actually a very comfortable bed, and yet, she couldn’t seem to get to sleep. For one thing, her she-wolf was whining at her, not giving her a moment’s peace.
She punched her pillow in frustration. “What the hell do you want from me?”
The she-wolf let out a pathetic mewl.
She plopped her pillow over her face to muffle her scream. The truth was, it wasn’t just her she-wolf’s complaints that made it hard to relax. The thought of Darius cooped up in his car had her tied up in knots for some reason.
“Argh!” She rolled out of bed, her feet landing on the hardwood floor with a soft thud. I hope I don’t regret this.
Chapter Six
One of the things all enforcers in The Family trained for was the possibility of being captured and tortured for information. Being in such a dangerous line of business, it was a risk. Despite all his rigorous training, Darius never thought he would be faced with this particular type of torment.
He’d managed to stay away from her for a few days, but mostly, that was because Anatoli was running him ragged, sending him on various errands and jobs, and constantly reminding him that his loyalty was to The Family. Finally, yesterday he got the orders from Anatoli that he needed to go back to the Alpha’s home town, as Adrianna had already left New York. He was itching to ask his uncle how he knew this but knew better. However, the thought that Anatoli had eyes on the future Alpha made him unsettled.
When he arrived at the designated address, his instincts were to immediately assess the area for threats and weaknesses. The house was old and quite massive, but it had no walls or fences. He walked right into the front door and followed the sounds of activity coming from one of the other rooms.
He didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the future Alpha of New Jersey making dinner.
The sight of Adrianna so natural and domestic mesmerized him, with her skin flushed from the heat of the kitchen, a spot of flour on her delicate nose, and her hair all mussed up like she had just gotten out of bed. The way her mouth parted and her tongue licked at her lips had his cock twitching. Her nipples poking through her shirt after she had reached inside the refrigerator had him as hard as steel. And when she offered him a taste of her food and he leaned in and got a whiff of her delicious smell, he nearly lost control like some untried teenage boy. While the interruption of the other Anderson hadn’t been pleasant, it wasn’t unwelcome as it gave him a chance to escape.
Surely, he must be some kind of masochist, because he was looking forward to seeing her again in the morning. He didn’t have to stay behind, but he just couldn’t leave her. His wolf would not let him either.
And so tomorrow would be another torturous day. He would have to watch her, smell her, be so close, yet unable to touch those sensuous curves—
The rapping on the window had him bolting straight up from where he was lying down in the back seat of the car. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dark, and the first thing he saw through the glass pane was a pair of mismatched eyes.
“Darius?” came Adrianna’s tentative call. “Were you asleep?”
He righted himself, running his hand through his hair before opening the door. She staggered back as he unfolded his frame from the vehicle to stand in front of her. “Yes, Miss Anderson? Is there anything I can do for you?”
She sighed, then bit her lip. “It’s just … it’s silly that you have to stay out here. It’s the middle of winter.”
“We are Lycans,” he said. “Our body adjusts to the temperature.”
“It can’t be comfortable in there.” She poked her head around him, trying to peek inside the car. “It’s so cramped and you’re so, er, large.”
“As I said, I have slept in worse conditions.” He stretched to full height, cocking his head to the side. “What are you trying to say?” Even in the low light, he could tell that her cheeks were flushed.
Claiming the Alpha Page 5
