I only had two months to prove myself and put my best work forward. I knew going into this that if I wanted to convince the Vetrovs to offer me a full time position, I’d have to show them what I was really worth. Ivan had even said it himself. I was well-qualified for the job. He needed my help, but he was also pushing me away.
I didn’t want to play games anymore. I knew exactly what I had to do tomorrow.
Chapter Nine
Jada
The next morning, I got up at my normal time, showered, did my hair and make-up, and then put on a red sheath dress I’d finally chosen the night before. I didn’t know why it took me so long to choose something as simple as what to wear to work. But I was only kidding myself. I wanted Ivan to like it. Even though it was wrong for me to have these types of feelings about my boss, deep down inside I needed more than just his appreciation of my work. The more and more I was in the same space as Ivan, I craved his attention. This was exactly the reason why I was going back—that and the fact that I hated walking out on my responsibilities.
When I got off the elevator, Rachel was standing by the receptionist’s desk unpacking some supplies.
“Oh, good morning, Jada. You didn’t come in yesterday, and I saw you run out here the day before. Were you feeling okay?”
My cheeks grew hot in embarrassment. Hopefully, Ivan hadn’t told anyone that I’d caught a fit.
“Good morning. And yes, I’m feeling fine.”
“I’m glad your back,” Rachel exclaimed, then she lowered her voice and said, “He was a complete wreck without you.”
“Well, I’m back now, so hopefully he’s in a better mood,” I said, smiling shyly.
I went straight to my office, which was exactly the way I left it and then made a beeline down the hall to use the restroom, wash my hands, and then make Ivan’s coffee. As I walked down the hallway, I noticed a couple of the offices were now occupied. I leaned against the counter as I waited for the coffee to brew and thought about what I’d say to Ivan when he got here. The flowers had brightened my day, but I still felt like something was completely unresolved between us. This attraction was one of them. I’d get over it. I knew it. Cute hot boss with sexy Russian accent. Single. Alpha-type personality. What woman wouldn’t be attracted to that?
I turned my attention back to the coffee machine, watching the pot fill up.
“Hey there!”
I almost jumped out of my dress when a guy I hadn’t met before walked up behind me.
The guy chuckled. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Hi.”
He young, blond, and extremely tall. As his gaze roamed the length of my body, something animalistic emitted from him.
“I’m Johnathan.” He held out his arms. “I work the customer relations executive.”
I shook his hand. “Hi. I’m Jada.”
Johnathan raised a brow. “You must be the new PA.”
“Yeah. I work for Ivan,” I said, sliding my sweaty palms against my dress.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, I just started.”
“How do you like it so far?” He grabbed an empty cup and placed it on the counter.
“This is a great company. I’m enjoying working here.”
Johnathan’s nose flared, and he chuckled softly. “You don’t have to lie.”
“What? I wasn’t lying.”
“Yes, you were,” he said, with a teasing smile.
“Okay, whatever,” I said, turning and then grabbing an empty cup for Ivan.
I could still feel Johnathan’s gaze on me. Dear God, what was it about the executives of Vetrov Corporation? Why did they all have to exude so much intense tension? Or maybe it was just me? I hadn’t been with a man in over a year. Was this my body’s way of telling me that I needed to get laid pronto before I ended up fucking a man I shouldn’t even be thinking about fucking? Like my smoking, hot boss for one.
“You from around here?” Johnathan asked, watching as I poured Ivan’s coffee.
“I’ve lived here for years, but I didn’t grow up here. You?”
“Yeah, born and raised. I’d never leave. You got siblings or anything like that?”
I shook my head. “Only child.”
“Wow. I have five brothers and three sisters. I’m the middle son. They call me the runt of the litter.”
“Well, it’s got to be much better than growing up with no brothers or sisters at all,” I told him.
He shrugged. “Where I come from, we’re one big family. If I didn’t have blood siblings, I’d still have my pack.”
Pack. I froze and raised my gaze to his again. His eyes were dominant and feral, just like Ivan’s.
He was a shifter. Just like Ivan.
Johnathan grinned and thrust his empty cup at me. “Will you fix me some coffee the way you did Ivan’s?”
Reluctantly, I grabbed the cup. Apparently shifters didn’t like to brew or prepare their own coffee. Was this going to be my life for the next several weeks? I laughed inwardly at my own silent joke.
“Something funny?”
I smiled. “No, I just…it’s been an eventful week.”
“Sure it has. They’re nothing uneventful about this place.”
“Do you like cream?” I asked.
“I like variety. Why don’t you mix it up the way you’d drink it?”
I grabbed the sugar, creamer, and a mini straw.
Johnathan continued his questions as I made his coffee. “So, what do you do for fun? You’ve got a guy friend or anything like that?”
“For fun? I don’t really have fun anymore. Not since…” I pressed my lips together. I was revealing too much. “I’m single, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m asking.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter watching me.
“But like I said, fun for me is laying out by the pool on weekends and enjoying the fresh air.”
“But with no one to enjoy it with?” he teased.
“I’ve been through a lot. I like my me-time.”
“For sure,” he said.
I handed him his coffee, and he accepted it with a thanks. I smiled, happy to be getting along with the other employees on this floor. Rachel was down-to-earth and Johnathan seemed like a really nice guy.
I was still grinning when Ivan Vetrov appeared, his large form filling up the entry of the break room. Johnathan must have sensed him too because he spun around.
Before the men exchanged one word, I witnessed the challenging stare they gave each other. I couldn’t be certain, but it was like they were communicating silently. I had to remind myself that these men weren’t normal humans.
“I didn’t know you were already here,” I said, breaking the tension in the small space.
“I’ve been here since seven,” Ivan said.
“Oh…”
“I see you’ve met our customer relations executive,” Ivan said.
“Yes, Johnathan. He was just telling me about how big his family was.”
Ivan and Johnathan exchanged another telling glance before Ivan moved up behind me, pressing his big hand to the small of my waist. It only took one touch and heat rose up my spine like a tumultuous wave. I didn’t know what it was about Ivan, but one touch, and I was putty on the ground. His grip on my waist was firm, but delicate. I wondered what his touch would feel like on my bare skin.
“Well, that’s nice,” Ivan said. “Jada is my PA. She’ll be working here with me.”
Johnathan grinned and backed up several feet. “I’m glad you finally got some help, Vetrov.” He took a few sips of his coffee. “Mmmm,” he exclaimed. “She makes a killer brew too.” Right before turning to leave the break room, Johnathan winked at me.
I ran my hand across the back of my neck. What the heck was that?
“He seems nice,” I mumbled, handing Ivan his coffee.
“Thank you,” he said. The scowl on his face quickly turned into a smile. “I
’m glad you’re back.”
“I was only gone for a day.”
“You had me worried.”
“Really?” I grinned. “Maybe you should start being super nice to me, starting now.”
Ivan chuckled. “I thought I was being super nice. Come on, let’s go back to my office.”
As we walked down the hall, I asked, “Are you two part of the same pack?”
There was a long silence before he answered. “Yes. Johnathan’s like a brother to me.”
“It didn’t look that way. Excuse me for saying this, but it looked like you were going to jump down each other’s throats.”
Ivan shrugged. “I treat my blood brother Sebastian the same way.”
“But is there an unspoken rule about who gets first dibs at the coffee or something?”
“Or something,” Ivan stated.
“What exactly?”
“I think you know.”
“You know…I think I’m finally beginning to understand. You like to keep people guessing,” I said.
“And that pisses you off, right?”
I nodded. “Yes it does. I’m curious, that’s all.”
“That you are.”
“So, then let’s stop pissing each other off. I’m your PA now. I work for you. I signed that dang confidentiality agreement. I already know what you are. I don’t care that you’re different, so why are you shutting me out?”
We came to a stop in front of his office door.
“I won’t shut you out any longer, Jada, if that will make you happy. That, I promise you.”
I smiled, nodding. “Thanks for the flowers.”
“You’re welcome. And in answer to your earlier question, I’m possessive. When I want something, I want it to be utterly and completely mine. I don’t share. Not even with those I call a brother.”
Ivan held his office door open for me. When we were both inside, he closed the door.
“I’m sorry, Jada,” he said the moment we were alone inside.
“I know you are and I accept your apology. And I’m sorry that I had such crazy expectations of you,” I replied.
“Asking me to straightforward with you isn’t a crazy expectation at all.”
“I imagine that since I took the whole day off yesterday, you have a list as big as Texas waiting for me,” I joked.
He chuckled. “Between you and me, I think we can’t handle it. I have to admit. It wasn’t the same without you yesterday. I actually had to answer my own calls.”
“The horror!” I gasped, stifling a giggle.
He watched me intently, his gaze shifting back and forth across my face. I watched his entire demeanor change from playful to hungry.
He placed his coffee on a console table nearby and inched closer toward me. We were so close, only centimeters separated us. The surprising part about this was that I wanted him closer. Under a control that was so obviously not my own, I closed the gap between us and pressed my palm to his hardened chest. I could have sworn I felt his heart pumping wildly against my palm. His scent was intoxicating—a mix of forest trees and fresh rain. My fingers trailed over to his tie. Not knowing what to do with myself of this dangerous temptation floating in the air, I straightened his tie.
I was just about to drop my hand when he caught it and brought my palm to his face. He used my hand to cup his cheek. The rumbling growl in his chest set my soul on fire. Ivan looked down at me, his feral eyes locked on mine. I wanted to say something, but I was tongue-tied. I was stuck between whether to give in to the moment and risk everything or back away and gain nothing.
Like he did in the break room, he snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to his rock, solid form. I gasped. My skin tingled with raging intensity. He licked his lips and my knees turned to putty.
“I…” I couldn’t gather my thoughts to form any words. My mind was a tornado.
“Do you understand now how I want you?”
I swallowed and nodded.
“Since the moment I saw you…”
I let my fingers slide across the back of his neck. My three inch heels couldn’t even put me on his level, so I pulled his face closer to mine until our lips touched.
Once I parted my lips, it was all the encouragement he needed. He kissed me hard, with a deep caress that awakened every nerve in my body. He took my mouth again and again, pushing his tongue past my lips. He tasted just as heavenly as he smelled. I gave myself to him, falling into his embrace. The more he kissed me, my core tightened, my nipples beaded, and my panties dampened. Before long, I was writhing against him with my back flat against the door. My breasts molded against his chest. His rock hard erection pushed against my hips and I wanted nothing more than to feel his solid length push deep into me.
“Ivan…” I breathed against his lips.
Something akin to a moan mixed with a growl erupted from him. His mouth trailed from my lips and down my face and fell to my neck where he took great pleasure in kissing my throat. I lifted my chin to give him easy access. He took my mouth again, hungrily.
A phone rang down the hall. I jumped and backed away.
“Oh,” I exclaimed, pressing my hand to my mouth. My lips were hot and tingling.
“Jada…” he whispered. His eyes were a mix of seductive and feral.
I slipped out from between Ivan and door. “I didn’t mean to…we shouldn’t have…”
Oh my God. I had kissed him. I had kissed my boss inside of his office. Suddenly I was embarrassed by the fact that I was just a sex-starved woman who needed to get laid. Ivan, being the animal he was, probably detected just how aroused I was.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, and jerked the door open.
“Jada, wait!”
And just like before, I ran from the office. But I didn’t leave the building this time. I just ran to the safety of my own office. When I told Ivan that I’d do whatever it took to get the job done, I didn’t mean kissing him.
But I wanted Ivan Vetrov more than I wanted this job. My body’s response was a clear indication of what I wanted. Even now, my clit throbbed in anticipation. I was infatuated and consumed by my attraction to Ivan Vetrov, the possessive wolf.
One kiss hadn’t been enough.
Chapter Ten
Jada
The rest of the day followed the same pattern. I tried my damnedest to keep my mind on work and not think about the way Ivan’s lips felt against mine. No matter how hard I tried, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to forget about what happened.
Ivan must have taken my hint because he didn’t mention anything about our kiss for the rest of the day, but that didn’t stop him from looking at me with his sexy stare and making my body respond in ways I had no control over.
He’d call me into his office for something, and I’d lean over his desk, only for him to reach up and brush my hair behind my ear because it was falling over the papers we were looking at. Or later, in the copy room, when he just had to squeeze past me in the tiny space to get to an old archived record. His hands slid over my hips just barely, a whisper of a touch, and I could have sworn I felt his bulge teasing my ass as he flattened his body to get through the space that was hardly big enough for one person, let alone two.
It seemed he was teasing me as much as I was him. And it was a fun game, but it was also frustrating. I wanted something—someone—I couldn’t have. Suddenly, I understood where he was coming from. When we were together, we hardly got any work done. We were pretending to be productive, but we were only fooling ourselves. And just like that I agreed. I was over-qualified for the position he hired me for. After understanding each other and this strange relationship between us, we seemed to work together with ease. But our attraction to each other had become a major distraction.
The innocent touches. The gentle brushes of his fingers against my arm. The way he looked at me from across the room whenever I came into his office. All of it affected me on a deep level.
By the time the late afternoon had rolled ar
ound, I was one hot mess of emotions. I couldn’t remember the last time I was hot for a man. Actually, I’d never wanted a man this much. I had married my first husband for love. But looking back on it now, I realized that it wasn’t the kind of love that swept me off my feet.
After setting up everything that Ivan needed for a late afternoon conference call, I went out into the receptionist area to take some outgoing mail to Rachel. As expected, she was routing calls to Vetrov Corporation’s numerous divisions.
“Hi Rachel,” I greeted, placing a small stack of envelopes on her desk. “The mail clerk hasn’t been by yet, has he?”
“No, not yet. Last pickup is around four. How’s it going back there? Are you and Ivan all caught up?”
“We got a lot of work in for a Friday, I think.”
“Good, I think you’re going to be a good asset here. Ivan needed all the help he could get. It’s too bad your assignment is only temporary,” Rachel said.
“Yeah, that’s too bad.”
“Hey, don’t look so sad. The way he walked around with a sad puppy-dog face yesterday all day yesterday was very telling. I’m sure he’ll ask you to stick around here permanently.”
“I hope so.”
“You’ll probably meet everyone before your time is up. Some of the execs work from home several times a week, others travel all over the world and work from satellite offices, and others just don’t like to be seen very much at all and they hide out in their offices like hermit crabs,” she exclaimed.
“I understand. It was like that at my old job too. I met Johnathan this morning.”
“Oh boy. That guy…” Rachel rolled her eyes.
“He seems nice.”
“He’s my cousin, and he’s a pain in the ass. I’ve known him all my life.”
Breaking the Wolf's Rules: Howls Romance (Wolf Mated Book 1) Page 5
