by Dawn Wilder
Uh-oh.
The exhilaration was now tinged with a hint of apprehension.
Be strong.
“Don't growl at me. You're just confirming what I said was right.”
He stood up.
I took a step back despite myself as he came around the desk. In my defense, he was an intimidating figure even when he was his usual self.
But all he did was grab his jacket and slam out of the office.
I took a breath again, my heart calming down from the flips it had started doing in my chest.
Not sure whether I still even had a job, I went back to my desk to keep myself busy.
Evan
I stormed out of the building.
My face must have given away some of what I was feeling because people practically jumped out of the way as I passed them.
Vincent pulled up next to me, the car going at a slow crawl.
I never knew how he always showed up like that when I needed him.
“Need a ride, sir?”
“Yes. I need to run.”
I got in the car and he drove to my usual spot.
Stripping in the car, I left my clothes inside and went into the forest, making sure I was deep enough that nobody would see me before I changed.
Shaking my fur to settle it, I ran.
And ran.
And ran.
My stride ate up mile after mile as I poured all of that excess energy, that burning itch, into the movement of my body.
Finally, I slowed down and circled back the way I'd come.
Able to think clearly again, I thought back to yesterday and this morning.
No wonder Reggie had snapped at me. I was being an ass.
How she'd known a run would help was a little odd. But she hadn't told me to take it on all fours which would have been odder yet.
I filed it away for future reference.
Vincent was waiting for me when I came back out, feeling much more level.
“Home and then the office.”
He nodded, pulling onto the road.
I showered and changed before going back to work. A few hours had passed, but I was sure Reggie was able to handle the rescheduling and what I was sure was the undeserved whining coming her way due to my absence.
I'd never trusted one of my assistants enough to just run out of the building in the middle of a work day before.
I ruminated on that during the drive back.
“Vincent. Can we make a couple of stops first?”
“Sure thing boss.”
People gave me some odd looks as I walked through the building, but everyone was too polite to say anything.
Philomena gave me a curious smile as the elevator doors opened.
“Would you like a vase for those flowers, sir?”
I paused and looked at the large bouquet I was holding.
“Yes, thank you.”
I waited as she pulled out a vase from somewhere under her desk and filled it water. I gave her the flowers, which she carefully arranged.
Cradling the vase in one arm, I marched to my office with the other.
I needed to make peace.
Women liked flowers. But just to be on the safe side, I'd also picked up some of Reggie's favorite tacos from a place a couple of blocks over.
Opening the door awkwardly, I went in.
The door to her office was closed.
It was never closed.
Giving myself a pep talk, I went over to it and knocked.
“Yes?”
I opened the door.
She looked up from the computer screen with a wary look on her face that changed to a slight frown as she noticed the flowers and the bag I was holding.
“Sorry I was such an ass. I bring peace offerings.”
I set the vase down on the desk and the bag down next to it.
“Flowers and...” she opened the bag. “...tacos?”
“I didn't know what you'd like more so I brought them both.”
This was more nerve racking than I thought it would be. Usually when I wanted flowers sent to a woman, Reggie sent them for me.
Though there hadn't been any women lately. I'd been losing interest in that scene.
She gave me a look.
“I will accept these offerings of peace. On the condition that instead of taking your frustration out on me, you leave the office when you're feeling whatever you've been feeling the last couple days.”
“Deal,” I said quickly.
“OK. Thanks for the flowers. And the tacos.”
“You're welcome.”
She paused.
“There's enough for both of us here. Do you want to join me for lunch?”
That had been my intention, but I hadn't wanted to push it on her.
“Sounds good.”
I sat down with a silent sigh of relief.
Crisis averted.
Chapter 4
One week later
Reggie
I hung up the phone and started typing out the changes Roth wanted for the contracts.
“Reggie.”
“Yes?” I called out absently.
The wording on this had to be just right...
“Pack your bags.”
Huh?
“Why?” I asked, lifting my hands from the keyboard.
“We need to go out of town. There's a site I need to take a look at.”
I hadn't actually had to travel so far in this job.
“How many days should I pack for?”
“Just a couple. It's not far. You can go home and get ready now.”
Now?
“I still have some work that needs to get done. And there are these contracts-”
“Do it on the plane.” He appeared in the doorway, his sleeves rolled up to show muscular forearms dusted in hair, his shirt unbuttoned to show a wedge of tanned chest.
Once in a while, his looks just smacked me in the face.
If I thought proximity would help me get over it, I'd only been proven wrong.
Stupid hormones.
“OK.”
Going down my mental list, I did everything that absolutely had to be done and contacted people who had to know I'd be gone. Then I shut down my computer and tidied up before hurrying home to get ready.
We were able to skip security because we were taking the company jet.
Huh. I guess I could have brought all the liquid I wanted.
Other than the security skip, I didn't really get to enjoy flying like a billionaire CEO. The flight was only about a half hour, and I worked furiously the whole time in an attempt to make headway on everything that was a priority.
Roth attended a meeting on the phone in the mean time.
When we landed, there was a car to take us to the destination.
“Here's the information,” he said, handing me a folder.
I'd gotten accustomed to being kept abreast of everything. At the moment, I had a working knowledge of most of what the company was doing at any given time.
It was fascinating.
The site we were going to look at was Equilibrium's first foray into building a sustainable resort from the ground up. The company was usually contracted to retrofit buildings to make them more self-reliant or we were called in as consultants during a build.
“I want to get your take on the place. Then we can spend the day in the nearby town, see what it has to offer for guests.”
I nodded, skimming through the information.
My mind was on the logistics when the car turned to rougher terrain, the ride turning more bumpy.
“It's a little off the beaten path.”
You don't say.
The road, if you could call it that, passed through a lush forest. I rolled down the window and soaked in the verdant greens, the smell of rich soil and growing things.
One moment we were in the thick of the trees, and the next, the car was awash with sunlight as the road ended in a clearing.
I got o
ut, all thoughts of the actual project gone as I took in the view.
The spot was on a cliff overlooking the ocean, the forest behind us and a beautiful sandy beach below. The ocean breeze ruffled the hair that had fallen out of my ponytail.
“What do you think?” Roth asked quietly, coming to stand next to me.
“It's gorgeous. People would come for the view alone.”
“That's what I figured. I was thinking...”
He went through the rough plans of the place, gesturing toward what would go where. I knew him well enough now that I could catch all of his shorthand for everything, could also tell how enthusiastic he was for the project.
Another car drove up.
“That must be the contractor.”
I pulled out my notepad to take notes as we went over the space, hammering out rough details and seeing what the man had to say.
After that, we got back in the car and drove into town.
“Where are we staying?” I asked curiously.
Maybe I'd have time to go down to the beach.
“I rented a cottage for the night. There aren't really any hotels near here, which is one of the reasons it's such a good location.”
I didn't really think about the fact that he'd rented one cottage until we got there.
It was an adorable little gingerbread-looking house, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
But we'd still be under the same roof.
OK. I was an adult. I could be a grown up about this and not completely perv out.
Sure. No problem.
Giving myself a stern talking to, I unpacked the few things I'd brought and got ready for dinner. We were going to one of the local restaurants as part of scoping the place out.
I pulled on one of the few dresses I had, a short black one that had a flared out skirt and a v-neck. I blew out my hair and left it down, putting on a long silver necklace and a pretty pair of heeled sandals.
I'd sacrifice comfort for a dinner. We'd be sitting down anyway.
And I wanted to look nice.
I consciously ignored the reason behind that.
I took a look in the mirror.
And immediately had second thoughts.
Was this skirt too short for what amounted to a business dinner? Should I put my hair up? Leave my glasses on?
Maybe I shouldn't wear heels.
I looked at the bedroom door as Roth knocked on it.
“Ready?”
No time for second guesses.
It wasn't like I'd brought a million options anyway.
Picking up my clutch, I opened the door and stepped out.
Roth was waiting by the couch in the living room. He looked even better than usual, dressed in all black, his shirtsleeves folded up and his shirt casually unbuttoned at the throat. The silver of his belt buckle glinted a little as he turned toward me.
He froze as he caught sight of me.
His eyes darkened a little as his eyes slowly scanned down my body.
I felt a little dangerous thrill.
“Too much? Should I change?” I asked huskily, feeling even more self-conscious at the careful perusal, but also enjoying the confidence boost.
Hey, I was allowed to be a girl sometimes.
“No. You look perfect.” Clearing his throat, he opened the front door and held it for me. “After you.”
Evan
Keep it together Roth.
I could have made this trip on my own, but I'd wanted Reggie to come with me. I wanted to hear her opinions and take on everything. And, frankly I just knew I'd enjoy it more with her here.
And now here she was, wearing a dress that showed off everything I'd been doing my best not to think about. Her hair was down in a shiny sheet. It was always up so I hadn't realized how long it actually was.
I wanted to bury my fingers in it.
And her legs.
She always wore pants to work.
Long and smooth, I had the urge to start at her slender ankles and kiss up the length of them until I got to the soft place between her legs.
I felt a tingle below the belt.
Down boy.
I tried to act normally as we went into the restaurant. The waiter took us to a secluded table toward the back, his eyes lingering on Reggie's ass.
I gave him a pointed look and he jerked his eyes away quickly.
Sitting down across from her, I tried not to stare at the modest amount of cleavage showing.
This was ridiculous. I'd seen many beautiful women dressed in a lot less than she was wearing tonight.
Her dress was downright tame in comparison.
But those women hadn't been Reggie.
“I'm getting steak. The biggest one they have,” she said, flipping through the menu.
Yup. She was perfect.
“Sounds like a plan.”
We ordered enough meat to have the waiter raising his brows slightly.
I stared at her animated face as we spoke about the day. Her dark eyes sparkled and I noticed how long her eyelashes were now that there weren't glasses blocking the way.
I was such a goner.
When had I ever noticed a woman's eyelashes?
“So where are you from originally?”
Her eyes flickered a little.
“Not far actually. Though I like the city much better.”
She went off on a tangent and I realized she hadn't answered my question.
Intrigued, I asked her some questions about her family.
Again, she smoothly deflected without missing a beat, giving me vague answers that didn't really tell me anything.
Interesting.
I was always a sucker for a mystery.
Something else to file away about the delicious Reggie Dean.
We skipped dessert in favor of a walk on the beach.
Not completely appropriate for a business trip, but I wanted to spend more time with her when she was like this, away from the office.
Not thinking about work. When maybe she could see me differently.
The moon glinted off the water, the clear night air warm. We could see the stars clearly, the light pollution of the city not around to obscure the view.
“This is what I miss in the city. All the stars,” she said quietly, almost reading my mind.
I loved the city for what it was. But I made it a point to visit the cabin I had built deep in the woods, in my pack's territory, at least every weekend.
But I couldn't live there full time. The rush and satisfaction of the business world drew me back with too much force.
It was one of the reasons I didn't have a pack of my own. I was content just being a member of someone else's. Being an Alpha always came first and I didn't know if I could fulfill that responsibility well and still do everything else I wanted to do.
It was one of the reasons I admired my own Alpha so much. It was a tough job.
My wolf was more of a loner than most anyway.
But maybe it was time to take a mate.
It could be why I was so drawn to Reggie.
But I couldn't imagine keeping such a big secret from my mate. How would that even work? I would have to simply disappear for a few days every month. If I stayed, we'd be constantly clashing.
And how could I make up a work-related problem for Reggie when she was always in the loop about everything?
I sighed as we walked along quietly, my thoughts going into overdrive.
I felt more subdued as we walked back to the cottage, Reggie keeping her thoughts to herself just like me.
When we got back, I asked her if she wanted some coffee.
Despite all of the different thoughts swirling in my head, I still didn't want the night to end.
Tomorrow was soon enough for us to get back to a business footing.
“I think I'm going to turn in for the night,” she said, an apologetic smile on her face. “Good night.”
I watched as she walked to her room and closed the door.
Reggie
I closed the bedroom door and leaned against it.
I could feel my wolf rattling the cage I'd put her in.
She wanted Evan and she didn't understand why I was denying us both. He smelled good, he was strong, beautiful.
I had to get away before I lost control of the situation.
Closing my eyes, I went through the meditation exercises that had always helped me in the past. But they weren't enough now.
Cursing silently, I started pacing back and forth.
This was not good.
The enforced proximity to Evan for such a long time was probably to blame.
Stripping of the dress, I pulled on some sweats and went to the window. The beach was gorgeous this time of night. When we'd been walking along the water, I was almost able to pretend that we were just a normal couple.
Which was stupid. Spinning fantasies like that would only lead to more frustration.
Opening the window, I hopped out lightly and went down to the beach.
The sound of the water, the smell and feel of the ocean breeze soothed me enough that I was able to stuff everything back into the small box it needed to be in.
Though I no longer knew how much longer I could keep everything so tightly contained with the way things had been going lately.
Maybe I could limit future trips with Roth. Or at least insist on separate accommodations.
But I knew in my gut it probably wouldn't be enough.
My days with Roth were numbered.
Chapter 5
Reggie
I buried myself in work, which wasn't all that difficult since the trip we'd taken had forced me to leave some things unfinished.
But something had changed.
There was a new tension in the air when Roth and I worked together late into the night. I'd sometimes catch him staring at me when he didn't think I'd notice.
What made it worse was that neither of us acknowledged the fact. Or maybe it was just me that felt it and Roth was just staring at something stuck in my teeth and I didn't know.
If things didn't change, I didn't see how I'd be able to control myself for much longer.
