Max instantly relaxed. “They’re cousins. Ella just moved here. She arrived yesterday. I’ll introduce you two. She’s going to be working at Grant’s new hotel so if you take the job, you’ll be seeing her a lot. The woman is really good with numbers apparently and Grant wants her to take over accounting.”
Before Asher could respond, Ella looked their way. As if she knew she was being watched. When those dark eyes of hers landed on him, they widened. She looked like a deer caught in headlights.
His predator instinct kicked into high gear. He couldn’t help it. She’d run from him after the best sex he’d ever had. No explanation other than a sad thank you note. She’d actually thanked him. The polite, almost formalness of her words had made a small part of him laugh. Because nothing about the night they’d spent together had been polite.
It had been raw, earthy and a little dirty.
Max clapped him on the shoulder as he stood. “Come on.”
It was as if his old friend was completely oblivious to the change in the atmosphere. Need hummed through Asher, wild and out of control as he hungrily drank in the sight of Ella.
She was frozen to the spot as they approached. Something Lauren said drew her attention away for a moment, but when they reached the table Lauren smiled and leaned in for a kiss from Max.
“Ella Hayes, this Asher Kincaid.” Max’s voice sounded as if it was coming through a tunnel as Asher stared at the petite blonde.
Everything else dimmed in comparison to her. He couldn’t draw his gaze from Ella’s almost panicked face and her pouty, full lips.
“Kincaid?” she rasped out, definite panic in her voice.
“Yeah, he’s Grant’s cousin. Asher just moved here and is joining our pack. If he takes the job he’ll be head of security at the new Kincaid Beach Resort.”
“I’m taking it.” The words were out before he realized he’d intended to say them. But if she was part of his cousin’s pack, he wasn’t going anywhere.
Max slapped him on the shoulder. “That’s great. Grant will be thrilled—”
“Excuse me for a second, guys,” Ella cut them off before grabbing her clutch purse from the high top table and abruptly dashing into the growing throng of people toward the nearest exit.
Lauren immediately stood, as if she was going to go after her, but Asher shook his head. “I’ll go check on her.”
Lauren’s pretty face scrunched into a frown for a moment before her eyes widened. She grinned widely. “Asher… you’re that Asher?”
From her question he guessed that Ella had told her cousin about the night they’d spent together. Just what the hell had Ella said about him? He nodded and looked at Max, who appeared confused. “Tell Grant I’ll call him later, but I’m taking the job.” Then he disappeared into the crowd. Ella might have run from him once, but he wasn’t letting her get away again.
Chapter 3
Ella sucked in a deep breath as she stepped out into the cool January air. As a shifter she didn’t need a jacket and right now nothing could dull the heat spreading through her anyway. She strode across the parking lot toward her car, thankful the place was void of people. When she reached her vehicle, she stopped and looked up at the half moon. She could scent the ocean a few blocks away, the salty smell normally soothing. Except right now nothing could soothe her.
Asher Kincaid.
What the hell? She couldn’t believe Grant’s cousin was the man she’d recently spent a raw, wild night with. She covered her face with both hands as she felt it heat up. She’d been completely uninhibited—which was totally unlike her—because she’d assumed she’d never see the sexy wolf again. Remembering what they’d done, she groaned.
He was just supposed to have been her hot night of fun before she started her new life here in Gulf Shores.
Seriously, what kind of luck was that? And now she wanted to cringe for running out of the bar like some scared bunny. She wasn’t scared, but she had been taken off guard. Losing control wasn’t something she liked and she’d panicked. She preferred to keep her world neat, tidy and ordered. And Asher was none of the above.
He was the sexy, tatted up, bad boy personified. Just thinking about those talented hands and his wicked mouth roaming over her body made her face flame even more. But not from embarrassment.
“Ella Hayes,” a deep, delicious voice said from behind her, making her nipples tighten in awareness.
Damn him for having that affect on her body. Dropping her hands, she swiveled, her stiletto boots making crunching sounds against the gravel of the parking lot. Even in heels she had to look up at him. He was only a couple feet away. Panic started to set in again.
Wearing a T-shirt, jeans, those same scuffed shit kickers and a worn leather jacket he’d let her wear during one of their… She swallowed hard. “Asher Kincaid.”
He raised a dark eyebrow as he took a step forward. On instinct she stepped back, her butt and back hitting the side of her car. Crap. She couldn’t show weakness to a predatory shifter like Asher. He’d walk all over her if she did.
“Why’d you run from me?” he murmured as he placed his hands on the vehicle on either side of her.
Caging her in.
Her gaze strayed to his leather covered arms and all she could imagine was the beautiful muscles and ink he had covered up. Regaining her senses, she turned back to meet his gaze. She refused to be ensnared by those seductive green eyes. Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “I didn’t run. I’m meeting someone.” Technically it wasn’t a lie since she was planning to meet someone, so the acidic smell of a lie didn’t roll off her.
His eyes narrowed a fraction, his head tilting to the side. “Who?”
At that, she pressed a hand to the middle of his chest and pushed him back. Or tried to. He refused to budge. “None of your damn business.”
He let out a low growl and she was reminded of how he’d gotten that Kodiak shifter to submit so easily. Not that she was afraid he’d hurt her, but she wouldn’t put it past him to try to intimidate her. Alpha-type shifters were like that. Especially males. They thought they could run roughshod over anyone. He might not be alpha of his own pack, but the sexy male was definitely alpha in nature. She’d gotten to see that firsthand in the bedroom.
“Are you going to move out of my way or not? I have somewhere to be.” He didn’t budge an inch and she realized her hand was still in the middle of his chest. Only she wasn’t pushing him away, she was clutching onto his shirt. Mortified, she immediately let her hand drop.
He frowned at that. “Why’d you run from me in Montgomery?”
She shrugged, hoping she appeared more casual than she felt. “We both knew what that night was about. We had fun, let’s just leave it at that. I had no clue you were part of Grant’s pack or I’d never have…”
“Never have what?” he practically purred, sounding more like a jaguar at the moment than the predatory wolf she knew him to be.
“Never fucked you.” She stunned herself with the blunt word. It felt foreign on her tongue, but also good. He could just back off, right now.
Instead of having the effect she’d hoped, his gaze strayed to her mouth. “I like hearing you say fuck. Even after everything we did, your bedroom talk was so polite, so…”
She gritted her teeth, ready for the insult. She knew what she was like. It was hard for her to let go sometimes, to just be uninhibited. While she had been with him to an extent, she’d still held back.
“So fucking hot.” His words surprised her, but before she could respond, his mouth crushed down on hers.
He took her off guard, pinning her against the vehicle with all that male strength. As his tongue danced with hers, she instinctively arched into him. Even with clothes separating their bodies, she could feel his heat. It wrapped around her along with his scent, making her lightheaded with lust. She slid her hands up his chest and clutched onto his shoulders.
He rolled his hips once, his thick erection pressing insistently against h
er abdomen. Warmth flooded between her legs as she thought about how easy it would be to let him take her right here. For anyone to see. The thought was strangely exhilarating. As if he read her mind, his hand slid up under the bottom of her shirt. Those wicked fingers skimmed her bare skin and she barely refrained from groaning out loud. He was so hot, so built and would easily take off the edge that had been building inside her since the first night they’d spent together.
But…she pulled her head back and shoved at his chest with a lot of force. Though she doubted she could have moved him unless he’d chosen to let her, she was glad he backed off. Digging her keys out of her clutch, she looked him in the eyes. “I told you I have somewhere to be. And if you want me again, you’re going to have to work for it.”
She took perverse pleasure in his stunned expression as she slid into the front seat of her car. That man probably never had to work for any female in his life, and she’d been no different than any of them, hopping into bed the first night they met. Ugh.
He just exuded a primal sex appeal any female with a pulse could appreciate. While she’d loved that night they’d spent together, she wasn’t in the market for some bad-boy fling. Nope, she was starting over and that did not include Mr. Badass tattoos. No matter how her body and instincts responded to him.
As she pulled away from her parking spot, she resisted the urge to look in her rearview mirror. She didn’t care if he watched her leave or not. Of course, even she didn’t believe her own lie.
She really hoped her friend Margery had baked tonight. Ella had just dropped by the bar to see Lauren before heading over to her new packmates’ place for a girl’s night. Margery could seriously cook. Right about now, Ella wanted to drown in the female’s sugary baked goods. Maybe they would distract her from that annoying growing need for one impossibly sexy wolf.
* * *
Asher stared in shock as Ella drove away. He could still smell her need. It wrapped around him, nearly choking him with its intensity. His body was keyed up just as much. He’d been ready to take her right up against the side of her car. Which made him feel like a total jackass.
She deserved better than that. Her parting words had stunned him.
And if she wanted him to work for her, he had no problem doing that. The only problem was, when she’d thrown down that challenge, he was under the impression she didn’t mean it. Like she didn’t think he would work for her.
If that’s what she thought, she was about to be proven very wrong. After his mate had died he hadn’t had many lovers. Occasionally he’d found a female shifter to help take off the edge. Usually with a lone she-wolf, someone just like him, looking for temporary relief. He’d been too damn busy the past few decades working his ass off. He’d been in too many wars, served under various commands and various branches of the military. The Marine Corps was his favorite branch, but he’d had to mix it up. Then for the last decade he’d done pretty much nothing but contract work overseas.
And made a killing.
That hadn’t left much time for finding a willing female. Not that he’d been interested. After being mated he knew what the real thing was like. He’d thought that no female would ever affect him so strongly again.
Then a sexy, petite blonde jaguar female had tipped his world on its axis.
“Did Ella leave?” Max’s voice drew his gaze away from the exit of the parking lot and he found himself looking at both Max and Grant.
Shit. He hadn’t even heard them come outside. Glancing around, he made sure they were alone. He’d never been this distracted before. Not so much that he wasn’t aware of his damn surroundings. He needed to get his head on straight. Clearing his throat, he said, “Yeah.”
Grant just watched him with interest. It was as if the alpha wolf saw right through him with those dark eyes. “I hear you’re taking the job?”
He nodded. “I’d like to go over specifics, meet the security team and see who will work best with whom. You know your pack’s personalities better than me, so I’ll run the first months work schedule by you and change around anything if you think it’s best.”
Grant just nodded, an obnoxious grin on his face. “How do you know Ella?”
“That’s what you want to talk about?”
Both men shrugged, smirking. Yep, mated males were obnoxious.
Asher gritted his teeth. “What’s her position at the hotel?”
“She’s my new accountant,” Grant said.
Max shook his head. “She originally came down here to work at Lauren’s spa, but big bad alpha here hired her away. I’m still hearing about that from my mate,” he grumbled.
Grant just rolled his eyes. “She’s still doing Lauren’s books.”
“So she’s an accountant?”
His cousin nodded. “Yeah, but she’ll be more than that. Once she’s cleaned up the horrendous books from the previous owner, I’m creating a new position for her at the hotel. Her resume is impressive.”
Asher had no doubt it was, but he didn’t care about those details right now. He wanted to know something more important. “Do either of you know where she was headed tonight?”
Grant shook his head, but Max just grinned. Oh yeah, he wanted to kick the shit out of his friend. “You gonna make me beg?”
“Where’d she tell you she was going?” Max asked instead of answering.
He gritted his teeth. “She didn’t say.”
After a long moment, Max spoke. “She’s hanging out with Margery tonight. Having a girls’ night.”
A relief like he’d never experienced slammed through him. Even the thought of her with another male made his inner wolf go insane. Knowing she wasn’t going to someone else tonight soothed a primal part of him. He looked at his alpha. “The only stipulation I have about taking this job is, I want the same schedule as Ella.”
Grant straightened slightly and Asher could see his wolf flash in the alpha’s gaze. “Are you giving me orders now?”
Gritting his teeth, he shook his head and swallowed his pride. “Please.”
Chapter 4
Ella leaned back in her office chair and stretched out her legs. Her head was starting to ache and she was stiff from being cooped up in her new office almost all day. At least she had an awesome view of the beach. Of course that was a good and bad thing. It had been a cloudless day so her jaguar had been aching to run along the sandy dunes for the past couple hours. Grant had told her she didn’t have to fix everything right away and that she should take multiple breaks, but her accountant brain wouldn’t let her do otherwise.
Whoever he’d bought his newly revamped hotel from had kept terrible books. Just awful. She’d managed to figure out a few of the nonsensical recordkeeping notes jotted down longhand—seriously, who used longhand anymore?—and had transferred some things to an accounting program she’d developed herself.
After ten hours though, she was officially done. She shut the computer down, then grabbed her purse from under her desk. Since she’d known today would be a long one, she’d worn comfortable clothes. Jeans, a fitted sweater, and ballet slipper type shoes. Now she just wanted to go for a run in her jaguar form along the pack’s very private beach then take a long, hot shower.
And not think about Asher.
The sexy wolf had sporadically stopped by her office all day just to chat and bring her snacks. Either someone had told him about her weakness for chocolate or he remembered what she’d said in Montgomery. His gestures were sweet—okay, beyond sweet. She was more than flattered. Of course he’d looked good enough to eat wearing a black suit she assumed was custom made. His shoulders were so broad, it just had to be. But she wasn’t sure what he was playing at.
As she started to open her door, she scented him. Strong, powerful, earthy. The scents accosted her at once. Trying to still her racing heart, she opened the door and hoped she appeared casual.
Leaning against the opposite wall, Asher had his hands shoved into his jeans pockets. He must have changed clothes, th
en come to see her.
Straightening, he smiled almost nervously when he saw her. “Hey.”
“Hi, is everything all right?” she asked as she locked the door behind her. The male was just so alpha she wasn’t sure how to read his mood. He seemed almost out of sorts.
“Thought I’d see if you were hungry.”
Oh yeah, she was hungry all right. But for more than just food. After the night they’d shared, all she could think about was how he’d taken her up against the slick wall of that hotel shower, over the dinette table and even on the bed a couple times. Her face heated, but luckily her stomach growled at the same time. She hoped he assumed she was just embarrassed by that, and not because of her wicked thoughts. She nodded. “Yeah, I’m just going to grab something downstairs.” There were three restaurants in the expansive hotel and Grant had told her that she could eat at any of them for free, any time she wanted.
Asher cleared his throat and though everything about his body language screamed confidence, she could scent an underlying aroma that smelled a lot like nervousness. It wasn’t acidic, but it was tart. It was so subtle though, she wasn’t sure if she imagined it.
When he just stood there, she motioned toward the elevators at the end of the hall. “You’re welcome to join me.” Just because they’d shared a night of wild sex didn’t mean they couldn’t be friendly. He’d already shown her he was trying to keep things beyond civil between them. Or she assumed that was why he’d been stopping by all day. She could return the favor.
“I have a better idea, if you don’t mind surprises.”
“Okay.” She actually hated surprises. It was the control freak in her. But, she was a feline and curious by nature.
“How was your first day?” he asked as they headed toward the elevators.
She shrugged. “Good enough. I know I won’t be stuck behind a desk 24/7, but today was mentally tiring. How about you?”
The elevator dinged and opened. He sighed as they stepped inside. “Today was okay.”
Tempting His Mate Page 2
