* * * *
“I am Sarah Hansen. You’re here to interview for the personal assistant position?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ms. Hansen studied her resume a moment before laying it down and folding her hands over it. “Your resume seems to have a rather large hole in it, Ms. Jackson. What were you doing up until three years ago?”
“I was married. My ex-husband didn’t like me working outside the home.”
“And why are you interested in this position?”
Though Margot focused on the woman asking questions, she couldn’t help but notice the man’s frown after she spoke of her ex-husband. Did he not approve of a man taking care of his wife? Or was it the sour tone she could never seem to erase when talking about her ex-husband?
“The bank where I work has made staff cut backs. As a single woman, I’m the one responsible for the bills.”
Keep your answers short. Don’t ramble or whine about how unfair life can be.
After a few more questions, none of which were as invasive or as thorough as she’d expected from a third interview, the woman closed the file and stood.
“Thank you, Ms. Jackson, for coming in. We’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you for your time,” she said politely, blinking back tears of disappointment. She would be receiving the “thanks, but no thanks” letter in the mail in the next few days while someone else got the phone call offering them the job.
Walking out of the room, she worked hard to keep her tears under control. Once alone in the hallway, she looked around for the ladies’ room. Instead of heading for the lobby, she headed in the opposite direction. She had to rein in her wild emotions before she could face the other job candidates, one of whom would get her job.
* * * *
Adam smelled her disappointment as she shook Sarah’s hand and nodded silently in his direction. As soon as the door closed behind her, Adam pushed to his feet. “Mine.”
Sarah looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “You told me just last week you did not want a personal assistant under any circumstances. What’s changed your mind?”
Adam looked at her and smiled, wondering if he looked like a wolf on the hunt since that was how he felt. “She’s my mate. Interview the others and choose yourself an assistant, just not her. She’s mine.” He walked out of the room without another word. He had to catch Margot Jackson before she could disappear.
In the hallway, he caught her delicious scent, tainted with sadness and sour desperation. He tracked her to the ladies’ room. The next candidate went into the conference room behind him, but he didn’t care. He’d found his mate. Nothing else mattered until he claimed Margot Jackson as his own.
* * * *
Once in the restroom, Margot entered the first stall, closed the door, and pulled a length of toilet paper off the roll. After blotting beads of sweat from her face and neck, she focused on breathing. She could not have the meltdown she wanted so badly. Not until she got home, where she could scream and cry and crawl into bed and hide for a while before starting the search all over again. She also could not go back into the interview room and throw herself at Adam Thomasson’s feet. It didn’t matter that just by looking at her he made her feel more feminine than William had during their entire marriage.
What was it about the billionaire playboy that flipped her switch? Sure he was gorgeous, as rich as several medium-sized countries, and smelled sinfully delicious. He was also out of her league. Way, way beyond the kind of man she could ever hope to meet and fall in love with.
So much for getting the perfect job, being on her own and independent. She would have to call her brother, Matt, tonight and see how the job market fared in Santa Fe. Of course, he’d have to send her the money to move.
Finally feeling that she could walk to her car without crying, Margot took a deep breath and left the restroom. Stepping into the hallway, she was surprised to find someone leaning against the wall just outside the doorway. Looking up, she blinked when she met a pair of pale turquoise eyes. Adam Thomasson stood outside the ladies’ room, and it looked as if he’d been there awhile.
“Mr. Thomasson?”
“Ah, there you are. I was afraid you might have escaped out the window or something.”
Straightening, he towered over her. He was tall, really tall. At least a foot taller than her own five-and-a-half feet, and big all over. The exact opposite of William. Just the kind of man she’d always found most attractive. His smile made her knees weak and her nipples hard.
“There are no windows in there.” Margot flinched when she heard her inane response. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from begging him to fuck her. A glance down his body showed a generous bulge behind the fly of his jeans. Could he be interested? In her?
“And I thank the heavens for that. Come with me, please.”
Wrapping one large hand around her upper arm, he guided her to the end of the hall. He pushed through a set of frosted glass double doors, past an empty desk, and through the open door beyond. “Would you like something? Coffee? Tea? Water?” He closed and locked the doors once they were inside.
A triple scotch would be nice. Margot swallowed hard before shaking her head. “No, thank you, Mr. Thomasson.”
“Please, call me Adam.”
“Why?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why should I call you Adam?” Margot looked up into his Caribbean Ocean gaze, her heart pounding, her palms sweating. What did he want from her?
“You could call me lover, sexy, or mate, but Adam will do for now.”
He stepped close then lowered his head as his hands claimed her shoulders, keeping her from moving away.
As soon as his lips touched hers, Margot’s heart gave a rebel yell she was sure he could hear. Of their own volition, her arms wrapped around his waist to hold him tight. She wanted to protest when he eased back a fraction of an inch, breaking their kiss.
With a soft growl that sounded like “my mate,” he traced her lips with his tongue. One arm around her shoulders held her secure while the other stroked up and down her spine as if trying to assure himself she was real. For the first time in more years than she wanted to think about, Margot felt desirable. She pressed closer, never wanting this comforting, protective warmth that bloomed in her to end.
“Your what?” she asked when her brain made sense of his words.
His arms tightened as his tongue pressed for entrance. Her lips parted on a sigh, anxious for a taste of him. He moved tentatively at first, exploring her teeth, tongue, and entire mouth. Then he retreated, and she eagerly followed. He tasted like expensive coffee, cinnamon rolls, and sexy male. The flavor went straight to her head, igniting a lust like she’d never felt before.
Her nipples grew hard as steel bearings, and her cunt filled with heat and wetness as their kiss went on and on. Her breath caught as a sizeable erection pressed into the softness of her belly. She’d never felt any man as big or as hard as Adam. In fact, no man had ever gotten hard from just kissing her.
Her pussy clenched, reminding her it had been empty far too long. Though a voracious erotic-romance reader, she had yet to buy any sex toys, and her fingers just weren’t the same as a man’s cock. She began to rub her belly against his hard cock, wanting more. He twitched in response.
What would it feel like to fuck something that big? That thought dumped an ice bucket on her burning-hot daydream. She was bad at sex. She’d not been with a man in nearly seven years, ever since her ex-husband told her that he’d rather be celibate than sleep with her fat ass.
Pushing hard against Adam’s chest, she jerked out of his arms. Backing up, she did not stop until several feet separated them. “Oh God,” she whispered. “What the hell have I done?”
She wiped trembling hands over burning cheeks before wrapping her arms around her middle. Her pudgy middle. She was short and overweight and poor. No man wanted her. Especially not a rich, gorgeous man who turned her on with a glance.
“Margot, it’s all right.” Adam’s deep voice caressed her nerves and somehow calmed them. The sound wrapped around her like a warm coat on a bitter-cold day. “This is meant to be. We are meant to be.”
Margot shook her head and wiped at the tears that ran freely down her cheeks. “No. You can’t be interested in me. I’m not…I don’t…”
She sniffed as the enormity of her inadequacies rolled over her. He was so perfect, beautiful and rich and so sexy it almost hurt to look at him. She, on the other hand, was so far from perfect she couldn’t see its glow on the horizon. Turning, she hurried to the door. A large, warm hand clamped down on her shoulder before she could work the lock.
“You can’t leave me.”
“Why not?”
“You’re my mate, and now that I’ve finally found you, I’m never letting you go.”
Chapter 3
The air around them had been filled with the delicious aroma of their combined arousal. Now the scent changed as her fear filled the air. She slowly turned to look at him. Her light-brown eyes grew impossibly wider, their surface glossy with unshed tears.
Heaven help him, she was gorgeous, though he didn’t understand what made her want to cry. How had he not seen her beauty earlier? If he’d met her on the street, he’d guess she was a good ten years younger than her forty-two years.
He wanted to pull her inside his skin and carry her around close to his heart. He wanted to fuck her until she forgot every other man she’d ever been with. He didn’t care that she had been married before. That was the past. Nothing mattered except their future. Together. From here on out, she belonged to him.
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re crazy, right? Or do you just get your jollies turning fat women on with your amazing kissing abilities?”
* * * *
When she heard her words come out of her mouth in such an acid, hurt tone, she closed her eyes and wished for a hole to disappear into. She didn’t care if the hole was in the floor, a wall, or into another dimension. She needed to get away before she did something she would really regret. Like beg him to fuck her right here, right now.
Turning around, she backed away, surprised when he followed and closed the distance between them. One hand wrapped around her back, pulling her against his chest while the other hand slapped her left ass cheek. Hard.
“Ow! What was that for?” she asked, looking up at him as she tried to step back. He would not let her go, easily holding her against his broad, muscular chest.
“Don’t you ever talk about yourself like that again. You’re not fat. You’re perfect. Lush and curvy and sexy. You fit against me the way a woman is supposed to fit against a man.” His voice took on a growly rumble as he glared at her with blue fire glowing in his eyes. “I’ll put you over my lap and paddle you bare-assed if I ever hear you talk bad about yourself again. Do you understand?” He leaned down until they were nose to nose.
Margot went wide-eyed for a moment. What the hell? Was she still sleeping? Or had she stepped into her own romance novel without realizing it? Finally, she nodded her understanding even as her knees went weak.
Adam took a deep breath. As he exhaled, she felt the tension flow out of him. Then he smiled, the angry frown replaced by a flirtatious grin. “You really like the way I kiss?”
“Of course. Who wouldn’t? You’ve had a lot of practice if the newspapers are to be believed.”
Great, Margot, be a bitch. Her cheeks burned as she dropped her head to rest her forehead against his chest. She stared at their shoes. Her dressiest, low-heeled pumps were almost as battered as his cowboy boots.
“I’m sorry.” She sniffed as a tear escaped to track down her cheek. “It’s just…oh, never mind.”
“Shh, sweet baby. I understand. I haven’t been a monk, though the papers do have a way of blowing things out of proportion. But from now on, you are the only woman I kiss. Well, except my mother. She wouldn’t understand if I suddenly stopped kissing her after all these years.”
He tightened his strong arms around her but did not make any further moves. She felt his cheek rub against the top of her head as if trying to mark her. His erection twitched against her belly. Under her cheek his heartbeat picked up speed.
She’d never felt so sexy before. Taking a deep breath, she smiled. He smelled so damn good, all musky and male. He smelled like a man should smell. Her ex always smelled of cologne that did nothing for her except make her nose itch.
Slowly her hands traced their way around to his back. Grinning, she tucked her thumbs in the waistband of his jeans. “No, she probably wouldn’t understand,” she murmured, trying to keep up her end of the conversation, though all she wanted to do was rub against him and purr with contentment.
“So, sweet Margot mine, tell me what you want.” The words rumbled through his chest.
“What do you mean?”
“Anything you want. Name it, and it’s yours.”
You. I want you for the rest of my life.
She bit her lip to keep from speaking before she could filter her thoughts. “All I wanted this morning was a job so I could pay my bills.”
Adam used a single finger to lift her face so she stared into his eyes. “I have the perfect job for you. Long hours, no time off, but I can assure you the compensation package will more than make up for any of the negative aspects.”
“And what job would that be?”
“Life mate to a billionaire.”
Margot blinked and pulled back to frown at the man holding her. He certainly looked serious. But how could she be sure he wasn’t just crazy?
“If I say yes, how long will this position last? Until some pretty, sexy, skinny young thing catches your eye?” Margot winced again at the bitter tone in her voice.
“This is a lifetime contract. But there is one other thing I need to disclose before you make your final decision. It’s the reason I know we’re meant to be together.”
Adam soothed her another moment before releasing her. Taking her hand, he led her to a long leather couch that sat against one wall. As she sat down, he pushed aside the oversized coffee table, clearing the area in front of her. Her eyes grew as he took off his jacket and tossed it on top of his desk. A moment later his shirt followed, revealing his impressively muscled chest and abdomen with a dusting of black hair that made a triangle down to his bellybutton. Just enough hair to be oh so sexy without being bear-like.
“Adam?” She began to shiver, but she wasn’t sure if it was fear or lust that affected her more. What the hell was he doing?
Before he answered, Adam pulled off his boots. Even his feet were perfect, long and slim with well-shaped toes and high arches.
“I’ve been called a lot of things in my life. But there’s one thing very few know about.”
“What is it?” Margot asked as her stomach clenched. Was he deathly ill? Or deformed? Or gay? A dozen possibilities raced through her mind as she watched him unbuckle his belt and loosen the waistband of his jeans.
“I’m a shape shifter. An alpha wolf to be exact.”
“I don’t believe you. There’s no such thing, except in books.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Adam Thomasson, businessman, disappeared. Instead, a huge black wolf with turquoise eyes wearing Adam’s jeans stood before her.
She sat stunned a moment before she realized that Adam had spoken the truth. He was indeed a shape shifter, just like in one of her books.
“Oh my fucking God. That’s so cool!”
She stood and took two steps forward before kneeling an arm’s length from the wolf. Though she knew it was Adam, she didn’t want to scare him and have him react badly.
“Can you understand me when you’re in this form?” she asked, more curious than scared.
Her easy acceptance shocked her more than his ability to change into a wolf.
He nodded then took a step closer. Then another and another until his chin rested on her shoulder.
Needing to ass
ure herself that this was real and not one of her romance-inspired daydreams, Margot began to pet him. His fur was soft and silky and warm. She ran her hands down his back, over his sides, and then reached up to rub behind his ears. When she dropped her hands to her lap a few minutes later, Adam leaned closer. He rubbed his cheek against the side of her head, doggy begging for more.
She indulged him for a few more minutes before pushing him back. “Enough petting for now. I have questions, and you can’t answer them until you change back.” Standing, she returned to the couch and sat down.
Adam made a disgruntled doggy sound before backing away. Margot blinked and a very naked, very aroused man knelt where the wolf had been only a heartbeat before.
Trying not to stare at the long, solid cock between his legs, she licked her lips. She had questions, many questions, but couldn’t think of a single one when Adam’s cock twitched, drawing her attention again as it grew even bigger.
“You had questions?” He stood and walked toward her, not hiding his nakedness or his erection.
She envied him that. She would give anything to be that comfortable in her skin. She never walked around naked and usually changed clothes in the dark.
“Does it hurt when you change like that?” Margot whispered, her eyes darting once more to his groin.
“No, shifting doesn’t hurt. This, on the other hand,” he said, wrapping one hand around his cock, “is uncomfortable as I wait for you, my lovely mate.”
Margot’s cheeks began to burn as he stroked his hand from the base of his cock to tip and back again.
When he moved close enough, she reached out and ran the pad of her index finger over the slit in the wide, red-purple head of his cock, smearing the fluid there. He responded with a deep-throated moan and thrusting of his hips.
She pulled her finger away, putting it in her mouth, not able to wait another moment to taste his essence. She expected his seed to be bitter and salty as she remembered William’s always tasting, but Adam tasted dark and manly with no bitterness.
“Mmm,” she breathed as he took another step closer.
The Billionaire's Mate Page 2
