by Alisa Woods
Jace just laughed. But he quickly reeled it in. “Jaxson, come on.” He held out his hands, imploring. “You know how it works. You bring Thea in here, and everyone’s going to think you’re looking to finally settle down. We’ve got three packs we could be making alliances with, and we can’t afford to piss off any of them. We need all the help we can get. Especially if we’re going to start doing direct assaults.”
“Yeah, I know.” This was not where he wanted the conversation to go. Jaxson slipped his hand into his pocket, running a thumb over the phone’s face. Olivia. Her name rolled around in his mind, sparking all kinds of feelings he had no right to have. Especially for a human.
Only… maybe she wasn’t. If not, she was even more dangerous to have around. But the mere possibility had his wolf sitting up and demanding they go after her. Jaxson studied the carpet in front of him, trying to decide just how big a fool he actually was. Returning the phone personally was a really bad idea. Probably why he was considering it.
“Earth to Jaxson.” Jace was waving a hand in front of his face.
Christ. He was such a mess.
Jaxson batted his hand away and growled.
Jace just leaned back and frowned. “What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing,” he said, taking his hand off the phone and out of his pocket.
“You can’t dodge it forever, Jaxson. You’re almost thirty. If you don’t take a mate, people are going to assume you’re like Jared.”
“I’m not broken, Jace.” Not like that, at least.
“Yeah. I… know that.” His brother frowned even deeper like he hadn’t questioned it before, but now he wondered. And Jaxson couldn’t afford for Jace to get suspicious—because his brother was too smart, and he would figure it out eventually.
Jaxson just glared at him.
Jace let out a frustrated sigh. “Man, I’m the last to push you into this, but you know the situation. The pack needs an alpha—a mated alpha, a leader to bring us all together—and you’re it. We need you, especially now. And the pack needs an alliance if we’re going to accomplish all the things we want. You know we can’t do all of this just with the River pack.”
“I know.” Frustration clipped his words.
“So figure out which of the hot, eligible female wolves out there floats your boat and claim her… now, before not having a mate tears down everything we’ve worked for.”
Jaxson rubbed a hand across his forehead. The pounding was getting steadier. “I just need a little more time, Jace. To figure this out.” He had no solution; he knew that. It was just postponing the inevitable—the day he let down his brothers, his pack, and countless other shifters for good.
“Hey.” Jace strode over to put a hand on Jaxson’s shoulder. His grip was tight, but he looked like he was making an effort to lighten things up. “I don’t want to pressure you, man. If I could take on the burden of mating with the hottest female wolf out there, I would. Maybe I could trial run a few for you.”
Jaxson shoved away his brother’s hand, but he couldn’t help the grin. “Shut up.”
Jace grinned and held his hands up in surrender, backing up. “Just saying… there are worse fates, bro.”
That killed Jaxson’s smile. Because he knew Jace and Jared would trade places with him in a heartbeat, if they could. Each had their own dark reasons for not being able to take a mate. Which only meant that carrying on the line fell to him… not to mention leading the pack and making alliances. All of it was his responsibility, and they would see no reason for him not to uphold it. But that was only because they didn’t know he had already failed them years ago.
“So what’s our new plan?” Jace asked, thankfully circling back to the mission.
“I’ll have one by the time Jared comes in.” Jaxson’s hand slipped into his pocket again without his bidding. The phone was still warm from when he held it before. “I’ll be back for the interviews as well. I’ve got some business to attend to first.”
Jace gave him a knowing smirk, probably thinking he was finally getting busy with finding a mate. But his brother couldn’t be more wrong—Jaxson was going to return the phone and clean up that mess so he could focus on finding a way to clean up all the others.
Olivia really wished she had her phone.
She could use the library’s computers to submit online applications, as well as search for local jobs that might float the rent, but how was she supposed to check email? Or even use the GPS to find these places? If an employer wanted to reach her, it wasn’t like they could call her. She’d applied to ten positions so far—from bank teller to office assistant to donut maker—but all of them wanted a phone number for interviews. Even with email, she couldn’t camp out at the library all day, every day, hoping for a reply.
Shoving all the worries aside, Olivia dove into another fifteen-page application form.
“Looks like hard work,” a deeply sexy voice said from behind her.
She jolted in her seat, pounding the table hard enough to send the cup of tiny pencils tumbling. Masculine hands reached past her to right the cup, then the owner of the voice moved into her field of view and leaned against the computer table, facing her.
It was the shifter.
She scooted her chair back in surprise, and her heart lurched. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I tried your office, but it seems you don’t work there anymore.” He looked a little worried about that. “And the cabbie said he brought you here instead of taking you home.”
“So… you’re stalking me now?” His sudden appearance rattled her. She did not need any more drama in this day.
“No!” he protested. Then the frown deepened as he dropped his gaze. “Well, yes, actually.” He held out his hand—it was her phone! “You’d probably like this back.”
She slowly leaned forward in her chair to pluck the phone from his outstretched hand. Then she scooted the chair back a little, afraid he might change his mind and take it back.
He grimaced. “Look, I’m sorry about that—”
“Why did you take it?” She already had it open, but it looked the same as before. Two swipes verified what she suspected: he had deleted the video.
“I just wanted to make sure—”
“You could have asked.”
“Excuse me?”
“You could have asked.” She looked up at him, defiant. “I would have deleted the video in front of you. There was no need to take the phone.”
His shoulders dropped. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
That mollified her. Slightly. Plus he had changed into slim-fitting dress pants and a white collared shirt that both seemed tailored to perfectly fit his sculpted muscles. He was ridiculously good-looking in tattered jeans—in these sexy, high-end clothes, she was having a hard time keeping her eyes from traveling the length of his body.
He dipped his chin and captured her with those gorgeous sky-blue eyes. “The truth is, I wanted to… well, I wanted to know more about you.” He seemed to be asking her forgiveness with this, but why would a gorgeous guy like him, obviously much better off than she was and a shifter besides, want to know more about her? She was nobody.
She scooted her chair toward him, but only so she could tap her computer screen awake again. It was about to time her out. When she looked up, he had moved closer to peer at her screen. Her face flushed, but he already knew she was out of a job. The scent of him—fresh pines and heated earth—washed over her again, reminding her of that blazing kiss in the alleyway.
Before she could scoot back again, out of the zone of his overwhelming hotness, he reached out to her, like he wanted to shake hands. “Can we start over? My name’s Jaxson River. I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance.”
His gaze held hers, and his formal tone compelled a small smile onto her face. “Olivia Lilyfield, unemployed reporter. Nice to meet you.” She slipped her hand into his… and almost pulled back. There was something about his touch that instantly brought he
r entire body to life—almost like tiny pleasure-shocks racing down to her toes, up through her core, and straight to her heart. Her breath caught. And he wasn’t letting go of her hand—instead he covered it with his other one and dropped to one knee in front of her.
His eyes were wide. “I have to ask you something.” His voice was a little breathless, and in spite of his words, he seemed to be holding back.
“What?” The sensation of him holding her hand so gently between his was heating every part of her—like he was a live wire, and just touching him was igniting small brush fires inside her.
He dropped his voice low and leaned even closer. “Are you a shifter? You already know my secret. Trust me that you’re safe in telling me yours.”
She shook her head in tiny motions. “No.”
“Are you certain?” he pressed. “Maybe you’re only half. Maybe you haven’t expressed yet, but your father or mother was a shifter—”
She pulled her hand from his and shrunk back in the chair. “My parents are dead.”
“Oh.” He looked pained. “I’m sorry, Olivia, I… I didn’t realize.”
“It happened a long time ago,” she said stiffly. And her mother was definitely not your average mom—she was a witch. Olivia knew all too well that she had inherited some of her mother’s command of the supernatural. But there was no way she was telling this shifter any of that… no matter how hot he was or how sexy his voice. She kept her distance from the supernatural world as much as possible, but she still understood the basics—including the legendary blood feuds between witches and wolves. Or really witches and any kind of shifter. She didn’t know if her mother ever partook of the dark arts she’d heard of, but she knew for sure that shifters and witches were natural enemies. And the soft look on this shifter’s face—his name was Jaxson, she reminded herself—would evaporate in a second if he knew what she was.
Even if she was only half witch.
His gaze was roaming her face. “I’m sorry for probing.” His voice was soft, apologetic. “My inner wolf and I were having a disagreement.” He gave a small smile, and she was sure a part of her was melting inside. Why did he have to be so sexy?
“A disagreement about what?” she asked.
He motioned her closer, tugging on the arm of her chair to roll it an inch or two forward, just enough that he could lean in to whisper in her ear. “My wolf thinks I should be dragging you off to a dark corner of the library and running my paws all over you.”
Her heart lurched with his sexy words whispering against her skin. A shiver literally ran up her back. She pulled away to look into his eyes. “But you disagree.” Damn, it was hot in here. Was he really saying this to her?
He dropped his gaze to her chest, the buttoned shirt still inconveniently puckering. Then he slowly drew a hot line with his gaze as he worked his way back up to her face. His grin was wicked and sexy and was igniting her nether regions. “Oh no, we definitely agree about that part.”
She swallowed. “I see.” Not that she did, but she was having trouble forming words.
“The thing is, my wolf is convinced you’re a shifter. A wolf shifter to be precise. He insisted we come back and find out, because he really, really wants it to be true.”
Is that what he wanted? A shifter to get hot and heavy with? It made sense for a shifter to want to be with their own kind. “I’m sorry to disappoint him.” And at that moment, she kind of wished she could have been—at least for a quick tryst in the stacks. That would certainly redeem this hellacious day.
“You’re sure you’re not?” he asked again.
“Afraid so.”
But instead of looking disappointed, he seemed a little relieved by her answer. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He straightened up from the floor and leaned against the library table, thankfully giving her room to breathe again. Although she instantly missed his closeness even as she was glad to be released from the intensity.
He glanced at her computer screen—it had gone dark while they talked. “You’re looking for a new job.”
She pulled in a breath and tried to regain some dignity. “Yes. The last one was… well, morally challenged.”
He blazed a smile. “Maybe you could help me out with something.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “You mean, other than saving you in the alley?”
His face fell into a frown. “I had that under control.”
“And not reporting you for phone theft?” She enjoyed the small squirm he did on the table.
“I was just borrowing it.”
“I see.”
“Okay, okay.” He held up his hands. “Ms. Olivia Lilyfield, I need your help, and I’m willing to pay you for it.”
That got her attention. The smirk fell off her face. “What do you mean?”
The smile was back on his face, although gentler this time. “My brothers and I run a private security firm. Riverwise—maybe you’ve heard of it?”
Heard of it? They only handled the most prestigious, and secretive, clients in the Seattle Metro area. “I might have heard you mentioned in the Tales once or twice.”
He gave her a scowl, but it seemed mostly teasing. “It so happens, we’re in need of a secretary, er… office assistant.”
“Really?” Her pulse quickened. Was he actually offering her a job?
“I think you’re just what we need… under one condition.”
Her shoulders slumped. “What?” God, if it was something sleazy, she was just going to give up on this day and go home and eat ice cream. All night.
“Well… it’s kind of embarrassing. And a bit awkward.” He looked genuinely uncomfortable—which just intrigued her.
“Well, if you were doing your job in stalking me, you should know that I specialize in embarrassing and awkward.”
He let out a short laugh, and the smile was back on his face. She really liked it much better that way. His smoldering hot looks made her panties dampen, but this look—this smile—seemed like it was an infrequent visitor to his face. Like there were more dark clouds than sunshine in his life. And for some reason that made her heart hurt, even though she really shouldn’t have any feelings whatsoever for this man. Beyond the obvious. Any woman with a pulse would lust after Jaxson River.
He was studying her face, his expression growing serious. Then he dropped to one knee and drew close to her again. “Here’s the thing,” he said, taking a breath and letting it out slow. “I need a mate.”
Her eyebrows hiked up. “A mate?” It was a shifter thing, mating for life. Some kind of magic that bound them together—that was about all she knew.
“Yes. It’s expected. I’m alpha of my pack, and I’m supposed to take a mate to solidify my leadership position. And, if possible, mate with one of the daughters of a rival pack. To form an alliance of sorts.”
“But you don’t want to?” she guessed. That had to be it, because she couldn’t imagine in a million years why Jaxson River couldn’t have any woman he wanted—shifter or otherwise, for one night or forever.
“It’s not that I don’t want to.” He bit his lip. There was a weird sort of dance of emotions across his face. Whatever he was about to tell her, she had a feeling there was more behind it than whatever words he was carefully choosing in his head. “I’d very much like to have a mate,” he said finally, and that had the ring of truth. “I’m just not ready for it yet. Even though everyone else seems to think I should be.”
“Sounds like kind of a sticky problem.”
“It is.” He seemed relieved like maybe he expected her to judge him for not wanting to be magically bound to someone forever. She’d pretty much given up on “forever-type” relationships—they just weren’t in the cards for her—so she could understand. The world didn’t like it when you weren’t paired up with someone. Or at least wanted to be.
She put her hand on his, meaning to reassure him, but there was that weird sensation again—like touching him was waking up something inside her. She pulled back,
using words instead. “I’m not much the mating type myself.”
He frowned at this. “You’re not?”
She shrugged. “Lost my parents early. Did years of duty tour through foster care. Had a couple disastrous boyfriends. Let’s just say, I understand the choice of staying single. Being in a relationship isn’t meant for everyone.”
His frown carved deeper. “Do you think you can be happy that way? I mean long-term. Without someone as a mate, er, I guess husband, in your case?” His earnest look was so sweet, so genuinely curious, she didn’t take any offense to it.
But it still made her shy. “Yeah. I mean, I hope so. My work is important to me.”
He glanced at the computer screen, confusion on his face.
“I’m still figuring that part out.” She could feel the edge of defensiveness creep into her voice.
“I see.” And strangely, it seemed like he did.
She relaxed the hunch in her shoulders.
A smile slowly grew on his face. “Olivia Lilyfield, I think you’re exactly what I needed to find today.”
“Come again?” Her face scrunched up.
He stood and offered a hand up from the stool she was perched on. She took it, even though every time she touched him just reminded her how much she really wouldn’t mind a quick tumble in the sheets with Jaxson River. Maybe that was still on the table if he wasn’t really looking for a mate. Then again, why in the world would he want to sneak off to the stacks with an overly curvy ex-reporter, possible secretary? It didn’t make any sense.
“Riverwise needs an office assistant.” His smile was confident again. “I need someone to help me manage the pressures of acquiring a mate. And you…” He tapped her nose with his finger in a way that made her blush. “… you need a job that means something. I think we can work something out to our mutual benefit.”
She bit her lip. “My rent’s due at the end of the week. Any chance of a check by then?”
He blazed a smile. “Absolutely no problem.”
She sighed, and the tension she’d been carrying since she strode out of the Tales office finally seeped out of her body. “Then, Mr. Jaxson River, looks like you’ve found your new office assistant.”
