Her pursuer was right outside our door now, his heavy footfalls clomping to the stairwell, then back.
He pounded on my door.
Her body jolted in my arms. She clutched my forearm, her pink nails digging into my flesh. Yes, grab me, mate.
I moved my finger from her lips to mine, signaling for her to keep quiet. Fear got the best of her, and she bolted across the huge living room into the master bedroom. This huge penthouse my brother Boone had reserved for me had two. My wolf ears allowed me to hear her enter the ensuite bathroom and then the shower, the clank of the glass door shutting behind her.
I wanted to open the door and get a good look at the man who made my mate tremble in fear, but I wasn’t giving the fucker an opportunity to get closer to her. If he thought no one was here, the better. It was my job now to take care of this woman, no matter what.
I peered through the peephole and saw–warped by the fisheye glass–a large human male in a suit with a gun at his waist. Bald, thick neck. Even studying him with only one eye, he looked like a mob enforcer. Or a drug dealer’s bodyguard. He looked fierce. Strong. Mean. He’d be a threat to someone pint-sized like my mate, but to me, he was a little punk on an elementary school playground.
Why was a thug like him after my sweet mate? Was she not as sweet as she seemed?
No matter. Whatever her problem, I would solve it.
He looked impatiently at the door and knocked again. Then turned his head left and right, as if assessing the hallway.
After ten seconds, he gave up and walked away. I heard him swear and move down the hall, knocking on the door across the hall. After twenty seconds and no one answering from that penthouse either, he turned and went back the way he’d originally come. I waited until the sound of his footsteps disappeared.
Done with him and knowing my mate was safe, I headed to the bathroom.
The female stood hunched in the shower, holding her stiletto heels by their straps. Her skirt was rucked up around her upper thighs, giving me a glorious view of her bare, shapely legs. She was dressed for business, a trim black skirt, pale blue silk blouse with tiny pearl buttons. She looked professional. Dainty. Completely different than any mate I ever dreamed of because women in Montana where I lived didn’t even own a pair of heels.
“Hey.” I kept my voice soft, trying to sound comforting even though I was a stranger to her.
“Is… is he gone?” she whispered, her dark eyes meeting mine. Fuck me, she was perfect. She wore makeup, a hint of mascara and a slash of a soft pink lipstick. She didn’t need it, but fuck was she pretty.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah. Who is he? What does he want with you?”
Her eyes darted toward the open bathroom door. She started to edge around me as if a cornered animal.
Shit! She wanted to leave. Now that the immediate danger had disappeared, she no longer wanted to be in a hotel room with a strange man.
I couldn’t blame her for that.
But I also didn’t want to let her go. Wouldn’t let her out of my sight. Especially with that big fucker after her. No way was I leaving her alone to fend for herself.
I wasn’t going to throw Fate’s gift back unclaimed.
The idea of claiming this tantalizing female had my dick slamming against my zipper. I could lead her the ten steps into the bedroom, set her carefully upon the bed and rid her of her clothing. Show her how it would be between us. Make her mine by giving her my mark. Make her forget her name, let alone that she had men hunting for her, with orgasm after orgasm.
Down, boy.
No matter what my wolf and dick wanted, I stepped back, so she didn’t feel threatened. I couldn’t make her mine if she was afraid of me. Boone had met his mate recently. A human. He’d had a difficult time proving to Summer that he wasn’t a danger to her, especially since he was even bigger than me, and I was a big fucker. I worked with wood. I was well muscled and had rough hands. Rough features from living in the wilderness. I was feral compared to my human mate, especially in her prim and tidy business attire. I wondered what she did for a living, especially with someone after her.
What the hell could she have done to piss someone off so badly?
“Okay,” I said, hoping to appease her. “You don’t have to tell me. It’s none of my business.”
Obviously, she was on the penthouse floor for a reason. The only way to get to this level was with a keycard, so either she was staying here or was a guest. She had to have been in one of the other suites and fled.
Why and from whom? I wanted her to tell me, so I could go and rip their heads clean off their bodies–it would soothe my inner wolf to protect our mate but also because I’d been cooped up in this crowded city all week, which drove me crazy. I could be patient, as long as she didn’t leave.
“You’re safe with me,” I added. “I promise. But there’s no way I’m letting you go anywhere alone. Can you call a friend to pick you up?”
She rubbed her lips together, thinking.
I tried hard not to stare at them. To imagine what it would be like to kiss them. Or have them wrapped around my di–