Fabian might have wished her sweet dreams, but he was plagued by disbelief.
I can’t believe I lost control and kissed her.
And then his tempting vixen kissed him back.
How could any man retain control faced with her passion? He certainly couldn’t. The more he tasted, the more he touched, the more he wanted.
Mine. All mine.
He’d almost claimed her. Thank goodness Fred had interrupted, because a few more minutes and Fabian would have probably been sheathed in her body, thrusting and pounding, racing to nirvana—and kissing his bachelor life good-bye.
We should kill Fred for stopping us, his inner beast grumbled. His wolf had no problem tying his fate to one woman.
Slow down. Fabian wasn’t ready for that yet. Lust for a woman was no reason to lose his head, the sweet taste of her lips not a reason to change his life.
Time to concentrate on the more important things right now like finding out who she was and who wanted her dead. Once he fixed both problems, then he could get her out of his life, out of his mind, and go back to the way things were.
Oh yeah, smart-ass, if you’re so determined to rid yourself of her, then why lock her in her room?
Because. Just because, and no, he didn’t need to explain, even to himself, any further.
Entering his office, he ignored his staff until he’d taken position behind his desk. If he’d learned one thing about ruling, appearance meant a lot.
To be powerful, act powerful. The confident ruled the world for a reason.
Sitting in his massive leather recliner, he leaned forward and placed his fingers in a steeple on his desk. He fixed his best hunters, two of them wolf shifters, the third a lioness, with a stare. “Report.”
“Not much to report, boss,” said Jeremy, the oldest of the three. “We went to the public launch by that picnic ground just outside the property where you told us to. There was nobody there.”
Of course not. He’d hardly expected the killers to stick around.
Myrna rolled her eyes and echoed his sentiment. “Well, duh. Like those dudes were gonna stick around. They did the dirty work and left.”
No, they’d failed in their task and run away before he could mete out punishment.
“Surely you’ve more to report to me than the obvious?” He let his gaze land on the last of the trio, who’d yet to say a word.
Dean, the quietest of the three, peered at him through long bangs. “It was bears. Two of them. Judging by their prints, average-sized guys, at least compared to us. Size fourteen shoes on the one and at least a sixteen on the other. They drove a car. Judging by the wheelbase, a sedan, an older model. The tire tread was getting real thin. They’ve got a slow leak, too, from the oil pan.”
Great, he knew a ton about a fucking piece of junk but not what he really wanted to know.
“Did any of you find anything that might tell us who the woman is?”
The three of them shook their heads.
Myrna said, “We got a faint whiff of her while we were scouting. She wore some kind of fancy perfume. But that was all we found. No purse or wallet. Nothing. Sorry, boss.”
Sorry, however, didn’t solve the mystery of who she was. It didn’t tell him who wanted to kill her. It most definitely didn’t answer why he wanted her so fucking bad.
Because she’s our mate.
The simple reminder from his wolf didn’t appease him. Surely there was more to it than this. How could he base his whole future on a feeling?
Trust.
Trust in the intangible? Trust a virtual stranger? Fabian hadn’t gotten to where he was by putting blind faith in people he’d just met. No matter how much he wanted to fuck them.
But there’s more to it than me wanting to sink my cock into her. He couldn’t help a protective streak when it came to her. The thought of her in danger filled him with anger, and a determination to keep her safe. The thought of her sleeping in a bed upstairs made him grip his desk, tightly, lest he take the stairs two at a time to join her. He wanted to be with her. Now. This instant. He wanted more of her spunky attitude and bravery.
He wanted her.
Ugh.
Thankfully, his minions left and no one else was around to see him bang his forehead off his desk and growl, “Fuck me. Fuck her. Fuck everything.” If someone had borne witness, they would have been shocked. Fabian wasn’t one to lose his composure, especially not over a woman.
Then again, he’d never met one so determined to drive him mad.
He couldn’t have said how long he sat there, doing his best to ignore everything about her and failing miserably. But hey, at least he didn’t go running to her.
And she didn’t come running to him. Probably because you locked her up, dumbass.
Oh yeah. He winced. She probably wouldn’t be too happy about that. Was it sick of him to admit a spurt of anticipation at what would surely prove a fiery rant on her part?
Make-up sex rocks.
No. No sex. What happened to keeping his distance, playing it cool?
Playing it cool wouldn’t fix his blue fucking balls. Sigh.
A rap at the door had him straightening. It wouldn’t do for his staff to see him like this.
“Who is it, and what do you want?”
The door opened enough to let Fred stick his head through. Did the man never sleep? “Milord, I am sorry to disturb you. However, something has happened.”
“What now?”
“It seems your guest has left the premises.”
“Excuse me? Are you talking about the woman I brought home earlier?”
Fred bobbed his head. “Yes, her. It is my regret to inform you that our hospitality did not suit her. She seems to have picked the lock in her room, borrowed a set of keys from the board in the kitchen, and absconded with your BMW.”
She did what?
Any other man might have ranted and raved about the nerve of her stealing his car. A part of him should have wanted to say good riddance, one less thing to worry about.
But Fabian wasn’t just any other man.
He was a wolf, and his vixen had escaped. She’d run.
Or in Lycan terms, she’d invited him to chase.
Awoo.