Sylvia tossed her long blond locks into a messy bun before shoving a Xanax into a cupcake and chowing it down. She hated flying, and now she'd have to do it with a total stranger. This whole trip had bad idea written all over it.

Her doorbell rang, and she just about threw the cupcake back up. Maybe she still had time to tell Noah he needed to go.

The bell rang again. Impatient much?

With a sigh, Sylvia opened the door. One look at the man and dizziness swept through her head like a storm, swirling until everything blurred in front of her and her body involuntarily listed. He dashed to her side and caught her in his arms before carrying her to the sofa.

With a feather-light touch, he brushed the stray hairs away from her face. “Are you all right, ma'am?”

“Ma'am? How old do I look?” she asked with a groan. Because practically fainting in front of him wasn't enough, now she looked old. Just perfect.

And that was the whole problem. He was perfect—the man was the spitting image of the Navy SEAL character she just finished putting the final touches on in the game. Chin-length sandy-brown hair swept across his face, gently shading his grayish-blue eyes. Day-old scruff covered his cheeks and angular chin. Exactly how she drew him. Right down to his husky, line-backer shaped body. Damn he made her feel small, and she had all the curves to prove she wasn't. Yet he carried her like she was a doll.

“My apologies. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just trying to be polite. I assume you're Sylvia?” He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead and cheek, as if he were checking her temperature.

“What I am is embarrassed. But yes, let's go with Sylvia for now.” She pushed herself up to a seated position on the sofa and ran a hand through her hair.

He stared at her, perhaps concerned she may make another attempt at a swan dive. “Are you sure you're all right?”

She managed a nod. “Yeah, I'm fine. Just got up too fast, I suppose.” She hoped he bought it. Because telling the man she'd drawn him in detail from her imagination and he showed up on her doorstep in person would be a little hard to explain. It was as if he walked right out of her dreams, or at least her computer screen. How was it possible?

He quirked an already high arching brow. “Well, Ms. Sylvia, I'm Braxton, your companion for the next few days. Ms. Gerri sent me.” He extended a hand.

Sylvia stared at it, afraid that if she touched him he'd disappear. He couldn't be real.

Braxton hitched a shoulder. “Is something wrong? You keep staring at me. You don't have to be afraid. I'm a shifter, but I promise I won't harm you. I'm here to protect you.”

His words pierced her heart, each one like a sizzling arrow burrowing into her soul. Her protector, just like she made him to be. Not to mention his gruff, sexy voice that also shot fire straight to her vadge. Air hitched in her throat, almost choking her.

“I…I know. It's just…” How the hell would she explain to this complete stranger that she'd practically dreamed him up and just put his very likeness into a video game without even knowing it?

“Why don't you lay down for a few minutes, and I'll load the car with your bags.” Cupping the back of her neck, he eased her against the pillows. The warmth of his hand on her skin skirted a tingle straight to her belly. His touch unnerved her.

He was hot. Hotter than hot. And so was she. Heat blazed her cheeks like she was on fire. Who the hell was this guy? Obviously a shifter, but she'd never in her life met a man who almost literally set her ablaze. She shirked out of her jean jacket and laid back on the sofa, brushing a hand across her flushed cheeks. Shit, was it obvious how turned on she was? There was no way she could board a plane with the man, let alone sit next to him in such close proximity for a couple of hours.

She couldn't even remember being that sexually attracted to Mark, and they had been together for three years. Shit. Mark. Somehow thinking about him tamped down her hormones and brought her back to reality. How could she possibly be so attracted to this guy when she still loved Mark?

Everyone had told her to move on, including Mark's family. She knew she eventually would have to. But her heart still didn't feel ready to let go of him. Like it would destroy his memory if she opened herself up to dating, let alone loving someone else. And with a shifter?

She got way ahead of herself. She just met the guy, and she'd already berated herself for getting a hot flash over the dude. There was no way he'd date her anyway. Someone as hot as him was probably already poking his penis into something way more beautiful than she was. So why would she even worry about it?

He walked back into the room. No—he owned the room, and all the space around him. Just his aura, mere presence filled it with warmth and security.

“You feeling better?” he asked, dropping to a squat next to the sofa. The muscles bulged in his thighs, threatening to burst right out of his already tight jeans.

“No,” she whimpered and wrapped her arms around herself in a tight hug, desperately trying to hide her hardened nipples.

“Do you need to call off the trip?” He eased himself onto the sofa next to her.

She shook her head. “No. I need to go. I owe it to Noah. Truth is, I'm afraid to fly. I took some meds, and I think they're just making me feel weird.”

A small smile curled over his lips. “I tell you what, you can just fall asleep on me. Then we'll be there before you know it.”

Sylvia's heart nearly hammered out of her chest. Seriously, she had to be dreaming, and if she was, she didn't want to wake up. Could he be for real?

“I'd hate to drool on you, so I'll try and remain upright.” Real suave, Sylvia. Because of all the things you could have said back to him, you decided to fill his imagination with images of you drooling all over him. As if he couldn't probably already sense it.

A low chuckle rumbled in his throat, and it was the sexiest sound she'd ever heard. There was no way she'd survive this trip unless she packed a stash of extra panties.

“You okay to walk to the car, or do you need me to help you?” He held out his arm and she slipped her tiny hand into his large one. Never in her life had she felt so petite and almost dainty.

“I think I'll be fine.” Sylvia forced a smile over the lie. She was far from fine. She was in far more danger with Braxton than she was with the email threat.

---

Braxton set Sylvia's luggage on the floor of her hotel room. He caught her reflection in the full-length mirror as she bent over the desk, setting up her laptop. Her full, round ass was like a beacon, calling out to him. So many soft, wonderful curves on her body that his fingers ached to caress. He had a thing for voluptuous women, and Sylvia hit every single one of his hot buttons. Long, blonde curls draped down her back like a waterfall. Full lips and fantastic breasts, it was like she was made for him. A growl clawed its way up his throat, and he forced back his inner wolf.

The moment he laid eyes on her at her apartment he knew she was his mate. Her scent hit him, and nothing had ever smelled so good in his entire life. Like lust, sex, heat, heaven and hell burning deep inside that beautiful woman who nearly fainted in his arms.

Fuck, Gerri totally set him up. The thought of it frightened the hell out of him. Of Sylvia being his mate, not Gerri. Though how the hell she managed to pull that off freaked his shit out a little, too. She had it planned before he even asked her to.

The wolf inside him howled and scratched to get to the surface, to have its way with her. It was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do to fight back the urge to claim her right there on the spot. Now he understood the lore of finding your mate. His brothers had always told him he'd know when it happened. Up 'til now, he thought it was a joke, and that they merely just fell in love with their “mates” and called it so. But one look at Sylvia, one smell of her was all it took to know, she was meant to be his. One taste, and he would claim her forever.

Adding fuel to his fire, Sylvia was attracted to him as well. Her delicious arousal told him so. Not only did her scent make his dick twitch, but the smell of her rich amber and musk perfume tangled with it, driving him crazy. It took everything in him not to throw her against the wall and lick every inch of her body.

Sylvia turned around, and Braxton glanced away from the mirror and cleared his throat. “I'm, ah, in the adjoining room. Right through this double door.” He pointed to the door, as if she wasn't already staring right at it. “You can keep it locked if you feel safer. Just know though, in the event of an emergency, I'll have to bust it down. But ah…I'd like to try and keep repair costs down if I can. So if it's okay with you, we should probably keep it unlocked.”

He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets unsure of what to do with himself. Her mere presence had him nervous, which was a first. Normally women fawned over him, especially when they found out he was a SEAL. He never had any trouble flirting, or nailing one. But Sylvia threw him for a loop, quirky and almost shy and unsure of herself, he had no idea what to say to her. It was like a challenge.

She nodded and bit her lip. Damn if he didn't want to be the one biting it. “Yeah, I guess that's fine. Makes sense.” She tilted her head, and her long curls swung over her shoulder. “You could really bust it down?”

He laughed. “Like a cardboard box.”

“Good to know.” She nodded and tucked her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, forcing her erect nipple right at him. One look at them and his jeans tightened to an uncomfortable level. He fought for words, trying to think of something to say to keep his mind off ravishing her body. “You haven't been around many shifters, have you?”

She shook her head. “Other than Noah, you're my first. What are you?” Her deep brown eyes shot wide in surprise, and she clasped a hand to his arm. “I mean, what animal do you turn into? Gosh, I didn't mean for that to sound so rude. I just…shit, I suck at this.”

Warmth exuded from her touch, shooting a blazing hot tingle across his skin straight to his cock that almost took his breath away. How she undid him with a mere touch fascinated him. He let out a soft chuckle, hoping it would ease her nerves. “No, it's okay. I knew what you meant. I'm a wolf.”

“Cool,” she said with a nod and snapped her hand back. He already missed her touch.

He felt like a dumb-ass school boy looking for approval. But he hoped she wouldn't be scared of him. “Yeah?”

A stunning smile curled over her lips. “Yeah.” She twisted a red-tipped finger into one of her curls. “So, do you rip through your clothes when you change, like the Incredible Hulk?”

He tossed his head back with a hearty laugh. “Unfortunately, yes. I've gone through a lot of nice pairs of jeans. But I try to control it unless it's an emergency. Sucks walking home naked.”

Delight twinkled in her eyes, and he wondered if she was trying to picture him naked. Hell, if she would just say the word he'd full-on show her. He blew out a breath. He needed air, or he'd show her a little too soon.

“I should go put my stuff in my room.” Braxton thumbed over his shoulder.

Sylvia nodded and unlocked the adjoining door linking their rooms. “Okay. We could just leave it open, if you want. I mean, for right now.”

A smile twitched on his lips. “That'll work. Do you want to grab some dinner then?”

Her eyes snapped open a little wider and a gasp puffed from her pouty lips. The shy, coy side of her turned him on even more. “You don't have to constantly hang around me. I'll be okay in the room here. If you want to hit the strip or play in the casino, that's cool.”

“I've been to Vegas. The question is, have you?” He stared into her eyes. So much wonder and anxiety lay behind them. What was she afraid of? He sincerely hoped it wasn't him.

“Well, no. But, I'm not much of a people person. Large crowds make me nauseous. I'll be perfectly happy here in the room. Plus, I need to take another look at the game design before the reveal tomorrow at the convention.” She spun the button on her jacket in a nervous tick.

“How did you get stuck going to a convention with thousands of people?” Braxton folded his arms.

“Because I'm a chump and can't say no.” Her gorgeous lips curled to the left in a smirk.

He nodded with a smile. “Okay, then room service it is. That's fine with me. I'll just hop in the shower, and then maybe you can give me a sneak peek at this game thing.”

Her face lit up in horror. “No, that's probably not a good…I mean, well I'm kind of tired. Jet-lag. I should really just hit the sack.”

Braxton quirked a brow. What was she hiding? “It's five o'clock.”

“But—”

“—I'll be back in a few after a shower. Order me two bacon cheeseburgers and fries, and you get what you want, my treat.” He wasn't taking no for an answer. He stalked off to his adjoining room and got undressed.

He'd break down her walls, and what better place than alone with her in her hotel room. Tonight, he'd claim his mate.