Kai tried not to groan when Amelia’s arms tightened around him, pushing her breasts into his back, her pussy hot on his ass, and then her fingers brushed against his belt. A low growl escaped him. He shook his head as he signaled to get over. Normally he’d risk it and lane-split to get ahead of traffic, but he’d promised the frail human nothing dangerous.

Already his instincts had him in a death grip. Kai barely went the speed limit. Her fear was pungent and she clutched him desperately. He wouldn’t dare put her in danger, though Amelia didn’t know that.

It hadn’t been the plan to track her down and beg her to spend time with him. Kai hadn’t known what would happen the night she took him home from the club. All he’d wanted was a one-night stand with a good fuck. The way Amelia moved when she danced, he’d known she would be a freak in the bedroom.

Kai was never wrong about that.

And she’d smelled so fucking good he’d hardly made it to her loft before ripping her clothes off. Amelia had been just as desperate. If he didn’t heal so fast, Kai would still have marks on his back from her nails.

He slowed when he turned into a parking lot and her knees tightened, pressing hard into his legs as her hands clutched his jacket. Kai smiled, enjoying how close she was for just a little while longer. He didn’t know what he would do if she still didn’t want him after their dinner. The promise was genuine, but there was a very real possibility it could cost his life to keep it.

The engine cut off and Kai offered Amelia a hand to help her slide off the back of his motorcycle. Her legs were shaky and he ground his teeth together to keep from touching her again. She hadn’t noticed he’d used every excuse in the book to politely put his hands on her. Amelia was smart, she would eventually. Kai had to tread carefully with her or he’d lose everything.

He swung his leg over and unbuckled his helmet before turning to help her. His fingers brushed her throat lightly and he could practically feel the wolf inside rumble in pleasure at her trust in him. Not that she knew how easy it would be for him to rip out her throat.

Both helmets were locked to the bike and then Kai fetched her purse from his saddlebag. When he handed her the massive thing he inspected his mate from head to toe. Her hair was a bit mussed, but she looked fine despite the fear he could still smell lingering on the air. His wolf didn’t like that smell at all.

It had caught him completely by surprise when he’d gotten a whiff of that other scent the night before, the one that shackled his heart to her forever. Kai never would have guessed such a prickly little female was his mate. The Great Wolf surely had a sense of humor. But a human? Kai was the last wolf on the planet right now who should have such a fragile mate.

Amelia fidgeted when she took her purse and waved her hand for him to lead the way. There was a perpetual grimace on her face and those bright green eyes of hers flicked around the unfamiliar area. It was a lovely restaurant in Portland, but too far for her to walk from the bookstore. Kai had noticed she didn’t have a car and walked everywhere.

It made her easy to hunt and left her delicious scent everywhere.

They walked to the restaurant doors in silence. He wracked his brain for something to say, but getting her to open up was harder than he’d thought it would be. Her eyes had been so open and affectionate during sex. The Amelia during the day had shocked him.

Most females couldn’t get enough of him, but she’d straight up told him to leave, and then practically stormed out of the café. Kai had retreated so he could try and figure out what this woman needed. She was different and difficult, but Kai loved a challenge.

He opened the door for Amelia and couldn’t help but grin. She was tiny and that red hair glowed like fire even in the dark. Kai glanced up. The moon wasn’t quite full. He still had some time before he had to go back to his pack. It was the Wolf Moon and the celebration was something he couldn’t miss.

Her scent hit him hard and Kai had to take a moment to calm his wolf. He checked his reflection in the window of the door. Yup, his damn eyes were glowing. Kai closed them for a second and took a deep breath, telling his wolf he’d convince his human mate. It would just take time and he couldn’t fucking do that if his wolf was going to push him too hard and scare her away with glowing eyes.

When he opened them again the silver glow was gone and they were brown again. Kai walked into the restaurant to see Amelia already talking to the hostess. He ambled up to them, ignoring the way the women ogled him. His eyes stayed on Amelia, tracking her every move. She turned, looking for him, and then jumped when she saw him so close.

Kai smiled. She was fucking adorable.

“Planning my life without me?” he asked, cocking his head as he held her gaze.

There was that scent again, the one that told him how aroused she was. Amelia may not like the idea of a relationship, but she still wanted him. Kai could work with that. His wolf tried to push him again when he smelled her arousal, but he ignored it as he watched her blush.

“I just wanted to make sure there was a table available,” she snapped, adjusting her scarf in the warm restaurant.

The hostess smiled at them both, but her eyes lingered on Kai. “This way please.”

Kai let Amelia take the lead. He tried to convince himself it was so he could keep an eye on her and not so he could watch her ass in those devastatingly tight pants. It was like she dressed to kill him.

She sat on one side of the booth and Kai moved for the opposite side. He wanted to sit next to her, close enough to feel her warmth and hold her hand, but it was too soon. It would only spook her.

He slipped off his jacket and set it to the side. Kai would have offered to take Amelia’s, but she was so tense he left it alone. She shied away from him despite her arousal and Kai was having a difficult time figuring out why.

Hopefully this not-date would give him some insight.

Kai took the napkin from the table as she inspected the restaurant and set it on his lap, ignoring the way she kept looking at his arms in his short sleeve shirt. He supposed he should have worn something warmer. Humans got cold in January, but it was so warm in buildings with heaters on Kai usually didn’t.

Internally he sighed. There were so many things humans did differently it was difficult to remember them all sometimes.

Amelia looked at all the low lighting, the cabin-like atmosphere, and she sniffed delicately. Steak and onions were strong on the air. Pleasant chatter filled the space, but not too loud for Kai’s sensitive ears. Not that Amelia was aware, but the restaurant was actually owned by a shifter.

“This place is nice,” she grudgingly admitted.

Kai smiled, but didn’t laugh. He didn’t know why, but her attitude amused him. She was so defensive though he couldn’t figure out the reason for it. She was gorgeous and had a full life from what he’d seen. Her work, her friend who she liked to go to the gym with, the nights she spent reading…

Yeah, he had it bad.

“A friend of mine owns it,” he admitted. “It’s one of my favorite places in the city.”

“So you don’t live in Portland?” Amelia asked.

Kai shook his head, wondering if that admission had been a mistake. “I’m here on business,” he said, choosing his words carefully.

Actually he was here on pack business. There was word of a rogue wolf, wild and savage. Humans thought it was a massive, wild wolf. But Kai knew better. If a human shot the rogue shifter and it died then the body would turn back into a human and their secret would be out to the world.

They couldn’t afford for that to happen, and as the local Alpha it was on him to deal with. Portland was part of his territory no matter how little time he spent there.

Amelia studied him thoughtfully. No doubt trying to figure out what his business was. She hid it well, but Kai had sensed her surprise when he told her he owned his own business. He couldn’t blame her. He looked like a scruffy biker dude with no ambition on a good day.

“How long are you staying?” she pressed.

“Why, looking to get rid of me?” he teased. Kai still had to figure out how to change that.

Amelia didn’t say anything. Instead she fixed her napkin on her lap, doing everything but look at his face. It gave him the opportunity to really study her. Her skin was so perfectly white. She didn’t even have freckles let alone scars. Not like he did. Those bright green eyes were framed by long, dark lashes and he knew the red hair was natural. There was no smell of dye or chemicals on her.

Not even perfume. Kai appreciated that more than he could ever say.

“It’s an extended business trip,” he told her, giving in to the question. It was hard to deny her anything. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be here, but I have to close this account before I can go back home.” Once he’d ripped the savage wolf’s throat from its body that is. It had to be put down before it killed more people and created a manhunt for wolves.

It was his turn to ask questions. He doubted she would stay long after they’d eaten. Right as he was opening his mouth the waitress came to the table. Kai ordered his usual water and wine and then waited for Amelia to order.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” she said.

“Do you know what you’d like to eat?” the waitress asked.

Kai shrugged, not taking his eyes from Amelia despite the waitress leaning too close to him.

It was too much. He leaned away from her, hoping neither female would notice. Amelia’s green eyes blazed as she honed in on him, eyes narrowing.

“I’ll have my usual, but I’ll wait for Amelia to order,” he said, trying to keep his calm as his wolf snarled inside when the waitress brushed against his shoulder.

Amelia watched him like a hawk. Kai’s skin crawled when the waitress touched him again. That one was most definitely not his mate. He reached for the menu as an excuse to move away. The waitress looked to Amelia who shrugged, practically glaring at Kai.

“Same,” Amelia said.

The waitress then placed a hand on his shoulder and Kai flinched. Having another woman hit on him was not a good way to convince Amelia to go out with him. “It’s good to see you again, Kai.”

His nostrils flared. The waitress made it sound like they’d been intimate before, but he was a regular patron and nothing more. He glanced at Amelia and those two rosy spots on her cheeks brightened with her anger.

God, how was he going to fix this?

“Stop touching him,” Amelia snapped, turning that glare on the waitress. The raw emotion there made the woman step back. “You’re making him uncomfortable. Put in our orders and get us a different waiter.”

The woman stumbled over her apology and hurried off.

Kai couldn’t hide the shock from his face as he stared at this small whirlwind of a human before him. Amelia had just defended him; possessively. Maybe there was hope after all.