With my room access information transferred to my silver bracelet, I trudged toward the elevator on tired legs, my wet clothes sticking to my person with every step I took. I’d be asleep before room service opened. My next meal would be at lunch. My stomach protested this idea—loudly—but I ignored it as I stepped onto the elevator alone.
I pressed my floor, the top level, and shut my eyes.
It had been a horrible fucking day.
And the attraction I had to Wolfe Cooper? Weird.
The man had attacked me.
I was a fucking idiot for thinking he was gorgeous.
Hot breath fanned over the top of my head.
My eyes shot open. I spun in place with my fists raised.
But…no one was there. I was alone as I’d thought.
I lowered my fists to my sides gradually, my heart hammering, not slowing down one bit. The sensation of being stared at tickled my skin. That rush of breath had felt so real. Too real.
The elevator doors opened, and I quickly stepped out.
Instead of moving down the hall, I turned back to the elevator, feeling foolish, but determined to see if I was right. I had blocked the way out of the elevator with my body and my luggage. I waited for the doors to close to know no one—or nothing—was getting out with me.
The doors started to close. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I really was an idiot.
But suddenly, the doors stopped.
They were open enough to still let a person slip out.
My blink was really slow, and my voice held a decent amount of appropriate fear. “I’m not sure which one of you is staring at me right now, but Theron let me go. There’s no reason for you to come after me now. You should contact him to verify my words before you do something you might regret later. And, really, do you want to deal with cleaning up blood before the sun has even risen?”
I knew five shifters had special powers.
I didn’t know what they were, since Joshua Striker didn’t seem to know either, but, apparently, being invisible was one of them.
The elevator started to buzz, the doors held open too long.
When they still didn’t close, I sucked in a lungful of air.
Fortitude and courage. I steeled my reserves…
I leaned forward and swept my hands over the inner sides of the elevator doors where they would eventually connect with one another and seal. My left hand slammed against unseen warm flesh. The aches in my stiffened legs were painful while I pried one invisible finger at a time away from the door, ultimately shoving the hand back inside. I groused, “Contact Theron. I’m not lying. Good night.”
The doors slid shut. I still didn’t move.
My hands shook down by my sides.
Goose bumps pebbled my skin.
I’d entered a whole new level of fantasy—my new reality.
I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and dragged my feet all the way to my room. A steaming hot shower would calm my nerves. Since Theron had let me go, I was safe from harm. I had to keep that in mind—unless I published another article. Then I was sure all bets would be off.
My room was small but posh. I had no complaints.
It also had fantastic water pressure. Not bad at all.
What was bad was when I was contacted by management.
I tapped my bracelet and pulled the cover from over my head, having finally lain down for bed. “Yes?”
“There are no pets allowed in New City Seasons Hotel, Mrs. Harvey. Especially not wolves. If your pet does not vacate the premises immediately, you will be banned from our establishment.”
I stared up at the ceiling, the sun starting to light the room despite the heavy curtains covering the windows. “What are you talking about?”
“The wolf sleeping outside your door. Take it elsewhere.”
Fuck me. “It’ll be handled. Apologies.”
“Hmph.” The asshole ended the call.
I pulled myself out of bed in time to watch a shadow sweep by under the door of my room, the light now showing in the space between the door and the floor. The wolf was fleeing, probably, having heard my call. I opened my door and looked up and down the hallway.
No wolf in sight.
I placed my bare right foot down on the carpet just outside my door. The ground was, indeed, extremely warm where the wolf had rested. I lifted my brows, and spoke in a normal tone, knowing he could hear me if he were still lurking, “Wolfe, you’re going to get me kicked out of here. Don’t do that again.”
I shut my door and locked it.
When I flopped back down on my bed, I groaned heavily.
It appeared the wolf liked me, too.
Holy hotness. This was all kinds of fucked up.
I finally fell asleep for a blissful six hours.
* * *
Knock. Knock. Knock-knock.
That was too damn friendly of a knock. My hackles instantly rose at the intrusive sound. I lifted my gun out from under the pillow. On silent feet, I prowled to the door, and asked, “Who is it?”
“Mina Kramer,” a woman responded—far too perky. “I’ve come to apologize for my mother’s behavior. I love her dearly, but she can be too much at times.”
I blinked in disbelief. What was it with these people?
I’d only left Theron’s house last night.
With a sigh of resignation, I opened the door and hid my gun behind my back. “Hi, Mina. It’s nice to meet you. And don’t worry about your mom. I imagine if I’d ever had one growing up, she’d probably be just like yours.”
In all fairness, the strippers who had practically adopted me, after my mom’s death, at my father’s illicit place of business were quite motherly. Nipple clamps and peekaboo feathers beside the point. They’d had sense enough to not ever try to dress me in that shit.
I nodded my head to her in farewell and started to close the door on her. I was done dealing with shifters and their mates.
Except that the cool and collected woman in front of me jerked her hand out and slammed it against the door, holding it open. All with an amazing and inviting smile on her gorgeous face.
Mina explained, “I’ve come for more than that.”
All right, whoever is up there in Heaven…
This shit isn’t funny anymore. You can stop now.
Please.
Wariness pulled at my voice. “What now?”
With her free arm, she grabbed something out in the hallway that she had hidden behind the wall, pulling it over next to her—that charming smile still plastered on her features.
Wolfe Cooper now stood next to her, glaring at her face. “I told you this was a stupid idea, Mina.”
“Nonsense.”
I have no clue how she did it, but she managed to bustle past me and yank Wolfe inside my room with as much panache as a model walking down a runway. “There’s a party tonight, and we’re taking you with us, Noelle.”
I let the door go, barely registering as it clicked shut. I took my hand with my weapon from behind my back and rubbed the handle of it against my right temple. I felt a headache coming on from this. I mumbled in confusion, “What party are you talking about?”
Wolfe eyed the gun in my hand, his brows furrowed deeply, and rumbled, “The pizza girl turned eighteen today. Her birthday party is in an hour at Rune and Megan’s home.”
“Uh…” There was something wrong with their tight clique. “You want me to go to a pizza girl’s birthday party?”
“We know her,” Mina hurried to explain. “She has a name.”
I waited. Yet they didn’t explain further.
I sighed and peered down at my clothes. “I’m wearing pajamas. I was in for the night working.”
Wolfe’s golden eyes turned to thin slits, the beautiful color barely visible. “What were you working on?”
“Research on how to deal with overbearing wolf shifters.”
Mina’s tinkling laughter filled the room. She waved her left hand back and f
orth in the air like she was swatting away the building tension between Wolfe and me.
“You guys are just so funny. Let’s get you changed, Noelle. I’m sure you have something here appropriate for a party.”
I grunted in surprise as she shoved me deeper into my hotel room, shooing me toward my clothes spread out on the empty bed. My brows snapped together when I could have sworn she whispered behind me, “Wolfe, get your damn act together. Where the hell is your A-game? You can do better than this.”
I turned around with my mouth open, full of questions ready to spew forth, but the beauty queen was charging toward me with that sweet smile on her face, and Wolfe was gazing down at the hologram above my computer board, analyzing what I had been working on.
Maybe I was hearing things.
“It has nothing to do with shifters or mates. You can quit snooping, Wolfe.” I rolled my eyes and stuffed my gun back under my pillow.
He bent his knees and pulled his gray hair away from his face to look more intently at my work. Wolfe didn’t look away from my screen. “You did this?”
“Yeah, I’ve been working at it all day.” I chewed on my thumbnail and glanced back at Mina, who was digging through all my clothing items and tossing some aside into a definite ‘no’ pile by her expression—finally something that wasn’t that pleasant smile. I turned my regard back to Wolfe. “I started thinking about how you broke through my firewalls so swiftly. Honestly, after I reviewed what you’d done, it was like an artist painting a masterpiece. So I decided to retrace your steps and create a counter attack.”
I could give respect when it was deserved.
Wolfe Cooper hadn’t lied. He was really the best in the world with technology, even on the darker side. The wolf-man knew what to do and how to work it.
It was more than a little hot.
Suddenly, he squinted at the screen. “You have an error in here. Do you mind if I fix it?”
The hell I did! I walked on bare feet quickly to his side and bent next to him, my eyes on the hologram. I griped, “Show me where you think this error is.”
His long, strong fingers zoomed the view. Wolf pointed to the coding on the seventeenth line, six digits in. His tone was soft and patient as he explained, “If you do this here, it will nullify the entire firewall you’re trying to protect. If you want to cut into it like a butcher, you can simply remove it, and it would still work—albeit, a little slower. But if you slide it down three rows, then it’ll do exactly what you want it to, but much more smoothly and with finesse.”
My jaw was hanging open in shock, staring at my significant flaw right there in front of me. “Damn it. I reviewed that line ten times.”
Wolfe bumped his shoulder against mine softly. “I’m sure you would have seen it after more sleep. You said you worked on it all day.”
I grunted in embarrassment but still mumbled, “See anything else I did wrong?”
“Let’s see.” He waved his hand in front of the hologram, adjusting it to the correct size to view the full code, then turned silent as he studied it.
I turned my head just the slightest bit and peeked at him from the corner of my eye. His golden gaze was following each line methodically and intelligently, pausing every once in a while, teetering his head back and forth, before continuing on. I cleared my throat softly and moved my own gaze back to the screen, waiting for him to finish his study.
I knew what line he was at when he chuckled softly.
He whispered, “That’s fucking cruel, Noelle.”
I shrugged my left shoulder, and it rubbed lightly against his. “I never said I didn’t play dirty.”
Wolfe’s snicker died off, his eyes already moving again.
Eventually, he turned his face toward mine, scanning my profile. “You learned on the streets, didn’t you?”
I tilted my head and met his gaze dead on. “It shows that much?”
“In some of it, yes. There’s a rugged beauty in it, a fighter who doesn’t pull any punches. But it’s intertwined with brilliance and refinement. You’re quite talented.” His golden eyes sparkled on mine, a light I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen before there. “Not as talented as me, but you’re not bad.”
I blinked. The wolf-man was flirting with me.
“Keep talking like that and I might forget for the night that you almost killed me.” My chin quivered in humor as he instantly frowned. I lowered my voice so only he could hear my next words. “Or you could kiss me. I’d probably forget for a little while then.”
That sparkle instantly returned to his stunning eyes, his pupils dilating in need, and he whispered just as quietly, “Maybe after the birthday party when there isn’t a mother hen pretending she isn’t watching our every move.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “A kiss. Not a fuck.”
He tipped his head farther, our foreheads almost touching. “I’m a private man. I don’t do public displays of affection, even around my closest friends.”
“Interesting.” I allowed my gaze to land on his lush lips. They were ripe to take a nip of. “Later tonight then.”
I bumped his forehead with mine, a simple touch before I straightened and headed in Mina’s direction. “Find anything for me that’s appropriate?”
Mina was good. It didn’t show at all that she had been eavesdropping on us. She held up a pair of jeans and a simple blouse that hung off the shoulder. Mina and Wolfe were also wearing jeans right now. “It’s casual tonight. Just friends.”
I took the clothes from her, and asked, “You never said. What’s the pizza girl’s name? I should probably know that before attending her birthday party.”
Mina snickered behind a delicate hand. “Good point. You’ll have to excuse my earlier fumble. Her name is Elara.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“I think I’ve died and entered hacker heaven,” I blurted, turning around in a circle. Gadgets. So many pretty, pretty gadgets. Devices and tools splashed across every wall, even on the ceiling when you wanted to recline your seat. My eyes were enormous, and excitement thrummed through my veins. I wanted to touch everything within view—including a certain wolf-man, but I’d refrain for the time being. “This is your train?”
Wolfe stopped on the last wrought iron step of his private Cooper Corporation transport. A small, proud grin lifted his lips at the edges. Humble yet satisfied. “It is. I thought you might like it.”
“Yeah,” I moaned, eyeing one of my favorite features, the latest computer board on the market. It was placed next to a hologram screen the size of one of the walls. I swear to God, my panties were wet and my temperature rose a few degrees. “Can we play while we’re in the air?”
I really wanted to touch. So bad.
Wolfe grunted but didn’t respond. He didn’t move, either.
It was an effort, a true freaking effort, but I tore my eyes away from the pretties to look at him. His nostrils flared and his golden gaze snagged on the crotch of my jeans. A rosy flush of desire painted his cheeks, and his lush lips parted enough for him to lick over his teeth.
“Oh.” My gut heated even further, spreading like autumn leaves catching flame in a campfire. There was a definite attraction between the two of us, twisted or not. Not just the simple fooling around type, but the insistent chemistry that would combust. It continued to simmer, just waiting for the right spark. I pointed at the computer board, my fingers almost touching the beauty. “I meant play on your computer…”
The wolf huffed, but the man said, “I understood your meaning the first time.” His striking, golden gaze slowly swept up my body, and a cocky smirk rested upon his lips. “You think my train is sexy.”
I pinched my fingers together for him to see. “I might. A little.”
An all-male laugh rumbled in the air. “If you say so.”
Mina tapped on Wolfe’s arm from behind him where she still stood on the stairs, a gentle polished touch to remind him where she was. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but it’s chilly out here…”
&
nbsp; Wolfe peered behind himself. “Apologies, Mina. I forgot you were there.” He quickly made his way inside, typing in our destination on the panel.
“I noticed.” The exquisite woman stated—with an amused smile—as she took a seat. The stairs came up, and the door closed. “I’ll sit here and rest my eyes until we arrived. Don’t worry about me.” She reclined her chair and closed her eyes, a peaceful and contented expression washing over her features.
The clean blue energy powered and the train lifted into the air, as seamless as a bird soaring on a gentle breeze.
I hooked my arm through the wolf-man’s arm and yanked him—perhaps with a smidge too much excitement—with me to the loveseat. I shoved him down and grabbed the computer board. I flopped down next to him without grace and turned to stare into his eyes, pushing the computer board on his lap. I mumbled eagerly, “Will you show me how this one works? And maybe I can try it myself some time?”
Wolfe, frozen solid in place, was finding it hard not to laugh. It was written all over his features. The corners of his eyes were pinched. He held his breath. And he bit into his lower lip just slightly. There was even the slightest trembling in his shoulders.
I patted the air, trying to calm down. “I’m just excited. I’ve only ever heard about these computer boards. No one I know owns one. In fact, I don’t think they’ve ever seen one. The holy grail is in your lap right now.”
The wolf-man let go, his laughter loud and enchanting. “Do you want to know a secret, Noelle?”
“What?” I wiggled on the cushion next to him, holding my hands together in prayer. “Are they going on sale soon? Please say yes.”
I had money. But I didn’t have the kind of money one of those computer boards cost at full price. They were for the elite only.
“Actually, I don’t think the computer board you’re talking about will have a sale to the general public for another year.” He pointed down at the device on his lap. “This computer board isn’t that one. This is the next generation that I’ve been working on.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, breathing in awe, “Seriously?”
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