His Wolf's Desire

by Shannon Nydia

  For a moment Brad thought he heard a bit of humor in Mr. Graybar’s comment. But when Mr. Graybar turned around, his portly face looked stern.

  “Good luck with the long-distance. It is a shame because you two made such a good team.”

  “Sir?”

  “I just mean, I’m sure it’s going to be hard living apart again now that she’s leaving our company. I know we’re going to miss her in our office, and she’s only been here a short while. I know she’ll find success in Seattle. But I think if anyone can make the long-distance work, you two can. You’ve already proved you’re capable.”

  * * * *

  Jayla concentrated on not cringing away from Charles as he sat close to her on her couch. His thigh pressed intimately against hers, and she was held prisoner by the fact he was sitting on her skirt.

  “I think we should marry.”

  “Why?” Her face contorted in a mix of surprise, revulsion, and confusion.

  “I know, Jayla. And I understand why you’ve been acting so insane.”

  “You know what, exactly? And you understand what insanity, Charles?”

  “I know you love Brad. But I don’t care.”

  Her eyes opened wide in surprise.

  “It doesn’t matter to me, Jayla.”

  “It doesn’t matter that you think I love someone else?”

  “No, it doesn’t. I know we’re not mates, but I think us not being mates makes us very compatible.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. I do.”

  “How?”

  “I respect the things that make you unique. And since I don’t love you, I’ll never try to dominate or impose my will on you. We won’t have fights or issues. When you need your space, I’ll understand. And if you need to scratch your itch with Brad… Well, I’ll understand.”

  “You’ll let me sleep with Brad if I want to?” Jayla rolled her eyes in annoyance.

  “Yes. If you need to sleep with Brad from time to time, I’ll understand.”

  “You’ll understand?”

  “Of course. And I would expect you to be equally as understanding.”

  “Why the hell would we get married if we’re going to be sleeping with others?”

  “Because we make sense, Jayla. I want to start my own pack. Your clan is the strongest and largest in this area. Our clans merging together would make us an instant powerhouse.”

  “Powerhouse? You make it sound like a business proposition. We’re not merging businesses. You’re approaching matrimony like a business deal.”

  “And so what if I am?”

  “I don’t view marriage like that, Charles.”

  “Why not? What’s the difference between mates and an arrangement?”

  “Huh?”

  “At least with me you know what you’re getting. No confusing animal desires trying to force you to be with me. If you choose me, Jayla, you do of your own free will.”

  “Charles…”

  “I’ve always been good to you.”

  “Always been good to me?” Jayla’s head fell back on her couch cushions. “Charles, we went out for a few months, broke up, and haven’t talked since. I haven’t seen you in years. You can’t be serious.”

  “Jayla, we make sense.”

  Loud pounding on her front door interrupted them. Jumping up, she welcomed the distraction. She didn’t know what to say to Charles.

  “Excuse me.”

  She strode to the door with relieved steps. The impatient pounding was unleashed on her door again. To her surprise, a dismayed and disheveled-looking Brad stood in her doorway.

  Her eyes scanned his haggard appearance. His suit jacket balled up in his fist, his other hand hanging at his side, his head cast down. He ran a hand through his hair, causing a few strands to fall into his face.

  “Can I please come in, Jayla?” He wouldn’t look her in the eyes as he spoke.

  “Is everything all right?”

  “I just need to come in… Please.”

  “I… I have company, Brad.”

  At the sound of her voice and the tone of her words, Brad’s head snapped up. “Company? What kind of company?”

  “The kind of company that isn’t your business.”

  Her answer seemed to inflate his chest and straighten out his back. Brad sniffed the air and could smell the presence of a male wolf in Jayla’s home. Jealousy and possessiveness marred Brad’s features.

  “Jayla, do you need me?” Charles stood at the end of the hallway, making eye contact with Brad.

  “She doesn’t need you.” Brad’s body tensed, his fist clenched, and his voice deepened further.

  “Why don’t you move along there, mate? We’re busy.”

  “Hey, Charles. I’ve got this… Thanks.” Her annoyance with Charles was becoming a habitual thing.

  Brad was clearly struggling to maintain control. “Get him out of your house. Now.”

  Jayla looked back at Charles before squaring her shoulders at Brad. She wanted the prick out of her house as much as Brad did, but if Brad thought she was going to jump because he said so, he was sorely mistaken.

  “You should go, Brad.”

  “Jayla, I swear, if you don’t kick this asshole out of your house, I’m removing him myself.”

  “Hey there, bud. We’re in the middle of something right now.” Charles took a step closer to the door.

  “Middle of what?” Brad’s eyebrows furrowed together in anger.

  “Something intimate and personal.”

  Jayla cringed hearing Charles say the words intimate and personal.

  The words evoked a different effect in Brad, who brushed past her, entering her home uninvited. Shaking her head, she simply stepped out of the way and waited. What else could she do?

  Making a beeline for Charles, Brad cocked his fist back and punched him, connecting with his chin. Charles went down hard. Jayla didn’t even blink. He kind of deserved it.

  “Intimate and personal my ass, dipshit,” Brad grumbled as he retrieved car keys from Charles’s jacket. Throwing Charles’s limp body over his shoulder, Brad strode out the door. Jayla couldn’t help running to the window to see what the hell Brad was going to do with him. Opening Charles’s car door, Brad threw him in and deposited his keys on his chest.

  He stormed into her house, slamming and locking the door behind him. Jayla recognized the dangerous look in his eye. Need flowed through her as the instinct to fight her attraction to him surfaced. She backpedaled until a wall prevented her from retreating farther. The sound of her knocking into the solid surface stilled Brad’s steps. Stubborn angry lines etched deep in his face, and his sensual mouth pulled in a tight scowl. For a moment she thought him irate, until she looked into his eyes. They darkened from the flurry of emotion and pure lust he seemed to fight against.

  Her body reacted to the need radiating off him, and against her better judgment Jayla responded. Desire blazed through her. She closed her eyes, trying to halt the madness raging inside her. Instead of seeing Brad’s longing, she could hear it. She could hear his heart as it thundered in his chest, and she could feel every beat vibrate through her body. His shallow breaths mirrored her lustful pants.

  When her eyes opened, he appeared in front of her, and she let out a startled gasp. She wanted to run. She wanted to escape the torrid wave of emotion he had no right making her feel. But there was nowhere to run to. His massive body blocked every escape path available.

  “I came over here to talk to you.”

  She said nothing.

  “What did Charles want?”

  “I don’t have to tell you.”

  “Jayla. I’m not in the mood.” He slammed his palms down on either side of her head.

  “He asked me to marry him.”

  “Marry him?”

  Lifting her chin defiantly, she tried to calm herself.

  “Who the hell does he think he is?”

  “Can you please reel your enormous ego in for a moment? Why are you h
ere? What do you want, Brad?”

  “You’re going to move back to Seattle?”

  “Oh… Well. Yes. The Maldonado account has been resolved. I’m sure Mr. Graybar gave you the good news.”

  “I don’t give a shit about the Maldonado account.”

  “Really? You could have fooled me.”

  “You’re just going to up and leave.”

  “No. I’m going to take some time off, transfer back to the Seattle office, finalize my accounts, and then move on to something different.”

  “What about the pack?”

  “The pack?”

  “Yeah, the pack.”

  “They understand it’s work. I’ve already made arrangements to come back for Thanksgiving.”

  “What about me?” The loud edge of his voice caused Jayla to jump.

  “You?” Her chest heaved.

  “What about me, Jayla?”

  “I didn’t think—”

  “You didn’t think it would matter to me. Well, it does.”

  “I…”

  “When were you going to talk to me about it?”

  “I didn’t think I needed to.”

  “I thought I was a part of the pack, Jayla.”

  “Brad. You’re not being fair. You are a part of the pack. But—”

  “But nothing. It never crossed your mind how I might feel.”

  “Brad. You don’t need me to be a part of the pack or the clan. It has nothing to do with us. You’re in unless you choose to walk away.”

  “So I’m a part of the pack but just not a part of you.”

  “I… I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t fucking bother. I get it.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “Exactly what I said.”

  “I’m sick of your shit, Brad. We both decided we don’t want each other, yet you expect me to treat you like my mate. You can’t have it both ways. We sure as hell aren’t friends. You think I’m a no-good liar. You don’t like me, remember? So excuse me if I didn’t consult you. Besides, what do you care? You got what you wanted. You have the Maldonado account now.”

  “I don’t give a fuck about the account!”

  “Hate to break it to you, but it’s too late. The account is yours.”

  “I can’t believe you’re going to let Dave win.”

  “I’m not letting him win. I’m letting you win.”

  “Jayla…”

  “I’ve been fighting guys like Dave my whole career. If he wants to ride off into the sunset with what he thinks he stole from me, good for him. I don’t need to be given credit for every single idea coming out of my head. That’s not how I operate. Fuck Dave. He’s a weasel, and if he’s not mooching off someone else, he has no career. I guarantee you he’s finished. But this isn’t about Dave. This is about you.”

  Pointing back and forth between herself and Brad, Jayla’s exaggerated movements emphasized her point.

  “This…right now…this back and forth between us. This I can’t do anymore. I won’t do anymore. You win. The account is yours.”

  “Just like that.”

  “Just like that.”

  “And what about Charles?”

  “What about him?”

  “So you gave me the account, resigned, and then called Charles?”

  “What?”

  “Did you call him? Why the hell was he here?”

  “I already told you.”

  “Did you call him?”

  “No, Brad. I didn’t call him. He came over unannounced. Are you happy?”

  “What was your answer?”

  Who the hell did he think he was, grilling her like she owed him any sort of explanation?

  “I never gave him an answer. We were discussing his proposition.”

  Brad’s posture changed. She could see every muscle in him tighten. His eyes took on a dangerous gleam. “You’re not going to marry him.” He growled his declaration in a low warning tone.

  “I don’t belong to you.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “No.”

  A tick in the corner of his mouth appeared as he glared at Jayla. With lightning-quick speed, he tore open her blouse, sending buttons sputtering across the floor. With a quick flick of his wrist, he unclasped her bra.

  “Yes,” he repeated again, ripping the bra straps down her arms.

  “Brad,” she whispered as she held his gaze. Reaching for him, she wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling his lips to hers.

  His large hands reached out and cupped her breasts. He kneaded her heavy orbs, and her knees grew weak; she slumped against the wall to help hold herself up.

  “You’re just going to walk away from me. Leave me like I don’t matter.”

  She finally understood his anger. He felt she was abandoning him like his parents did.

  “Brad. That’s not what’s happening.”

  Ignoring her, he picked her up and took her to her bedroom. Placing her on the bed, he practically ripped their clothing off, undressing the both of them.

  “You’re mine. Say it.”

  Jayla opened her mouth to speak, but then her eyes sunk down to Brad’s cock. He was pumping it with one hand as his gaze roamed her body. Her own gaze trailed up his gloriously naked body, and their eyes locked.

  Then it happened.

  Jayla knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. She understood what her wolf had been trying to clue her in to. Her sentiments all clicked into place, all aligned perfectly. The storm of confusion lifted, and an inner peace settled deep within her. Jayla knew beyond everything she held dear. She knew the truth.

  I love him.

  “You’re mine,” she whispered.

  ALTHOUGH IT WAS not what Brad wanted her to say, it satisfied him. Walking up to the bed, he placed one knee on the mattress, readying to position himself between her thighs. Staring down at her stripped body, he watched as his hot, distended flesh was about to press against the opening of her receptive body. Her tight, puckered brown nipples quivered, as if anticipating his touch; her creamy dark thighs spread wide, offering him every ounce of her sweetness. Her brown eyes glazed over, and her full lips parted, blowing out short, heated breaths. Her silky black hair fanned out around her head in a sensual halo. Her beauty overwhelmed him. He didn’t want what he felt in his heart for her to ever end.

  His chest constricted, choking him with the raw emotion he felt. It hit him like a ton a bricks. It wasn’t just his wolf who loved her. Both wolf and man loved her. Brad had kept them separate for so long it confused the hell out of him having the two parts of him wanting the same thing. Brad froze as fear of the unknown wound around him, shaking him to his very core.

  AS HE BEGAN to backpedal away from her, Jayla rose up on her elbows. When he reached down for his boxers, she sat up on the bed. When he grabbed his pants and shirt, she could feel her throat begin to tighten. By the time he walked out of her bedroom, her heart plummeted. The sound of her front door closing behind him unleashed a wave of tears.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Two weeks had passed since Brad last saw Jayla. Two weeks had passed since they spoke. Two weeks had passed since he’d held her in his arms. Even though she would be resigning soon, she’d taken some time off at work, and Brad felt a small sense of relief. He wasn’t ready to face her. He wasn’t ready to confront his feelings yet. Since she made no effort to get a hold of him, he assumed she needed some space too. Once ornery and fickle, his wolf had become nearly nonexistent. He’d battled with his wolf daily, but now, when he wanted nothing more than for his wolf to take control, it became quiet.

  As usual, Brad turned to pumping iron when done with work as a way to exorcise from his mind his complications with Jayla. Armed with his overabundance of testosterone and his cell phone, he entered the gym, eager to lift some heavy weights. As he tried to work out, the music in his earphones kept being interrupted by the ringing from an incoming call. Whoever it was trying to reach him was persistent
.

  “What?” he barked into the phone.

  “I just thought you’d like to know Jayla’s getting married.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Jayla is about to marry Charles.”

  “Why would she do that? Where is she? Who is this?”

  “Maybe she’s marrying him because you haven’t asked her. She’s at Jasmine’s house. And damn, man, it’s me. Cousin Ray.”

  Brad sprinted out of the gym without even thinking. He jumped into his truck and sped all the way to Jasmine’s house. There was no way in hell he was going to let Jayla marry another man. Arriving at the house, Brad was unprepared for the sea of cars aligning Jasmine and Danny’s property. He jumped out of his truck and began running toward the front door before noises coming from the backyard caught his attention.

  Bursting into the fenced yard, he saw the decorated wedding altar and all the wedding guests seated, waiting for the ceremony to begin. A small chatter began when everyone witnessed Brad arriving like a bat out of hell. Scanning the crowd, Brad saw and made eye contact with Grandma Maya, Mr. and Mrs. Stanton, and Danny. Danny shifted in his seat, about to stand up, when Mrs. Stanton placed her hand on his arm. The look in her eye told Danny to stay right where he was. Danny offered Brad a small smile as he resettled into his seat.

  Turning his attention to the altar, Brad spotted Charles standing next to the pastor, speaking with him. He made a beeline for the two men.

  “Where’s Jayla?”

  Charles jumped when he heard Brad’s voice. A heavy scowl appeared on his face once he recognized who was speaking to him. “Why are you here, Brad? You’re not invited.”

  “I’m not going to ask you again.” The low, threatening tone in Brad’s voice didn’t go unnoticed by Charles, who took a step back, positioning himself closer to the pastor.

  “She’s getting ready, Brad. The ceremony is going to start any minute.”

  JAYLA STOOD IN front of a full-length mirror, fixing her strapless white dress. Her hair was pinned up in an elegant twist, with baby’s breath pushed in throughout her updo.

  “Oh, shit.” Jasmine’s eyes opened wide in startled surprise.

  “What?” Jayla spun around, concerned by the look of dread on her sister’s face.