by Unknown
“Or just luck, I suppose.” Bad luck, her mind was saying, but her wolf was whimpering again. Her inner beast didn’t seem think it was in any way bad.
Lucas frowned and pulled back. “It’s better to have you working here, I guess, than at The Deviation. You have told them you quit, right?”
She bit her lip. “Well, no.” When his eyes went wide with disbelief, she rushed the rest out. “I’m trying to find another job, but it’s only been a couple days! I’m sure I’ll find something soon.”
He shook his head. “But you have this job now. Why do you need two?”
Why did she need two? Anger boiled up in her. Because she wasn’t some freaking billionaire perched high in the sky, a son-of-the-boss hottie who made enough money to wear a tailored Italian suit like he was born into it. “Why? Because I don’t have a corner office, Lucas! I’m a college student. And I need to eat on occasion, and maybe buy books, and hello, even the bus fare to come down here cost money! I can’t afford to do an internship like this without some way to make enough money to live on.” With the last of it, her anger boiled over. Sure he probably saved her life, but he obviously didn’t know anything about her.
His face had settled into a scowl. “Whatever we’re paying you, I’ll double it. Will that be enough to let you quit The Deviation?”
“Last I checked, double of nothing was still a big fat zero.”
The scowl went two shades darker. “You’re an unpaid intern.”
“You’re a genius.” She pouted, regretting those words as soon as they were out of her mouth. She regretted it even more as he spun around and stalked back to his desk to pick up the phone. Shit, he was going to fire her. Way to open up your big mouth, Mia, and—
“Lena,” he said into the phone, but he was staring straight at Mia with those intense, dark eyes. “I want to change Mia’s pay class from unpaid to associate.” There was a slightly pause on the phone. “Yes, she’s quite exceptional. Please get the paperwork started. Thank you.”
He hung up the phone, and Mia’s mouth hung open. Had he… did he just get her a job? A real, paid one? Lucas slowly came around the desk again, taking each step carefully, like he was walking a tightrope, until he stood before her again.
Mia shut her mouth, which was still hanging open, and just stared up at him. Why? Why was he doing this for her?
“Do you have a cell phone?” he asked quietly.
“Um… yes.” Her head was spinning, but she fumbled to fish it out of her jacket pocket.
“Call The Deviation. Right now. Tell them you’re quitting.”
He waited patiently while she texted her boss at the club. A kind of light-headed feeling took over as she pressed the send button. She really didn’t have to go back to that stink-hole. She had a for-real job at a prestigious business development firm in downtown Seattle that smelled a little bit like heaven. With a boss who was the hottest guy she’d ever known.
And a shifter, whose secret she had sworn to keep.
She slid the phone back in her pocket and stared up into his eyes. His neatly tailored blue dress shirt tucked into his smoothly draped designer pants, which hung perfectly on him. All of it hid the muscles she knew lay underneath. The ones she had seen on grand display in the moonlight—an image she still couldn’t get out of her mind.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked softly. Maybe he wanted sexual favors. Maybe this was some kind of quid pro quo that would land her in more trouble than she could handle. As he leaned closer, she had a hard time worrying about that. Everything about him radiated safeness. She knew he was a powerful wolf when he shifted. Even in her wolf form, she would be no match for him. Her wolf whimpered in agreement, but not in a bad way. In a way that made her mouth water a little with the idea of him wanting things from her.
Maybe this was just the kind of trouble she would like to handle.
“I want make sure you’re safe.” His eyes blazed, raking over her and heating up her face again. His hand raised, as if he was going to touch her, and her insides literally ached with anticipation. But at the last second he held back. He leaned away, then took a half step back, as if she had suddenly turned into something dangerous he needed distance from. “Your safety is the most important thing, Mia. You don’t have any idea what those wolves would do to you, if they found you. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The sudden coolness of his voice confused her. She didn’t know what to say.
He dropped his gaze then turned and headed back to his desk. Without looking at her, he picked up his phone and dialed.
“I need your help on something,” he said into it, then, “Thanks.” He hung up.
When he looked up at her, his eyes were cool again, not blazing with the heat from before. “My brother, Lev, will show you around and get you settled.”
“Thank you,” she said, but awkwardness filled the air. She hadn’t just imagined the attraction, had she? Was he just looking out for her, like a big brother might? She certainly didn’t feel that way, but maybe for him…
A moment later, the door to his office swung open. A younger version of Lucas leaned in, his face boyish and open.
“Take care of her for me, will you, Lev?” Lucas’s voice was all business again. “I’ve got some numbers I need to run for LoopSource.”
Lev beamed, and he looked even younger. But friendly. “You got it, boss!”
Lucas frowned, like somehow Lev’s words irritated him, but then he picked up his tablet and focused on that.
Mia was still awkwardly standing in the middle of his office. Lev waved her out into the hallway with him.
Once they were alone, he grinned even wider. “So you’re the girl, huh?”
“The… what?” she asked, suddenly nervous.
He faltered. “I mean… you’re the new girl.”
She gave him a quizzical look. “Was there an old girl?”
Lev winced, bit his lip, and did a whole facial gymnastics session that Mia could only watch in amazement. They were strolling down the hall, and he seemed to involuntarily glance at a darkened office, the only one that wasn’t beaming light through the frosted glass. Having seen Lucas’s office, the only way that could be was if the blinds were drawn tight, draped over, and all the lights were off. Etched on the doorway was the name T. Sparks.
Lev jerked his gaze away from the door and stared straight down the hall. “No, no, I was just saying…” He looked back to her. “I’m glad you’ve joined us. I’m Lev by the way.” He held out a hand to shake. It was warm and friendly, just like the puppy-dog brown eyes and open smile. “What’s your name, new girl?”
Her unease finally washed away. “Mia,” she said. “Mia Fiore.”
“Well, Mia Fiore, anything you need, just ask, but for starters, how’s this for an office?” He stopped at one of the brightly-lit offices half way down the hall, only four doors down from Lucas’s office, and swung open the door. It was a miniature version of Lucas’s—not so richly appointed, but still the same luxurious furniture the rest of the company had. An air purifier hummed quietly in the corner.
“It’s… amazing.” She strode in and stared at the view out the window.
“Great!” Lev strode over to pick up a tablet off the desk—which, she guessed, was now her desk. “Let’s get to work.”
Chapter Five
Lucas had managed to largely avoid the girl—Mia—for most of the week. Even thinking her name rumbled his wolf into some kind of frenzy. And when she’d been in his office that first day… he’d damn near kissed her. It was as if her nearness was an intoxication for his inner beast. It had taken all his control to simply step back from her. Which really made no sense at all. His wolf had never had that kind of reaction to the other girls he’d bedded, or any female for that matter, not since… but if he couldn’t think about Mia’s name without rousing his wolf, he certainly wasn’t going to conjure up Tila’s…
He dropped his head into his hands, elbows propped o
n his desk, and closed his eyes.
Tila had been everything to him. Smart, funny, sexy, a natural in the business, as much as anyone in his father’s pack. She belonged with him. But more than that… she fit into his soul. She was a piece of him, completed him. And when that was gone…
He huffed out his frustration and rose suddenly from his desk. He couldn’t let that black void capture him again. He had responsibilities—to Lev, to the company, and now even to this girl, Mia. Keeping her safe was the only truly worthwhile thing he was doing now. Lucas strode to the window to look out over the city, only to be surprised to find the sun had set and the evening lights had begun to wink on. When had that happened?
He sighed. Avoiding Mia would only last so long. She was here for the duration, at the very least until he could be sure the Red pack had lost interest in her. Which could take longer than the summer term for her internship. Lev had set her up to analyze the LoopSource fundamentals, damn him. Lucas had a feeling Lev knew exactly how much he was tempted by her brilliant blue eyes and pale, silky skin. When he’d touched her face, he’d found it as soft as he had imagined all those times in his bed… his inner wolf whined its frustration.
It was tired of waiting.
Office romances weren’t forbidden at SparkTech—his father’s pack was filled with such pairings—but this was different. She was an intern, and a human one. Those other pairings had been long-term shifter employees and had his father’s approval… he would not approve of this, not least because the girl was under pack protection until the Reds grew tired of her. Or moved on to some other distraction.
Lucas had a fleeting thought of simply bedding her. Once. Get this insanity out of his system. The other girls had only ever lasted that long, the initial attraction quickly wearing off once his physical needs were sated. Perhaps that was it—he was overdue for a physical release, and once he had it, he could put this whole business behind him.
His wolf snarled and pushed against him from the inside. His hands curled, nearly forming claws as he resisted the strength of the impulse to shift. He shook his head, forcing his hands to relax and his wolf to settle. He was fooling himself with that kind of talk. Mia was far from a one-night deal already. He needed a more permanent way to ensure she was safe, yet safely removed from him and not a constant, daily temptation. Even a trace of her scent lingering in the common area could bring out longings that needed to stay deeply buried.
That was it: he needed to wind up the LoopSource deal. Now. Or as quickly as possible. He would bury himself in work, and that would get him through. Although it would also require that he worked with her, just on the off chance that she noticed something in the financials that he had missed. His wolf panted at that idea, and he knew he was lying to himself again. Yet as soon as the idea had been set loose, he couldn’t rein it back in.
He glanced at the gray-black sky—it was void of stars due to the light pollution of downtown, and as dark as the night would get. The hour was late, but his father was likely still working. Lucas would update him on the progress on the LoopSource deal, leave a note on Mia’s desk to see him in the morning, and then go home to hopefully sleep off this growing frustration. Maybe a few shots of vodka would ease his way into dreamland tonight.
He scooped up this tablet, gathered a few scattered printouts, and headed toward his father’s office at the far end of the space owned by SparkTech. Sure enough, his father’s office still glowed with the fluorescent lights within, but Lucas stumbled as he passed Mia’s office. The lights were still on there as well. Was she really working this late? How was she planning on getting home? The bus sure as hell wasn’t safe out of downtown at this time of night…
He kept walking, but made a note to hurry back to check on her.
He knocked on his father’s door and quickly entered on his command. His father looked up from a thick report he was wading through. Pages were spread across the desk, intermingled with several others.
Lucas eyed them. “Are you working LoopSource as well?” Sometimes his father would have multiple partners and principals studying all angles of a company.
“No, this is a separate matter.” His father sighed and leaned back in his chair, threading his fingers together and examining Lucas. “Speaking of which, how is our new intern working out?”
“Fine.” He tried hard not to look thrown by the sudden change in topic.
“She’s quite capable, from what I’ve seen so far.”
His father was studying his reaction, so he kept it cool. “Is that right?” Lucas could tell he wasn’t fooled by the dodge when his father raised a single eyebrow.
But he seemed willing to let it go. “More to the point, I haven’t heard from Crittenden recently.”
Lucas frowned. “That’s a good sign, right? Maybe they’re losing interest.”
His father gestured to the documents in Lucas’s hands. “What are you seeing? Is LoopSource worth funding?
“It’s looking good, but I still need more time. They’re dropping some reports off in the morning. I’ll need to wade through those. Or possibly get Mia to help with it.” He cringed internally that he let that slip out, but pressed on. “Either way, I’ll be working through the weekend to get some final numbers for you by Monday. But I’d be surprised if Red Wolf’s already turned them down. The Reds will want to analyze those reports as well.”
“Agreed,” his father said with a sigh. “I’m afraid it’s too early to hope they’ve given up—on LoopSource or your young intern. And even if they lose interest in that startup, they’ll likely reserve threats against Ms. Fiore for a future one. Have you moved her to a new residence yet?”
Lucas winced for real this time. “No, not yet.” He knew he needed to discuss that with Mia, but he’d been so busy avoiding contact with her all week that he’d never found the right time to bring it up.
His father shook his head. “Lucas, the University dorm system may be relatively safe, but once they find out where she lives…”
“I know,” he said quickly. “I’ll handle it.”
“Please see that you do.” His father gave him a nod that Lucas knew was a dismissal.
He stood straighter and retreated from his father’s office.
Thankfully, the lights were still on in Mia’s. He swung into her office, words on his lips to chastise her for working so late, but he stopped short. She had earbuds in and obviously didn’t notice him barreling into her office. She had one hand worked up into her long, deep-black hair, mussing it substantially as she hunched over her tablet. He blinked, imagining his own hand in her hair like that and feeling the surge of his wolf heartily agreeing with that image. He slowly approached her, trying to catch her eye without startling her, but she didn’t notice, just moved slightly in her chair, spilling open her jacket further to reveal more of her silky white blouse underneath. It was demure, but it still made his mouth water.
Finally, he was close enough for her to catch sight of him. She let out a shriek and jerked so hard, her chair slid on its wheels and went out from under her. In a flash, he dropped his stuff to the carpet and sped around the desk, where he hooked his arms under hers and scooped her off the floor. Her iPod was tossed to the floor, and the chair had slid away, but there she was, breathing hard and grasping onto his arms to stay upright, a wild look in her eyes along with that still-mussed hair…
Damn. He was in such trouble here.
“Oh my god!” she said, breathless. “You scared the shit out of me!”
Then she blushed, color rushing to her cheeks and making her pale skin blossom into something even more appealing. He was holding her far longer than necessary, but her scent was closing in on him—the normal light musk and crisp meadow flowers blended with a hint of sour panic that had him closing his arms tighter around her, his instinctual need to keep her safe pulling her closer when he should be letting her go.
“Are you all right?” It came out as a whisper. Mine, his inner wolf growled. Lucas’s heart
stuttered. He shouldn’t feel this way about her. It made no sense…
“I’m… I’m okay.” She wasn’t pulling back, but she did move slightly in his arms. She was tall, but he was taller, and she had to look up into his eyes. Which she was doing right now. Her lips were slightly parted. Her chest was still heaving, pressing lightly against him with each labored breath.
He should turn away.
He should let her go.
Mine, his wolf insisted.
It wasn’t true.
He didn’t care.
He crashed his lips to hers, devouring them in a kiss so hungry it made his inner beast roar. He swept his tongue across her lips, tasting her, and she opened her mouth to him. He plunged in, claiming the sweet taste of her until she bent back with the force of it. Her taste was uniquely her, and he drank it in. His arms tightened around her body, molding it to his chest as his hands sought ways to bring her closer. His all-consuming kiss turned into many smaller ones, still hungry for her, but softer. Then he was nipping at her lips, taking them gently between his teeth and teasing them with promises of the sweet torments he wanted to lavish upon them.
The thud of a door closing jerked him out of the lust-filled haze that clouded his senses. He dashed a look to her door, but it had slowly swung shut, and they were only exposed to the nighttime skyline of Seattle, for any who wished to see the show they were putting on in the lighted office on the 32nd floor.
Lucas remained still, holding his breath, Mia safely caged in his arms as his father’s shadow passed by the frosted glass of her office. He waited, silent as prey hidden in the brush, until the outer door to SparkTech’s reception area clicked shut. When he finally looked to her, Mia’s face was flushed, her beautiful eyes wide, her lips swollen from his assault on them.
He drew in a breath, regret stabbing him, then released her and took a step back.
She teetered, and he almost came back to steady her, but he didn’t trust himself to touch her again.
“I’ll take you home,” he said, his voice thick.