by Alisa Woods
Lev nodded, studying his drink. “She’s smart, graduated the top of her class. I’m guessing she came to SparkTech specifically for the business-side training, and she’s just pretending to shop for a mate while she’s here. A girl like her…” Lev’s gaze finally drifted back to Rebecca. She was laughing at something Steven said. “She’s the kind who’s looking for an alpha-in-waiting, not any of these betas or omegas.” He waved his glass at the group. “If Colin’s not interested in her, he’s an idiot. But we’ve already established that. Beyond him, I doubt she’ll find a mate she wants here.”
Mia frowned. “If she doesn’t, there are going to be some very disappointed wolves at SparkTech.”
“And yours truly will not be one of them.” Lev raised his glass to Rebecca and then drained it. He winced as the scotch went down and set his glass on the bar. “Come on, New Girl. You sidetracked me. I was supposed to find you and bring you to Lucas.”
Lev watched with one eyebrow lifted as Mia drained the rest of her martini and set it on the bar as well. She wasn’t giving up on getting Lev and Rebecca together, but she needed to brace herself. If Lev was retrieving her, it meant Lucas was busy with clients….
And wanted her to meet them.
Lev led Mia through the clusters of partiers in the White Elephant. Lucas stood with a group of potential clients near the hundredth floor windows. Her inner wolf urged her forward. Our alpha wants us. Even before Lucas caught sight of her, the tension in her body eased—the magic in her blood, the result of the mating, made her automatically relax when she was around him. The mating was both magical and sexual—although the sex was hot enough to be life-altering all by itself. Lucas’s broad shoulders, tousled dark hair, and deep liquid brown eyes were enough to make any girl’s panties melt, but the magic took it to a whole different level. It intensified every feeling and made every nerve-ending in her body buzz. When he looked at her with one of those intense stares of his, it literally electrified her.
And made her inner wolf pant, even at the most inappropriate of times... like now.
Mia mentally shoved her wolf to the back of her mind and ignored her whining. Just because Lucas looked amazingly hot in his monochromatic all-black silk shirt, suit, and tie, didn’t mean she could jump him in the middle of the party. Even holding his hand was probably off limits—it would definitely give away that they were much more than boss and intern.
Lucas’s tight circle of conversation was comprised of three well-dressed clients: all men, all young like her, and all bright-eyed and intelligent-looking. Just the kind of entrepreneurs SparkTech usually funded… and their conversation stopped dead once Lucas’s gaze fell on her.
“Gentlemen, this is Mia Fiore.” Lucas’s eyes locked with hers for an intense moment. He was her alpha, and when he looked at her like that, she couldn’t look away even if she wanted to—which she didn’t, even though it made heat flush through her body. Just as her wolf whimpered her desire to match that heat with some friction, Lucas looked away, first to his hands, which were clutching a scotch like Lev’s, then back to the faces of his clients. The whole interchange only lasted a second, but Mia’s body was on fire underneath the silk sheath of her dress. Her body didn’t jump to instant arousal like that every time Lucas caught her eye at the office… but then he usually reserved those kinds of looks for their bedroom.
“Mia is a brilliant new addition to SparkTech’s team,” Lucas said to the three men, continuing his introduction. “She’s only been with us a short while, but she’s already made a lasting impression with her work.”
A small crush of disappointment closed in on Mia’s heart. Lucas wasn’t going to acknowledge she was anything more than a co-worker. Which was probably appropriate. This is just business, the logical side of her brain told her.
But that didn’t ease the spike of pain in her chest. “Mr. Sparks is being generous,” she said to the three young tech entrepreneurs when they turned to her. She pointedly avoided Lucas’s gaze, not wanting to get trapped there again. “I’m just an intern checking over reports.”
“That’s not true at all,” Lucas said, watching closely as she shook hands with each one. Lev was holding back, behind her, not saying anything. “Mia has been instrumental on several projects, including the very first one when she came on board this summer.”
As he spoke, Lucas’s gaze focused on the clients, not her, which was just as well—maybe some of the heat under her dress would cool before she embarrassed herself. Only a shifter should be able to scent the arousal Lucas’s gaze had flared up in her. Then again, the three men were sneaking looks at her barely-there dress... which only made her feel more naked than before. The fire in her body crept up to her face—they wouldn’t feel so free to ogle her, if Lucas had claimed her with a ring on her finger and not just invisible shifter magic.
While Lev stepped up and introduced himself, Mia peeked at Lucas: he was draining the last of his drink. He slid a brief look to her out of the corner of his eye then gestured with his empty glass to the four men. “Well, I’m ready for another. Can I get you gentlemen something from the bar?”
They all shook their heads, and for a moment, Mia was afraid he might leave her alone with them. Lev edged closer, a frown on his face. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one concerned.
But then Lucas swung his intense gaze to her again. “I’ve forgotten my manners, Ms. Fiore. Come with me, and I’ll make sure you get a drink as well.”
Before she could open her mouth to reply, he stepped to her side and took her elbow, steering her away from the group.
Lucas waited until they were out of earshot. “You don’t really want a drink, do you?” He was taking her around the bar to the far side, out of view of the clients.
“I’ve already had a martini.”
“I know.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I can smell it.”
Mia sucked in a breath. The dip in his voice said he could smell more than that.
Lucas steered her to the young man at the coat closet. She recognized him now: he was one of the newest employees at SparkTech, a new shifter who had just graduated from college.
Lucas waved him aside. “We’ll get our coats ourselves.” He brushed past the surprised look on the coat-taker’s face. “And it might take us a while.” Lucas’s hold on her elbow became more firm, and it was a good thing, because she was nearly tripping over her high heels with the speed at which he urged her into the closet.
He closed the door behind him.
“Lucas, what in the—”
He cut her off with a kiss. Her arms automatically went around his neck, but before she could blink, he twirled her around and pressed her into the rack of coats, trapping her between his firm formalwear-clad body and velvet of a dozen fur jackets. His hand slid down the side of her dress, feeling her body as if her dress were no barrier at all between his flesh and hers. He edged her back, burying her deep in the coats until she was against a wall of furry softness. Then his hand skimmed down her thigh to the edge of her dress and slid up her skirt. She gasped as his hand slipped between her legs. He knew her body so well, his fingers immediately found the spot her wolf was whimpering for him to find. Before she could speak, his lips were on her, consuming her. His fingers shoved aside the edge of her panties, and when his bare skin found her sex, one finger teasing her entrance, it wrenched a moan from her. This was insanely hot and sudden and maddening. They were in the coat closet with all of SparkTech outside!
He released her mouth enough to whisper. “God, Mia, you’re killing me with this dress.”
“Lucas.” She was out of breath, dizzy with want, and blazing with his touch. “What are you doing?” She squirmed, hands braced against his shoulders, torn between twisting away and begging him to keep going. Her wolf whined a vote for more. As if he could hear her inner beast, Lucas quickly thrust a finger deep inside her, holding there while teasing the hard bud of her sex with his thumb. She muffled a cry at the shock of pleasure that sent through her.
He leaned in to wet her lips with a soft brush of his tongue, all while his fingers slowly started stroking pleasure into her. “Do you want me to tell you exactly what I’m doing, Ms. Fiore? Or should I simply make you come?”
Her wolf growled at that, ready to sink her teeth into Lucas and take everything he could dish out, but the human part of her—the tiny rational part still left in the swimming haze of lust—pushed against Lucas’s shoulders hard enough that he finally paused, holding his hand still inside her, not leaving her body, but not racing her toward an orgasm in the coat closet, either.
“Lucas, god…” she panted.
“You’re not even close, baby,” he said with a smirk. His hand started moving again, resuming its exquisite torment. “But you can start praying my name if you’d like.”
She let out a guttural sound of frustration, half a need for him to stop and half a need for him to finish what he started. “Lucas! We can’t just… make out in the coat closet.”
“Why not?” He tucked his head into the side of her neck and nuzzled his way up to her earlobe. A second finger joining the first inside her, making her squirm and jolt with pleasure. “I’d really like to get you out of that dress. But I’ll take you this way if you’re in a hurry.”
He nipped along her neck, and she could feel his canines come out and graze her skin. His hand slid faster and faster, his thrusts growing stronger. He kissed his way toward her shoulder and the place where he claimed her the first time. They had re-enacted that first claiming a dozen times, each one just as powerful, just as mind-blowingly hot. The fact that he wanted to do it again, here, against the furs, made her brain cloud with a surge of remembered pleasure. He shifted so his cock pressed hard through his suit and into her side. If she didn’t stop him, he would soon be taking her hard and fast against the wall of fur coats.
Mia fought through the haze. He was her alpha, and he wanted her. Badly. Saying no went against everything the magic that filled her body commanded. But she wanted more than that—more than hot sex, more than a magical bond.
She wanted something that wouldn’t have to hide in a closet.
Mia pushed back on his shoulders again, hard enough to let him know she was serious. “Lucas, stop.”
He ceased his tasting of her shoulder immediately and raised his head. “What’s wrong?”
“I just… this is wrong.”
Lucas eased his hand out of her, thankfully ending the extreme temptation to change her mind and have the sex first, and then the talk. He frowned and kissed her lightly. “I thought you were enjoying it, sweet Mia of mine.”
That sent a dagger of guilt stabbing through her. Lucas was hot and kind and selfless—a true alpha in every panty-dropping sense. He was everything she could ever want—in a mate or a boyfriend or whatever name she put on him.
“It’s not that, it’s just…” Her words were tangled, and her thoughts more so. How could she tell him she wanted more… without sounding like what they had wasn’t good enough?
His frown deepened. “I embarrassed you.” He took her cheeks in his hands. “I’m sorry, my love, but the way those guys were undressing you with their eyes, and you in this dress, I couldn’t help myself—”
“That’s not it, either.” She shook her head. Well, yes, a little, but not the way he was thinking. “I’ve just had something on my mind.”
With that, he eased her up out of the crumple of furs and held her gently in his arms. Relief coursed through her body with his touch. He could make her heart pound, make blood race through her body, but nothing compared to simply being held by her alpha. For a moment, it obliterated any other thoughts, and she just rested her head against his chest.
“What’s on your mind, Mia mine?” Even the soft rumble of his words was reassuring.
She slid a hand onto his chest, fingering the black fabric of his suit. “My mom.”
She felt him move, peering down at her. “I drag you into a closet to make mad love to you, and you’re thinking of your mother? I agree, there’s definitely something wrong there.”
The laugh in his voice pushed her away.
She scowled up at him. “She wants to meet you.”
“Fabulous,” he said, high humor in his voice. “Let’s meet your mom. Then I’m bringing you back to this closet.”
“Lucas, I’m serious.”
“So am I.” His eyes twinkled.
“She doesn’t know… anything.”
He shrugged. “So we tell her.”
Mia dropped her gaze back to Lucas’s chest. “It’s not that simple.” How could she tell him that her mother would judge him? That she already didn’t approve of them living together, but if she found out Lucas was a shifter… it wouldn’t matter how rich or successful he was. He would be everything Mia’s dad had been—a shifter who was long on hot sex and short on commitment. To her mother, Lucas would be suspect at the very least. At worst, bad news better left behind.
“Things are rarely simple, my love.” Lucas’s soft voice drew her back.
When she looked up, the love in his eyes made her heart swell.
“But the good things are always worth fighting for.” He gave her a gentle squeeze. “And I would fight anyone and anything for you, Mia.”
It was true—he had proven it time and again. Her heart settled a little with those words and his gentle touch on her cheek. In that moment, it seemed possible. Somehow, some way, she would bring home the man she loved. And maybe, just maybe, it would work out okay.
“She wants to meet you tomorrow,” Mia said softly.
“Then tomorrow it is.” Lucas kissed her lightly. “And if you’re not going to let me ravish you in the coat closet, then we had better find our coats and go. Otherwise, Samuel outside is really going to wonder what happened to us.”
They found their coats: hers was still there, but Jupiter’s was gone.
Lucas noticed her hesitation. “What is it?”
“I have a feeling my roommate is getting lucky tonight.”
Lucas gave her a quizzical look but didn’t question it. And Mia didn’t want to tell him her ex-roommate was likely going home with Colin. At least Mia wouldn’t have to go back to her dorm, where she might find her roommate in bed with a shifter who was burning his way through the human females of Seattle.
The next day, Mia’s lunch date with Jupiter was in the restaurant on the first floor of SparkTech’s downtown office building, the Russell Investments Center. The food was more upscale than either of them could afford normally, but the company had a standing account for employees, and Mia’s intern salary meant she could spring for her roomie’s lunch. Especially when she wanted details about Jeeter’s disappearing act at last night’s Christmas party.
“I can’t believe you took Colin home,” Mia said as she speared her salad with her fork. She was mostly tormenting the lettuce, her appetite having fled ahead of the impending disaster that would be Lucas and her mother meeting later that night.
“You were going home with your own hot shifter anyway.” Jeeter was polishing off the last of what the restaurant called Pommes Frites, but that looked like fancy French fries to Mia.
“I wasn’t worried about getting a ride.” Mia gave up on pretending to eat the entirely too frilly salad—there were things in there that looked like they were plucked straight from the Olympic forest. “I was worried about you.” She wasn’t really—Colin wouldn’t hurt her physically—but on a normal day, Jeeter was all over the map emotionally. Having mind-blowing sex and then getting dumped... Mia was afraid she'd be picking up the pieces for weeks.
“My ride was just fine, thank you very much.” Jupiter gave her a wide closed-mouth grin.
Mia rolled her eyes. “I’m just worried. Jeeter, Colin probably had ulterior motives in going home with you.”
“Ulterior motives?” Jeeter looked at her like she was on crack. “The man could not have been more specific about exactly what he wanted to do.” She gave an elaborate
satisfied sigh. “To me. With me. In me—”
“Jeeter!” Mia dropped her voice when a nearby couple threw a glance her way. “I seriously do not need to hear about how good Colin was in bed. I think that’s exactly what he wants you to do. You know, to get back at me or something.”
“Hey.” Jeeter pointed a French fry at her. “No matter how amazing Colin is, I’m sure Lucas is better. I’m just doing my part to verify you made the right choice. If I have to sleep with every hot male shifter in SparkTech to get there, that’s a cross I’ll have to bear.”
Mia gave a short laugh then shook her head. “Okay, fine. Just don’t get your hopes up about Colin calling you anytime soon.”
“He already did.” Jeeter smirked.
“Really?” Mia’s hand froze on the way to picking up her fork again.
“This morning. Said he needed a date for this big thing SparkTech is putting on this weekend.”
Mia was truly stunned. “He invited you to the Tree Lighting party?”
“Don’t look so surprised.” Jupiter put on her best offended face. “I can be pretty hot, too. And besides, he said everyone was supposed to bring a date, and I’d be really helping him out by letting him bring someone his father already approves of.” Jeeter held her head high, and Mia had to give her that. With everything Jeeter had done to help the pack, the senior Mr. Sparks had practically adopted her. Mia could see why wild-streak Colin might want someone the senior partner in the firm would welcome to the party anyway, rather than some one-night stand he dredged up and dragged along.
“All right, I can see that,” Mia said. “This party is supposed to a pretty big deal for the pack. Something about the full moon and Christmas and… I don’t really know what all the fuss is about, but Colin wouldn’t want to piss off Mr. Sparks by bringing someone less…”
Jupiter arched her eyebrows. “Less what?”
“Less well loved.” Mia smiled. Her stomach took that moment to grumble about the lack of a decent lunch, and she needed sustenance to get through tonight’s encounter between Lucas and her mom. She gave up on the salad and reached over to help herself to one of Jupiter’s fries.