Alphas for the Holidays

by Mandy M. Roth

  Thankfully, he wasn’t the type of boss that made her book restaurants or send flowers to the girlfriend-of-the-month. Or, week, in Jarod’s case. No woman lasted very long, or they hadn’t during the six months she’d been here. She’d call him a player, but sometimes she really didn’t get that vibe from him. Now, his brother, the CFO… that man was a definite player.

  No, Jarod just seemed to be searching for someone. Something. Maybe he was ready to settle down and produce some offspring of his own. Maybe he was searching for his mate.

  She sighed in disappointment.

  “Well, I don’t want to go to the bathroom.” She finally answered his question and almost immediately felt the urge to go, damn it.

  “Then what’s the matter?”

  Sara turned around, giving Jarod a full frontal look at his curvy secretary. Today she wore a thick corduroy jumper that had gone out of style in the late eighties if he wasn’t mistaken along with a long sleeved turtleneck. Her round legs were covered in a black material that clung to all her mouthwatering curves. The only remotely sexy thing about her outfit was the dark emerald green color of the jumper and the knee-high boots she wore. What did his brother Logan call them? Oh, yeah, fuck-me boots.

  His cock stirred, not surprising him in the least. That’s all it had been doing since he’d hired her. Coming to life because of his mousy little secretary. Not the bone-thin, glamorous models and actresses and debutantes he’d been dating, one right after the other, for the past six months.

  And why was he dating such women? Because he knew he’d never take them to bed. The only female he wanted in his arms was Sara.

  Shifting in the leather chair, he pushed his hunger down. Now was not the time for his animal to take control. It might never be the time.

  As he watched, he saw the flare of anger flash in her beautiful brown eyes. When she got her dander up, there was nothing mousy about her at all. She was fire and sass. Damn, he loved her that way.

  No, not love, he thought with a silent groan. Yeah, she’d kicked in his mating instincts six months ago when she’d walked into the building, and he’d hunted her down. He’d even gone so far as to ensure he could find her—should he want to pursue the mating pull—by giving her a job at the company.

  His brother Logan had laughed at his reasoning and told him straight up that shit would backfire on him. Feeling the hunger rise up inside him, he realized his brother might have been on to something.

  She put her hands on her hips and faced him. The gesture pulled her jumper higher up on her thighs, revealing the luscious flesh encased in black. Leggings. That’s what they were. Something about those damn things was sexy as hell.

  “The problem, Mr. McCall, is all of the other employees have left for the day. Their bosses let them go home early.”

  “Why would they do that?” His brows drew together in a frown. He threw his red pen onto his desk and leaned back in his chair.

  “Because it’s snowing!

  “Ms. Allen, it snows in Chicago from the month of November to the month of May. Why would that suddenly be a cause for alarm?”

  Sara issued a low growl and stalked over to his chair. He hated to admit that sound and the predatory glide of her body made his already interested body flare into full-fledged arousal.

  Not now, he reminded his wolf. Not yet.

  Before he could get his body’s response back under control, she’d grabbed his hand and was tugging at his arm, trying to lift him out of the chair. He smiled in amusement. While she might be a bigger girl with curves that went on for days—why the fuck was he more than noticing his secretary’s curves all of the sudden—there was no way she could move him out of the chair unless he wanted to be moved. He outweighed her by far.

  He allowed himself to be persuaded out of his seat and followed behind her, her small hand still encased in his. He liked the feel of that. His thoughts turned dirty quickly, and he wondered what that hand would feel like wrapped around his cock as she guided the burgeoning end into her sweet little mouth?

  Before he could smack down his raging libido, she stopped her forward march. They were now standing in front of the long expanse of windows on the south side of his office. He had much more than a corner office with a window. He had a whole damn wall of them. But, what would one expect in the offices of the CEO of a multi-national, multi-billion dollar corporation?

  His family’s business—well his pack’s business—had started with a little mom and pop grocery and had transformed over the years into the biggest food distribution chain in North America. And then around the world. And why not? What were werewolves supposed to do during their long life span?

  Mate and have pups. His wolf was in rare form today.

  “It’s more than snowing,” She snapped, waving her hand toward the solid wall of glass. “It’s a freaking blizzard.”

  “There’s no need to panic, Ms. Allen.”

  Jarod’s tone was more than derisive, and Sara bristled inwardly. Did the man think she was an alarmist? Or just an idiot?

  He grabbed the remote lying on the table between the two big leather couches and pushed a button. A large screen television popped up from the cabinet across the room. The last time he’d watched television in his office was when his brothers had come over to watch the Super Bowl. He’d been working late that night, but they’d insisted, bringing beer, wings, and pizza. He smiled, remembering. It had been good catching up with his brothers, especially Hunter, who the family rarely saw anymore. The channel was still tuned to Sportscenter and he quickly changed it.

  Just as Sara had indicated, the entire Chicago area would soon to be blanketed with a record snowfall. If it wasn’t already. He finally paid attention and looked out the window. Nighttime had fallen early, thanks no doubt to the heavy cloud coverage. The streetlights cast a yellow glow over the landscape that was suspiciously empty of humans or cars. He frowned and glanced at the platinum watch on his left wrist. Some of the myths and legends of old did apply to shapeshifters so it was out of the question for him to wear a watch made of silver. Good thing most wedding rings were made out of gold.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why was he all of the sudden having those types of thoughts? Sara had been working for him for over six months.

  Yeah, and you’ve been ignoring her for six months, his wolf groused.

  “It’s only four o’clock. Where is everyone?” He was referring the decidedly lack of cars on the busy street in front of the building.

  “Probably safe and secure in their homes, sitting in front of a roaring fire sipping hot chocolate.” So sue her, Sara thought, she had a thing for hot chocolate. Mmm, hot chocolate made with white chocolate was her favorite. For some reason, it tasted creamier. She looked up at her boss and narrowed her eyes at his expression. The one that indicated she was too dramatic. “Don’t you give me that damn look. You’re a freaking shapeshifter, you can shift and simply run to your house from here.”

  A smile tugged at Jarod’s mouth, seeing the fire in Sara’s eyes. That was one of the many things he liked about her. She didn’t back down from him.

  “The humans frown upon wild wolves running around in the city, darling.”

  Sara started at the endearment that fell so easily from his lips. Had he ever given her a casual endearment? Come to think of it, had he ever given one to the women he dated? He hadn’t, at least not in her hearing.

  “You’re not a wild wolf. You’re a shapeshifter.”

  “Same thing.” His eyes took on a definite amber gleam. The one she usually saw when he was about to lose his temper. He didn’t appear upset so what did that mean?

  He joined her back at the window, and they watched for several minutes as the snow fell. Since it had been snowing steadily for several hours, there was already a blanket of white lying across the landscape.

  Sara raised a hand and traced the path of a snowflake that had landed against the tempered glass. It slid down the window for several inches before falling away.
“It reminds me of the Day After Tomorrow.”

  “The disaster movie with Dennis Quaid?”

  She turned her head at the sound of Jarod’s voice. He stood behind her slightly to the side. “You know the one?”

  “Yeah, I’m a big disaster movie fan.”

  Sara smiled. “Me too. Most people laugh when I tell them that.”

  Jarod shrugged his big shoulders. “It’s entertainment. Same as football or other types of movies. Some might think it’s the action parts—which are great in some—but a really well-written one is all about the relationships. And a chance for redemption.”

  The strong fingers of one hand rubbed his chin and mouth, indicating to Sara he was trying to solve a dilemma. The thickness of his almost-black lashes and the naturally darker skin tone intensified the darkness of his eyes. Sara was drawn to the strength and natural competency etched in his beautiful features. She’d come to the realization that almost every red-blooded woman had—there wasn’t an ugly shapeshifter to be found.

  “Go make sure our employees have left already.”

  Sara nodded her head and retreated to her office. She was positive the other supervisors had already made the decision to send their people home. McCall Holdings prided itself on taking care of the individuals who worked for them—human or shifter. Sara just happened to work for a dickhead who hadn’t noticed the weather.

  As she opened his office door, he spoke.

  “I’m sorry I’ve kept you here this long. Give me a few minutes and I’ll take you home. I’m sure all the buses have stopped running by now.”

  Sara was surprised at his insight. Since when did he care how an employee—how she—got home at night?

  Chapter 2

  It took Sara a half hour to confirm with security that all the employees had left. Even the guard who usually stayed at night had been released to go home since they weren’t sure how long the storm would last. Knocking on the connecting door between their two offices, Sara waited for his barked order to come inside. She was very conscious of her place in Jarod’s life. She took no liberties with his privacy. She barely managed to call him Jarod on rare occasion, preferring to keep their relationship formal. For some reason, she felt it protected her from his charismatic charm.

  Twisting the knob, she went inside to find him looking out the window. In the time it had taken her to confirm they were indeed alone in the building, the wind had picked up. Snow smashed against the window panes with each gust. He turned his head to look at her as she entered. “Everyone gone?”

  “Yes. We’re the only two left.”

  Her heart fluttered at the expression that entered his eyes at her statement. Then that damn shutter came back down.

  “Good. I guess it’s time I got you home as well. Go get your coat.”

  Sara nodded and walked back into her office. She’d turned everything off and was more than ready to go. Especially now, after that flare of awareness had arched between them. Damn, it had made her pussy tingle, and she was used to the devastating smiles he casually threw her way and the charm he just naturally oozed. There’d been something almost animalistic about the look this time.

  In no time they were dressed and on their way outside. Most employees parked in the adjacent parking garage, but Jarod had his own private parking place at the back of the building. A blast of icy wind almost knocked Sara off her feet as they stepped outside. A strong arm came around her, pulling her close to his large body and sheltering her from the elements. She was a big girl, but he always made her feel small and feminine because of his size. Maybe that’s why she’d developed the crush on him as quickly as she had.

  What women didn’t want to feel small next to a man?

  Visibility had been reduced, and Jarod seemed to be making his way on instinct alone. Sara squinted her eyes against the blowing snow and allowed him to guide her to his car. He’d apparently driven his black SUV this morning and not his sporty red Lexus. She barely saw the dark color beneath the snow that had already accumulated on the top and hood.

  “Fuck!” she heard him suddenly curse. The next instant she was being swept up in strong arms and carried away.

  She couldn’t say she wasn’t grateful to have her feet and legs out of the snow. The only true barrier between her and the white stuff was her boots and leggings. Her coat came down well past her hips but hadn’t provided any protection to her lower extremities. Her outfit was warm for most of Chicago’s windy days, but not on a day like today. How had so much snow accumulated in such a short period of time? Instead of carrying her forward to the car, he turned around and headed back inside the building.

  Her teeth were already chattering from the cold when the heavy metal door closed behind them. Immediately the sounds of the storm were silenced. Almost unwilling, she met his penetrating gaze.

  “I’m not risking you in that,” he said gruffly. “We’re better off here.” He strode forward, her still in his arms. For a moment, Sara was too shocked to protest. Her silence didn’t last long, though.

  “Wait, you can’t do that. I need to get home.” He stopped abruptly, and she instinctively grabbed his shoulders beneath his winter coat. It was the color of charcoal and made of heavy wool. The thickness just added to the breadth of his shoulders. She barely resisted the urge to brush away the snowflakes that had gathered on his dark brows and sweep back the lock of black hair that had fallen over his scowling brow.

  “Why do you need to get home?” His eyes narrowed. “You don’t have any family. You live alone in a one-bedroom apartment. You don’t own any pets.”

  He ticked the facts off like items on a list. On the one hand, she was astonished that he knew so much about her. Then, embarrassment over the fact that he did know so much about her took over, fueling her anger. “How the hell did you know that? And, you don’t know everything. I might have a boyfriend waiting for me at home.”

  A flash of amber lit up his dark eyes making hers widen. “Unless you’ve managed to snare one in the last few hours, you don’t have a boyfriend, Miss Allen.”

  He started walking again.

  “How do you know that?”

  “I would have smelled him on you,” was his clipped response.

  “Women don’t snare men.” She bit out at last, angry at his attitude toward women and mortified that he could have smelled a man on her. Did that mean every time her panties got wet during the day because of her lascivious thoughts about him, that he could smell her desire? She wanted to bury her face in her hands in embarrassment. Just shoot her now.

  “Most women do. They set a trap, and like the wild animals we are, we take the bait.” Jarod’s wolf growled at him at his snarly words. The man was feeling the noose settling around his neck. His protective instincts had swamped him when he’d opened the door and seen the weather conditions. Followed by a surge of mating heat that had almost brought him to his knees.

  “You can put me down now,” Sara reminded him even as a shiver raced through her. It had more to do with the eerie silence of the big building than the cold she’d just been exposed to. The hallways were only half-lit, someone having apparently told maintenance to shut some of the lights off before they left.

  Jarod didn’t respond, just continued to carry her down the hallway and to the elevator near the main building thoroughfare. With her still in his arms, he punched the button that would take them back to their floor.

  “Mr. McCall—”

  “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Jarod?” It was true that most of the employees of McCall Holdings were on first name basis with their department heads and vice-presidents. Sara, in fact, called almost everyone else by his or her first name. Even the clients. She only called Jarod by his first name when it would seem awkward if she didn’t. She’d been afraid that someone might discover her hidden crush if she became too familiar and friendly with her boss.

  Heck, she was afraid she’d slip and say his name the same way she whispered it at night when
she was pleasuring herself with her favorite purple toy. All hot and breathless, and begging for completion. “I don’t think that would be a very good idea.”

  “Try it.” His eyes held hers for an instant longer before Sara broke away in self-conscious confusion.

  “Maybe later.”

  “Oh, I can guarantee you’ll be calling me by my first name before this weekend is over,” his voice rumbled in her ear.

  The heat that rushed through her body—straight to her pussy distracted her for a moment. Then his words sank in. “The weekend! We are so not spending the weekend here.”

  Together, she added in her head. There was no way she’d be able to keep her secret if she stayed in such close quarters with this man. “Surely, they’ll have the roads cleared in an hour or two.”

  “Does the possibility of being stranded for the weekend with your boss shatter your poise, Ms. Allen? Sara.” Her name was a deep rumble in the back of his throat that sent shivers through her.

  “No-o-o. No.”

  By the time she’d stuttered out her answer, the elevator had reached their floor. Until he started moving again, she’d almost forgotten he was still carrying her. She wiggled in his arms. “Let me down now, please.”

  When he didn’t answer, she poked him in the chest. “Let me down, Mr. McCall.”

  He stopped and looked down at her. “Call me Jarod and I will.”

  Her teeth bit into her bottom lip when she realized he wasn’t going to let her down until she gave in to his demand. It would serve his stubborn ass right if she threw her arms around his neck and told him she loved being in his arms. The trouble was, a wolf could smell a lie, and he’d know instantly she wasn’t lying.

  She looked down, refusing to meet his eyes as she whispered his name. “Jarod.”

  She felt his arms loosen as he lowered her to her feet. Their bodies brushed together, and she consciously had to keep herself from shuddering at the contact. Quicksilver excitement danced in her veins when he tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes and ordered, “Again.”