Her Brother, Her Mate

“Mate,” his whisper along with his gaze sends shivers down my spine, and then I remember he was just hitting on Jenny and winking at Ralph. Don’t fall for it, I tell myself. Not a chance will I give a guy like him any attention.

And I don’t know what he means by mate.

Checkmate?

No chance in hell.

If that was some proclamation like ‘bingo!’ or ‘jackpot’, then I didn’t want any part in it. I don’t want any part of him. Not those beautiful stormy eyes, like endless clouds with no end. Not those massive biceps that stretch the fabric of his ab-clinging shirt. I definitely don’t need those lips that his tongue just moistened so they glisten in the light. No. I don’t need or want any of it.

He’s striding towards me, each step full of purpose. I ignored his approach, side stepping to walk around him and went towards Ralph and the rest of the group. I’m not giving a guy like him the time of day.

The guy steps in front of me, holding his hand out to stop me.

“Can I help you, sir?” I asked with fake politeness, swaying my body away as his hand reached out to touch me.

The man twitches, as if he is trying to fight something inside him. His nostrils are flaring as he breathes in deeply over and over again. His hand flexes, opening and shutting slowly. What is wrong with him? He looks like a hunter with his eyes locked in on his prey. I’m no one’s prey, though.

Annoying. I don’t know what he wants with me, but I don’t have time for this. “Sir, if you are needing anything, feel free to speak with someone at the front desk. Me and my colleagues are off the clock. Have a nice evening.”

I try to move past him again, but he side-steps, cutting off my path. I sighed, exasperated. His jaw ticks slightly, then his face cools into a sultry expression, throwing me off-guard momentarily. Momentarily. After half a second, I went back to finding his behavior repulsive.

“I know where the front desk is, wild eyes. What I don’t know is what your name is.” He tilts his head seductively.

My smile tightens as I fight the urge to knee him in the jewels. “I can confirm with you that wild eyes is not it. If you will excuse me,” I tried to step around him again. This time, he stops me by putting a hand on my shoulder, making me jump as an eclectic current zips through my skin. He shocked me….I think. Why does it feel like tingles are still permeating my entire shoulder, though?

“You have about 2 seconds to remove your hand and step out of my way,” I told him firmly.

“Look, I just want to talk to you and-”

I don’t let him finish. I brought my heel down on his exposed foot, practically bare in flip flops, and when he hunched over in pain, I kneed him in the nose. He falls on his a*s groaning, cupping his bleeding nose in one hand and his bruising foot in the other.

“I don’t know what it is you want, but I asked you repeatedly to let me pass. You were flirting with my co-workers, then thought you could come onto me?” I crouched down and told him in a low voice, “f**k boys like you have zero appeal for me. Keep that in mind and stay away from me for the duration of your stay.” I straightened back up, smoothed down my shirt. “If there is anything you require for your stay, like I said, please see the front desk. I’m sure you will find someone up there much more willing to give a pathetic guy like you their time.”

As he recovers, sitting back up to try and respond, I walk away towards my now gawking group of new friends. Jenny looks horrified, but Debra and Ralph both have the corners of their mouths upturned and eyes dancing in amazement.

“Lets go,” I commanded, not stopping and continuing to walk right out the building with my head held high.

“That was….wow,” Ralph came up beside me, linking his arm to mine.

“I hate men like that,” I muttered.

“Sexy men?” Jenny asks, in a voice slightly hostile.

“Men who treat women like playthings. Like we are disposable. My ex-fiance was like that. No man is worth that kind of trouble.”

“Oh, girl, I like you,” Debra fawns, “I’ve been telling you that boy was trouble, Jenny. The owner’s sons are not worth losing your job over.”

“ Owner’s sons?” I asked.

“Oh, sweetie,” Ralph pats my shoulder sympathetically, “That was the middle son. Mark.”

“Oh,” is all I can say, slightly mortified with myself now, knowing I had just assaulted one of my new boss’s sons in the foyer of her business.

“Don’t worry, hun. Your job is safe. She might give you a raise for what you did. The last several event coordinators all quit because of those wayward sons of hers. They are sin on legs, breaking girl’s hearts left and right.”

I hope he’s right. I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose this job. I can’t lose this job. I can’t go back to that playboy and my family back in New York.

Mark POV

“Holy s**t,” I grunt, gripping my nose and wincing as I jerk it and it crunches back into place.

Getting back from a long work week, guarding some Hollywood pop star who couldn’t have been more annoying, I was exhausted. The singer has a sister, fake tan, fake t**s, fake lips, totally fake, who just wouldn’t leave me the f**k alone.

I’ve never been into the plastic type. Fake tanners are always a deal breaker for me. It smells and tastes horrible. Who would purposely paint themselves orange? If you want to be tan, go outside.

Before heading up to take a nap, I was just teasing the front desk chick that is always eye f*****g me in the lobby when the intense scent of honey and lavender hit me like a ton of brick.

When my eyes met hers, I was done for. She was so unbelievably gorgeous. Her full, thick hair fell in bouncing waves down to her breasts, framing a small, delicate face. Those eyes. I had never seen eyes like hers before. They were wild and vibrant, commanding me to fall at her feet in worship of her divinity.

She was human. That didn’t matter. She was my mate. The mate I had been wanting for so long was finally in front of me. I couldn’t think about anything other than claiming her, everything else falling into background noise as I approached her. She was perfect, and she was mine.

I didn’t register the malice on her face until it was too late. She didn’t give me any opening whatsoever, and when I made the mistake of trying to touch her without her permission, she made me pay for it.

I’m thankful she is human, because if she was another wolf, I know without a doubt she would have rejected me.

Why the hell did I try flirting with the front desk girl?! I did that right in front of my mate, and now she thinks the worst of me.

She said she worked here. I have never seen her before, though. Where has she been hiding? Is she new?

I stare out the glass planes of the foyer as she and Ralph walk with linked arms down the sidewalk, out of sight, Debra and the front desk chick whose name I can never remember following behind.

Shit.

Debra hasn’t been my biggest fan since I slept with her sister, and Ralph has been my mom’s secretary for a couple years now. They are going to warn her to stay away from me. f**k!

I got up off the ground and ran back to mom’s office, ignoring the judging stares from everyone around who watched the entire interaction. I need to know who that woman is.