I felt my eyebrows rise. The hardened criminal was an animal person?
That was unexpected.
Gently, I flipped open the cover and revealed the title page. The scent of old paper wafted up, and I inhaled deeply. Before I knew it, I was sucked into a description of various wolf packs that lived around the upper northwest.
I had no idea how much time passed, but the sound of the penthouse door opening made my heart jump into my throat.
He’s here.
Triple shit.
He was in the living room. I couldn’t see him from the bedroom, but I could feel him. His presence was impossible to miss.
I was screwed.
If only I could wave a magic wand and get myself out of there. Shame that magic wasn’t real.
From the living room, he had two options—go into the bathroom or into this bedroom.
Please choose the bathroom.
The bathroom had two doors—one that entered from the living room and one that entered from the bedroom, where I was trapped. I could see right into the bathroom through the cracked door, but if I tucked myself flat against the wall, I’d be mostly concealed by the heavy bed frame.
With any luck, he would go in there, take a shower, and wouldn’t turn and see me. Then I could sneak out.
My heart thundered, nearly deafening, as I slipped into my hiding spot.
Garreth
* * *
She was here.
My mate.
Inside, my wolf howled.
Down boy.
The beast didn’t listen, but I didn’t care. There wasn’t a chance in hell that I’d release him. Not in the city in the middle of a human hotel. Instead, I stood stock still inside the penthouse living room.
She was in the bedroom. I knew where she was because I could smell her, her scent twisting around me—lavender and honey and a fresh breeze. I wanted to breathe it in for eternity, surround myself with it.
No.
I couldn’t be distracted by her. Couldn’t let her get under my skin or into my heart. Not that I had a heart.
Protect.
The instinct welled so strongly inside me that I could barely tamp it down.
It was clear as day from her scent that she wasn’t a wolf. She was something magical, though I had no idea what.
Why the hell was she in this hotel?
If she was here to confront me, it was a terrible location. The damned place was full of humans. I stayed here when on business purely to make them think I was one of them. They didn’t know about magic, and I wasn’t going to be the one to let the cat out of the bag. Or rather, the wolf.
The scent of her hit me like a bus. I hadn’t expected it—now or ever. As Alpha, I had planned to walk the earth alone, solely dedicated to my pack. I’d been born to this role and kept my status through sheer strength and pack loyalty.
So what the hell should I do?
“Take a shower,” I muttered to myself.
It was what I’d come here to do, after all I'd worry about her later. Anyway, I wanted to see what she’d do. If she thought my guard was down, she might reveal her true motivations for being in my hotel suite.
I strode into the bathroom, flicking on the light inside the white marble oasis. There were two doors—one that led back out into the living room from which I’d come, and another that opened into the bedroom.
I made a point not to glance into the bedroom as I stripped my shirt over my head. The cool breeze of the air conditioning wafted over my heated skin but did nothing to tamp down the inferno inside me. My wolf was going mad, demanding to be set free. I kept it on a tight rein. My impeccable control was half the reason I was qualified to be alpha, and I wouldn’t allow it to fail me now.
I heard the faint intake of her breath as I walked by the open door, and it took every ounce of my strength not to turn and look at her.
She’d make the first move if I had anything to say about it.
I unbuckled my belt with one hand while cranking on the water. It roared forth, and I couldn’t help but look forward to the water pressure. It had been a long day.
As I shucked my trousers, I felt my wolf go wild. He sensed that I was planning to ignore her, and he was pissed.
“Tough luck, buddy,” I muttered.
I climbed into the shower and turned to face the back wall. The water dampened my hearing, though not completely. She wouldn’t be able to sneak up on me. I doubted she’d approached me in the shower, anyway.
Still, anticipation flooded me.
My mate.
After so long alone, so long expecting I would always be alone--she was here.
2
Lyra
* * *
I stood, stunned, my breath caught in my chest. Sound roared in my head, the crashing of waves on the beach.
His body.
I’d caught a glimpse of him through the cracked door, but that had been enough, providing a too-good-to-be-true view of his back as he stripped out of his shirt.
Holy tits, he was ripped.
My mouth went dry with fear—and even a little bit of desire—as I took in his broad shoulders and smooth skin. He was all muscle and a lot of it. I couldn’t see his face, but his long dark hair was held back with a leather strap. It shined beneath the light, putting the finest silk to shame. There was the strangest golden glow around him, but that had to be a trick of the light.
But it was his scent that really got me—a divine combination of the forest and rain. I wanted to suck it into my lungs forever. As I stared, the taste of chocolate hit my tongue. He was making me lose my mind.
When he passed by the bathroom door, he somehow didn’t turn to look at me. It was a gift. A few precious seconds to figure out what the hell to do.
I need to run.
But I couldn’t. I felt trapped, ensnared by his beauty and frozen with fear. It was the strangest sensation and nearly impossible to place.
Until I did.
I felt like prey.
He was ignoring me, and yet I still felt like he was a predator toying with me.
I shivered.
I needed to get my ass out of here, pronto, Meg’s warning about not being caught while he was there ringing in my head.
Cold fear iced my skin.
I can’t lose this job.
And I really can’t get caught by Garreth Locke.
More than that, I felt an overwhelming desire to run. It was so strong that I couldn’t fight it.
The shower turned on, and I thanked my lucky stars. The sound of the water would give me a little more cover.
I grabbed the cart and pushed it toward the living room, thankful that the wheels were well greased, and it was silent. Every inch of my skin prickled as I approached the bathroom door. I had to pass right by it, and it would be the riskiest part of my escape.
The second door was wide open, and I peeked inside.
Garreth Locke stood in the shower, his back to me as water sluiced over the endless planes of muscles. My gaze raced over his form, quickly taking it all in as I pushed the cart past.
Almost to the door.
When I reached it, I looked out the peephole to make sure the coast was clear.
My stomach plunged. A member of his entourage was approaching the door, along with my boss.
They were coming right in here. I'd be caught.
Panic shot through me. Mind racing, I stumbled back.
The closet.
There was a large closet near the door. I’d seen it when I’d first come in. I yanked open the door and pushed the cart inside. it barely fit, but I managed to shut the door behind it.