Mate Set (Mating Heat Book 1) Page 4

  She grudgingly smiled back. “You taught me better than to fight with a wolf.” She winked at him. “I’ll see you later.” She turned toward the kitchen, where she’d left her purse.

  “Mika?”

  She turned back to her uncle. “Yes?”

  “Your guard will be in charge. If he says no to something, you listen to him. Do you understand me?”

  She stared into his eyes. “No.”

  He frowned. “You can’t go to the bars this visit. That can’t happen again.”

  Mika paled a little. Shit. He knows about that? Her gaze flew to Minnie, who shook her head slightly. Minnie hadn’t ratted her out.

  “Two of my men were there,” Uncle Omar said softly. “I try to always keep tabs on you when you come home.” He paused. “No more bar fights. Are we clear?”

  She flushed. “It wasn’t my fault.”

  “And that’s why I didn’t put you over my damn knee. Now go so I can talk to my men.”

  Mika turned and fled. She didn’t dare even glance at Grady, too afraid her uncle would notice. She was also embarrassed about the bar comment her uncle had made. Grady probably thought the worst of her.

  Chapter Three

  Mika paced and glanced at her watch for the fiftieth time at least. Finally, she heard a vehicle stop in front of the house and she walked to the front window. She gripped the curtain, pulled it back, and watched a man climb out of a black Jeep.

  Her eyes closed and the air left her lungs in a whoosh. No way in hell could I be that unlucky.

  She opened her eyes. Yes, I am that damn unlucky. The sexy proof was coming her way.

  “Son of a bitch,” she cursed. She dropped the curtain, marched across the room, turned the deadbolt, and yanked open her front door. Her gaze locked on the man walking up the sidewalk carrying a duffle bag. “You volunteered?”

  Grady Harris’s dark gaze bore into her as he walked up the three steps to her front door. He did not look happy. “No. I got drafted because I didn’t stare at your tits like the other three did.”

  She moved out of the way, instantly noticing that he looked even taller in the daylight. He looked bigger, too, as he eased in her front door. She hesitated and then closed and locked the door to face the man who’d marked her the night before in his oh- so-unusual way. He stood in the middle of her living room, giving it a once-over. He was breathing hard and his lips were twisted into a snarl.

  “If you tell Omar what happened last night, he’s going to blow a fuse.”

  “No shit.”

  “Did you tell him anything?”

  Mika shook her head. “Do I look stupid to you?”

  “You knew the danger and you went out anyway. If I hadn’t heard you scream and saved your ass from those four pups, you wouldn’t be breathing today. With that in mind, do you really want to ask me if you look stupid?”

  “No one told me it was mating season. How freaky is that? It was the first I’d ever heard of it. I always go out at night when I’m here and have never run into trouble before.”

  Grady arched a black eyebrow. “What was that about a bar fight I heard mentioned?”

  “That wasn’t my fault.”

  “What happened?” He loudly dropped his bag on her wood floor.

  Mika frowned as she crossed her arms over her breasts. “Last year I went to a bar and some asshole decided to get a little too friendly. I took offense and I told him off. He pulled back a fist to hit me and another man stopped him. They both came with friends, so it turned into a brawl.”

  “Were you dressed the way you were today?”

  “Damn it! Minnie warned me what Omar was up to. She told me if all the men looked at my body, he wouldn’t assign me a guard. So I just made sure everyone looked.”

  “I would have looked too, except I was so surprised when I realized who you were that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from your face until the shock wore off.” His voice lowered. “If he finds out what happened between us, I might as well hand him my balls on a silver platter. You should have told me who the hell you were last night. I’m furious.”

  “I told those four men, and they didn’t know who the hell my uncle was when I mentioned I was protected by him. It didn’t work with them, so I figured it wouldn’t work with you. Excuse the hell out of me.”

  “You could have said no.”

  She had to shut her mouth, which had dropped open. “And you didn’t have to come after me.”

  They glared at each other. “All you had to do was say no.”

  “I believe I did, and you told me to shut up.”

  “I didn’t say ‘shut up’ exactly.”

  “Close enough. It’s done. It’s a good thing I showered when I got home, huh? I washed my clothes too so nothing is marked anymore. No one but you and I know what happened.”

  His shoulders relaxed. “You really aren’t going to tell Omar?”

  “Do I look—? Never mind. You think I’m an idiot. I got that. Hell no, I’m not going to tell him anything about last night. That wasn’t just a threat when he said he’d put me over his damn knee. The last time he spanked me, I was twenty-five years old. I couldn’t believe he almost blistered my ass.”

  A smile tugged at the man’s mouth. “What did you do to deserve that?”

  “Deserve this.” She flipped him off. “I’m not telling you. We’re stuck together until your replacement comes. The guestroom is the first door down the hall to the right, so we’ll just avoid each other. I’m going grocery shopping.”

  “Not without me.” He sighed. “I’m under orders to keep you in my sight at all times, and that means you don’t go anywhere without me.” He paused. “And there is no replacement. I’m it, babe. Your uncle didn’t enjoy the way the guys eyed your body, so I’m on duty until you leave town. When will that be, anyway? I had to put my life on hold.”

  “Unbelievable,” she muttered. “I just arrived yesterday and I’m going to be here for two more weeks. I’m stuck with you for that long? The entire time?”

  He nodded. His dark eyes looked cold and angry. “That’s the plan.”

  “Great. Well, you can’t keep me in your sight at all times.”

  “Those are my orders—and I follow them.”

  “You’re not watching me sleep, and you sure as hell aren’t following me into the bathroom.”

  His gaze raked down her slowly. She saw him pause at her breasts and then again at her hips until his gaze rose. “It’s mating season, and I’m not immune. Thanks to your bad timing, I’m going to be the only single male not getting laid. The least you could do is let me watch you shower. Visual aids would be appreciated, since I’ll be stuck relieving myself.”

  “Pervert!” she sputtered. “Not a chance in hell.”

  A slow smile curved his lips. “We’ll see.”

  “See this,” she gritted out. She spun and stormed for the kitchen. “Me, walking away.”

  He had the nerve to laugh. “I’m going to get settled and then we’ll go to the store.”

  Mika was fuming when she yanked up the phone and dialed Minnie’s cell number.

  Minnie answered on the second ring. “I guess he arrived?”

  “What do you know about this asshole?” Mika kept her voice low.

  “He’s an enforcer. Remember what one of those are?”

  “Remind me.”

  “He kicks ass, is what it means. He’s a badass of the worst sort. On a personal note, he’s a good man who’s as loyal as hell to the pack, and he’s got honor. I hear he’s heaven in bed. I’d take him for a test spin if I were twenty years younger and not in love.”

  “That helps a lot, since I heard that castration threat from Uncle Omar.”

  Minnie chuckled. “Sarcasm just drips from your lips. Okay. He’s Elroy’s bastard son.”

  Mika was shocked. Elroy was the alpha of the pack but he didn’t handle the day-to- day business. That fell to Uncle Omar. Elroy and Omar were best friends and had been raised together.
She knew Elroy had four sons but she’d never been allowed to meet them, since Uncle Omar was so damn protective of her. She also knew he could control all pack males but those four.

  “One of the four?”

  “No.” Minnie’s voice softened. “He was born before Elroy mated to Eve, when he had a short relationship with a human and she gave birth to Grady. Elroy didn’t know about the boy until the woman showed up with him when Grady was ten. She didn’t know what Elroy was until Grady started shifting. She freaked out the first time her son sprouted hair. That’s when she brought Elroy his son. She pretty much walked up to the door, told Elroy to take him, and abandoned Grady on the doorstep.

  “Eve had a damn fit and wouldn’t let Grady in her house. I know she’s my alpha bitch, but that woman is heartless. It wasn’t Grady’s fault he was born to another woman, but she made Elroy have other pack families raise Grady. He grew up hard, Mika, so give him a break. He turned out to be a fine man despite his shitty childhood. Elroy acknowledges him, and so do his sons, but Eve is a nightmare when it comes to Grady. He’s still not allowed in her house or near her, and she goes out of her way to shun him.”

  Mika leaned against the counter. “That’s fucked up.”

  “It is. Now he’s got this shit job of protecting you, no offense. He’s got a bar to run, but instead he’s stuck at your house. I tried to tell Omar this was stupid but he wouldn’t listen to me.”

  “A bar?”

  “Yeah. It’s his baby. He patrols two nights a week for the pack and he handles pack business during the day, for the most part. The other five nights he runs his place. He opened last year. He’s doing well, from what I hear, and he lives in an apartment over the bar. He’s a good guy, so don’t bust his balls too bad. He’s about as happy about being your guard as you are to have one.”

  Sighing, Mika nodded. “Okay. I’ll play nice.”

  Minnie chuckled. “He’s hot.”

  She hesitated. “Yeah.”

  “I don’t envy you. He won’t touch you though. He’ll want his balls attached to his body.”

  “Would Uncle Omar really—”

  “You bet your ass.” Minnie sighed. “He’s determined that you’re going to marry some nice human man.” She snorted. “Like that’s guaranteeing you a happy life. I’m telling you, I love him but the man has funny ideas about life.”

  “Who said anything about marriage?”

  “That’s my girl,” Minnie laughed. “Use condoms if you do go after that man—and wash everything twice. Don’t forget our damn sense of smell. The last thing you need is to forget to wash your bedding and have my love step into your room.”

  “It’s not happening.”

  Minnie sighed. “Probably not. Grady will follow his orders to the letter since he’s always trying to prove himself to his father, and he’s under orders to not touch you. Call me if you need me.”

  “Thanks.” Mika hung up.

  The next two weeks were going to be hell if she had to spend them with Grady.

  She turned to face him when she heard him coming. She met his dark gaze as he stepped into the kitchen, noting that he’d changed into a pair of jeans and a red tank top. She eyed his exposed arms and swallowed. The man had broad, tan shoulders and his arms were well defined. He definitely ate his Wheaties and lifted weights.

  She blew out her breath. He looked mighty fine and totally fuckable. His wild hair called to her and she had the urge to run her fingers through it. He was one hell of a well-put-together package of hard-body male, and his long hair was playing hell with her libido.

  “Could you put your hair up?” She gave him a hopeful smile.

  “What’s wrong with my hair?”

  She hesitated. Mika thought about lying to him but she wasn’t that type, admiring honesty most. “You look really sexy with your hair down and your body displayed, but I’d be totally disgusted if you’d grease your hair back. How about it?” She gave him an encouraging smile. “I have cooking oil right over there by the stove. The greasier, the grosser.”

  He lifted his arms and crossed them over his chest. His full, firm lips molded into a frown as those dark eyes seemed to go darker.

  “I am not putting grease in my hair.” His gaze roamed down her. “And what about you? You’re wearing a damn skirt. Go put on baggy jeans.”

  She looked down at her skirt. “It’s decent when I don’t have it hiked up. It’s past my knees and it’s loose.” She raised her chin and met his gaze. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “It’s easy access.”

  She swallowed hard as an image of him making use of her easy-access skirt filled her with dirty thoughts. “This is going to be a damn long two weeks, isn’t it?”

  “Hell yes.” He sighed.

  She took a deep breath. “Let’s go grocery shopping. It’s not just me fending for myself anymore and I’m guessing you’d like to eat regularly while you’re living with me.”

  His gaze raked down her body and then back up. “There’re a lot of things I’d like to do regularly while living with you.”

  They stared at each other for a good minute. Mika’s body responded to him as her nipples hardened and her belly quivered. “Shit. How many days do you give it?”

  He frowned. “I don’t understand the question.”

  She grabbed her purse and passed within feet of him. “How many days do you give it before we end up in bed together?”

  His jaw tensed and his dark gaze tore away from hers. “It won’t happen. I have my orders and I enjoy my balls attached to me. Let’s go, babe. We’ll take my Jeep.”

  She nodded and walked through the living room to the front door. She wanted him bad. “We’ll pick up condoms just in case.”

  She heard him curse softly behind her but Mika didn’t turn to look at him. She smiled instead, her mind made up instantly that she was going to get Grady into bed. He turned her on, and she knew intimately that he was good with his hands.

  No one had to know if they did have sex. They were going to be living together for two weeks, until she left town, and she was a realist. She was single and free. He was single and free, judging by his earlier comment about how he’d be the only single wolf in mating season who wasn’t getting laid.

  She walked out the front door as Grady growled softly at her. Her body reacted to the sound he made, reminding her of last night, and how hard he’d made her come. He locked the door and pointed to the Jeep.

  “Walk—and don’t look at me that way.”

  She chuckled. “How am I looking at you?”

  “You know,” he growled. “It’s not happening, babe. If I had known who the hell you were last night, I never would have followed you to collect your debt.”

  “I’m glad you did. I ran into two more men after you left me but they got a sniff of me and then just walked away.”

  Grady cursed. “Fuck. I hope they weren’t pack. They know my scent, and if they know who you are, then it’s only a matter of time before Omar hears about it.”

  “I’ve never seen either of them before so I don’t think they are.”

  Snorting, Grady shot her a glare as he opened the passenger door for her. “You never met me, and I’m pack.”

  She climbed into his Jeep and he carefully shut the door. She appreciated that Grady was a gentleman. “Good point.”

  Chapter Four

  Mika was going stir-crazy as she glared at Grady. He wasn’t helping. Two days of living with that man would drive any woman insane. He barely spoke to her, he treated her as though she was diseased, he usually kept a room between them, and he was rude when he did speak to her. She had cabin fever since the man wouldn’t let her go anywhere.

  She walked into her bedroom, feeling his intense stare on her from the dining room where he was reading the paper. She shut the door and glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was just past eight on a Friday night. No young, single person should be stuck at home. She was twenty-eight, not eighty-eight, and she nee
ded a damn life. She was on vacation but instead she felt as if she were in prison.

  She put on a pair of low-slung jeans, a button-down black shirt with some cleavage showing and black boots with three-inch heels. In the bathroom, she put on light makeup and brushed out her hair, deciding to leave it down. She met her blue eyes in the mirror and slowly smiled at her reflection. She wanted to raise some hell and drive Grady Harris crazy. He deserved it. It was only fair.

  She left the bathroom and opened the bedroom door. Grady’s almost black eyes widened from across the room as he took in her change of clothing and appearance. He frowned as he slowly stood.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” His voice was soft but there was a deceptive hardness there too.

  “Out. I’m about to lose my damn mind. Let’s go.”

  “It’s after dark.”

  “No one is going to screw with me when I’m with you. I’m not asking you to take me to some wild party where we’re going to end up arrested. I just want to go out. This is my vacation, damn it, and I’m going crazy. But I guess we could stay here to have some fun, instead of going out.”

  “I want to stay here.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  Mika slowly smiled. “Great. Take off your clothes.”

  His mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide again. “What?” he rasped.

  “The only fun you and I could have here doesn’t involve clothing. I’m determined to have some fun, and since you barely speak to me, that just leaves sex. Either take off your clothes, stud, or grab your Jeep keys. Your choice. One way or another, I’m not going to sit here again the way we did last night, being bored out of my head.”

  A low growl came from him as he stood frozen. She stared at him, watching his tense body. Her focus lowered to the front of his jeans and she couldn’t miss the noticeable bulge there. Grady had a serious hard-on. She grinned.

  “Are we staying or going?” She arched her eyebrow at him. “That sexy growl thing you have going on and your obvious erection tells me that you’d rather stay in with me.”

  “Let’s go,” he snarled, tearing his gaze from hers. “I’m not losing my balls over you.”