The Alpha's Temporary Mate (Fated Match) (8 page)

Dazed, she followed him into the penthouse apartment. Once inside, though, he’d disappear in seconds if she let him.

“We need to talk about this,” she said, reaching out to him.

A snarl rent the air as he grabbed her. Chloe’s breath rushed from her as he twirled her back up against the wall, crowding into her space.

She angled her face up toward his as he pinned her body in place with his own. Every inch of his hard form pressed against hers, though she tried to focus on the enraged gaze and not the rock solid erection against her stomach.

“You’ve pushed me tonight,” he told her, his voice rough. “Listen when I say you’ve dared enough.”

“I need to know,” she replied. “If you’d stop to think for a moment you’d see I’m right. I’m not asking you to bare your soul, but give me a few details so I can sound convincing when the topic comes up.”

“A few facts?” His smile was anything but pleasant. “Retell that disaster like a bedtime story for you?”

The accusation stung. “You know that’s not what I’m asking.”

He tilted his head as he leaned down closer to her. His lips were a kiss away. All she had to do was angle her head just slightly and—

“I may have enjoyed playing with your body, witch, but despite that, we are virtual strangers. I do not discuss that period of my life with anyone, let alone an employee.”

She flinched as the hard words tore through her. She’d wanted a kiss and instead she’d been slammed down to reality. A couple sentences. That was all it took to burst the ridiculous fantasy she’d been caught up in. One where she’d thought her opinion had substance, and that he’d been gripped by the same maddening connection as she. But he’d just reduced her to a paid employee. A woman he was happy to screw but not to trust. As if she could ever be anything else in his mind.

No matter what kind of man he may have been in the past, he wasn’t what she needed in the present. She couldn’t afford to forget that again. This was a job. Kieran wasn’t her boyfriend; he was her meal ticket.

“I see.” She forced the words out of her tight throat. It shouldn’t hurt that he’d confirmed exactly what she’d always known to be true. She could be any woman for all he cared, as long as the role was played appropriately and her legs opened when he wished. “I want it on record, should this come back and bite us later.” She turned to stalk toward the stairs and stopped. “You know what I wonder,
boss
?” she said, her voice caustic. “Why the hell is hiring a pretend lover easier for you than finding a real one?”

Head held high, she swept from the room without another word.

C
laws erupted from his fingers, implanting several inches into the wall. Kieran cursed as plaster bits rained down on his shoes. He’d screwed up. Royally.

Ripping his hand from the wall, he strode into the living room and did his best to ignore the
click-clack
of her heels as Chloe walked away from him.

He poured a tumbler of scotch and then doubled the dose before setting the bottle back down on the bar cart.

“Dammit,” he said, pushing out onto the balcony.

The brush of New York air hit him like a comforting blanket. His highly attuned ears picked up the sounds of the traffic below and the two taxi drivers arguing on the south street corner. He breathed in scents of the park across the street mixed with the faintly metallic smell of the city itself. If he cared enough to glance over the rail, his eyes would be able to pick out minute details carved into the surrounding buildings, which a human would never see in the dark.

All his superior senses and he’d still not been able to stop the train wreck this night had turned into. Kieran closed his eyes, his hand tightening on the glass. She’d fit so perfectly in his arms. His witch was an intriguing mix of passion and hesitation. As if she weren’t quite sure how to act but was willing to throw herself whole-heartedly into the exercise. She’d be an eager lover, ready to learn, ready to give.

He’d taken that desire to want to do her job to the best of her ability and thrown it back in her face.

Why is hiring a pretend lover easier than finding a real one?

The words were repeated again and again in his mind. There was only one answer to her question, though he’d be damned if it was a tale he’d share with anyone. Collapsing onto one of the metal chairs, he stared at the dark sky above. He didn’t talk about Lisette if he could help it. Those years had been both the best and worst of all his centuries. When he closed his eyes, he could still picture her bright smile, hear her tinkling laugh. But the good times had never endured.

As a were herself, Lisette had been dominant enough that their wolves never grew comfortable with each other. For every day they were content, there’d been two where they fought and argued endlessly. But that hadn’t deterred them.
A passionate relationship
, they’d said. That was all it was. For decades they’d tried to make it work because, while their wolves didn’t like each other, their human hearts loved.

“Foolish,” he whispered. He should have realized when neither of them felt the urge to declare their relationship under the mating moon that they weren’t meant to be. But every time he’d tried to walk away, they’d end up back in bed. The sex had been explosive, but what he missed all these years later was the way she’d turn so trustingly toward him in her sleep. How it had felt to know when he came home at night the house wouldn’t be empty. The security that any problem could be overcome with enough effort. He’d always thought their relationship was worth fighting for.

Right up until the night he’d come home to find someone else in his bed.

The glass cracked in his hand, scotch running over the wounds the shards sliced in his palm. Biting back a roar, he shook the mess from his hand before pulling out the lingering glass from his skin.

Lisette had been smarter than him. She’d known they would come to no good, and she’d known he’d never be the one to pull away on his own.

So she gave him a reason to. The only reason he would have accepted.

Though still technically a member of his pack, she’d left right after their relationship ended. He hadn’t seen her in the century since.

Like him, she’d never mated in the years they’d been apart. He never learned the identity of her lover, though the man’s face was seared into his memory. Not that he mattered. Only his lover’s betrayal did.

That had been the start of the one-night stands and the endless parade of women through his life. That was the reason it was easier to hire an actress than to risk trusting another lover the way he had Lisette. Never again would he make the mistakes he’d made with her. He’d been young and foolish in those days, thinking love would solve any problem when all it did was exacerbate them. It wasn’t a weakness he would ever allow twice.

Except, for the second time a woman was worming her way into his life.

Chloe had a point, even if he hated to acknowledge it. She would be asked about Lisette eventually, and if he really loved her, he would have confided in her. Her lack of knowledge was a problem.

But the idea of discussing his past made his wolf long to howl. Lisette was not a topic he liked thinking about, let alone sharing.

And because of it he’d hurt yet another woman who’s only crime was trying to help him.

“Smooth move, Clearwater,” he said, mocking himself. He’d worried about Chloe messing up their charade, but if he couldn’t let her in, he’d be the one to doom them to failure.

Chapter Eight

“A
nna Samson?” Chloe glanced up from her registration form to run a critical eye over the women crowding Fated Match’s waiting room. Every one of them was a werewolf and all had requested that Chloe process their intakes.

Vivian had come to her rescue, informing the mob in no uncertain terms that registration would be done on a first-come, first-serve basis. Chloe practically saw the dollar signs shining out of Vivian’s eyes.

The front desk, a role she took from time to time, was being manned by their part timer while all the more experienced staff was huddled in their offices, processing one client after the next. Chloe doubted any of them would get more than a fifteen-minute lunch break today.

“Anna Samson?” she called again.

“I’m here. I’m here.” A petite wolf battled through the crowd to stand beaming in front of her.

“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m—”

“Chloe Donovan,” the wolf said. “So nice to meet you.”

Kieran had warned her word would spread fast, but still, she hasn’t pictured anything like this.

“Follow me, please,” Chloe said to her bouncing client.

Ushering the were into her small office, Chloe shut the door and gestured for Anna to take a seat.

“So you are interested in registering for Fated Match?”

“Absolutely,” Anna replied.

“And how did you hear about our agency?”

“The were community is buzzing about how you managed to snag one of our strongest alphas,” the smaller woman gushed. “When I heard you worked here I thought I should sign up. If you can meet men like Mr. Clearwater through this company then I’m all for it.”

Chloe sighed. It was the same story she’d been hearing all day. No doubt her co-workers were ready to kill her over her so-called relationship.

“Anna,” she said, shutting her file. “We are a serious agency set to match like-minded singles in an effort to match mates. There is no guarantee about what kind of men you will be meeting beyond the in-depth screening process that helps us safeguard your security. Do you understand?”

“But didn’t one of your colleagues mate with a vampire elder?” Anna asked. “And his ward used your services and ended up with the necromancer leader. Here you are, beloved by the wolf we all thought would never settle down.”

Chloe winced. “Those are the high profile stories. We have far more ordinary men and women finding their other halves. Last week I got a save-the-date card from a were-moose couple I introduced. They are down to earth people who teach elementary school in Brooklyn. No shining penthouses or expensive jewels involved in that story.”

Anna frowned. “You’re right. Maybe you have to work here to be connected. Are there any available positions?”

“I think we’re done here,” Chloe said, standing.

“No, no, wait. I apologize. Normal is fine with me. Sign me up.”

“You have to be serious about finding your mate.”

“Oh I am,” Anna replied. “I’ve been alone for a few centuries now and it’s not as fun as it used to be.”

Chloe studied the woman, who looked like a college senior. “All right. Then we should go over our package options. They range from basic access to our dating database to hand-picked dates designed to match your preferences and personal dating consultation appointments with one of our match specialists.”

“Just the standard access is fine,” Anna replied. “I want to see what’s out there.”

Pulling out the proper paperwork, Chloe set the pages before her client. “You can indicate the contract length here,” she said, circling a section of the document. “We sell access by the year. You get discounts if you wish to sign up for longer periods of time.”

“Might as well,” Anna agreed, reading through the fine print. “Eternity’s not getting any shorter.”

While her client filled out the forms, Chloe grabbed a registration kit from her desk drawer.

“I’ll need to take biological samples from you,” she explained as she took out her swabs. “We use a pairing of psychological and scientific assessments to help determine your match rankings. I’ll need a mouth and skin swab and a few strands of your hair. Should you produce any sort of venom or toxins I’ll need some of those as well.”

“I’m just plain were,” Anna said, setting down her pen and taking the swab Chloe held out. She popped it into her mouth before dropping the sample in the baggie Chloe held out. Anna repeated the process with the other swabs and wipes until Chloe had all the samples needed.

“The standard processing time is one week,” Chloe said as she sealed the swabs into a package ready to be shipped off to the lab. “But you will have access to your online profile immediately.”

“Awesome,” Anna replied. “I can’t wait to get started.”

“Here is your access information.” Chloe held out a plain white card. “My number is on the back should you need assistance.”

“Do you have any tips?” Anna asked, looking in no hurry to leave.

“Smile.”

The wolf rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. How did you attract the Clearwater alpha’s attention?”

Necessity and desperation,
she wanted to reply. She was such a fraud. Who was she to give dating advice when her last real relationship had been years ago? All these women were looking up to her with stars in their eyes, when really she was just as lonely as they were.

Not lonely
, she denied.
Focused on what matters. Fated Match is what’s important. Not some emotionally stunted wolf.

“Just be yourself,” she said. “I’m sure your matches will find you irresistible.”

Her words were greeted by another sunny smile. “Thanks. I’ll let you know if I run into any issues. I can’t wait to set up my profile when I get home.”

“Good luck.” She watched the excited wolf skip out of her office and sighed. Chloe knew full well it was a running joke in the agency that she was usually the starry-eyed optimist. But her fight with Kieran had left her feeling far more hollow than happy. Wolves, both men and women, were flocking to the agency under the belief that they could literally work miracles. If a Fated Match member could snag Kieran Clearwater, then the impossible really could happen for ordinary people. How else could a coven-less witch attract one of the elite of their community?

Sighing, she glanced at the registration package and snapped her fingers. The plastic-wrapped items blinked out of existence. They’d reappear in the intake box at the processing lab.

Job finished, she left the office and headed for the break room. She could use a few minutes respite before repeating the speech she’d just given to the next client.

As soon as she stepped into the room, she realized she hadn’t been the only agent with that plan.

“Coffee?” Jessica asked, waving her over. “I just put on a fresh pot.”

She smiled in thanks, nodding to the other two women at the small table. Abbey sat with her head down, resting on folded arms, and Tasha had her feet kicked up on one of the empty chairs. Chloe filled her cup and wondered if it would be better to take her liquid jolt back to her office.

“I know that look,” Jessica said. “Sit down.”

“Hello to you, too,” she replied, taking a seat beside her friend.

“Chloe, girl, you should be paying us extra for today,” Tasha said.

“I don’t pay you at all.”

“Fair point. You should ask Vivian to pay us extra for today.”

“You are welcome to try.”

Both Tasha and Jessica shuddered. “I’d rather do the rest of the intakes single handed,” Jessica replied.

“We only have a couple hours to go,” Chloe said. “Not so bad.”

“Not even when I started dating Lucian did we get a rush like this,” Abbey said, not bothering to lift her head.

“That’s because your main squeeze didn’t want his vampires joining. Kieran has no control over what other packs do.”

The brunette sat up and fixed her with an evil eye. “At least we all knew what was coming. You didn’t even give us a heads up before this mob descended on us.”

“How was I to know what would happen? I only met a few members of Kieran’s pack last night.”

Abbey rolled her eyes. “Internet, cell phones, emails. You know wolves can’t keep a secret.”

“Hey,” Tasha said.

“Sorry,” Abbey said before she turned back to Chloe. “I don’t know how you managed to keep this to yourself for so long in the first place.”

“We were careful,” Chloe lied.

“I’ll get to the bottom of it when I meet him,” Jessica promised.

A hissed breath escaped her. “Dammit. I forgot to ask. Sorry, Jessie.”

The succubus arched a brow. “Slipped your mind, did it? Wonder what you two did when you got home.”

The other women laughed good-naturedly while Chloe’s cheeks heated.

“Sunday,” Jessica said, blowing on her coffee. “Tell your wolf he can either make a reservation or I’m showing up on his doorstep.”

“Sunday should work,” Chloe agreed. At least, for her. She’d have to talk Kieran into behaving civilly for an evening and not snapping at her like he’d done last night.

His dismissive expression rose in her mind’s eye. He’d looked at her like she was nothing. No one. Minutes after he’d had his tongue in her mouth. Was she really so dismissible?

“Chloe?” Abbey said.

The concern in her friend’s voice had her raising her head. All three of the women watched her with worried expressions.

“What?” she asked.

“It’s just…” Tasha started.

“You look sad,” Abbey put in.

“You never look sad,” Jessica finished.

She forced a smile to her lips. “It’s nothing,” she assured them. “Just a tiring day.”

None of them looked convinced.

“Do we have everything set for our mixer next week?” she asked instead, changing the topic with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

“Well, we did,” Tasha said. “If the intake numbers keep skyrocketing like this we may need to move it to a larger venue.”

“I’ll mention it to Vivian,” Chloe said as she made a mental note. “Abbey, I assume you’ve roped Lucian into coming?”

“You really think Vivian would let me leave this office without promising her favorite show pony would be in attendance?” Abbey rolled her eyes. “She made me clear his schedule months in advance. Melissa and Tarian will be there, too. Gotta keep our high profile matches in full view of our clients, after all.”

“Which I suppose means you’ll be bringing Kieran?” Tasha pointed out.

Chloe blinked. She’d been worried about Kieran meeting Jessica. The idea of him assisting her at a singles mixer was too ludicrous to imagine, but there was no denying his absence would raise eyebrows, especially with their other elite matches showing up. After all, he was supposed to love her. Lucian loathed prancing around Fated Match parties, but he did it with a smile because Abbey asked him to. If their relationship were real, Kieran would do the same.

“He’s very busy these days,” Chloe hedged.

Abbey snorted. “I’ll see your busy and raise you an elder. Lucian controls all the vamps on the east coast. You know how hard it is to get him to take a night off?”

“And we appreciate his dedication,” Vivian said, breezing into the break room. “I’ m sure Chloe will be able to convince Kieran. Now, ladies, there’s a waiting room full of clients.”

“Break over,” Jessica muttered.

Chloe downed the last sip of her coffee and set the cup in the sink. She was about to follow the other three women out when Vivian caught her arm.

They waited until they were alone before the siren closed the door.

“I take it this charade is live now.”

“Yes,” Chloe replied. “We met a few of his pack last night.”

“And in less than twenty-four hours we have this flood of clients. Excellent. This might not have been such a bad idea after all. Make sure Kieran is at the mixer. We need to milk his presence for all it’s worth before he’s gone.”

Inwardly Chloe winced, but under Vivian’s close stare she ensured her facial expression remained cool and calm.

“I’ll do my best. He’s not an easy man to control.”

Vivian waved her hand airily. “Darling, that’s why lingerie was invented. I have faith you can get him there. Now, let’s get back to work and sign as many of these clients as we can before the clock strikes twelve.”

Chloe followed Vivian out, not looking forward to the conversations she’d have to have with Kieran in the near future.

S
he’d worked late on purpose, but even with the rush of popularity, the doors of the Fated Match office were eventually closed. With no choice but to face the music, she returned to Kieran’s penthouse. Her own personal key was nestled in her palm, to be returned upon completion of the contract, of course.

Outside the door, she paused. What could she expect when she walked inside? Her mind ran through the options. Stony silence was always a favorite. Or he could pretend like everything was normal. There was the possibility he was still angry at her prying. Or maybe he simply didn’t care enough to act any differently, and she was over-thinking everything.

“Buck up,” she told herself. “No one gets the better of a witch.” Rolling her shoulders back, she unlocked the door and stepped into the beautiful home.

A mouth-watering aroma lingered in the air as she kicked off her heels by the door. Dropping her purse on the side vanity, she followed the delicious scent to the kitchen.

Once again, Kieran was cooking. Currently examining something in the oven, he gave her the perfect vantage point to drink in her fill of him.

Not good,
she scolded herself.
Be professional, aloof. Show him he didn’t hurt you.

Crossing her arms, she leaned against the doorjamb and waited for him to notice her presence.

But she should have remembered a wolf wouldn’t need sight to sense her.

“Have you eaten?” he asked as he straightened and shut the oven door.

“No.”

Wiping his hands on a dishtowel, he turned to face her.

Here we go.
She mentally braced herself.

“I got something for you,” he said, gesturing to one of the cupboards above the counter.