The Scent of Seduction (6 page)

Nicole set her wine glass back on the table. “I do. I try to share my enthusiasm with all the kids, those in honours classes as well as in basic. Teenagers are can either be very smart or act very stupid, depending on the situation, but it seems to be a universal fact that you can't bullshit them. The way I look at it is, if they can see how much I enjoy teaching them and how much I love what I teach, then I might have a chance at getting them to pay attention. The more they learn now, the better prepared they'll be to enter society, whether or not they ever attend college."

The steak melted in Jaryn's mouth and he smiled as he heard a little moan of appreciation from Nicole across the table.

"I really don't want to go back to the unpleasant topic, but have you contacted anyone from your life since your escape?"

Nicole frowned and her shoulders fell. She put her knife and fork down and twisted her fingers together. “No. I'm sure my job is gone, and most likely my landlord gave up on me a long time ago. I...I probably have nothing but the clothes on my back."

Jaryn reached for one of Nicole's hands. He caressed her knuckles with his thumb. “I'll help you get everything in order. We'll make some calls in the morning. I'll take you shopping and get you a new wardrobe and whatever else you need."

"But I'm sure Adam is monitoring everything connected to my life before. He has people working for him who can trace any type of communication all over the world.” She toyed with the napkin in her lap. “In fact, he's probably already aware of the money I withdrew this morning. It's only a matter of time before he finds me,” she whispered.

"Remember what I said? Our pack will protect you with our lives if need be. I have contacts, too, sweetheart. Don't worry, nothing we do will trigger anything on Adam's end."

"I'd appreciate the help with getting a few changes of clothes and the other stuff, but I promise I'll pay you back."

"You're my mate, Nicole. It's my job to take care of you, provide for you, and love you. I won't accept a dime for simply doing what I'm supposed to do.” He could see she was about to argue. “I'm not trying to take over your life. If you want to get another job teaching, and contribute to our home, I'm all for it. If you want to stay home with our pups, that's fine, too. All I'm saying is, don't throw my gift in my face, please. Don't start our mating off with some type of internal balance sheet."

Nicole took her hand away from Jaryn's. She took a large sip of the wine in front of her. “Holy crap—you're moving at lightning speed here. We haven't even mated yet and you're already talking about children."

Nicole's words gave Jaryn hope and his pulse raced. “Are you ready to accept the fact that we are mates?"

"I'm still considering all the implications of what it would mean to be your mate. Can...can we just take this slow? I'm a little overwhelmed with everything."

The excitement of a moment ago shrivelled and Jaryn's heart felt as though it was being crushed in an iron fist. His mate didn't want him. This was supposed to be the simplest thing in his life. When he found his mate, their connection was supposed to be instant and irrefutable. Jaryn knew Nicole was his mate, and he sensed that deep inside her she knew the truth—so why was she fighting him?

Because she's been through hell, you asshole. Give her some time to get her equilibrium back

"Of course. I'm sorry. Tell me how you became a teacher."

"My first job out of college was working as a patent examiner. I'd review incoming patent requests to determine their validity and cross reference them with current patents on file. It was mostly a lot of clerical and research work. I made decent income, but I was bored out of my skull. So about ten years ago, I decided to get my teaching certificate. I received my certificate then immediately started work on my Master's degree.” Nicole took a sip of her wine and tucked her hair behind one ear. “I was on the track to achieve tenure when I was kidnapped."

Jaryn reached for Nicole's hand. Even the back was dotted with faint freckles. Her pale skin was proof that she hadn't spent a lot of time outdoors this past summer, so he suspected that the tiny embellishments graced her skin year round. They gave character to the milky, porcelain skin tone, and he wanted to find each and every freckle on her body. Preferably with his tongue.

Jaryn quietly released a long breath. “You know, we have a pretty good school system here for a small town. Mostly because kids from several surrounding areas travel here for their education.” Nicole stiffened and tried to pull her hand away. “Please don't back away. I know you aren't sold on the idea yet, but every cell in my body is screaming to me that you are my mate. My wolf wants to claim you then sing to moon in celebration. I'm telling you this because I want to be honest with you, but you also need to know that I will never force you to complete our mating bond. I would never take away your right to make the choice for yourself. If you were to walk away from all that we could be, my life would never be complete and that is something
I
would have to deal with. However, if you agree to become my mate, I would not only make sure that you never again feel alone or scared, I would love you more than the deepest fathoms of the ocean or highest peaks reaching into the sky. Whatever the future holds, we would face it together."

"Tell me something?"

"Anything."

"Do they give all you shifters lessons in charm as pups? Why is it that every one of you I've ever encountered always knows exactly the right thing to say? I even fell for Adam's lines without a second thought...before he kidnapped me. Is there a class you take that teaches you how to be suave, romantic and seduce women, or is it something woven into your genetic code?"

Jaryn tilted his head back and laughed so loud that he was sure the entire restaurant looked in their direction. When he glanced over at Nicole, her arms were crossed and she had the most adorable look of consternation on her face.

"And what, may I ask, is so damn funny?"

Jaryn nodded for Susan to go ahead and take his plate. He frowned slightly when Nicole gestured for the same, given that she'd only eaten half her meal. But he wasn't about to cross swords with her on that topic at this moment.

"I wasn't laughing at you. I was thinking about my Beta, Shaun. He's perpetually unlucky with women. Every ex of his I've met always says the same thing. He's a good guy and means well, but he has a tendency to speak first and think second. That, and you'd have better luck getting him to wear a man thong than you would getting him to open up about anything personal."

Nicole lips threatened to inch out a smile. “If he's so difficult, why is he your Beta?"

Jaryn leant forwards over the table and stared into Nicole's eyes. “Shaun's mouth may run away from him on occasion, but he's the most loyal person I know. He'll do anything for the pack and its members, even if it means a personal sacrifice. And he may have a hard time expressing personal emotions, but never doubt that he feels them. In fact, his emotionality gives him the drive to fight tooth and nail for what he believes in."

"And you? Were you born with your charm?"

"I am the Alpha for my pack, as my father was before me. Diplomacy and a certain amount of charm are skills I've had to learn by necessity. But when I say those words to you, I'm not speaking as Alpha of Phantom River Pack, I'm speaking to you as Jaryn Chaunterel. I'm a man, just as any other, and I've found the woman who's destined to share my life. I'm willing to do everything within my power to make that possibility a reality."

"So you're willing to say whatever it takes, regardless of how you feel? What's a lie, if it gets you what you want?"

"No, Nicole. I don't lie, not to you. And when we complete the mating bond you'll know me better than any other person alive because not only will we share our lives, but our thoughts and emotions. I'll be an open book to you."

Nicole turned to look out the window beside them. Jaryn sensed that she was fighting some battle within herself. He'd give anything at this moment to have cemented their bond, so he would know what she was thinking...how she felt about everything he'd thrown at her today...how she really felt about everything that had happened to her. She was tired and stressed from her time on the run. Had he overplayed his hand?

"How can you possibly blindly accept that we're going to fall in love, that our lives will magically fit together and we'll live in some idyllic Shangri-La?"

Jaryn reached across the table and turned Nicole's face back towards him. He picked up her hand and held it between his. His larger palms swallowed her delicate fingers. “I believe in the mating bond. I've never met a pair of true mates who didn't love each other with ultimate passion and devotion. As for making our lives fit? We are two intelligent individuals. With work and compromise and the desire to make it happen, I know it's possible. I'm not saying there won't be bumps along the way. I'm sure we'll argue and on occasion annoy each other, but at the end of the day, I have faith that my life will be better for having you in it, and I hope in time you'll think the same."

"It sounds too good to be true. I'm scared to believe. You're asking me to believe that I've travelled from hell to heaven in two days. That's not realistic."

Jaryn frowned. He and Shaun had a lot to discuss tomorrow about the investigation. He wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly was going on in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, and shut down Broyles’ operation for good. But tonight, his mate and building their bond came first.

"Will you at least think about accepting me as your mate? Will you help me with our investigation?” he asked.

Nicole met Jaryn's eyes for a long moment. “I'll do everything I can to help you. I owe it to those I left behind. The rest...we'll have to see."

It was something. Right now Jaryn would take whatever he could get.

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Jaryn sat at his desk going through phone messages that had been logged into the system. Some of them were current clients, some prospective. There was one from the ASC, and the remaining dealt with pack business. At least he'd finally be able to give the chairman some solid news on the investigation front. He handled the business issues for both the pack and his and Shaun's architectural and contracting firm out of the office on Main Street, wanting to keep his home a sanctuary. The restrictions disappeared if there was an emergency within the pack, but most of the members respected the imaginary lines Jaryn had drawn when he took over the Alpha position from his father.

It had been a change from when Jaryn was growing up. When his dad had held the Alpha position, their home would frequently be bombarded at all hours with wolves needing their Alpha for anything from settling a squabble between members, to those filing for permits to build on the pack-held land. Jaryn had sworn at a young age that when he was Alpha, the home he would someday share with his mate and pups would be a home, not a conference centre. He was available day and night, but there was no need to bang on his door unless it was an emergency. In the two years since Jaryn had taken over, the new system seemed to be working well.

He'd also implemented the bi-weekly pack meetings. The meetings gave him, Shaun, and the enforcer of their pack, Cooper Tessen, a chance to touch base with all the members. Most of the time the meetings ended up having the atmosphere of a large family get-together. They didn't have a huge pack, only around a hundred members including the young. The meetings allowed Jaryn to update the pack with the status of their business ventures in the area, and address any issues that came up day by day. The business portion of the meeting took up a relatively short amount of time, and the rest was spent socialising with friends and family. Wolves were always very social creatures, and no matter how stressed his life was at any given time, Jaryn always looked forward to spending time with his family, friends, and pack members.

They all congregated at the two thousand square foot lodge the pack had funded and built on their land. That reminded Jaryn—he really needed to talk to Shaun about organising a committee to tackle the proposed small meeting house for more intimate gatherings. Jaryn had been tossing around the idea of possibly opening up the lodge to the public. Maybe even finding the funding to design and build a small-to-medium sized chalet with guest rooms groups could rent for corporate retreats or weddings. Jaryn didn't want the pack to be responsible for running a full time resort, but corporate retreats or weddings would be acceptable. The rest of the time the rooms could be used for visitors to pack members or housing the occasional dignitary from the council. Phantom River's land backed up to Glacier National Park, so he suspected they wouldn't have a hard time selling the location. There were natural creeks that bubbled in the spring, grassy meadows, and certain areas where there were enough trees that any structure built would maintain a secluded feel. The pack had enough land that a small parcel allotted to be open to public use wouldn't encroach on the members’ homes and lives. The income generated would add to the already successful pack-owned businesses in the area, and it would allow Jaryn to provide jobs for both pack members and non-pack residents. He'd have to run some numbers and see if something of that nature would be feasible.

God, he hated accounting, but unfortunately being Alpha included the tedious job of balancing and managing the pack's accounts. Too bad they didn't have a member who was an accountant or financial planner. Jaryn would love to delegate this part of his responsibilities.

Jaryn's head jerked up as the door to his office hit the wall with a bang and saw Shaun standing in the doorway with his feet braced apart, arms crossed and a decisively annoyed frown on his face. It seemed it was time to pay the piper.

"And when were you planning on telling me—your Beta, not to mention your best friend—that you'd found your mate? I had to hear it from Gillian at the diner over my stack of pancakes. I nearly incinerated my throat inhaling scalding hot coffee!"