“Whoa, it’s hot in that kitchen.” She waved her hands at her chest. “You should turn on the air conditioner.”
Mika fought a laugh as she watched her uncle take in her clothes. His jaw dropped, his eyes widened as he paled and sucked in air sharply.
“Mika, we have company. Fix your clothing, damn it.” Mika ignored his demand and turned. She let her gaze go over Minnie, who was grinning widely and obviously fighting a laugh. Mika studied the first man, a blond, about six feet tall, who stared at her chest so hard she could almost feel it. She turned to look at the man about three feet to his left. He was shorter, stocky, with a crew cut of dark brown hair. He was gaping at her legs. The man next to him, openly leering at her breasts, had blond hair and wore a suit. The last man was over by the door so Mika had to turn her head to get a good view of him.
Oh shit, she thought. She stared into a pair of dark, familiar eyes that were staring right back into hers. He broke eye contact to glance up and down her body and then his gaze locked on her face again. For a few seconds there he paled just a little. She saw Grady’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard and his hands at his side flexed into fists and then opened. Mika spun away from him quickly.
“You bellowed?” She was proud that her voice didn’t shake as she faced her uncle.
She was in shock. He’s one of my uncle’s men. Shit, this is bad, she thought . Her uncle had just warned his men that he’d castrate any of them if they touched her so if he found out about last night he’d have a damn fit over what Grady had done to her. She bet her last dollar that right now Grady was silently freaking out too. Her heart pounded but she took deep breaths to calm herself as she met her uncle’s furious look.
“Fix your clothes,” he growled.
22
Mate Set
Mika tugged down her skirt to a modest length and buttoned up her shirt. “Better?”
“Much.” Uncle Omar was still angry. “Let me introduce you to my most trusted males.”
Inclining her head, she turned to the first one again. The man had stopped staring at her chest as he moved forward. “I’m Riley Forest.” He held out his hand to her.
“Mika Richards.” She lifted her hand to shake his.
“Don’t touch her,” Omar growled.
The man jerked back a few steps, letting his hand drop. Mika sighed and dropped her hand. She shot her uncle a frown as he shook his head at her.
“They aren’t allowed to touch you at all.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little overboard?”
“I think you’re still not too old to get a good swat on your ass if you keep arguing with me.”
Mika darted a glance Minnie’s way. Minnie rolled her eyes then lowered her gaze to the floor. Mika sighed and put her hands behind her back to lock her fingers together. If it happened to push out her breasts, so be it. She smiled in amusement and nodded at the man. The second man nodded at her when her attention turned to him.
“Gregor Marlin,” he said softly.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
The third man had crossed his arms over his chest and he looked pissed off. He met her gaze and jerked his head in a nod. “Rick Voll.”
“Hello.”
Grady was careful to show no emotion on his face. “Grady Harris.” Their eyes locked. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She smiled at him.
She saw his eyes narrow but his expression didn’t alter one bit. She had to bite back a laugh. She hadn’t meant to say that. It had just popped out of her mouth. She turned back to her uncle to stare at him silently.
“One of them has volunteered to guard you during your stay after I explained about the danger you could face. You’re an attractive girl and I think it would be best if you had a guard with you.” Uncle Omar paused. “I know you are independent and you think it’s not necessary but I don’t want someone to go after you. You have no idea what a male is capable of when it’s mating season.” She sighed. “I think I have a pretty good idea, Uncle Omar. I promise you that I won’t go out after dark.”
He snorted. “We’re not like your human men, honey. You don’t know how persistent we can be. Just because the sun is up doesn’t make a man less stupid when it comes to an attractive woman. They aren’t just going to be looking for an attractive woman after dark. Minnie was right. It’s a dangerous time for you to be visiting. I insist on the guard and that’s final.”
23
Laurann Dohner
“I’m sure your men have better things to do than babysit a twenty-eight-year-old woman.”
“No, they don’t.” Uncle Omar frowned. “You have a guestroom. One of them will be at your house within an hour with a bag. He’ll be staying with you while you visit or until mating season ends. Sorry, baby, but that’s how it is. You may go straight home now. That’s an order.”
She clenched her teeth. “Fine.”
“I know you aren’t happy about this.” Uncle Omar sighed. “I’ll worry about you.
You can’t defend yourself against a wolf, Mika. If you were a bitch, you’d have claws and teeth to fight off an unwanted male but you don’t. I’d rather be overprotective than the alternative.”She saw the worry in his eyes and her shoulders slumped. “I know you worry about me.”
“I do. You’re the only family I have and you’re a daughter to me. I love your visits but I’d never forgive myself if you were hurt or killed while you were here. Please let me protect you, baby. I can smell that you’re very angry but this is what needs to be done. I have a pack meeting tonight so I don’t want you coming here because it’s going to be wall-to-wall males.”
Mika nodded. “All right.”
“Go straight home. Your guard will arrive soon.”
Mika nodded. “Fine, Uncle Omar.”
He smiled. “Don’t think I don’t appreciate you not arguing about this.”
“Would it change your mind?”
“Not a chance in hell.” He chuckled.
She grudgingly smiled back. “You taught me better than to fight with a wolf.” She winked at him. “I’ll see you soon.” 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 knew about that? Damn. Her gaze flew to Minnie, who shook her head. 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.”
24
Mate Set
“And that’s why I didn’t put you over my damn knee. Now go so I can talk to them.”
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.
25
Laurann Dohner
Chapter Three
Mika paced and glanced at her watch for the fiftieth time, at least. She heard a vehicle stop in front of the house and she walked for 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’ 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 him what happened last night he’s going to blow a damn 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 ever heard of it. I usually 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.