Mating Brand(37)
The phone didn’t ring a third time. She rolled out of bed and entered Brand’s bathroom, grabbing his robe off the hook. It smelled of him. She decided to go search the kitchen for some chocolate. Brand loved the stuff so she felt certain she’d find a hidden stash somewhere.
The front door opened as she crossed the living room and Brand walked in. He grinned, his gaze raking her from head to foot. “I thought you were going to wait for me in bed?” He closed and locked the door behind him. He moved purposefully, his intent to take her to bed obvious.
She held up a hand. “Give me a few minutes.” She fled into the kitchen.
Brand followed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she lied, opening his pantry. “Where’s your candy bar stash?”
“Top right, behind the cereal boxes. Hon, what’s wrong? You’re tense.”
He knew her well but she knew him too. She found the box. It was nearly full. Her wolf had always loved his chocolate. She removed two candy bars and spun, holding one out to him.
“You had a phone call while you were gone. Peggy is very upset. I’m sorry but she said some bad things about you that set me off. I told her we were mated and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t real kind about it.”
His expression twisted into a grimace. “Shit. It’s not what you think. I’ve never slept with her.”
That surprised Charma. “She’s angry that you didn’t meet her yesterday.”
“She set that up but I never agreed.” He tossed the candy bar on the counter and stalked closer, boxed her into the corner with his open arms and snagged hers to send it flying across the room. “Don’t let her upset you. She lost her mate last year and was trying to talk me in to taking on her and her nine pups.”
“Nine?” That stunned Charma. “She sounded so young.”
“She mated at eighteen and now she’s thirty. Her mate pretty much kept her pregnant because she wanted a ton of kids. He was a good guy but I never agreed with his taste in women. She’s kind of annoying with her hyper personality.”
Guilt struck. “Her mate died? That’s awful.”
“Yeah. It was. She’d asked my cousin to stop serving him drinks at his place so he went to a bar out of our territory and ended up taking on some rogues in a fight. He lost his life. We tracked them down and dealt with the ones responsible.” He flattened his palms on the wall to keep her in place but didn’t touch her. “I’m sorry she upset you.”
“I was more angry than hurt. She said some terrible things about you that weren’t true.”
“That’s Peggy. She’s kind of immature and tends to blow everything out of proportion when she doesn’t get her way. Are you okay?” He paused. “Are we okay? I never touched her.”
She stared into his eyes, knowing he spoke the truth. She stepped into him until she pressed against his body. “Why would she say such horrible things about you?”
He frowned. “What did she say?”
“You hate kids, you’re coldhearted. She pretty much made you sound like a jerk.”
“I told you that you’re the only one I’ve ever loved, hon. Some women see me as heartless. I don’t hate kids. I just didn’t want to take on her nine pups.”
“You offered to love any children I had.”
“That’s because they would have been a part of you. Peggy wanted a pup wrangler and she sure as hell doesn’t love me. She likes my bank account.”
“Your bank account?”
“I do well in real estate.”
That surprised her. “You were going to become the accountant for your pack.”
“Things changed after you left. I doubled my classes to finish the courses but I just couldn’t stand to be there without you.” His big hands gently wrapped around her hips. “I discovered I love tearing shit apart so I started flipping houses. You know? Buying run-down properties and fixing them up to sell at a much higher price. I started my own company and have done well. I’m not rich by some standards but we’re financially stable. I also help the pack as an enforcer. We get a salary for that because it can take up a lot of hours, depending on the time of year.”
“Like when you guys go into mating heat?”
“Exactly.” His voice deepened. “Speaking of which, I need you.”
She forgot about the candy bars. She gripped Brand’s shoulders and jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Take me to the bedroom. I don’t want your cousin catching us again. Is he here?”
“Yeah.” Brand cupped her ass, carrying her out of the kitchen. “He’s downstairs packing.”