Mac and Ed sniggered.
“How’s work going?” Asked Mac politely. “Ed’s a big fancy pants lawyer in Alexandria, he just occasionally comes down her to talk to us little people.”
Ed grinned smugly. “We managed to settle a big case out of court, so I’m celebrating.”
Mac roared with laughter. “And you thought the best place to celebrate was in snoozeville? Seriously? Where’s the after party? A morgue?” Mac really didn’t stop to think before she spoke.
A look of mock hurt covered Ed’s features. “Are you questioning my mad party skills?” He shuffled his hips in a small dance.
Mac kept a straight face. “Yes, yes I am.”
He grinned. “Fair point. It’s just been kind of exhausting recently, I decided to celebrate by just having a few nice quiet drink here in my favourite watering ... and oh god I have literally turned into my grandfather. Now that I say it out loud I hear it. If I start asking any of you to sit on my knee so I can tell you how I lost my eye in the war please punch me.”
“Consider it done.” Adam slapped him on the back and everyone laughed.
Ed called over to Kim to get him a beer giving her a devilish grin and a wink. Handing it to him she winked in return.
Adam looked up as a pretty red head came into the bar.
Oh shit. Adam swallowed and tried to think quickly. Her name was Julianne. The last time Julianne was in town she had spent the night with Adam. They had met at this very bar. Julianne had been forthright and asked him to spend the night with her.
He accepted and they spent a satisfying few hours together. She had gushed at how good he was and told him to look her up if he was ever in the city. He agreed that she should do the same if she was ever back in Rose. He worried that she had come back for him. That wouldn’t go down well with his mate.
He roughly grabbed Rosalee’s hand. “I need to talk to you.” He hurriedly dragged her down the back corridor into the office, her protests dying on her lips.
He shut the door behind them and gently pushed her against one the walls. He put a hand on either side of her head and leaned down towards her. His mouth was only an inch from hers.
“I need to tell you a couple of things and I don’t want you to get all pissy or scared and run away.”
Her body shivered with awareness at how close he was. She was constantly aroused in his presence but being caged in like this made her insides quiver in anticipation. Despite herself she enjoyed the feeling of dominance radiating from him and heat pooled between her thighs. Her voice sounded strangled. “Oh?”
He tried to keep his voice as even as possible. Not easy given that the scent of her arousal was flooding the room. “That woman who just came into the bar, her name’s Julianne and I slept with her. I told her to look me up if she were ever in town again.”
Rosalee pouted. Was he dumping her to go off and have sex with another woman? He moved one hand to her face and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. She wanted to take it in her mouth and suckle it. Her mouth yearned to taste him anyway possible.
“I’m telling you this because I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. I’ve been with lots of women but that doesn’t change how I feel about you. Here and now is the only thing that matters.”
Her mind was hazy from lust but she could just about make out the jist of what he was saying. She closed her eyes trying to concentrate. “Us?”
“Yes, I wanted to tell you someplace nicer than this but... you’re my mate.”
Her eyes snapped open. The look in his eyes was intense. Passionate, animalistic but also longing and needful. “Mate?!”
“Yes. We are mates.”
Was this real? “How can you be so sure?”
“Well the fact that I’m walking round with a tent down my pants twenty four seven is a dead giveaway.” He smirked but quickly sobered when he saw her anxious expression. He ran his fingertips down her cheek, gently stroking her. “I can scent that you are my mate, my whole body knows that you were meant to be mine. My wolf has been going crazy for you, the urge to mate you, protect you and provide for you has been pushing him. You are my true mate, that other half of my soul. You are the only woman in the world for me, you were literally made for me. You are mine.”
She stared at him numbly. “Please say something Rose.”
She sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. While he was giving that speech she almost forgot to breathe. Could it be true?
She’d never had such a physical reaction to a man. She was so aroused when he was near and deflated when he wasn’t. She knew all supernatural creatures allegedly had a true mate but she was human so she’d never really given it much credence.