Which meant keeping his relationship with Chloe professional.
His wolf growled at the thought, not liking that reality at all.
“Just hold on for a while longer,” he said to his other half. “Then we’ll find some nice wolf that will have you panting for her. Promise.”
He just needed to get through the next few weeks in one piece.
Chloe stared at the lock on her door and snorted. The gleaming hook and eye latch screwed into the dark wood would be useful in keeping out exactly zero supernaturals. Which, she supposed, was the point. It didn’t matter what sort of lock she put on this door, if a determined werewolf wanted in, nothing was going to stop him.
Well, nothing except her.
“Okay, wolf,” she breathed, eying the large doorframe. “Two can play this game.”
Dropping her purse to the beige carpet, she stepped up to the door. Magic rushed through her body in a comforting caress. Tiny lightning sparks snapped at her fingertips as she rose on her toes and touched her hands to the top of the doorframe. Whispered words tumbled from her lips as she drew her hands apart, running her fingers over the sides of the door and leaving shimmering sky-blue magic behind. She brushed her hands across the threshold on the floor before snapping her fingers. The blue trail encircling the door brightened for a moment before disappearing from view.
Satisfied, she sat back on her heels. Nothing was getting through that entrance without an invitation. Famed werewolf strength or no.
Not that she truly thought she needed such protections. Kieran might play with her, but for all his bluster he held is own set of morals that would keep her safe from him if she ever wanted to turn him away.
Wanted being the operative word.
Chloe licked her lips as she pushed herself from the floor. Just a few more weeks and she’d be far closer to fulfilling her dreams than she’d been before the wolf had entered her office. As long as she kept her eye on the prize she could avoid falling into Kieran’s clutches.
Even if a forbidden part of her whispered that wouldn’t be a terrible fate.
Shaking her head, she looked around the stately guestroom. The floor to ceiling windows that had lit the open concept living room were continued here. Natural light flooded in from two sides, though a quick inspection revealed blackout curtains that would no doubt come in handy when trying to sleep.
A king bed sat in the middle of the room, its headboard pressed against one wall. The linens were all shades of green and brown, complete with a green comforter shot through with golden threads. Tasteful, yet at the same time she couldn’t help noticing there was more than enough room for two people to roll around quite comfortably on the soft covers.
Shaking her head, she grabbed her suitcase and headed for the walk-in closet. Never in her life had she stayed in such a large, decadent room. She tended to be a studio apartment kind of girl. Now she had a gleaming marble en suite, the biggest flat screen she’d ever seen bolted to the wall, and more space than she knew what to do with.
Logically, the layout of the room made sense. Wolves hated to be penned in, and their living spaces were often minimalistic out of necessity rather than aesthetic. When one turned into a large animal frequently, one didn’t want breakable furniture that could be bumbled into unintentionally. Though her own apartment looked like the home of a pack rat, she rather enjoyed this change of pace.
Wandering over to the windows she looked down on the city below. “You can do this,” she whispered. Kieran might be tempting but she was no stranger to gorgeous supernatural men. She could smile and kiss him for their audience without allowing any of her emotions to become entangled. Pressing her hands to her cheeks, she vowed to crush the humiliating blush that rose every time she was around him. He was just a man, after all. And she was professional enough to handle this assignment for the duration of their contract.
“Still, maybe I should research glamours,” she muttered. The simple spell would act as the perfect mask, hiding her rosy blushes from the world.
Staring at her ghostly reflection in the glass, she lifted her chin. She wouldn’t let Kieran down, and when this was all over, she’d have both her business, and her heart, safely secured.
“Dinner.”
Chloe glanced at the door as the shout echoed through the house. She’d spent the last two hours unpacking before turning to her laptop for a refresher course in pack culture. Night had fallen over the city and she’d barely noticed.
“Coming,” she shouted back. Ignoring her shoes, she raced from the room in her polka-dotted socks. It hadn’t taken her very long to change from her formal pencil skirt and gray blazer to her comfiest jeans and a light purple sweater. She was halfway down the stairs when it occurred to her she could have changed into something more stylish for dinner.