The Alpha's Temporary Mate(29)

He gripped her upper arms and drew her down toward him. "Can you promise  me you won't regret this tomorrow? Won't blame me for it?"

She frowned. No, she couldn't. But what was worse was the knowledge she  was half naked in front of him and he was still pushing her away.

Where had she gone wrong? He'd wanted her just a few minutes ago. His tongue on her body hadn't been an illusion.

Had he decided she didn't have enough experience for him? God knew he  outnumbered her when it came to past lovers. Maybe there was something  about her he found wanting.

"You don't have a noble bone in your body," she said, dropping her hands  from his chest. "Why are you holding me off, when I'm offering exactly  what you've wanted from me since we met?"

His breath hissed out between clenched teeth. "I want more from you than a drunken tumble."

"Who are you and what have you done with Kieran Clearwater?"

"I told you," he said, pulling her close. "I'm not looking for another Candy."

She looked down at him, seeing the gold bleed from his eyes. Here she was, all hot and bothered, and his lust was cooling.

Shame spiraled through her. She was begging a man who didn't want her.

Idiot, she berated herself. Fool. They'd shared some alcohol-fueled  confessions and she'd made them into more than they were. He'd said  himself he hadn't known what he wanted from her. Well, it seemed pretty  clear that he'd figured it out.

Nothing.

Not even her body.

"Bastard," she hissed, pushing herself off of him.

"Because I'm saving you from a decision you'll make us both regret?"

She rounded on him. "Don't ever think you can make decisions for me,  wolf. I can take care of myself. Far better than you will ever believe."

"Chloe, I'm not rejecting you-"

A harsh chuckle escaped her. No, it wasn't rejection. He was doing this  for her own good. Maybe he even believed it. But she knew he was doing  it because his interest had cooled and he wanted an exit that wouldn't  hurt their partnership. Couldn't have her storming out two weeks early,  could he?

Holding out her arms, she twirled in a slow circle. "Hope you enjoyed  the view," she said, snapping her fingers. Her shirt flew over her arms  and buttoned itself up. "Because you will never see it again."

She scooped her bra off the floor and strode from the room.

"Chloe," he called after her.

She didn't pause as she raced up the stairs. Didn't hesitate when she  threw herself into the shower to wash away every trace of his touch.

And she certainly didn't think twice about the tears trailing silently down her face.





Chapter Twelve

She was right. He was a damned idiot.

Kieran sat in his chair, staring at the files on his desk that required  his attention, and couldn't summon the will to throw himself into work.  Oh, he'd tried. But after catching the last of many calculation errors,  he'd admitted defeat.

Work was not going to erase the memory that haunted him.

He pushed out of his chair, pacing the length of his office. Never  before had he had a problem separating his personal and professional  life. Whatever drama he got into stayed outside the office. This was his  haven. A world he could command and order as he pleased.

But Chloe's face refused to leave him. The look of pain and  disappointment in her eyes continued to slice through him half a day  later.

"I did the right thing," he said to himself. The noble thing. She was  right that it went against his hedonistic nature, but he hadn't wanted  to break whatever it was growing between them.

Though trying to protect her may have done that anyway.

Claws ached to explode from his fingertips, a sure sign of his rising agitation.

His plan had been sound in theory. Alcohol had loosened both their  tongues, allowing them to share revelations they never would have  offered otherwise. If it had stopped there, they'd both be calling last  night a win.

But when she'd climbed on top of him, all thoughts of talk had flown  from his mind. What was it about the witch that made him crave her like a  damned drug? It wasn't his way to get hung up on any woman. He'd lusted  after potential lovers before, but he'd never pursued anyone the way he  wanted to chase Chloe. Usually he took a what-will-be-will-be approach  to his love life. Often the women he wanted had little problem with  falling into his bed. The few who'd turned him down had then been  dismissed from his mind with very little contemplation.

Maybe it was their prolonged proximity that was tying him in so many  knots. Once Chloe was out of his life things would go back to normal.                       
       
           



       

Except he couldn't imagine weekends without her curled up on the  armchair, tea in one hand and a book in the other. He'd have to go back  to solitary meals and a life that revolved around the office-neither of  which had ever bothered him before now.

"It's the mating moon," he said aloud. His instincts were all over the place.

His thought lacked the conviction it'd once had.

He ran a hand down his face. Chloe didn't want temporary. She'd told him  so last night. He was to thank for her newfound desire to find her  mate.

The universe had a twisted sense of humor.

Even if she hadn't discovered her wish for a permanent companion, he'd  known right from the moment he'd met her that she wasn't the type of  girl to settle for a relationship of convenience. No, anything with  Chloe would be tangled and complicated.

And no doubt vastly rewarding.

Which left him with a decision. Did he want to repair what he'd broken  last night? The hurt, angry Chloe he'd seen might not be a delight to  spend time in a cabin with, but she'd also pose no threat to his  solitary life. Right now the woman wouldn't touch him with a ten-foot  pole.

It'd be the easy way out.

Except the pain in her eyes gnawed at him every time he closed his.  She'd taken his concern as rejection, and after the lonely life she'd  lived, he could just imagine what that was doing to her.

She's my employee, my pretend lover. I shouldn't care. Hell, Chloe was  taking up far more of his time than his real girlfriends ever had.

That truth did nothing to quell his desire to make things right.

He glanced backward at his phone. She was a few button presses away.

"Dammit," he cursed, stalking to the cordless. Other men might be able  to ignore their partner's pain but he didn't seem capable of it.

Here's hoping she didn't dismiss the call when she saw who was on the other end.



Some things magic couldn't fix. Chloe's pounding head was one of them.  The embarrassment clinging to her like a second skin was another.

Leaning her forehead on the desk, she closed her eyes and wished she  were anywhere but work. Drinking on a Sunday night. Recipe for disaster.

Not quite as bad as waking up with a clear memory of exactly what had happened the night before.

She groaned, not exactly sure what was worse-telling her flighty  would-be lover she wanted a mate, or the fact that he'd turned her down  when she'd offered herself up on a silver platter.

Oh, he might have said perfect words she was desperate to believe, but  in the harsh light of day Chloe figured the alcohol was probably  affecting him as much as it had her. Even intoxicated, Kieran had  managed to stop and push her away. He might have said he needed her as  something more than his next superficial girlfriend but when push came  to shove, he hadn't wanted anything from her at all.

And that pain cut through the worst of her embarrassment like a knife.

It was a blessing he'd stopped when he had, she told herself. He'd kept  them both from making a mistake. Better he realized she wasn't what he  wanted before she'd ended up crossing a line she couldn't come back  from.

It didn't matter that he didn't want her as much as she wanted him.  She'd always known they wanted two different things out of this  partnership. Better to get this job done and get away from him as fast  as possible. Then she could focus on finding her mate, which obviously  wasn't the delicious alpha. Her mate wouldn't push her away. Not ever.

Her mate wouldn't find her lacking.

The phone rang, cutting through her morose thoughts and making her wince  at the shrill sound. Pushing herself up with a groan she grabbed the  receiver.

"Fated Match, pairing mates together since 1704."

"Chloe."

Her body went from sluggish to alert with that one word, spoken in a voice she recognized all too well.

"Kieran," she said. Her instincts demanded she slam the receiver down,  but logic stopped her. She could play this cool. Be an adult. So he'd  turned her down. She could rise above and be mature. Couldn't she?

"You were gone when I woke today."

"Early shift," she replied, not wanting to admit she'd set her alarm so  she could avoid bumping into him in the kitchen. Last week she'd enjoyed  the domesticity of getting ready for work together, watching Kieran  making them breakfast while she'd prepared the tea and coffee. Today,  though, she'd wanted a chance to lick her wounds before she saw him.