His Wolf's Desire Read online

  Chapter Two

  Jayla heard the sound of the hefty steel door blasting open. Twisting her head over her shoulder, she witnessed Brad glaring down at her with a wrathful leer. His sensual lips detracted from his harsh frown, and the tick in the corner of his mouth matched the stern set of his jaw. She spun around to face him with her palms facing outward.

  Jayla opened her mouth to say something, then realized she’d underestimated Brad’s stature when she’d observed him for the first time sitting in the conference room. Looming above her, a man of well over six feet of pure unadulterated muscle focused all his anger toward her. His thick neck extended from wide shoulders filling out his suit jacket. The material hugged large biceps, giving a teasing hint of the exquisite body which his expensive suit shielded from view. The man oozed sex appeal. He peeled off his jacket from his broad shoulders. His large hands tore at the fabric with deliberate movements as he flung it to the floor.

  Such an unexpected, sexy, intimidating move, and she whimpered in response. Her gaze roamed across his expansive chest to the rest of his large body. The man was a brute. The long-sleeved dress shirt stretched over strong, bulky musculature. Jayla could make out every sharp angle of his imposing physique. Even through the thick material of his slacks she could see the contours of his long, powerful legs.

  AS BRAD STARED at the small female before him, he tried to reel in his anger. She looked petrified, and no matter how much he disliked her, he wasn’t into intentionally scaring women. How the hell could he not know she was a wolf? How the hell could he not know she was his mate? Jayla had some explaining to do as soon as he calmed down. Trying to give her a little space, Brad took a step away from her, which only enhanced his larger-than-life presence.

  JAYLA FELT FEAR race up her spine, making her body tremble. Cornered like a wild animal about to be caged, she spun around and took off running for her life. Instinct told her to put as much distance as possible between the two of them. If she hadn’t been at work, she would have shifted into her wolf form so she could flee. Her long pencil skirt made her attempt to escape near impossible. Catching Brad off guard, she ran up two flights of stairs before his large hand clamped down on her wrist, spinning her around. The skin-to-skin contact caused a delicious rush of unwanted excitement to wash over her. Looking into the face of her pursuer, her pussy flooded with warmth.

  “Brad.”

  It was a question. It was an expletive. It was a plea. It gushed from her lips in the form of an impassioned whisper. She scanned his face, trying to focus on anything that would snap some sense back into her. But all she could take notice of was the dangerous sexual warning lurking in the depths of his eyes.

  When Brad’s attention descended to her full lips, his jaw clenched tight. His reaction caused Jayla’s eyes to widen, and she licked her lips, triggering a low groan in him. Still holding her wrist, Brad took a step closer, and his body heat overtook her. It snaked around her, suffocating her ability to think clearly. Need, desire, and lust exploded through her body, overwhelming her sanity. Never in her life had she been this turned on or out of control.

  Unable to help herself, she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, crushing her mouth to his. Their lips smashed violently together in a frenzied power struggle, the timing and chemistry of their brutal kiss affected by their confusion over their sudden and undeniable attraction to each other.

  Almost tumbling down the stairs, Brad’s strong body stopped the backward progress. The next thing Jayla knew, they were propelling in the opposite direction, and her back slammed against the cement wall. The force of the blow broke apart their disastrous first kiss, and Brad seemed to gain back some of his composure.

  BRAD FISTED HIS hands in her thick hair and took charge of their second kiss. His tongue surged into her mouth in frantic, restless hunger. In the back of his mind he cursed himself for behaving like this. He didn’t do mindless need. He didn’t do helpless desperation. But damn if he didn’t have to feel every inch of her body underneath his fingers and lips.

  Feeding on the sweetness of her lips, Brad slowed the pace. Her distinctive taste, a heady combination of woman and wolf, turned him into an instant addict. Releasing one hand from her hair, he wrapped his other around her tiny waist, pulling her flush against his body while exploring further with his tongue.

  The kiss, an explosion of hot, passionate desire, took him by surprise. The longer their lips stayed connected, the more out of control Brad felt. He clung to her in a panicked state of arousal.

  JAYLA WAS DROWNING in the intensity of their attraction, and she needed to stop the insanity. She uncurled one hand from around his wide neck, pulled her head up, and abruptly ended their lip-lock. Brad seemed to want to recapture her mouth with his and looked stunned when her small hand connected with the side of his face.

  She slapped him so hard his head ricocheted from the force, causing him to stagger. The second she felt his hands release her, she ran away again, this time making it down one flight of stairs before he grabbed her upper arm and whirled her around to face him.

  “Jayla.”

  Despite his fingers gripping her and the look of trepidation on his face, his voice came out deceptively calm and deeply aroused. Her name rolled off his tongue like a lascivious nickname only a lover could gift. Her cheeks grew hot, as if he’d whispered an erotically suggestive remark to her. She pressed her eyes shut tight, afraid.

  “Please just leave me alone,” she whispered.

  “And how do you suggest I do that?”

  When did his voice become so low and seductive?

  Opening her eyes, she slapped him again and ran. This time she made it up half a flight of stairs before he spun her around. She tried to slap him a third time, but he anticipated her move, catching her wrist midsmack.

  Madness prevailed, and they both went in for another kiss. Their teeth knocked together from the clumsy frenzy of desire casting its wanton hex on them. Want and need in a form she’d never experienced before unfurled from the deepest part of her soul. She kissed him, yet she continued to fight, pushing against his broad shoulders.

  “Stop, Jayla. I’m not going to hurt you.” A husky plea muttered into her mouth.

  Unable to deny her desire any longer, she stopped fighting. She pressed her palms against his shoulders one last time before she gave in. Her submission calmed his aggression, allowing their kiss to blossom into a promise of things to come. He pulled her away from the wall and trailed his hands down to her ass. Pressing her pliable body against his, Brad moaned in response.

  His lips moved over hers, claiming them with desperate need. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting herself experience the kiss and Brad for the first time. His demanding lips urged her to give as much as she took. Sliding his tongue back into her mouth, he seemed to dare her to explore his. Taking his lead, she familiarized herself with the invitation of his lips.

  Goodness, he tastes perfect. He feels perfect.

  The pressure of his strong body against her curves made her moan. His lips, as addictive as they were divine, kept up a relentless pace. Every time she tried to turn her head and take a gasp of air, he deepened the kiss further. She’d never been kissed senseless before. Jayla was ready to crumble to the floor.

  Angling his face, Brad looked into her eyes, and his deep voice sounded as breathless as she felt. “How long have you known I’m your mate?”

  Feathering her words across his lips, she held his gaze. “I didn’t. And by the look on your face, I’m assuming we both found out at the same time.”

  “So you didn’t come here to trap me?”

  His jaw locked as contempt etched onto his handsome features. His blue eyes darkened in caution as his hands tightened around her.

  “Trap you? I can’t stand you, Brad. Why the hell would I want you?”

  “Thank God. I don’t want you either.”

  Jayla was relieved as his rebuttal lifted the heaviness of impending m
isery off her shoulders, but deep down her pride took a hit.

  “So you don’t want this? You don’t want me as a mate?”

  “Hell no. I don’t want you, Jayla. I don’t want a mate period. And if I choose one, you can bet your ass it wouldn’t be you.”

  “You’re such an arrogant bastard.”

  Despite her words, she pressed her lips against his once more. His low moan spiked her nipples in the process. He unbuttoned her tweed jacket and slid his hand across the silk camisole she wore. The feeling of his fingers gliding over the satiny material snapped her back into reality.

  “Wait. Stop. You need to stay the hell away from me.” She shamefully ground her hips against him.

  “This is my turf. You stay the hell away from me.”

  “I… We can’t do this. I can’t get caught… We can’t get caught dry-humping in the stairwell.”

  “I know.” Yet Brad continued to grind against her, nipping at her neck.

  “What the hell do we do?” Shoving out of his embrace, she buttoned her jacket and smoothed her hair.

  Brad looked confused and frustrated. He ran his hands down his face in aggravation. “I don’t know. I can’t think past anything but diving into your pussy.”

  Jayla placed a hand on her hip. “Don’t say that.”

  “I’m not trying to be vulgar.”

  “You didn’t offend me. How would you feel if I told you I can’t wait for you to rip my clothes off and have at it?”

  Springing into action, Brad grabbed her, backing her up against the wall again. Palming her breasts confined underneath the heavy tweed material, he appeared ready to tear her jacket from her body.

  Jayla felt very close to losing her battle to halt the madness consuming her.

  “Yes… I mean… No… Brad, no.” She pushed at his shoulders, doing her best to scold him.

  “Shit. Sorry.” Although he apologized, he didn’t let her go.

  “I can’t be here right now.”

  Once again finding strength she didn’t know she possessed, she sidestepped him, putting some space between them.

  Brad let out a sigh, his mood seemingly improved. “Good idea. You go. I’ll cover for you.”

  His snide remark didn’t surprise Jayla one bit. This was the Brad Dalton she was used to: self-serving, selfish, and self-centered. Pursing her lips, she clasped her hands in front of her body, taking a moment to soothe her temper.

  “Nice try, Brad, but I’m not an idiot. Do you really think I would bail on the meeting and leave you alone to spin your tales of deception with our coworkers? There’s no way I’m letting you go back into the conference room without me. And if we return to the meeting, we risk blowing everything. Not just the Maldonado account but also our jobs. No one will appreciate us fucking on the conference table.”

  “So what’s another option?”

  “You leave, and I’ll handle the meeting.”

  “Not going to happen, Jayla.”

  “Well, I guess we leave together.”

  “We’re not going to be able to get ourselves under control until we…mate.”

  Jayla cringed at the suggested action. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around her waist. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. We are not mating. We will never mate. Sure I wan—have to fuck you, but no mating is involved. Zilch. I will never take you as my mate, hence no mating. What’s happening right now has nothing to do with emotional connections. It’s purely physical.”

  “Look, Jayla. I don’t have time to play word games with you. You know what I meant. We have to have sex so we can function again. In the meantime, we need to figure out what our game plan is. We have a conference room full of colleagues who are going to come looking for us any second if we don’t get our asses in gear.”

  By now her team members were no doubt wondering where she’d disappeared to since Dalton disappeared also. Everyone knew a lot was riding on the outcome of this week’s meeting. It was no secret they were at odds because of the account. Jayla knew Brad felt she stole the account from him. Because of that, she suspected he had been the one to damage her reputation. She’d been the victim of a cruel attempt to sexualize her accomplishments.

  Due to the scandal, the last thing Jayla needed were coworkers seeing her and Brad groping each other. And since she couldn’t keep her hands off him right now, she was in a world of trouble. There was no way she’d be able to explain her sudden attraction to Brad to a group of nonshifters. She panicked, tension washing over her.

  “Oh, God… No one in the office knows I’m a shifter. I never divulged that information when I applied. It’s a part of my life I choose not share with my coworkers. People who aren’t shifters don’t understand our lifestyle. Please, Brad, don’t tell anyone.”

  Brad snorted in response. “I wouldn’t think twice about outing you, but no one knows I’m a shifter. I never shared that information either. So if I blow your cover, I blow my own.”

  Bringing a hand to the side of her face, Jayla exhaled in relief. It wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear, but at least Dalton would keep her secret.

  Chewing on her bottom lip, she focused on their current dilemma of figuring out how to bail on the meeting without throwing up too many red flags. All of a sudden Monica’s face popped into her head.

  “What time is it?”

  Checking his watch, Brad frowned. “A little after ten, why?”

  “I need to call Monica. Her flight hasn’t left yet.”

  Jayla raced down one flight of stairs to where her briefcase lay on the floor. She opened the clasp, retrieved her cell phone, and dialed her colleague.

  “Hi, Monica.”

  “Jayla. Aren’t you at your meeting?”

  “No, I’m not at the meeting.”

  “So, you didn’t go to the meeting?”

  “Yes, I was at the meeting.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure? You don’t sound like yourself.”

  “Yes, everything is fine.”

  “I feel like you’re not telling me something.”

  “Really, I’m fine.”

  “Sooo, you were at the meeting. What does that mean?”

  “I… Uh… We left.”

  “Left?”

  “We needed some time to talk.”

  “We? Who’s we?”

  “Me and Brad.”

  “Brad’s with you?”

  “Yes, Brad’s with me.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “Yes, he’s fine too.”

  “Did you hurt him?” Monica’s tone lightened.

  “No, I didn’t hurt him.”

  “Are you planning on hurting him?”

  “Will you stop joking around? He’s right here and can hear how insane you’re making me sound. Listen, I called you because Brad and I are going to sit down and talk and try to nail out some specifics concerning the account.”

  “Just the two of you? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Yes, alone, and it’s a good idea.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I appreciate your concern, but it’s fine. Can you do me a favor? Can you put in a call to our team and let them know there has been a change of plan? I would like everyone to continue on with their agendas, while Brad and I work on some issues.”

  “Why do you need me to do this?”

  “Because we’ve already left the meeting and I’m not going back.”

  “Okay. Well, you sound committed to your plan, and it sounds like Brad’s on board. Looks like you’ve got it handled. Nice job. I’ll let everyone know. Call me if you need anything.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Monica. I’ll check in with you later.”

  “Bye.”

  “Okay, bye.”

  Ending the phone call, Jayla looked up at Brad. If she didn’t know any better, she would have sworn it appeared as though a mixture of humor and smugness danced in his eyes and hovered around the corners of his lips.
>
  BRAD SHOOK HIS as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Hesitating for a moment, he decided against calling his most trusted colleague, Grant. He’d ask too many questions. Instead he dialed his assistant, Dave.

  “Hey, man, it’s me.”

  “Hey. You and Stanton both disappeared. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, everything is fine.”

  “We’re all kind of speculating that you two decided to meet one-on-one.”

  “Yes, Ms. Stanton is with me. And just like you all thought, we decided we wanted to go over some of the details of the Maldonado account. So I’m not coming back today, as Ms. Stanton will also be out of the office the rest of the day.”

  “Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Of course, I’ll call you if need be. See you tomorrow.”

  He ended the call with a swipe of his finger and a forced exhalation and shoved the phone back into his pocket. Bending down, he retrieved his discarded jacket and Jayla’s briefcase. Then, grabbing her wrist, he tugged her behind him as he descended the stairs leading to the parking garage.

  “Come on.”

  “Now what?”

  “We get the hell out of here.”

  “Where are we going?” Jayla asked, frowning.

  “We go to my place and do the only thing that is going to knock some sense back into us.”

  Chapter Three

  Jayla watched as Brad strolled up to his front door. She noticed he didn’t bother to wait for her to follow. By the time she reached the entryway, he’d already disappeared farther into his home.

  Taking a tentative step inside, she locked the door. The sound of the dead bolt clicking into place emphasized what was about to happen. Gnawing on her bottom lip, she sagged against his door, squeezing her eyes tight in disbelief.

  “I’ve never been with a wolf before,” Brad’s voice floated down the hallway, knotting her stomach. Positive she’d faint any moment now, she slumped against the door, staying cemented in place for what seemed like an eternity. Finally pushing off, her shaky legs began taking unhurried steps down the hallway toward him. Every couple of feet, she cursed him in her mind.