Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
TEAGUE
One step forward. Two steps back. She felt so damn good, so right, in my arms. My entire body and soul hummed with her pressed against me as if the bond needed to touch her as much as I did.
Those breathtaking light green eyes staring up at me, desire flaring in their depths. She wanted me to kiss her. I know it.
If it weren’t for our bond, I’d be floundering, wondering if she thought of me in that light, but she doesn’t know how to block the connection.
I groan. Both a good and a bad thing. While I don’t feel all her emotions, her desire comes through loud and clear.
But so do her fears and her hesitation, which makes me keep my distance.
I circle the valley for the tenth—or is it the eleventh—time?
Fighting the currents. Pushing my body to exhaustion so I don’t storm in and lay waste to the lips that are torturing my every waking moment.
It’s hard enough knowing she’s down the hall instead of in our place, where she belongs.
The urge to knock on her door is almost overwhelming.
Every day I wake up, and the bond reaches for her.
All I want is to see her. Talk to her. Kiss her into surrendering.
Drag her into my bed like a fucking caveman and claim her.
Hell, it hasn’t even been a week. Maybe the Fates are torturing me.
For a moment, I lost her today. One minute she was with me, and the next she was in the past, fighting a demon I couldn’t see.
Or protect her from. Her fear ripped me to shreds, and it took everything in me not to shift into a gargoyle and hunt them down.
All I could do was hold her, give her my strength until she found her way back to me.
Movement on the roof across from our building catches my eye. Furious, I fold in my wings and shoot out of the sky, intent on eliminating whoever has the fucking balls to set up surveillance on my family.
Slamming into the dark figure is like hitting a brick wall. Both of us tumble across the roof to the edge where I catch myself with one hand. Seconds later, a boot slams down on top of it, and I curse, snarling up at the bastard.
Macklin leans forward, smashing my hand further with his massive weight, then laughs. “Is that all you got? Getting a little soft in your old age.”
“Fuck you,” I say wearily, raising my other hand for him to take.
He easily lifts me up to join him as if my weight is inconsequential. Maybe I’ve been spending too many nights in the office.
“What the hell are you doing up here?”
His eyes slide past me, making me turn to see what’s caught his attention. I inhale sharply when I see Charli sleeping on the couch.
“What the hell?” I growl, unable to take my eyes off her.
He peers up at the night sky. “This is where I come to get away from everyone. Didn’t think about seeing into her apartment until I got up here.”
Macklin hands me a flask, and I take a drink. Smooth Irish whiskey tumbles down my throat, easing the burn as the bond automatically reaches for the connection and finds her in a restless sleep.
“Damn, you broke out the good stuff,” I tell him, handing it back. “You don’t have to wait, you know?” He slides his gaze to me. “Although I have to admit, this incomplete bond is pure fucking torture.”
“She needs time,” he insists, holding firm.
Stubborn, but not wrong. “I checked on the pass. Elijah came through. It's officially closed.”
“Good. Make sure you tell her.” He takes a swig from the flask. “She’s scared.”
She didn’t feel scared a moment ago. When I raise an eyebrow, he motions to her apartment. “She left the light above the stove on. And before you got here, she got up and checked the lock on the front door. My guess is she’s sleeping on the couch every night.” His low tone is full of concern.
“No,” I admit hoarsely, my voice almost locking up at the thought of her scared and alone. Sound disappears, and my vision narrows to the blond braids peeking out from the fluffy cocoon around her.
As I watch, I fill Macklin in on what happened this afternoon. “I think Greystone gives her something she’s never had before…freedom. To be who and what she is. Unlike the human world.” I reach for the flask and drink as I remember the stark fear that stabbed me like a knife.
“Someone hurt her. Bad,” I murmur. “She has flashbacks, like Andros.”
The memory of Andros huddled in the corner of the church, hands over his head, pleading for the abuse to stop, slips into my mind.
Macklin’s broad shoulders dip a little, remembering how useless we felt. “You know how long it took him to trust us and to wake without nightmares.”
“I remember,” I assure him. “I’m not rushing her.
Although I almost lost it today when I found out she went back to the Wolf’s Den.
Not only because she didn’t take one of us with her.
” I grind my teeth at the thought of her walking into a room of pissed-off wolves.
“For the first time in my life, I was jealous.” Fucking alpha asshole.
He chuckles. “How did she take it?”
My lips curl in a derisive smile. “Based on the bewildered expression on her face, I don’t think she realized I was jealous.”
Macklin looks thoughtful for a moment. “She’s always tugging on her clothes. Stealing wistful glances at the people around her. I don’t think she knows she’s beautiful.”
“Somebody’s observant,” I remark, his words hitting me in the gut.
Why didn’t I notice these things?
His shoulder lifts. “I don’t have a bond tugging at me every second, driving me crazy.” He turns to me. “I’m going to upgrade our building’s security to make her feel a little safer.”
I nod. “Her background check came back. Charli Ford doesn’t exist.”
His shoulder lifts in a lazy shrug. “Run her fingerprints.”
“Probably should have started with that first,” I admit. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”
My wings unfurl, and I watch as he stiffens. Guilt slams into me, but I know he’d be pissed if I took the stairs with him. He takes a swig from the flask, and with one last glance at Charli, he disappears into the building.
She opens the door to her apartment, and I smile and hand her the cup in my hand. “Campfire mocha, correct? Two percent milk, a shot each of hazelnut and mocha syrups, topped with marshmallow cold foam.”
Her light green eyes flare with shock, then her lips curve in a shy smile. “Nobody’s ever brought me coffee. Thank you.”
“It’s an apology,” I say gruffly. “For forgetting about lunch yesterday and for not celebrating your first day. I’m sorry. I’ve got quite a few bad habits to break. Being a workaholic is one of them. But I have great news. The pass is closed for the winter.”
Her shoulders slump with relief. “That is good news. Thank you. And don’t worry about lunch. I usually skip it, so it’s fine.”
I have a feeling she usually skipped it because she didn’t have enough money or food. Those days are gone. “Lunch will be delivered at noon today,” I coolly inform her. We exit the elevator, and I motion to my SUV. “My vehicle’s got all wheel drive.”
She bites her lip, hesitating for a minute, but I continue walking. Opening the passenger door, I look at her and dangle my final carrot. “Heater is already going.”
Lifting her chin, she walks over and gets in. I shut the door, inexplicably happy about her riding to work with me, as I plan to make this a regular thing. I want her in every facet of my life.
Susan wasn’t keen on the idea of Charli working in my office.
Warned me that if anything happened and Charli filed a harassment complaint, Susan would take her side and nail my ass to the wall.
She wouldn’t be concerned if she knew we were mates, but until Charli accepts the bond, I don’t want anyone outside of our family to know.
She sets her stuff down on her desk, then leaves for the staff meeting I put on her calendar early this morning.
I want everyone to know who she is and her role in this office.
Once they realize she’s my PA, they’ll start going to her when they need something, which will boost her confidence.
Charli’s smart, and I can already tell by how quickly she’s picked up everything, she’ll be moving on to bigger challenges within the year.
Diving into my own project, I lose myself in the schematics, tweaking the interface until I’m satisfied it will deliver a better user experience. Vanilla tickles my nose, and I raise my head to find Charli standing in front of my desk, her pink lips curved in a delectable smile.
“Sam had to move the development meeting,” she informs me. “She sent a calendar update. It starts in three minutes.”
I stand and stretch, watching her skim my body. Pink crawls from her neck to her cheeks, telling me she’s not as immune to me as she might think.
“Where’s the meeting?” I ask, grabbing my laptop to hide my growing hard on. A seemingly perpetual state these days. When she tells me it’s on the second floor, I wave a hand toward the stairs, needing to burn a little energy. “Faster than the elevator.”
She nods and follows.
We’re the last two to join the meeting. “Sorry we’re late. I didn’t realize the meeting had moved. Good thing Charli did.”
Sam, a petite woman with black hair and pretty blue eyes, waves a hand. “I have to leave early. Family stuff.”
Macklin mentioned Sam was worried about her niece. Hadn’t heard from her in a while. “Let us know if you need anything.”
She jerks her chin and jumps into the meeting.
Charli looks flushed from our trek down the stairs. Getting up, I pour us both a glass of water. She smiles when I set it down in front of her. I stifle the guilt that rises.
Everyone quickly gives their status, and the meeting ends. Charli gathers her stuff.
“Sam, I want to walk through a few changes to the schematics. Should only take a few minutes,” I inform her before glancing at Charli. “Let Andros know I’m skipping his meeting today.”
She gives a brief nod and heads toward the elevator.
Pulling up the schematics, I walk through the changes with Sam, then stay after she leaves to grab the glass with Charli’s fingerprints.
Susan arches a brow when I stride into her office and set the glass on her desk. “An empty, clearly used glass. I’m guessing you want me to send it off to the lab and have them run the fingerprints?”
Susan was one of the first to move to Greystone. A bear shifter, she was tired of her family being hunted for their pelts and wanted a safe place to raise her four cubs. Now, she’s the matriarch of a huge family with close to a hundred and fifty members. Nothing surprises her.
“I do,” I reply softly. “My eyes only, top security. I don’t want the information getting out. Do not send the results to Charli.”
She sighs and shakes her head. “Sometimes the lid can’t be put back on. Sure you want to do this?”
“She’s scared. Running from someone,” I reveal, watching her brown eyes spark with outrage. “We can’t eliminate the threat unless we know who it is.”
“We, huh?” She pulls a clear plastic bag from her desk drawer and carefully sets the glass in it. “It will take at least a week to get the results. And that’s with a rush.”
“That’s fine. Thanks, Susan.”
I leave her office and head to mine.
Charli returns a half hour later, bringing the delicious scent of vanilla with her, and I subtly adjust myself.
The smell wrapped around me when I carried her out of the Wolf’s Den, and now I can’t escape it.
It lingers in my sheets and in my office, driving me crazy.
One whiff of it and I’m sporting a semi.
If this keeps on, everyone in the office—hell, the whole town—is going to notice.
She stops when she sees the lunch on the table. “Teague, umm, that’s a lot of food. How many people did you invite?”
I lift a shoulder. “None. It’s for you and me. I thought we could take the time to catch up and check in.” I glance at the office door, wishing I could close it, but I don’t want people to gossip about her. “Did you want something besides water?”
She shakes her head and sets her stuff on her desk. “Water is fine.” Walking over to the small table in the center of the room, she takes a seat. “Roast chicken? Mac and cheese. Salad. This smells delicious.”
Taking a seat next to her, I lean over and put my lips close to her ear. “And they had s’mores cookies for dessert.”
Her eyes widen. “I’ll be in a coma after lunch.”
“I’m always up for a nap,” I murmur, watching the delightful blush take over her cheeks. After we fill our plates, I watch as she takes a few bites and the corners of her lips turn up. “Good?”
She nods. “Delicious. What did you want to talk about?”
You. Us. “I know this is only your second day, but what do you think? Like it enough to stay?” Not that I’d let her go, but I want her to love whatever she does.
“It’s like being thrown into the deep end without knowing how to swim, but I kind of like the challenge. I’ve always been creative-minded, finding satisfaction in designing and creating, but this job is making me think differently.” She takes a bite and looks at me. “I definitely want to stay.”
“Good,” I state firmly. “What was your major in college?”
“Double major. Illustration and graphic design,” she answers without thinking, and I almost smile in satisfaction. She flicks a glance at me, but I take another bite.
“You know, we have a graphic design department here if you decide you want to work on a few projects,” I say and watch her eyes light up with interest. “At the next staff meeting, introduce yourself to Gina. She runs the department. Ask her what kind of talent she needs for the next few projects and see if any of them appeal to you.”
“You wouldn’t mind?” she asks, a line between her brows.
“I applaud initiative, but more than anything, I want you to be happy.”
She stares at me for a long second. “From a work perspective or a personal one?”
“From an everything perspective,” I tell her as I get up and grab the dessert. “So, illustration. Did you start drawing because of your visions, or did the sketching come first?”
Her lips curve in a sad smile. “The sketching. My mother was an artist. Painter, actually. She loved it all. Oils, acrylics, watercolors. One of my earliest memories is sitting on the floor in her studio with my crayons spread out, watching her wield the brush like it was an extension of her most creative thoughts.”
I set down a plate with a s’mores cookie on it, and she smiles.
“Do you paint too?”
She shakes her head. “I tried, but pencil or charcoal is more my medium.” She turns her head at the knock on the office door.
“Teague, do you want me to come back?” I shift my gaze from her to Tim, who’s standing in the doorway. I’d been so engrossed in her story, I didn’t hear him approach. “No, give me five minutes. I’ll meet you in the conference room across the hall.”
Ignoring her protests, I clean up and stash the containers in the fridge. “Guess I’ll have to take dessert to go. Same time tomorrow?”
She looks slightly bemused but nods her agreement.