Were She Belongs (4 page)

“Great! Now I’m sporting the biggest hard-on ever. Give me her
full name, and I’ll start the investigation into her,”
Andre stated.

“I’m already two steps ahead of you both. Lucas is on top of it
now,”
Valco replied with a chuckle. It was obvious to Paul that Valco was enjoying this.

“Stay close to her, Paul. We’ve waited a long time to find our
mate, and I don’t want to risk losing her.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice,”
Paul replied, then walked out through the curtain in search of Lexi.

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Lexi stood near Andy by the corner of the room where they had a perfect view of the surrounding area, including the main entrance. She couldn’t help but focus on the private area and where she had left Sierra and her family.

Sierra’s future brother-in-law Paul remained on her mind. She wondered if wolves shared the same terminology with family dynamics. Was he her future brother-in-law, or was he just a wolf?

Something told her Valco and his brother were of some kind of authority. Even Jacob was more reserved around them, and he was head of a large pack. She remembered Sierra called them alpha males.

Despite the instant fear she had felt toward Paul, she also had an overwhelming urge to stay close. It was as if he had a connection to her in some way. Either that or it was her mind’s creative way of telling her she was hot for a werewolf. That had been something she avoided all these years. No connections, no emotions, no loss when she had to flee. Go figure. Now a wolf could be her demise and the end of her living in New York.

Just then Paul emerged from the private room area. She immediately took the opportunity to check him out. He was magnificent, a giant compared to her, and that alone should have fended off her hormones. Instead it turned her on. She felt the heat move through her body as she absorbed his features. He had dark black, not quite shoulder-length hair and dark brown eyes that had glowed yellow earlier as he became angry with her presence. That put a halt to her attraction for a second. But only a second, because as she roamed over his body with her eyes, starting from his designer black
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dress pants to his button-down burgundy shirt, over his massive chest, to his firm chin, then his mouth, she locked gazes with his eyes.

“Oh shit!” The words escaped in a whisper as she quickly looked away, pretending to be scanning the room and not the hunk. At a nudge to her shoulder, she turned toward Andy.

“What the fuck, Lex? Focus on the job, not some fucking guy.”

“Shut up, Andy,” she stated with annoyance. She was technically in charge despite the fact that Andy had worked at VALERIE’S

longer.

A small disturbance to the right caused them both to redirect their attention.

Lexi moved first to resolve the potential fight. Andy was on her heels, and she tried to speak with the two men who argued over a cute blonde as more people moved in to observe.

The next thing she knew, Andy had his hands on her hips and his body wedged against her back. He spoke over her shoulder to the men.

“Gentlemen, let’s take this conversation down a few notches, please, or I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“Who the fuck are you?” one guy challenged, instantly puffing out his chest.

Lexi tried to step forward, but Andy moved around her, trailing his hand along her waist. What was up with that? She heard a growl, then two other growls, as two other men approached and moved Andy away from her. Preoccupied with the first two men starting the fight, she attempted to calm them down.

“Listen, fellas, there’s no need to start arguing. Let me buy the two of you a drink on the house.”

They eyed her funnily at first, and one guy looked like he was going to try to touch her or flirt with her, but suddenly his eyes moved over her shoulder and then went wide. She was shocked when he bowed his head and slowly backward-stepped out of there. The other guy did the same.

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The whole crowd dispersed, leaving Lexi there dumbfounded.

Lexi was all confused. She didn’t know what was happening, and as she turned to look behind her, she saw Paul. He was standing behind her, and she had to tilt her head back to look up at his face.

Intimidation apparently worked on the two men, and one look at Paul and she was feeling pretty darn intimidated herself. His arms were crossed in front of that massive chest of his, and he looked like some kind of bouncer or bodyguard. The thought turned her on, and she felt warmth between her legs. Lexi watched him sniff the air as if he smelled her attraction to him, and she winced with embarrassment.

Could wolves do that?

Oh crap! How freaking embarrassing. Why not just stamp “Fuck
me now” right on my forehead and bend over. Oh geesh…bad
thought. I gotta get out of here.

Quickly she turned around, and that’s when she saw the other two guys with Andy. They looked like they were laying down the law.

Prepared to get to the bottom of it so she could go find out what was happening, she felt a hand around her upper arm and elbow. A moment later, Paul’s body was wedged up against her back. Then his arm was around her waist, pulling her against him.

She grabbed for his forearms and gasped at being restrained.

“Don’t worry about him. The guys are setting him straight,” he whispered against her hair. The music blared, yet she heard him so clearly and she felt him all around her, protecting her. It was an insane feeling.

The feel of his muscular body against her own brought on a string of unfamiliar emotions. Desire to have him touch her, a need to feel his lips on every inch of her body. She was hot, she felt faint, and her body wanted to collapse right there. Even her breathing was erratic. It was as if Paul flicked a switch on inside of her.

In a blur, Paul moved her toward the corner of the room, a dark area near the bar. “You smell incredible, Lexi, like nothing I’ve ever smelled before, yet familiar.”

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His breath was warm against her ear. His touch paralyzed her, and all she could do was remain still.

He turned her toward him and held her around the waist. His eyes glowed, and he appeared enticingly powerful. Out of fear, she placed her hands against his chest for support and to try to gain control of this out-of-control situation.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not here to hurt you.”

He smiled down at her, and all she could do was stare at his beautiful lips. The thought of him kissing her filled her mind. She licked her lips, and he growled low and deep.

“Keep doing that, and I’m going to take you right here against the wall.”

She felt his hand caress her thigh, causing a humming through her body. She took a shaky breath. Her heart hammered in her chest. He was so damn attractive. What had come over her?

She shied away and attempted to pull out of his hold. “Please. I need to get back to work. I need to check on Andy.”

Paul didn’t even look over his shoulder. It was as if he knew that the two guys had Andy. “Who are those two men? What are they doing to Andy?” she asked in an attempt to take attention away from his hold on her.

His eyes narrowed, and he looked a bit taken aback by her question. He was authoritative, had arrived with an entourage of men, so he must be important. “They’re my guards, and they’re laying down the law.”

She gulped at the comment but had to ask.

“Laying down what law?”

“The law that says you’re mine and he had no right to touch you the way he did.”

Her heart dropped to her stomach, and a huge lump formed in her throat. His? What the hell was he talking about?

“Who do you think you are?” Lexi pulled away, and this time Paul allowed it. She watched him glance around the room, his facial
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expression angry before he took a breath and allowed her the space. It was as if he didn’t want to make a scene.

“We’ll talk later, after your shift.” He forced the words through gritted teeth. Why was he suddenly having such difficulty talking?

“Listen, I didn’t mean to be rude back there. I love Sierra, I’ve missed her terribly, but I need to…” She bowed her head, surprised that she nearly said she needed to keep Sierra safe. What the hell was wrong with her? This wolf must have some kind of special powers Sierra hadn’t warned her about.

“I need to work, or my boss will fire me. I need this job. Please leave me alone.” She knew she sounded as if she were begging, but she needed to get away from him. Everything about him alluded to danger and control. It would be best to walk away now before he made a scene.

With a pleading look, she quickly walked away.

* * * *

Paul watched Lexi walk toward the front entrance and out of sight. His wolf wasn’t the least bit happy about it. He wanted nothing more than to throw his mate over his shoulder and head to the nearest private area to claim her. Even if he had the opportunity to have Lexi, he needed to wait until Andre got there. Once they determined if she would be the mate of just Paul or of all three of them, then they could claim her.

She was a petite little thing, but reeked of class and sophistication.

She had the looks of a pin-up model, but something told him she had a good head on her shoulders. He knew she attended college with Sierra, so she had to have a degree, but it didn’t matter to him. She was his mate and perhaps his brothers’ as well. He wondered if she would make a good alpha’s mate.

She seemed a bit timid around him. He sensed her fear but perhaps his size intimidated her. She had to be wearing at least four-Were She Belongs

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inch heels, which made her stand normally at about five foot three.

Her outfit was hot. It was tight against her curves, causing just the right amount of cleavage in the front of her dress. The slit in the side was a total turn-on, and her thigh appeared tan and muscular. She was definitely in great physical condition. That would come in handy when he and his brothers mated with her. The thought had him hot all over again. His wolf was fighting to fuck her. It was as if it were repeating over and over again for him to drop everything and go get her. He took a deep breath and tried to gain control.

Maybe she didn’t care for him? After all, she wasn’t a wolf. But the way her body reacted to his touch and his voice stated otherwise.

She was his mate. His wolf wanted her. The second his body rubbed against Lexi’s, his cock had enlarged and pressed against his pants.

She had to have felt it. He had to calm his wolf from taking her to the nearest private area to sink his cock into her pussy. If his wolf had his way, she would be spread-eagle on the dance floor screaming his name.

He exhaled, trying to calm himself. Thoughts like this weren’t going to make waiting easy. Glancing toward his two guards, Murph and Felix, he nodded his approval of their actions toward Andy. The moment he’d seen the slimeball wolf lay his hands on Lexi, he nearly shifted. The son of a bitch was lucky. There wouldn’t be a next time for Andy.

* * * *

Lexi took a short break to try to pull herself together. “What is wrong with me?” she asked as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was hot and bothered, and damn it, she couldn’t get Paul out of her head. The man was huge, gorgeous, and so damn manipulating he nearly had her begging for him to have sex with her. This was so not like her. She was the farthest thing from that and no man, never mind wolf, had ever set her body in flames like Paul.

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“That’s why you’re still a virgin, idiot,” she stated, tapping her forehead against the mirror. The mirror felt cool against her heated skin, but her hands were shaking.

She thought about the time she had spent living on the streets. Not knowing when her next meal would come or if she would survive the brutal city winter nights, but somehow she made it. Her past was a reminder of her inadequacies, and a man like Paul was out of her league. He looked like the kind of man who displayed his current woman, wearing her on his sleeve for all to see. No staying undetected that way. Lexi would be as good as dead.

She felt chills, disappointment and fear run through her body.

“Get a grip, Lex. If you can handle escaping death for the last three years, you sure as hell can handle some sexy, mouthwatering wolf.”

The pep talk didn’t do her much good. Immediately she thought about the way Paul looked at her. It was like he was going to kiss her and he knew she wanted him to. His lips were so appealing. His whole body was appealing.

“Geesh!”

She shook her head and rechecked her makeup. Glancing at the clock, she had hours left to her shift. But the second she had the chance, she was outta there. Sneaking out the back door was definitely the option tonight.

A knock at the door startled her.

This was a private bathroom located in her office outside of Jacob’s. Oh shit, it had to be Jacob. She needed this job. She wouldn’t last another bout of street life.

“Lex, I know you’re in there. I called Frank, and he saw you on the cameras. Open up so we can talk.”

She pictured him standing there in his custom suit, dressed like a million bucks. He had been her savior, her last hope to make it. Why he hired her she may never know, but right now it didn’t seem important to know the reasons.

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Lexi took a deep breath, then opened the door.

* * * *

Jacob stood there alone with a smile on his face. He was a great boss, but when he was mad, there was no getting out of the way of the line of fire.

“Are you okay?” he asked, taking her hand and leading her toward the lounge area in between the offices.

He gently laid his large hand against her waist, leading her toward the couches. He was more like a father figure to her. His age was undetectable with such looks of perfection. Again, the small amount of information on weres from Sierra came to mind. He could be forty or four hundred. She gulped hard at the thought. There was a time she had welcomed death, and she wasn’t even twenty-five. So much had changed in twelve months.