Chapter 4

FOUR

M arcus’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “What exactly were you working on?”

“A serum to help people find their perfect match.” She gave a soft, self-deprecating laugh. “Ironic, right? Brilliant scientist can decode genetic compatibility but can’t manage her own love life. My last date tried to explain quantum physics using noodle metaphors. Noodles!” She slumped against the window. “I haven’t eaten Italian food since.”

The mating bond tugged at his chest. If she only knew.

“My mother would love you,” she continued, words slightly slurred. “She’s tried everything to find me the perfect man. Last month, she hired a matchmaker to evaluate my genetic compatibility with a barista. Did you know you can determine romantic potential through coffee preferences? I don’t, but she seemed very convinced.”

She turned to look at him, her expression suddenly serious. “You have very nice eyes. Like storm clouds, but sexy storm clouds. Is that weird? That’s probably weird. But they’re also kind. You try to look all stern and CEO-ish, but your eyes give you away.” She squinted. “Also, there are still three of you, which is both concerning and intriguing from a scientific perspective.”

Definitely a concussion.

“You should smile more,” she added. “Not that you don’t look good not smiling. You do. Very good. Unfairly good. But when you smiled earlier, it was like...” She made an explosion gesture with her hands. “Boom. But not like my lab boom. A good boom.”

Despite his concern, Marcus found himself fighting a grin. “A good boom?”

“Mh-mm. The kind that makes otherwise intelligent women forget basic chemical equations.” She gasped. “Oh no. Did I say that out loud?”

“You’ve said a lot of things I doubt you normally would’ve voiced.”

“Blame the concussion. I’m usually much better at keeping the embarrassing thoughts inside my head. Like how your voice sounds like honey over gravel. Wait. Did I say that out loud too?”

“You did.”

“Well, this is mortifying.” She pressed her face against the cool window. “Feel free to forget everything I’ve said. Or we could blame it on temporary insanity caused by explosive chemicals. Or we could never speak of this again and pretend we just met tomorrow at the official meeting where I will be professional and articulate and not compare your eyes to sexy storm clouds.”

At the hospital, Marcus pulled every string necessary to get Natalie immediate attention. He paced the waiting room, making calls to secure the lab and begin cleanup while medical staff checked her over. His wolf refused to settle until he could see her again, confirm she was truly safe.

When they finally let him into her room, she lay propped up on stark white pillows, looking small but alert. The cut on her temple had been cleaned and bandaged, making his fingers itch to touch, to comfort.

“The doctors say I can leave soon,” she said before he could speak. “Just a mild concussion and some scrapes. Nothing serious. Though I reserve the right to blame any lingering embarrassment from our car conversation on head trauma.”

“What happened in the lab?”

“I...” She hesitated. “I got distracted. Added too much of a compound. The formula mutated.”

“Into what?”

“I’m not sure.” Her eyes lit up with scientific curiosity, momentarily overwhelming her exhaustion. “The molecular structure shifted into something completely new. If I could stabilize it...”

“Later.” He caught himself reaching for her hand and diverted to straightening her blanket instead. “Rest first. Science later.”

She yawned, fighting to keep her eyes open. “You’re very... commanding.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“S’probably why you’re good at being an alpha.”

Marcus froze. “What?”

“Alpha CEO,” she mumbled, eyes drifting shut. “Very authoritative. Like a wolf in a suit. A very nice suit. With sexy storm cloud eyes...”

Her breathing evened out into sleep, leaving him to wonder if she somehow knew what he was, or if the concussion had simply loosened her tongue. Either way, the simple fact remained—his mate lay injured in a hospital bed, and he had no idea what had caused the explosion.

His wolf growled, protective instincts warring with the need to maintain professional distance. This brilliant, stubborn woman had stumbled into his life and turned everything upside down in the span of an hour. And now...

Now he had to figure out how to keep her safe without revealing the mating bond. How to investigate the accident without letting his feelings cloud his judgment. How to be her boss and her protector when every fiber of his being yearned to be so much more.

“Well,” he muttered, settling into the chair beside her bed, “at least Mother will be thrilled.”

He reached out, carefully tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Though something tells me you’re going to make my life wonderfully complicated, Dr. Grant.”

Her sleeping form offered no response, but his wolf rumbled in contentment. For the first time in his life, Marcus Vale had found something more important than control—now he just had to figure out how not to mess it up.