Chapter 4

FOUR

A lex had to fight his wolf down. His animal urged him to take Lena home, get her naked, and stamp himself all over her.

Mate.

Now.

Mine.

"I can see what I can do about getting you a signed copy for a price," he heard himself say. The last thing on his mind was a book. Lena had paid. He had a feeling his mother had set him up, and for once, he was glad she had. Lena was his mate. And he wasn't letting her go.

The air between them was electric, charged with an energy that spoke of more sexual tension than he'd ever experienced in his life.

As she laughed, the sound of it danced around the shop, wrapping itself around him, playful and light. The sight of her smile, the warmth in her eyes—it all hit him with the force of a new revelation, one that he realized he was powerless to ignore. She was the one. There was no fighting it. No more looking for a woman he didn't know if he'd ever meet. She was it. Lena.

He had always prided himself on control, on keeping his primal instincts in check. But Lena, with her easy humor, sexy lips, and beautiful eyes, tempted him in ways he hadn't anticipated. She was like a book he couldn't put down, each moment with her compelling him to turn to the next page, to discover more.

As she began to turn away, ready to leave, Alex found the words spilling from him with an urgency he rarely allowed himself to feel.

"Wait, Lena," he called out, and she paused, looking over her shoulder, an inquisitive arch to her brow.

"Yes?"

The invitation was there in her eyes, waiting for him to seize it. He stepped out from behind the counter, moving closer to where she stood in the dappled light.

"I was wondering if you might like to continue our... literary discussion over dinner. Tonight, perhaps?" His voice was steady, but inside, the wolf within him paced, eager and filled with a hunger that was new and exhilarating.

Lena's eyes widened, just a fraction. If the scent of her desire wasn't delicious enough to let him know she wanted him, that look she gave him told him the attraction was mutual. The charged silence between them was filled with the same restless want winding tightly in his chest.

A slow smile crept over her luscious lips, a match to the fiery burn he felt whenever her gaze met his. "Dinner would be...educational," she replied, her voice teasing, laced with promises and unspoken desires.

Fuck. He wanted her. He wanted her now. Naked. But he'd control himself. He'd get his mate in his bed, soon.

"So…tonight?" she asked, her voice low and throaty. It made him uncomfortable in his jeans.

"Yeah. Tonight." Dinner and anything else she wanted.

"What am I going to wear?" Lena screeched, tossing clothes all over her old room. Why the hell hadn't she ever bought anything sexy in her life? "I have nothing remotely cute or rippable."

Tara smirked. "Rippable? Who is this guy, Edward Scissorhands?"

Lena cursed. "This isn't funny. I need to look hot."

"You are hot, honey," her mom said from the bedroom door.

"Mom, you're not helping. Besides, you're my mother. You're expected to say that." She tossed more clothes onto the bed and continued making a mess while frantically searching for the perfect outfit to seduce Alex.

"I don't know. I think the one not helping is you," her mother quipped. "Also, who's going to clean up this mess?"

Lena glared at her mother and then glanced at Tara for help. "Don't you have anything I can wear?"

The slow evil smile on Tara's lips told her what she needed to know. Her sister was coming in clutch. "I'll wear whatever you want. Anything. Nothing."

"Oh, my," her mother said and sipped her iced tea. "I'm guessing you've changed your mind about the orgasms?"

"Maybe. Yes. I don't know what it is about Alex, but there's this chemistry between us," she said and sat on the bed. "It's not all sex, either. Like we flirted. We laughed. We made stupid jokes about books. He got me." She met Tara's gaze. "Do you know what I mean?"

Her sister nodded. "I know." Tara went into the very back of the closet and pulled out a dry cleaner bag. "You're wearing this."

Lena had never cared about being sexy or wearing anything that would make her feel more feminine in the past. But tonight, she wanted to look sexy for Alex. And herself. It wasn't that she didn't think she was pretty or sexy. It was that she'd never felt the desire to be sexy. Now she did. No man had made her want to be sensual until Alex. How had he done that?

"I know that bag," her mom said with a grin. "If you don't get laid tonight, he's not for you."

She took the dry cleaner bag off a simple black dress. It was made of a satin material. She opened her mouth to argue that the bit of fabric looked like something one wore to bed but decided against it. She decided to get ready at her mom's house so she could borrow a pair of her sister's heels too.

"I'm going to make you some tea," her mom said, turning away to leave. "You need to calm those nerves."

"Mom?"

Her mom glanced at her. "Yes, sugar?"

"Did you know Alex and I would hit it off?" She had been wondering if she'd been set up.

"I had hoped as had his mother," her mom replied before leaving the room.

"All right," Tara said with a serious look. "Go shower and shave everywhere." She gave a slight nod. "And I mean everywhere."

"Tara!"

"What?" She giggled, enjoying Lena's discomfort way too much.

"You didn't have to tell me that part."

Tara laughed. "I know," she winked. "Now let's get you laid."

Oh, lord.

She opted for minimal makeup since she usually kept things natural. Her tanned skin was one of her best features. That and her curves. Her heritage gave her both. The dress clung to her body like it was made for her. The hem landed mid-thigh and she worried if she bent over the wrong way she'd show the world her ass.

"I don't know-"

"You're wearing the dress," her mother and sister said in unison.

"I feel half naked," she mumbled.

"Good," her mom retorted. "Maybe by the end of the night, you'll be fully naked with a hot man."

She didn't even bother arguing with her mom. Not like that wasn't what she was hoping for anyway.

"So this Alex guy," Tara started while tossing lip-gloss and things from Lena's backpack to a cute little black purse. "Do you think he's like someone you might want to get to know for more than sex?"

Lena thought of the way Alex's gaze bore into hers and the way he seemed to read her soul when they'd spoken. "I don't know. I think so, but I haven't really had this type of connection with a man before. It could be lack of sex."

"Yeah," Tara agreed. "That's true. But don't dismiss any other emotions he evokes in you just because you've never experienced it before." Tara met her gaze and held her hand when she handed her the bag. "Feel your feelings, sis."

Feel her feelings. Great. What the hell did that mean?

She and Alex had exchanged phone numbers at his shop and he'd given her the name of the perfect restaurant he wanted to take her to. She kept her sister's words in her mind as she headed to dinner. Would she feel the same punch-drunk dizzying flow of emotions she'd had earlier? It was time to find out.

The moment she arrived at the small Italian restaurant, there was no turning back. The rush of desire hit her square in the chest. Alex waited for her in the parking lot and waited until she parked to open her door.

He offered his hand to help her out of her car. Electricity sizzled between them.

"Hungry?" she asked, her voice thready and soft.

He stared deep into her eyes and she swore his eyes flashed gold. "Starved."