Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

B olt hated that fear made Regie's voice shake. Her blue eyes, however, shone with determination. No fear reflected in them. "You and I are going to hang out here while the rest of the team scouts the vicinity." His instinct screamed to shift to wolf and hunt down the person who'd sent those texts. Bolt wanted to rip their throat out for putting that tremble in her voice. "We're the bait who will lure this guy out. The happier and more in love we appear, the more irate he will become. We want him to get so angry that he makes a mistake." Waiting for Arek and Nora to report back on what they'd found frustrated the hell out of him. He needed action. Needed to do something to protect his woman.

Wait, no, to protect Regie. She didn't belong to him, yet. As far as he knew right now, this was just pretense. They'd straighten out the True Mate stuff later. When the stalker no longer threatened her .

Mine , the wolf growled inside him. He forced the beast to stand down.

He needed the beast to relax so he could concentrate and not act on some alpha instinct to protect his mate. That's how mistakes were made.

Mistakes like what happened with Bayden.

Bayden threatened Mate , his wolf growled.

Fuck, he was so screwed.

Regie touched his arm. "You should probably unclench your jaw. Right now, you look more like you want to throttle me than kiss me." This time, her eyes sparkled with mirth.

He felt his lips stretch into a smile, and his jaw unclenched automatically. This woman did something to him. He'd smiled more in her company than he had in years.

And he never joked.

The words people who knew him would use to describe him probably did not include jovial. "Let's dance again," he said and stood up, holding out his hand for hers. If they circled the dance floor, the asshole stalker would have to move with them to keep them under. Plus, the idea of holding Regie in his arms again seemed like a fantastic way to distract him from not being able to hunt with Arek and Nora .

She put her hand in his, and he pulled her toward him so he could put an arm around her. He had to force himself from not scanning the room, looking for who might be surveilling them. "How will Arek and Nora know who's sending me these messages?" Regie asked. She kept her head still, facing him, but her eyes darted all over the place.

"Keep looking at me, Babe," Bolt said, smiling when she did, but also rolled her eyes at him. "If your stalker is here, he'll want to keep watching us. And to see us, he must follow us. Nora and Arek will be watching for anyone unusually focused on you. Someone who behaves out of the ordinary from what you'd expect at a party." Arek would also be able to scent strong emotions like anger and rage. The alpha could tap into his wolf's senses through the pack bonds, even when not in his furry shape. His senses wouldn't be as strong as when in wolf form, but much stronger than any other shifter in human shape. And stronger than a regular human.

"I hate not knowing who it is." Regie slid a quick look to the side again. "What if it is someone I know? Someone who pretends to be my friend." Her brows drew together, forming a v on the bridge of her nose.

Bolt placed his hand on the small of her back and steered her toward the dance floor. "Don't think about that right now, Babe. I'll protect you."

Her head snapped around his way. "Did you just tell me to not worry about who my stalker might be? I'm not some feeble-minded woman you need to handle or cosset. This is my life, my business, that this asshole threatens."

He fought a smile. Pissed off Regina worked much better in this situation than scared Regina. Sparks of anger sizzled through the air. Her eyes glittered dangerously, and her skin glowed. She was simply stunning. "I never told you not to worry. I only asked you not to think about it right now. Fuel all that indignation and rage into the part we must play to draw out this jerk." He stepped out onto the dance floor and swung her around in a twirl.

The skirt of her dress floated out around her, revealing some of her shapely legs. He remembered her lack of panties and quickly pulled her into his arms. That dazed feeling of calm overpowered him again. He nuzzled her neck as they moved to the music.

She sighed and relaxed against him. "Sorry. I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about men telling me not to ‘worry my pretty little head' about things. You'd be surprised at how many times someone has mansplained how the business world works to me."

He wasn't. There were plenty of testosterone-laden jerks out there. He tried not to be one of them. "Your head is very pretty, but the sharpness of your mind is what makes you sexy as hell and irresistible."

She leaned back, her eyes searching his. A small frown marred her brow. "You don't have to say those things when nobody can hear us. "

He echoed her frown. "Why not?" Had he offended her somehow? Maybe he came on too strong. So much for not being a jerk. He stepped through unfamiliar territory here. He knew he sucked at flirting, but that hadn't bothered him before.

He'd never felt the need to make this much of an effort before. And that's probably what scared him the most. This worry that he wouldn't measure up to the gorgeous woman in his arms. That she would figure out how much better she could do. Or that she'd not be able to deal with the beast inside him.

The wolf huffed. Mate knows us .

Regie looked around the room again. A faint blush crept up her cheeks. "I mean, you don't have to pretend if there's nobody here to see us acting our parts." She met his gaze. The blue of her eyes deepened. "I'm not good at pretending. It's confusing to tell what's real and what's for show." She looked away again. "If any of it is real, that is," she mumbled.

"You thought I faked what happened on the balcony?" He couldn't keep the incredulity out of his voice. To be honest, her assumption offended him a little. Even his wolf scoffed.

She bit her lip. "No, I could definitely tell that you were into me."

"Then what is it you're trying to tell me?"

She wouldn't meet his eyes .

He waited for her to respond. For being such a straightforward and smart CEO, she sure beat around the bush in this conversation.

Finally, she sighed and looked up at him. Her eyes were as clear as a summer evening sky. "I'm not very experienced when it comes to relationships. I've dated before, but when it comes to intimacy and emotions, I kind of suck at it."

He had no idea where this conversation headed. "Okay?" he hedged, waiting for her to continue.

"I know we don't have a relationship, but the more we pretend to be in love, the more confused my emotions get. The intimacy feels too real." She moved closer. Her head tucked away so he no longer could see her eyes.

He edged a knuckle under her chin, tilting her head back so he could look straight into those beautiful eyes. "There's nothing fake about our intimacy. These sparks that fly between us whenever we touch? They're real. Trust me." It scared him how right that sounded.

He hoped she heard the truth in his voice. He wished he could explain everything about wolf shifters and true mates, but the priority right now had to be catching the stalker.

"I hear you," she finally said after a long pause. But he hated how vulnerable she sounded.

"Do you? And do you feel the heat that sizzles between us?" His wolf rose to the surface, and he knew his hazel eyes had turned an intense bottle green.

"Yes," she answered. "I feel those sparks, that heat."

He let his gaze roam her face. "And do you trust it?" he growled. "Words can lie, but the truth of chemistry like ours is real." His voice rumbled several octaves lower than normal. He felt it vibrate in his chest, and the wolf added his hum to the sound.

Regie tried to nod, but the gentle pressure of his knuckle under her chin kept her face still. He kept his gaze on her eyes. "Yes," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I trust it."

He felt a lazy grin stretch across his lips. "That's all that matters then. We may not know each other intellectually yet, but our bodies have already figured out that we fit perfectly together. Whatever this is between us, I want to explore it." He moved his hand from under her chin and caressed her jawline. "But for now, we have to focus on finding your stalker." He wished he could take the time to show her how much he meant to him. "The idea of someone hurting you, scaring you, is too much."

She leaned her face into his palm. "We have a lot to talk about. There are some things you don't know about me that might change how you feel about being with me."

He brushed his lips across hers. "Unless you're a closeted serial killer, there's not much that can keep me away from you. But we'll talk about all the things. Just not right now. "

An emotion flashed in her eyes, but it disappeared before he recognized it. Whatever she worried about, it couldn't be half as bad as the secrets he had to tell her. He just hoped she could handle all that came with being with someone like him.

All the furry baggage with sharp teeth.

Mate , the wolf whispered.

Yeah, that, too. They needed to discuss being bonded for life to his furriness with the sharp teeth.