Dark eyes blinked at her. “Cleanup is done, just headin’ home, boss.” He cocked his head behind him, where Jacob, Arch, and about a dozen of their guys stood.
Heat bloomed in her cheeks. “Right. Goodnight then.” She sidestepped them, and without looking back headed to the row of cars at the other end of the garage, determined to put as much space between them as she could. However, she didn’t get very far away when a hand wrapping around her wrist prevented her from taking another step. Electricity bolted up her arm.
“Let me go.” When his grip tightened, she turned to face him. “What are you doing?”
“We should talk.” The lazy, devil-may-care smile was gone from his face. Instead, those dark eyes stared back at her with naked desire. “About what happened in—”
“I said. Let. Go!” She yanked her hand away and raced toward the nearest vehicle. The door was barely closed when she punched the ignition button and the engine roared to life, then she put the car into gear and raced out of the garage. Moments later, the car broke through the magical wall that protected the entrance, and she drove as fast as she legally could to The Enclave, a group of buildings on the Upper West Side that the New York clan called home. It was a mini-city, consisting of several apartment buildings where most of the clan lived and protected by many magic spells that made humans ignore it.
She pulled into her spot under her building and cut the engine. Her legs felt like jelly so she didn’t dare move yet. Closing her eyes, she rested her forehead on the wheel.
This wasn’t fair. Joe was the love of her life. No one else could occupy her heart in that way again. That … that crude asshole couldn’t possibly be her True Mate. She couldn’t fall in love with him. If only Joe was still here. Or if only they’d had a baby—
She sat up quickly. True Mates … if they were True Mates, then that meant he could give her something she’d been wanting—a baby. It wouldn’t be Joe’s, but it would be hers. All hers, to love and care for. Her inner wolf seemed to like the idea of that. A pup to cherish, to fill that void in her heart that had been there since Joe died.
“No, no!” She pushed the door open violently and wrenched herself out of the vehicle, stalking toward the elevators. Crazy. Preposterous. It wasn’t like she could ask him to give her a sample—for some reason, IVF couldn’t produce any offspring, Lycan or human. No, it would have to be done the old-fashioned way.
And would that be so bad?
“Yes, it would.” She jabbed the call button so hard, it would have left a dent were it not made of reinforced steel. “Yes, definitely. Bad idea.” Her hormones were raging like a teenager’s, but her adult mind knew sex with Delacroix would be a terrible mistake.
And yet …
A long sigh escaped her, and she stepped into the elevator. Moments later, she finally arrived home. Well, her apartment, anyway. The concept of a home seemed alien to her after she’d sold the house in Brooklyn she had owned with Joe. Though it had been over a year since she’d moved, there hadn’t really been time to decorate or even unpack all of her things. There were still two or three boxes in the living room, and all the furniture and decorations had been the same as when she moved in. This place was more like a dorm—she only slept, showered, and dressed here. But then again, her job had taken over her entire life meaning those were the only things she had time for outside of work. Every day melded into the next, same shit, different day.
But maybe a baby would be nice. She could move into a larger place and—
“All right then,” she said aloud. “How exactly am I supposed to ask him?”
Maybe she didn’t have to tell him. From what little information she’d heard, Delacroix had been a major flirt before he left for Zhobghadi. It would be easy enough to seduce him, and then she’d get pregnant. If he was her True Mate, it would only have to happen once.
“Argh!” Her hands curled into fists at her side. No, she couldn’t do that. Honesty and integrity were important to her. Besides, tricking a man into getting her pregnant was just so … icky.
But then again …
Delacroix was already an amoral bastard. Selfish. Thought only of himself. Oh, she knew that much about him. Nick had told her the entire story, including the fact that Delacroix was planning to go Lone Wolf after his five years of servitude to New York was over. It was obvious he couldn’t wait until his sentence was over.
Maybe, just maybe, if she could give him what he wanted, he could give her what she wanted. It would be a fair trade and besides, there was no risk of emotional entanglement, not with him.
Her eyes moved heavenward. Oh Lord, this was insane, right?
Chapter Four
Even though a few days had passed since the incident, the strange feeling gnawing at Delacroix didn’t go away, and he had a feeling it wasn’t going to any time soon. His wolf too, was restless, as if it wanted something.
He knew exactly what it wanted. From the moment it laid eyes on her, it wouldn’t stop hounding him. Wanting to see her. Smell her delicious, distinct scent—lavender and spice. Thinking about her made his cock twitch.
The sound of a body slamming on the ground jolted him out of his thoughts. His mind suddenly remembered where they were—in the training gym, surrounded by at least twenty other Lycans. Thank the Lord for small favors that his thoughts had been interrupted before they became too salacious.
“Martinez!” a harsh voice growled. “I keep telling you to watch your left side, it’s your weakness. Now get up off your ass and try
