Alpha Male Incorporated: Take Control (7 page)

He decided not to bother Raya in her dreams tonight. Instead, he would stay here and make sure she was tucked safely into bed with a little assistance on his part to help her sleep, before he vanished back to his place for the night and tried to figure out another way to get Raya to trust him.

For a second, the idea of paying Alec a visit crossed his mind but he shut it down. He needed to concentrate on Raya, not some insignificant male human who was beneath him. The sound of singing drew his attention back to the stunning woman in front of him.

Raya’s day must have been extra hard, because his mate only sung to herself before a taking a shower if she was completely stressed out. He had learned this piece of information after eavesdropping on one of her conversations with Sahara at Jax’s house.

Since Raya hated being around him in any way, shape, or form he found other ways to find out details to win over her, enough so she would agree to be his mate and to get his cousins off his back. They might think Raya was sassy and sweet, but he knew the real side of Ms. August. She was difficult, bossy, and strong-willed.

Why would he ever pick a woman like her as his mate? But it was done, so he accepted what the fates had given him. However, he still was determined not to get all lovesick over Raya like Jax and Zander had done for their women.

No way. No how. It wasn’t going to happen. Not now or in the next hundred years. He was too strong to become weak in the knees and give in so easily to any woman.

Raya was too independent to become the ultimate mate in his eyes — a woman who was beautiful, calm, and willing to cater to his every wish without a comment.

When it came to them, they were definitely complete opposites but he could learn to deal with it, so could she. All he had to do was have a good game plan to make Raya understand agreeing to this mate situation would be a win-win deal no matter how they looked at it.

“Hey, beautiful,” a masculine voice whispered behind her. “I’ve missed you.”

Sahara finished writing the last line of her song lyric before closing her well-worn black journal. She tossed it down on the bed next to her, then smiled up at her handsome husband.

“Hello yourself,” she said.

Standing up, she wrapped her arms around Jax’s neck and gave him a long, slow kiss before moving back. “I see you came back in one piece. I can’t believe Raya and Thorsten got into another fight today. I swear if those two stop with all of the bickering they would see how perfect they are for each other. Maybe I should have a talk with my best friend and point her in the right direction.”

“Baby, you know the rules.” he said, giving her a stern look. “You can’t do anything to push her towards Thorsten.”

“I know, but I want to help Raya so much. I can feel her loneliness and we both have the ability to take it away. I can talk to her and then you can do the same thing with Thorsten. He has to listen sooner or later.”

Jax wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her back to his hard chest. “Sahara, you should have been at the office this afternoon. Raya was toe to toe with Thorsten and he almost told her she was his mate, but I stopped him. I swear he’s going to lose her before he even has a chance to get her. I have told him more than once Raya isn’t like you.”

Leaning back from her husband, she stared up into his face. “What do you mean that Raya isn’t like me?” she questioned.

“Baby, you know the second you laid eyes on me in your Uncle Frank’s den you wanted me. I mean, you were practically undressing me with your eyes. I was nervous you might not even let me out of the room.”

Sahara gasped then hit him on the arm. “You are such a liar. You know you were the one ready to toss me over your shoulder and brand me as your mate that very same day.”

Smiling at her, Jax tugged her back to his chest. “Well, I might have stretched the truth a little, but you’ve to at least admit you felt the same pull I did when you walked into the room and saw me standing there.”

She ran her fingers through her husband’s hair. She was taken aback by his aggressive behavior at first, but now that he was in her life she didn’t know how she ever survived this long without him. He was truly her soul mate and she was going to spend the rest of her life with her blond, green-eyed hunk.

“Alright, I have to admit I did think you were pretty good-looking. However after a hot minute you knew I was your mate and you didn’t give up until you won me over. So, what is so wrong with what Thorsten is doing? I think he’s perfect for Raya. I still believe if I have a talk with her I might be able to make her see things differently. We really don’t hang out like we used to in the past. I think she might miss our girls’ nights.”

“How I won you over is totally different from what Thorsten is doing. An Irizarry vampire is supposed to take the time to romance his mate and eventually gain her complete trust so she’ll accept him as hers.”

Sasha sighed. “I only want to help my best friend.”

“I know you want to help Raya because you know her destiny is linked to Thorsten’s, but you can’t do it. I love you; however, you almost ruined things for my brother and Sabrina because you told her too much too soon and it scared her. Luckily, Zander was able to win her over after she got over seeing him as a second brother.”

Easing out of Jax’s arms, Sahara walked around their bedroom. “I know that I can’t get totally involved but I see this sadness in Raya’s eyes that didn’t used to be there. I feel like I’m partially to blame for it. I was blessed enough to get you and I want my best friend in the world to feel the same love I do.”

Jax reached out and grabbed her by the arm as she went past for the third time. “Sweetheart, I know you love Raya like a sister more than a best friend. But you should give her and Thorsten time to feel each other out so they can figure out what their own connection is. Each vampire and his mate have their own special way of coming together.”

She didn’t want to admit it to Jax, but she was scared that Thorsten’s conceit might push Raya away. None of them knew Raya’s personality as well as she did. Her girlfriend was very independent and the way Thorsten was treating her might not get him the results they wanted in the end.

“Baby, stop worrying so much about this,” Jax said, then kissed her on the temple. “Everything will work out for those two and Raya will end up as a part of our family before you know it.”

“Stop reading my thoughts. You know sometimes I like to keep things to myself,” she scolded, staring up at her husband.

“I know, but you just haven’t been yourself lately and I’ve been worried. You know that I only want the best for you. I hate to see any kind of sadness in your beautiful eyes. I’m your mate and it’s my job to make you happy every single day.”

Standing on her tiptoes, she gave Jax a soft kiss on the lips. “Baby, I haven’t stopped being happy since I realized you were the love of my life. All I want for Raya is to have the same kind of love I do and I don’t know if I truly see Thorsten being the man to give her what we have. Maybe she is destined to be with a human man.”

“No!” Jax shouted, then lowered his voice when she flinched in his arms. “Raya is Thorsten’s mate. We all know it’s true. My cousin won’t fall prey to the “sleep of the dead” because of their personalities are clashing right now.”

“How about I give her a few little well-placed hints?” she suggested.

“Honey, I’d love to, but you’ve to stay out of this. Why don’t you take your frustrations and put it into a song? I know another hit will come from that brilliant mind of yours.”

Why hadn’t she thought of that herself?

Easing away from Jax, Sahara went back over to the bed and grabbed her song journal off the mattress before heading for the bedroom door. She had things to get done tonight. A song might be the thing to get the fighting couple together.

“Sahara, where are you doing? It’s getting late. Aren’t you coming to bed?”

“No. I need to head down to my studio. I just got the best idea for a song, but I can’t work on it upstairs. I need to be alone and around my music. I promise I won’t be up too late,” she said as she opened the door and rushed out as the lyrics for a song came to her.

I hunger for you.

I don’t know when it started, but I can’t control it whenever I see you.

I have this need that is uncontrollable.

I hunger for you without any cure in sight.

I don’t know if this is right or wrong.

All I do know is it getting harder and harder to control.

There are times when the need gets so great I can’t fight.

It takes over in the middle of the night pulling me in all directions
And I can’t ignore it.

The sensation is too powerful, too strong to ever let me go.

I’m beginning to wonder if my mind is trying
To tell me something that I don’t know.

I can’t seem to stop this need I have for you.

Does this mean you are the one for me?

Or can it just be my desire to want you in my orbit because…

If not, can you tell me what it might be?

Or will you be cruel and keep it to yourself?

I have always been the one for you through the good and even the bad times.

Do you know why?

Because I can’t get you out of my blood, it’s like a
Deadly poison that doesn’t have a cure in sight.

Yet, I don’t care to have one for what I feel for you.

All I want is for you to be near me without anyone
Else around because I want to be your woman.

You can get rid of your past loves since I crave you
Like a person on a diet does for their favorite dessert.

I hunger for you.

I don’t know when it started, but I can’t control it whenever I see you.

I have this need that is uncontrollable.

I hunger for you without any cure in sight.

I don’t know if this is right or wrong.

All I do know is it getting harder and harder to control.

Please don’t give me that look. I mean every word that I say.

I just realized you hunger for me just as much as I do for you.

Why are you fighting me on this?

We both know this need…

No, hunger isn’t going away without one of us giving in.

If you are nervous about what you feel,
I would understand but don’t throw what we could have away.

I mean, haven’t you ever wanted something so badly that you couldn’t
Live another day without it?

Like this burning hunger you feel might eat
You up alive until you think you can get it out of your system,
But that never happens because what I feel for you runs
Deeper than anything I have ever felt before…

I hunger for you.

I don’t know when it started, but I can’t control it whenever I see you.

I have this need that is uncontrollable.

I hunger for you without any curse in sight.

I don’t know if this is right or wrong.

All I do know is it getting harder and harder to control.

The next morning Raya rushed into her office, tossing her purse and briefcase on her desk. She was trying to catch the phone before the other person hung up. She reached for it on the fourth ring, catching it before the answering machine kicked over to pick it up.

“Hello,” she answered into the phone, slightly out of breath.

“Raya, you really upset me running off the way you did yesterday with Jax. I wanted us to talk a little longer. I know we have plenty of things to discuss,” Thorsten’s deep, rich voice said in her ear.

She bit her tongue to keep from screaming out her frustrations at him. Why today and why her? Or had she drew the short straw without even knowing it?

“Mr. Irizarry, I left with your cousin because I didn’t think it was worth my time for us to get into another useless argument. We both want two different things, which means we aren’t ever going to see eye to eye.”

Thorsten’s full and masculine laughter tickled her ear, sending a ripple of awareness throughout her body. She was so shocked by the feeling that she almost dropped the phone on the floor.

“What’s so funny?” she snapped.

“I believe you are putting so much energy into being against me that you’re not seeing how we both want the same thing,” he said softly. “We could be such good friends if you let it happen.”

“So, I should believe you aren’t trying to sweet talk me into giving you what you want. Also, should I overlook how you can’t listen to a word I tell you and instead become best friends with you? Sorry, I find that hard to swallow, Thorsten.”

“Well, I guess I did something right because you are calling me Thorsten. How about you have dinner with me tonight and I’ll prove how wrong you are about me?” he suggested in a low, smooth voice that captivated her senses.

Raya shook off the sudden feeling and lapse in judgment, chalking it up to not getting enough sleep in the past month or two. “I’m sorry but I have to pass. I already have plans with someone else tonight.”

“Who in the hell do you have a date with?” Thorsten demanded, spacing out the words evenly with a hint of anger in them. “I asked Sahara if you were seeing anyone and she told me that you were single.”

Pulling out the chair at her desk, Raya took a seat. She wasn’t about to tell Thorsten her “date” was her watching an episode of
Master Chef with Gordon Ramsey
while eating Thai food in her bed. What she did with her personal life was her business and not his
.