Moonlight Kin 2: Aidan's Mate (Mid-Length Novel) (7 page)

Jenna rubbed her head. “I’ll be fine. What were you saying?”

“I was thinking about the repairs you need to do on your car,” he said, not entirely sure where he was going with this idea.

She paled. “What about them?”

“It’s ridiculous that you aren’t able to work on the vehicle anytime you like,” he said.

Confusion marred her face. “I can’t. I have a job.”

“I know.” His nose wrinkled in disgust. “That’s not what I meant. I thought it might be easier for you, if you stayed here at the estate—at least while you’re working on the car. That way you could do the repairs anytime you felt like it. You wouldn’t have to worry about driving back to your motel every night.”

The last of the blood in her face drained away and her scent soured. It was as Bernie suspected.

Aidan pretended not to notice her reaction. What if she turned down his offer? What would he do then? He couldn’t order her to stay. Jenna wasn’t part of his pack. He couldn’t hold her against her will. Though that thought held some appeal.

His wolf perked up.
Forget about it. Not going to happen.
Aidan’s heart pounded. The need to protect thrummed in his head, as he waited for her answer.

* * * * *

Everything inside of Jenna screamed for her to say no, but Aidan was right. If she were here, she could spend every moment of extra time that she had working on her car. It would be a relief to not worry about driving back to the campground every night.

Staying on the estate would also give her the opportunity to interview Aidan. Jenna liked the idea of getting to know the real man behind the success, solving the puzzle that was Aidan Fortier.

Jenna bit her lip. “I don’t want to put you out.” Pride reared its ugly head.

“You won’t,” Aidan said. “As you’ve seen, the house is quite large. There’s plenty of room for one more.”

“If you’re sure?” Say yes! Her brain screamed. She’d never get a better chance than this.

“I am.” Aidan cleared his throat. “Now if you’ll excuse me. I’ve kept whoever is on the phone waiting long enough.”

“They’ve probably already hung up,” she said.

Aidan smiled. “That’s highly unlikely. When you’re finished here, find Robert. He’ll have a room waiting.”

“Thank you,” Jenna said.

Their eyes met fleetingly, long enough for Jenna to see the heat burning behind Aidan’s amber gaze. In a blink it was gone, but there was no doubt in her mind that it had been there. Most shocking of all was her reaction to it. To him.

With one look, Aidan made her want. Made her ache. Her body had been dormant for three months. Now suddenly it was awake, aware of what it had been missing. And Jenna wasn’t sure how to handle that.

When in doubt—run!

Jenna opened her mouth to tell Aidan that she’d changed her mind.

“Please excuse me, I really must go,” he interjected, before she got the chance.

She glanced over her shoulder. All three mechanics busied themselves, pretending that they hadn’t been listening to every word.

Bernie looked at her.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing.” He grinned, then grabbed the remote from Nic and turned up the music.

* * * * *

Aidan spent twenty tedious minutes on the phone, listening to all the areas that the southern Moonlight Kin pack Alpha would like to see reformed.

Some of his ideas were genuinely innovative, while others simply rehashed old notions and outdated concepts. Aidan tried to concentrate on what Pierre was saying, but his thoughts refused to leave Jenna.

He didn’t like the idea of her out there in the garage surrounded by his wolves. She was perfectly safe, but Nic had shown far too much interest in her for his peace of mind.

Now that she was under his roof, Aidan felt responsible for her. It was his duty to protect her, especially from his wolves.

Pierre said something else that Aidan missed. This was ridiculous. They were going to have to have this whole conversation over again, but not tonight.

“Rest assured that I will bring up your suggestions at the next Lycanian Elder meeting.” He gave the southern Alpha his standard political reply and excused himself.

The second he hung up, Aidan pressed a buzzer to summon Robert into his office. His assistant entered, his face drawn in concern.

“Sir, I noticed that Ms. Dane is still here,” he said. “Should I tell her that it’s time to head back to town? I can’t help but think she’s taking advantage of your hospitality.”

No one took advantage of him. Aidan wouldn’t allow it. “Jenna will be staying with us for a few days,” he said. “I’d intended to let you know before I answered the phone, but I’d kept Pierre waiting long enough.”

“Jenna?” Robert startled. “But Alpha, the wolves were planning to run tonight.”

Aidan played with the miniature Zen garden on his desk, but the repetitive sand raking did little to bring him inner peace. “Make sure that they shift in the woods and tell them to keep away from the house.”

“But Alpha, we risk exposure with her here,” he said.

Aidan set the tiny rake down. He was well aware of the risks. He didn’t need reminding. Perhaps he should be more concerned about Jenna given the phase of the moon, but she’d already faced down one wolf without batting an eyelash. He didn’t think she’d wilt, if she accidentally caught sight of a few more.

“My orders are clear,” he said. “Prepare a room for her in the west wing.”

Robert shifted in place. “Wouldn’t she be more comfortable in the east wing?”

“With the pack?” Aidan arched a brow. “Do you think that would be wise?”

Robert shook his head. “I was merely concerned for your safety. Humans are untrustworthy vermin. If it were up to me, I’d send her away or have her exterminated, before she has a chance to ‘infect’ the pack.”

Aidan rose from behind his desk. “Of that I have no doubt, but since you are not in a position to give orders...”

It was rare that he had to remind any of his people of their position in the pack, but today Aidan found himself doing so twice.

It was his fault. He’d given Robert far too much leeway, too much responsibility in hopes that he’d slip up and reveal where his true loyalties lie. He hadn’t yet. But the small shift in power had gone to his head and made Robert forget his place.

Robert paled. “If that is all, I’ll notify the maids to prepare her room.”

Aidan nodded. “You do that.”

He stopped at the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. Color had returned to his face, but Robert couldn’t meet Aidan’s gaze. “Do you still want me to send another female to your room tonight? Or would you rather
rest
?”

Aidan ground his teeth. The gossip from his encounter with Sydney had obviously reached his assistant’s attentive ears. Robert’s gleeful expression only made matters worse.

Last night was an anomaly. Tonight he’d prove it. “I have no need to rest, when duty calls.”

Robert coughed. “Nine o’clock okay?”

“That would be perfect.” His wolf grumbled. Aidan ignored it. Just because Jenna Dane was staying at the estate didn’t mean that anything in his life had to change.

* * * * *

Jenna settled into the bedroom that Aidan had selected for her. Soft cream colors and earth-tone browns served to decorate the cozy room. A small dresser sat against one wall, while a queen-sized bed smothered in pillows graced another, leaving Jenna spoiled for choice.

How long had it been since she’d slept in this kind of bed? Three months? Longer? She’d certainly never owned anything this nice. Jenna had poured every penny she earned back into her business.

The bedroom had an ensuite bath attached that came fully stocked with shampoo, soap, and several fluffy towels. She stared at the bathtub longingly. Jenna couldn’t wait to take a long soak.

She leaned down to turn on the water, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Jenna gave the tub a longing glance, then crossed the room to open the door.

Robert LaBeouf stood in the hall with a tray of food in his hands. He didn’t wait for her to invite him inside. He simply stepped by her and placed the tray on a small table situated by the sliding glass doors.

“I wasn’t sure what people like you normally eat, so I had the chef put a little bit of everything on the tray. It should keep you until morning. There should be no need to leave the room.”

His tone was perfectly polite, but his words and demeanor gave Jenna pause. Robert made it sound like she was a prisoner, not a guest. Was Molly wrong about this being a cult?

Aidan didn’t strike her as the type to pass around the Kool-Aid, but he was certainly charismatic enough to garner a lot of followers. She made a mental note to check the door to make sure it couldn’t be locked from the outside.

Jenna didn’t know why Robert didn’t like her, since they’d had very little interaction. Maybe protecting his boss was part of his job description?

Made sense. Aidan’s wealth automatically made him a target.

Or maybe Robert had a distrustful nature? Of course, there was always a possibility that he was just a dick. For some people that state of being came naturally.

Aidan didn’t strike her as the type of man who needed defending, but Jenna couldn’t say for sure, since she really didn’t know him.

“Please tell Aidan thank you again for the use of the room.” She hoped her gratitude would smooth Robert’s ruffled feathers. If anything, it made matters worse.

Robert stiffened at the familiar use of Aidan’s name. “
Mr. Fortier
is
occupied
this evening.” He paused, letting the words and their meaning sink in. “I’ll be sure to tell him in the
morning
that you find the room adequate.”

Jenna waited for Aidan’s stuffy assistant to leave, then checked the door. To her relief, the only lock was on the inside.

Once she was convinced that Robert couldn’t trap her, she sat down to eat. The food should’ve been delicious, but instead, it dropped like boulders into her stomach.

Who cares what—or
who
Aidan was doing tonight? Certainly not her. Their relationship was purely professional. And it needed to stay that way so she could remain impartial during the interview.

Jenna snorted. Fat chance of that after everything he’d done for her.

Besides, Aidan hadn’t agreed to an interview yet. If his history was anything to go by, he would likely decline her offer.

Jenna put her fork down and pushed the tray aside. She needed air, but didn’t feel like facing Robert’s misplaced scorn. Her gaze strayed to the sliding glass doors. Jenna pulled the curtains aside and glanced out. The stone patio appeared to be vacant.

Perfect.

The lock opened with a soft click and she stepped out into the temperate air. Jenna wrapped her arms around her and took a deep breath, feeling some of the tension leave her body. The aroma of freshly mowed lawn greeted her, but it was the movement in the woods that surrounded the yard that captured her attention.

Red eyes glowed in the darkness like demonic fireflies amongst the trees. Jenna caught a glimpse of fur and saw a bushy tail swish.

Wolves!

And not just one from the looks of it. A whole pack.

The stories from town came rushing back. “Every story holds an element of truth,” she murmured.

Just because the man had wolves on his property didn’t mean he was a werewolf or a vampire.

The wolves nudged each other with their massive heads, yipping playfully as they darted amongst the tree trunks. If they noticed her, they didn’t care. They were obviously used to seeing humans.

Jenna’s dour mood lifted as she watched them scamper about. What would it be like to belong to such a tightknit family?

She couldn’t even imagine. She’d spent her life moving trash bags full of clothes from one foster house to the next, doing her best to avoid getting too attached, while dodging the occasional molester. That had been her life, her only world, until she’d aged out of the system.

The process had taught Jenna that she couldn’t count on anyone but herself. There was no such thing as the perfect family. It was an illusion, a fairytale, a dream she’d stopped believing in a long time ago.

Better to live vicariously through animals than to delude herself. At least their instincts were honest.

Jenna watched the wolves interact, marveling at their closeness. If only people could learn to work together for the good of the ‘pack’, the world would be a much better place.

* * * * *

CHAPTER SEVEN

Tonight was the night. Aidan stood in his room, wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung black jeans. His feet were bare as he paced across the carpet, nerves on edge.

Even though Jenna’s room was on the floor beneath his, Aidan kept thinking that he could
hear
her. It was his imagination. The walls and floors in his home had been soundproofed for Were privacy. What he hadn’t imagined was the sweet aroma of lilacs wafting on the air. The scent followed him wherever he went.

He heard shuffling in the hall outside his door. What if Jenna was lost and needed his help? Without thought, Aidan crossed the room and opened the door before anyone could knock.

Lisa’s arm hovered in the air. Her gray eyes widened in surprise. She lowered her hand and took a step back.

“You called for me, Alpha?”

“Yes, come in.” Aidan concealed his disappointment, ignoring the
wrongness
in his gut.

The sooner they got this over with, the sooner he could prove to himself and the pack that everything was normal.
He was
normal
. The presence of one human female wasn’t going to stop him from performing his duties.

“It’s been a long day, so if you don’t mind I’d like to get started.” Aidan wanted to find his bondmate and put an end to the tryouts.

Lisa flushed, but stepped inside the room and shut the door behind her. “As you wish, Alpha.” She quickly stripped off her clothes, revealing her womanly body. “Where do you want me?” There was huskiness to her voice that hadn’t been there before.