Chapter 3

Nathan

Can I help you?

I blink down at her, stunned into silence. That wasn’t what I expected. Maybe for her to slam the door in my face. For her to give me a filthy look and a hard time.

Not this.

“I… I’m Leila’s brother, Nathan. Can I come in?”

Through the tiny gap in the door, I can only see half of her face and a curtain of shiny black hair. I need to see her properly. Up close, the urge to reach out and touch her, to cup her face is overwhelming. The door between is making me angry. I want to be closer to her.

After dragging her dark pink bottom lip through her teeth as she ponders whether to let me, her mate, into her new apartment in my pack house, she gives me a minuscule nod and steps back. Pressing her back to the wall, she gestures for me to move past her, down the narrow hallway, and into the living room.

It takes every bit of willpower I possess to keep moving. Forcing my feet to keep walking before I do something reckless, I take in the few personal items that she’s unpacked in the small space. At least she’s not planning on running.

“So…” Maya hoovers uncomfortably near the entrance to the room, giving me the distinct impression I’m not welcome to stay for long. She’s in black yoga pants and a loose t-shirt, making her petite frame look even smaller. As she rocks up and down on the balls of her bare feet nervously, she crosses her arms across her chest and finally lifts her head so I can see her properly at last. My heart twists as I feel her anxiety about being in my presence. It shouldn’t be like this.

“I wanted to apologise.” Running my hand back through my curly mop and across the back of my neck, I wait for some kind of reaction. Maya merely tilts her head to one side and wrinkles her brow in confusion.

“Okay. For what?”

For what?

Now I’m getting suspicious. Is this a ploy to get me to admit exactly what I was up to last night before she unleashes her fury on me? But she genuinely looks perplexed.

“For earlier. In the hallway… and what you, uhm, saw.”

The penny drops and she makes an O with her mouth, eyes wide, and a slight flush spreads across her chest. Her fingers are clasped together tightly. She twists them together as the bouncing finally stops and she stares up at me, waiting for me to carry on. When I don’t, she fills the awkward silence.

“I didn’t really see anything. And look, it’s none of my business, anyway. No need to be sorry.”

She edges away from me slightly, angling her body slightly towards the door and that’s obviously my cue to leave.

None of her business.

My mind has gone blank with a mixture of panic and disbelief. Is she rejecting me? Does she think I’ve rejected her by not rushing straight here? Stubbornness keeps me rooted to the spot.

“I am sorry, truly. That’s not the first impression I wanted you to have of me. It matters to me what you think of me.”

Her nose twitches at that, but she says nothing, just watches me curiously as I take a couple of slow, tentative steps toward her. I feel like I’m approaching a wounded animal. Maybe I am. If I move too quickly, she might bolt and I’m not willing to chance that. But I have to make my intentions clear.

“Maya, are you coming to the welcome dinner?”

She nods, and her blush deepens. It’s adorable. My fingers itch to trail across the delicate skin of her neck and collarbone. I know it’s going to be silky smooth to touch, and warm.

“Will you have a drink with me? Maybe have a dance.”

I give her my best cheeky smile, and lean in slightly closer, absorbing as much of her delicious scent as I before I leave, but her face falls. It’s exactly the opposite response to the one I normally get when I turn on the charm.

“What?” Straightening, I take in the look of disappointment that crosses her beautiful features.

“Does that work on all the ladies that come to stay here?”

There’s no malice in her voice. Or venom. She’s just making a point. Observing what she assumes to be a modus operandi of mine.

“No. No. I…”

Fuck. I scramble, trying to backtrack.

“Maybe a drink,” Maya whispers slowly, meeting my eye, and hope blooms in my chest. I can turn this around. I know I can. I have to.

“I’ll take it.”

It’s not a definite no, and that’s enough for me for the time being. Taking a chance, I reach out and grab her hand, brushing my thumb briefly across the back of her knuckles, before releasing her. The jolt of electricity that shoots up my arm startles me and it seems to have the same effect on Maya.

Her wolf flashes in her eyes and she blinks in surprise at me, looking concerned at the strength of her physical reaction to me. I can see her pulse fluttering in her neck and even though I long to kiss it, I make myself leave with a quick smile and a nod of my head.

Maya shuts the door behind me softly, her polite smile and neutral expression giving nothing away. Maya might appear shy, but I have a feeling she’s not as timid as she appears. And she certainly won’t be easily won over.

It would have been nice to have an easier first meeting, but I love a good challenge.

Maya

Woah. Shutting the door, I turn and rest my back against it gently, careful not to make a sound in case he’s still close by.

Nathan’s touch still has my skin tingling, and being in his presence had my sluggish libido roaring to life. Everything about him makes my body sing. From his warm brown eyes and that crooked, boyish smile, to his confident posture and relaxed, but unmistakably predatory way of moving. Sexual energy rolled off him, and his lazy, sensual smile almost made me want to throw myself at him, beg him to take me for that drink right now. Or just take me.

But then a niggle, an alarm bell going off in the back of my mind at how smooth he is as I replay the scene from this morning in my mind. I’ve been relatively sheltered as the alpha’s daughter, and then as Dean's sister since he took over the pack.

I’m no innocent virgin, but few wolves are brave or stupid enough to play games or mess me around when my overprotective brother is the alpha. And with no outsiders joining the pack, and very few opportunities to venture off the territory, I’ve never had dealings with any men who didn’t know exactly who I was. And how to behave themselves.

Is this guy taking me for a naïve little girl who’ll be bowled over by his charming smile and a little flirting?

Would I be a fool to fall for it? For him?