Mate Set (Mating Heat Book 1) Read online

  She grudgingly smiled back. “You taught me better than to fight with a wolf.” She winked at him. “I’ll see you later.” She turned toward the kitchen, where she’d left her purse.

  “Mika?”

  She turned back to her uncle. “Yes?”

  “Your guard will be in charge. If he says no to something, you listen to him. Do you understand me?”

  She stared into his eyes. “No.”

  He frowned. “You can’t go to the bars this visit. That can’t happen again.”

  Mika paled a little. Shit. He knows about that? Her gaze flew to Minnie, who shook her head slightly. Minnie hadn’t ratted her out.

  “Two of my men were there,” Uncle Omar said softly. “I try to always keep tabs on you when you come home.” He paused. “No more bar fights. Are we clear?”

  She flushed. “It wasn’t my fault.”

  “And that’s why I didn’t put you over my damn knee. Now go so I can talk to my men.”

  Mika turned and fled. She didn’t dare even glance at Grady, too afraid her uncle would notice. She was also embarrassed about the bar comment her uncle had made. Grady probably thought the worst of her.

  Chapter Three

  Mika paced and glanced at her watch for the fiftieth time at least. Finally, she heard a vehicle stop in front of the house and she walked to the front window. She gripped the curtain, pulled it back, and watched a man climb out of a black Jeep.

  Her eyes closed and the air left her lungs in a whoosh. No way in hell could I be that unlucky.

  She opened her eyes. Yes, I am that damn unlucky. The sexy proof was coming her way.

  “Son of a bitch,” she cursed. She dropped the curtain, marched across the room, turned the deadbolt, and yanked open her front door. Her gaze locked on the man walking up the sidewalk carrying a duffle bag. “You volunteered?”

  Grady Harris’s dark gaze bore into her as he walked up the three steps to her front door. He did not look happy. “No. I got drafted because I didn’t stare at your tits like the other three did.”

  She moved out of the way, instantly noticing that he looked even taller in the daylight. He looked bigger, too, as he eased in her front door. She hesitated and then closed and locked the door to face the man who’d marked her the night before in his oh- so-unusual way. He stood in the middle of her living room, giving it a once-over. He was breathing hard and his lips were twisted into a snarl.

  “If you tell Omar what happened last night, he’s going to blow a fuse.”

  “No shit.”

  “Did you tell him anything?”

  Mika shook her head. “Do I look stupid to you?”

  “You knew the danger and you went out anyway. If I hadn’t heard you scream and saved your ass from those four pups, you wouldn’t be breathing today. With that in mind, do you really want to ask me if you look stupid?”

  “No one told me it was mating season. How freaky is that? It was the first I’d ever heard of it. I always go out at night when I’m here and have never run into trouble before.”

  Grady arched a black eyebrow. “What was that about a bar fight I heard mentioned?”

  “That wasn’t my fault.”

  “What happened?” He loudly dropped his bag on her wood floor.

  Mika frowned as she crossed her arms over her breasts. “Last year I went to a bar and some asshole decided to get a little too friendly. I took offense and I told him off. He pulled back a fist to hit me and another man stopped him. They both came with friends, so it turned into a brawl.”

  “Were you dressed the way you were today?”

  “Damn it! Minnie warned me what Omar was up to. She told me if all the men looked at my body, he wouldn’t assign me a guard. So I just made sure everyone looked.”

  “I would have looked too, except I was so surprised when I realized who you were that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from your face until the shock wore off.” His voice lowered. “If he finds out what happened between us, I might as well hand him my balls on a silver platter. You should have told me who the hell you were last night. I’m furious.”

  “I told those four men, and they didn’t know who the hell my uncle was when I mentioned I was protected by him. It didn’t work with them, so I figured it wouldn’t work with you. Excuse the hell out of me.”

  “You could have said no.”

  She had to shut her mouth, which had dropped open. “And you didn’t have to come after me.”

  They glared at each other. “All you had to do was say no.”

  “I believe I did, and you told me to shut up.”

  “I didn’t say ‘shut up’ exactly.”

  “Close enough. It’s done. It’s a good thing I showered when I got home, huh? I washed my clothes too so nothing is marked anymore. No one but you and I know what happened.”

  His shoulders relaxed. “You really aren’t going to tell Omar?”

  “Do I look—? Never mind. You think I’m an idiot. I got that. Hell no, I’m not going to tell him anything about last night. That wasn’t just a threat when he said he’d put me over his damn knee. The last time he spanked me, I was twenty-five years old. I couldn’t believe he almost blistered my ass.”

  A smile tugged at the man’s mouth. “What did you do to deserve that?”

  “Deserve this.” She flipped him off. “I’m not telling you. We’re stuck together until your replacement comes. The guestroom is the first door down the hall to the right, so we’ll just avoid each other. I’m going grocery shopping.”

  “Not without me.” He sighed. “I’m under orders to keep you in my sight at all times, and that means you don’t go anywhere without me.” He paused. “And there is no replacement. I’m it, babe. Your uncle didn’t enjoy the way the guys eyed your body, so I’m on duty until you leave town. When will that be, anyway? I had to put my life on hold.”

  “Unbelievable,” she muttered. “I just arrived yesterday and I’m going to be here for two more weeks. I’m stuck with you for that long? The entire time?”

  He nodded. His dark eyes looked cold and angry. “That’s the plan.”

  “Great. Well, you can’t keep me in your sight at all times.”

  “Those are my orders—and I follow them.”

  “You’re not watching me sleep, and you sure as hell aren’t following me into the bathroom.”

  His gaze raked down her slowly. She saw him pause at her breasts and then again at her hips until his gaze rose. “It’s mating season, and I’m not immune. Thanks to your bad timing, I’m going to be the only single male not getting laid. The least you could do is let me watch you shower. Visual aids would be appreciated, since I’ll be stuck relieving myself.”

  “Pervert!” she sputtered. “Not a chance in hell.”

  A slow smile curved his lips. “We’ll see.”

  “See this,” she gritted out. She spun and stormed for the kitchen. “Me, walking away.”

  He had the nerve to laugh. “I’m going to get settled and then we’ll go to the store.”

  Mika was fuming when she yanked up the phone and dialed Minnie’s cell number.

  Minnie answered on the second ring. “I guess he arrived?”

  “What do you know about this asshole?” Mika kept her voice low.

  “He’s an enforcer. Remember what one of those are?”

  “Remind me.”

  “He kicks ass, is what it means. He’s a badass of the worst sort. On a personal note, he’s a good man who’s as loyal as hell to the pack, and he’s got honor. I hear he’s heaven in bed. I’d take him for a test spin if I were twenty years younger and not in love.”

  “That helps a lot, since I heard that castration threat from Uncle Omar.”

  Minnie chuckled. “Sarcasm just drips from your lips. Okay. He’s Elroy’s bastard son.”

  Mika was shocked. Elroy was the alpha of the pack but he didn’t handle the day-to- day business. That fell to Uncle Omar. Elroy and Omar were best friends and had been raised together.