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  “My sister is missing,” he blurted. “I have to deal with that before anything else.” His words sounded much firmer than his internal resolve. If he could hold his breath until he got out of this room, maybe he could avoid inhaling the sweet scent of his mate and his cock would stop growing stiffer by the minute.

  It was true. Everything they said about mates was true. He couldn’t stand another minute without having her. Unfortunately, he had to. Apparently neither of them was in a position to play house today.

  “Right. Sorry. My brain flew out the window when you came in. Please, tell me about your sister. What’s her name?”

  “Ashley. She mated young. Four years ago at The Gathering. She’s been acting weird ever since. Barely ever calls home. She sounds distant. Well, she did, until I stopped hearing from her altogether. I’ve never been pleased with the situation. Something seemed off from the moment she mated. She was the sweetest girl. I adored her growing up. I was six when she was born. Our parents are older. My mother hates not having any contact with her, but she figures Ashley is busy. Or maybe she hopes that’s the case. I don’t believe it.”

  “Where does she live?”

  “I’m never quite sure. When she first mated, the asshole dragged her off immediately without saying goodbye. None of us have seen her since.”

  “Wait. They simply left from The Gathering and no one saw them?”

  He nodded. “Yep. They called the next day from the road. Mom said Ashley sounded strained. She muttered something about her mate needing to get back to work and that he didn’t want to waste any more time at The Gathering. I always thought that explanation sounded fucked up. I mean, why did he even come to The Gathering in the first place if he thought it was such a waste of time?”

  “To find his mate?” she offered.

  He shook his head. “Not buying it.”

  “Or… Maybe he didn’t want a mate? Perhaps he was just disgruntled at the time because finding a mate wasn’t on his agenda?”

  “Maybe he didn’t even find a mate.” The idea had always niggled in the back of Josh’s mind that Ashley didn’t belong to that bastard. Damon Parkfield. “Having met you, I’m seeing things through clearer lenses. Even if he did go to The Gathering intending to remain single, after he found my sister, if she truly was his mate, he’d have changed his mind about claimings.”

  A blush covered her face at his implication. “You think he lied?”

  “I do.” He wrenched his fingers together in his lap. “She was distraught every time I spoke to her. I’d hoped it was in my imagination. But now I have my doubts. And she always sounded like she’d been crying. She said it was because she was so sad to have left us. They went to Florida first. At least that’s what she said. Not sure I believe that. Same bullshit all the time about moving around because of his work, whatever that is.”

  “Why didn’t you go after her in the beginning?”

  Good question. Josh leaned back and stared at the ceiling, his gaze landing on the square tiles with their random dimples. “I wish I had. Hindsight. She insisted I not worry about her. Laughed at my concern. Said she was fine. I was so busy with my residency; I took her word for it. Stupid, really. I could kick myself, and I will if…” He couldn’t finish his sentence. He swallowed, desperately trying not to lose it.

  “Hey, you can’t beat yourself up. If she said she was fine, who were you to judge?”

  “I was her brother, that’s who. I should have known her better.” He lowered his gaze, knowing his eyes were watery.

  “Gabriel said you have a PI?” Her voice was gentle.

  “Yes. Evan Harmon. And he’s getting close. Maybe Alabama. I’m really hoping he’s found her this time. He’s tracked them to several locations that proved to be dead ends. Sometimes they had never been there and sometimes they had just moved. It’s been frustrating—all the ups and downs for the last six months.”

  “And financially draining.”

  “Yes.” Not that he cared. His sister’s life was the most important thing right now. Not money.

  “When did you last hear from her?”

  “A little over a year ago.”

  “So, I assume you came to see me because your gut tells you she’s no longer living.”

  “Yes,” he whispered.

  “And you think you’re close to discovering the truth.”

  “That sums it up, yes.” He inhaled slowly, which was a mistake. Samantha’s scent filled his nostrils again and he leaned forward as though he’d been sucker punched. He spoke again, his forehead in his hands. “Everything changed since I walked into this room.”

  “That’s an understatement.” She chuckled and her voice was music to his ears.

  “Before I met you, I couldn’t really be sure whether or not Damon Parkfield was truly my sister’s mate.” He lifted his gaze to hers. “She was not his mate.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Even in the early days after they left town, I never once heard any excitement in her voice. There was no indication of the emotion and passion I should have heard.” Silence filled the room. He started again. “She didn’t say anything that would indicate she felt an inkling of what I’m feeling right now.”

  “I understand,” she whispered.

  “Can you take the day off?” It was stupid and irresponsible, but Josh didn’t see how he could walk out the door right now and leave Samantha here.

  She looked around at the piles of folders and papers. “I have to be in court tomorrow morning at nine a.m. and I’m not ready, so completely playing hooky isn’t an option.”

  “Is there anything I can help you with?” He couldn’t imagine what, but he did want to assist with anything that would get her naked beneath him the fastest.

  “You’re a doctor, right?”

  “Pediatrician, yes.” He raised one eyebrow.

  “I might need resuscitation soon.”

  He grinned. Bless her.

  “Maybe we could go grab lunch?” She raised an eyebrow. “I can’t take too long, but at least we could get to know each other better.”

  Lunch? Like in a restaurant? With other people around? Not a chance. “Maybe we could go through a drive thru instead and go back to my place for a few hours?” Was that presumptuous? Of course it was, but they were mates. This is what mates did when they met. Fucked like bunnies. And now he understood why. His palms were sweaty. His knees bounced. His cock ached and pressed against the front of his khaki pants. It took actual effort to avoid mauling her.

  She ducked her face. Embarrassed? “I like that plan.”

  He exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

  “I have to come back here though. I’m not kidding about that.”

  “Why don’t you bring your work with you?” How much of this stuff required immediate attention? He glanced around at the stacks again.

  She followed his gaze, her head turning to the right and the left with his. “I could, but do you think I could really get anything done in your presence? I can’t think right now. My concentration is shot.”

  “And you think it will improve after I claim you? I hear it will get worse. I think you stand a better chance at my place than coming back here.”

  “All right.” She stood and gathered her laptop and stacks of files, all of which she stuffed in an oversized bag. He watched as her shaky hands grabbed papers and notes. She pushed her curls behind her ears several times, but they never stayed. He couldn’t wait to lean in to that glorious hair and inhale her for hours.

  Except she has to work in the next twelve hours too, dimwit.

  He sincerely hoped she could work with his arms wrapped around her, her breasts in his palms. He moaned.

  She tipped her head and giggled. “Glad it’s not just me.” She paused and stared at him. “Is this a good idea? My entire body is…distracted.”

  “And you have another plan? Because me leaving here to let you work won’t fix anything anyway, right?”
he hedged.

  “No. You’re right. But please help me get on track and get my shit together for morning. If I show up unprepared for court, I’m gonna hold you responsible.” She gave a wry grin.

  “And this is because I’m so much hornier than you that I won’t be able to give you a moment’s rest?” He pulled himself to standing with his hands on the arm rests. He sauntered around her desk and took her bag from her hand.

  “I find that unlikely.” She tipped her face up, stepping closer to him, leaving only inches between his chest and hers. “This is the weirdest, most out-of-body experience of my life. I’ve never done anything remotely like what we’re about to do.”

  He reached with his free hand and caressed her cheek. “Nor have I, baby,” he murmured. “And you aren’t the only one with urgent life happenings. I need you to know I will leave on a moment’s notice if my PI calls. It might not be convenient.”

  “I understand.” She set her forehead on his chest. He wrapped his hand around her.

  “Let’s go.” He took a step back, pulling her into his side.

  She laughed. “I feel like a teenager.”

  “You and me both.”

  Chapter Three

  Samantha led Josh from her office. She ignored the shocked looks of her coworkers as she passed each and every person between her and the elevator. Once inside she watched the numbers above the elevator doors and wondered if they’d always descended so slowly.

  In the parking garage, she paused. “Where’s your car?”

  “Third level. Yours?”

  “It’s in the shop. A coworker picked me up.”

  “Mine it is then.” He pulled her hand in close to his heart. She could feel the beat of his chest beneath her knuckles. It beat as fast as hers. He took the lead.

  She was a control freak. She knew this about herself. It was hard to let him lead the way, even though rationally she knew she couldn’t very well find a car she didn’t know in a spot she hadn’t parked it.

  When Josh stopped between two cars and pushed her back against a black SUV, she gave up the fight for control. In seconds, his lips were on hers for the second time. His knee nudged hers apart and he pressed between her thighs until his hard muscular leg rubbed her pussy. The lightweight full skirt she wore provided no protection against his assault.

  Samantha lost sensation in her lips instantly, going slack against him. While he plundered her mouth, she could only concentrate on her clit pulsing against his leg, the heat building in her stomach. The knot of need unlike anything she’d ever felt with any man, wolf or human.

  The drive to mate was overpowering. More than she ever imagined. No one’s explanation did this justice.

  What was happening to her? She’d never considered herself such a nymph. Hell, she rarely dated. She never had time. Suddenly she wanted this man more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life. Her entire body hummed with a need she’d never known. Was this what happened when wolves met their mates?

  A moan escaped her lips and startled her. She needed to get a grip. What if someone saw her? She pressed against Josh’s chest, her hands landing on his firm pecs. “Let’s go,” she mumbled against his lips. “Not here.”

  He pulled back, heaving for breath. When he leaned into her with his entire body, she felt the length of his erection. She wanted to reach down and stroke him, encompass his girth with her hands, but not here.

  His eyes met hers, glazed with lust. “I hope I can drive.”

  “I hope you can drive fast.” Did I just say that? Gah. What was the matter with her? Since when did she lose all her faculties? Since never.

  Josh reached around her and opened the front passenger door without looking away. His eyes bore into her soul, deep, penetrating. Making her shiver.

  He lifted her around the waist and set her in the seat.

  “I’m not a child. I can get into a car by myself,” she protested, a mild dissent that surprised her with its lack of conviction. Her skin tingled everywhere he touched her, and when he’d lifted her, his thumbs came into contact with the sides of her breasts. Her nipples took notice and stood erect.

  “I’m sure you can.” He leaned forward and took her breath away once again with his mouth. “But I wanted to touch you.”

  She couldn’t argue that, and it was disconcerting. She wanted his touch at least as badly.

  Josh shut the car and entered the driver’s side moments later. Neither spoke as he backed out of the spot, his eyes on the rearview mirror, his neck twisted around to check for blind spots.

  It wasn’t until he put the car in drive and headed forward that he acknowledged her again. He took her hand and held it between them, stroking her knuckles with the tip of his thumb. The action was maddening. She squirmed in her seat and cursed the seatbelt resting between her breasts, making her achingly aware of her lace bra and her nipples pressing into the material.

  Of all days, how had this man, this mate of hers, happened to waltz into her office on a day when she wore a silk blouse and a thin silk skirt? Thank God she loved sexy panties and bras. Even though she rarely went out with men, she wore them most days to make herself feel sexy anyway.

  Luckily, Josh didn’t live far from her downtown office. He pulled into the driveway of his home in the Central West End. She envied this neighborhood, but hadn’t bothered yet to move out of her loft apartment closer to her work. She’d been at that law office for two years and loved her job, but hadn’t had time for much else, like house shopping.

  “Where do you work?” She only knew he was a doctor.

  “Barnes Jewish. I joined a private practice there a few years ago.”

  “Why aren’t you there today?”

  “We’re open six days a week and we each take a different day off. Mine is Monday. I lucked out. I get a two-day weekend.” He squeezed her hand, released her, and opened the door. Before she could get her seatbelt off, he was at her side of the car, helping her to the ground and taking her bag from her. “My coworkers know about my sister. At least the gist of it. They are prepared for me to flee at a moment’s notice if she’s found. I’m still praying that’s soon.”

  “When did you last speak to the PI? Evan, right?”

  “Yeah, this morning. He has surveillance on an apartment he believes she lives in. Or at least her husband. He hasn’t set eyes on either of them yet. I hope they didn’t get wind and flee again.” Josh guided her toward the front door.

  “Is he a shifter?”

  “Yep. Took me forever to find him, but I really thought it would be easier.” As he stuck his key in the lock he paused. “Shit. We forgot to stop for food.”

  “You really wanted to eat?” She chuckled and shook her head. If this man could eat right now, she wasn’t sure she wanted to seal the deal.

  “Not a chance, but I thought you were hungry.”

  “Oh, I am. But not for food. I’m too nervous to eat anyway. You do have a phone, right? There’s always takeout later.” She grabbed his forearm and angled his hand back toward the doorknob. “Maybe we could go inside? I love your front porch and all, but the neighbors are going to call the cops if you don’t let me inside before I unzip your pants.”

  His hand shook as he opened the door, although she couldn’t be sure if it was from laughing or nerves. “Bossy.”

  “I have been called worse.”

  The second they were inside, Josh secured the front door and set her bag down. He turned toward her, pressing her into the door and grabbing her wrists with both hands.

  His mouth was hot when it landed on hers, and he didn’t bother with gentle, which was fine with her. She wasn’t in the mood for gentle.

  The kiss was passionate. He tasted like home, minty from his toothpaste, masculine… Josh. His tongue entered her mouth, nudging her teeth apart and dueling with her own tongue.

  She would have slid down the door and landed on her ass, but he insinuated his knee between her legs again as he had against the car.

>   She moaned into his mouth. In less than two seconds she went from zero to one hundred. Okay, not zero. She hadn’t been at zero since he’d entered her office.

  Samantha gripped his biceps to steady herself, but her pussy leaked and she knew the moisture would soon breach the silk of her skirt. The lace of her barely existent panties rubbed her clit and she ground herself on his leg, rocking forward.

  When he released her lips, she sucked in a breath, gasping for air. He buried his face in her hair as it completely fell out of its bun and cascaded down around her shoulders. His breath tickled her ear, making her squirm.

  “Sensitive much?” he chuckled.

  You have no idea.

  She tipped her head back and exposed her neck to his mouth as he nibbled downward. If he would just…move, faster, more…press into her. God. Her head was spinning with need. She should stop this, or at least slow it down. Her body was ruling over her usually reasonable brain.

  “You taste delicious,” he muttered, his tongue doing insane things to the cords in her neck. When he reached the V of her blouse, she gasped and gripped his arms tighter.

  She needed some space and fast if she was going to hang on to any amount of control. She needed to slow this down, right? It seemed prudent. Who fucked a man they just met the moment they entered his home? But when she pushed him futilely with her fingertips on his arms, he shook his head.

  “I can’t think,” she whispered. “I need a few inches. You’re sucking the air out of the room.”

  He paused, but didn’t give her a centimeter of space. Instead he brought his lips to her ear again. “You’re a control freak, aren’t you?” he teased.

  “Uh huh.”

  “How about letting me take the reins this time? You might like it.” His lips brushed her earlobe and his tongue dipped inside to send goose bumps down her body. “I can smell your arousal. Feel the beat of your pulse right here…” He licked a spot on her neck. “The heat of your pussy is burning my leg.”