Wild Read Free Page B

her—which bugged her because she prided herself on her acuity—until he braced an arm on her car as she opened the driver’s side door.
    â€œSo, when can I see you again?”
    Did this guy never give up? “Never.”
    â€œNever say never, especially since we have to meet again. You know we still need to talk about the bar’s books.”
    â€œIf you have business to conduct with me, then you will do so during business hours. In public.” With witnesses to keep her from doing something rash, like kissing him when he leaned in close and whispered to her.
    â€œUntil tomorrow then, sweetheart. And just so you know, being in public won’t stop me.” He dropped the flowers and chocolate in her lap before stepping away from her car. His wink just before he departed seemed to imply so many things—most of them naughty.
    And much too intriguing.
    I can’t get involved with him. She repeated this mantra over and over. And over again as she caved to temptation and sucked on the chocolate. Despite his allure —mmm creamy caramel— she’d have to do her best —oh god, a truffle— to resist him . She couldn’t afford to get involved with him. Now she just had to enforce it—right after she finished the chocolate.

 
    CHAPTER 3
    Leaving Lulu—not by choice but because his mate was proving stubborn—Brody found himself at a loss as to what to do. He’d truly, in his misguided mind, expected things to go much differently. He’d offer her the flowers, and she’d blush and accept them. He’d then dazzle her with a smile and chocolates, she’d thank him with a hug, and then they’d end up naked somewhere.
    In retrospect, he was probably a tad optimistic. Try unrealistic. His tiger thought he should have acted a little more aggressively. Maybe roared a time or two or peed on something to show his manhood.
    Somehow he doubted that would have worked either, but what would?
    She’s my fated mate. As in the one and only woman for him. It was how it worked in the shifter world. Once a fellow met his lady: wham, bam, mated, shazaam. The human and, in this case, her tiger would live happily ever after.
    Except his human soul mate wanted nothing to do with him.
    Impossible. He knew she was the one. His inner tiger chuffed and meowed most pitifully when she was around. His body became aware of her every move. His entire being urged him to touch her. Lick her. Bite her.
    Wait a second. Maybe that was the problem. He hadn’t yet touched her. Perhaps the whole insta-love thing required contact to jump-start. If that were the case, then he’d resolve that issue at his earliest convenience when he met with Lulu on the morrow.
    Which was too many hours away. Bummer.
    Needing to kill time, he decided it was a good time to check in with his boss, and he didn’t mean the one for his legal day job. He was talking about his position as go-to guy for the city’s alpha and mob lord, Fabian Garoux.
    It was Fabian who’d ordered him assigned to this case, a case that came through his company office as a part of the city’s and law enforcement’s investigation into businesses they felt were shirking their taxes through creative accounting. Fabian had certain friends in strategic places, which was how he’d wrangled getting Brody in charge of the audit.
    Who knew a double agent job—and yes, Brody liked to equate his life in terms of being a secret spy—would lead to meeting his future mate?
    To think the request to investigate had started so innocuously.
    â€œI think my new bar manager is fudging the numbers,” Fabian had announced when Brody answered his phone a few days back.
    Given he was in his cubicle at work, Brody kept his voice low when he replied. “And this concerns me because?”
    â€œFor one, because the city decided to launch an impromptu investigation. Secondly, because you’re my