On the Prowl by Kate Rudolph

9

Andre neededto let Em walk out of this room. Right now. They were standing close. Any closer and it would be an embrace.

That was what his wolf wanted. No. Demanded. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to leave his mark on her so that anyone who saw her knew that she was his.

He wanted to claim her.

He was going insane. Em breathed heavily, and he could see the argument swirling in her eyes. Did she really think he wouldn't stay with her until this thing was resolved? Did she really think he could be gotten rid of so easily?

He couldn't walk away.

And now he felt a bit of sympathy for Owen. He hadn't understood what his friend went through when he took the job protecting Stasia. If it was anything like this it was no wonder…

No. Andre wouldn't think like that. This wasn't the same. Em wasn't his mate. This wasn't werewolf magic.

But the word mate echoed through his brain, and his inner wolf rumbled with satisfaction.

Mate.

His.

Not going to happen.

"You don't need to come with me," Em insisted. A line formed between her brows, and he wanted to reach out and smooth it out just to see how she'd react.

Andre took a deep breath, pulling her scent deep into his lungs. With the way the scent had been stripped out of her room by whatever beast had marked up her bed, her scent was even stronger than normal and he reveled in it. "You're not getting rid of me," he repeated.

"So you would fight Darlene if I kicked you out?" She crossed her arms and her face was full of the challenge.

He wondered if she would really do it. And he wondered how he would respond. He wasn't about to fight a human. He was stronger, faster, and better trained. He wasn't going to hurt someone. And he didn't think Em would make him.

Still, she was fighting him. "I will report if anything else goes weird. You don't need to interrupt your life for me." She leaned back as if she were going to step away from him, and Andre wrapped his fingers around her arm to keep her close. He wasn't holding her tightly. If she struggled at all, she could get away. But she didn't struggle. And she stopped trying to back up.

"We both know that's not good enough." He didn't want to imagine what would happen if things escalated from vandalism to violence.

"It has to be." She didn't want to back down.

But his will was just as strong as hers. "You need a keeper." The words were a mistake. He knew that. And yet it was true. Couldn't she see that no one could protect her as well as he could?

"We both know you don't want to keep me." She raised one eyebrow in challenge.

His fingers tightened on her arm, just a little, just a reminder. But Andre didn't know what to say to that. Yesterday, he would have agreed. Two hours ago, he would have agreed. But now? Now keeping her safe was the first thing on his mind. Or possibly the second if the bed was in his line of sight. And he wasn't thinking of ghost werewolves when he saw it. "I think you would be surprised by what I want," he finally said.

She snorted, and that broke some of the spell that held them close. "You want what all guys want. Being a werewolf doesn't make you that special."

Should he be offended by that? His face scrunched up in concentration, but he decided it was a good enough joke to take in stride. And he had seen the desire in her eyes. No matter what they felt for each other some of the time, they both were feeling a carnal desire. One he had little doubt would flare up into a conflagration if they were alone together for long enough.

And he wanted to burn.

"What does Gibson say about you staying around for so long?" She changed tack, still trying to be rid of him.

Andre shrugged; he'd made his choice and he wasn't walking away. "He knows I'm here. He can call me if he needs me." They weren't exactly swimming in jobs. Their bodyguarding outfit was new and worked on a referral basis. That meant sometimes they went weeks without an assignment. Between Gibson's family money and the payments the military had given them to buy their silence, they could manage with all the down time.

Em's shoulders slumped as she gave in. "Fine. But if you cause trouble or make things more difficult than they should be, you’re gone." She held up a hand before he could argue. "You're not the only werewolf in the world. I can always call one of your friends. You just said you don't have a job going right now. So piss me off and I'll get… Rowe… to come watch over me."

It took her a moment to remember that name, but his wolf bristled at the suggestion and he had to bite back a growl. He wasn't going to let Leland Rowe get his dirty paws on his… on Em.

Not happening.

"You're stuck with me, sweetheart," he declared, and he couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face at the thought. She might be indignant, but she was still his… to protect. That was all.

She rolled her eyes. "Sweetheart. Are we really doing that, honeybun?"

It was game on.

Andre's place in her life—for now—was apparently decided. "If I don't get back to the venue soon, Melinda is going to murder me. And then the concert definitely will be canceled. So let's go." She led him out of the room. And Andre realized his mistake right as she was opening the door.

He reached out and pulled her back. "I go through doors first. You know how this works."

She heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes. "This is a secure floor. I don't have bodyguards around me twenty-four/seven."

Maybe she should. But Andre was learning, and he kept that thought to himself.

He stepped out into the hall and she followed right after him. And before Andre could take two steps, a bright flash of white light distracted him.

He thought it was the werewolf ghost—and they really had to come up with a better term than that—but then he heard footsteps pounding down the hall and saw a form retreat through an emergency exit.

"Fucking paparazzi." Em scowled and yelled something so creatively insulting after the man that Andre was impressed.

He was ready to take off after the guy, but her hand on his arm stopped him.

"Let him go," she said, sounding defeated. "It's more of a story if we fight it. Come on. We have to go."