Chapter 5 Ch 5

There was not a dull moment to fill the weekend. Matt came over to my apartment Sunday morning to check on me, already using my address for his entertainment. He had claimed to be making sure I wasn't hungover, though we both knew it was merely an excuse; I had been sober enough to drive the night before. We played a few card games until I made us grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. He complained about it and insisted he cook next time.

Next time ended up being dinner since he stayed the whole day. It was nice having him there. He didn't annoy me and succeeded in making me laugh. I felt so fortunate to already meet a friend like him in my new town. After chowing down on his spaghetti, we'd curled up on the floor with mounds of blankets—because I didn't have a couch yet—and watched Netflix.

When a sunray streaming across my face woke me the next morning, I realized all too quickly we had both fallen asleep. He remained in his slumber, mouth cranked open with drool crusting at the corners. I chuckled and snapped a photo before shaking him awake.

"What day is it?" he grumbled sleepily.

"Monday," I said. "It's like five-thirty."

Swearing, he shoved the blankets off of him and staggered to his feet. I did the same and steadied him.

"Toast and coffee?" I asked.

The sleepy haze enshrouding his mind seemed to slip away, if slowly. "A morning-after-breakfast? Wow, what a babe."

Rolling my eyes, I stifled a grin. "Do you want the food or not, mister?"

"Demanding," he purred with a sensual undertone. "I like it."

"Fine. You're starving to death," I grumbled, smiling to myself as I pretended to march off to my room.

"Okay, okay!" He blew out a sigh when I paused to glance back. "Just tell me where the freaking bread is."

Once Matt had eaten and scurried off and I had gotten ready for work, I managed to make it to the office a few minutes early. Angelica wasn't even here yet, so I waited for her. To my surprise and displeasure, Tandan's oil black Infinity pulled into the lot a few spaces down from me. I wondered why he was here so early. He usually came in an hour or so after us through the backdoor.

I slumped down in my seat when he looked in my general direction. Regardless of how much time I had spent with Matt, he nor time could heal the hurt I still felt about Tandan and his girlfriend. Every time I thought about him loving someone else, my chest tightened up like a panic attack. Maybe it was a panic attack.

While I was thumbing through Facebook to distract myself and simultaneously catch up with everyone from back home, a knock sounded on my window. I jumped, my head jerking towards the noise. There he stood outside my car in all his hot glory. Tandan waved and motioned for me to roll the window down. Pursing my lips, I reluctantly obliged. He was still my boss, after all.

"Good morning, Lee," he greeted cheerily.

"Hi...?" I stared back into his chocolate eyes, unsure of what he wanted from me. Not my heart and soul, unfortunately.

His rosy lips pulled back in a crooked grin. "Don't sound so enthusiastic to see me, please."

"Sorry," I murmured, knowing he could still hear. My jaw clenched before I added, "I was waiting for Angelica to let me in. Could you let me inside, Mr. Coul—I mean, Tandan."

After measuring me for a moment, probably to see if I'd messed up his name on purpose, he nodded. "Follow me," he said.

So I did. We walked up to the office building, he turned the key, and we went inside. I dumped my purse at the desk and went to the break-room to turn on the coffee pot. Caffeine was very much needed this morning after Matt kept me up so late last night. Tandan entered the room a minute or so after me. I plastered myself against the counter to put as much distance between us as possible, even though I wanted to do nothing more than grab him by his striped collar and slam my lips into his.

Somehow, he still found a way to nearly brush against me. I knew it must be the mate bond since he obviously cared nothing for me. As he was putting his lunch in the fridge and turning to leave, he paused right behind me. My body stiffened. I heard him inhale deeply, and that made my heart beat a little faster.

"What's that smell?" he asked.

"What smell?" I replied.

"There's a musky odor...like a human. It's really strong, but it isn't Angelica or Lorrie."

I knew almost immediately who it was. Though it may have been childish, I figured I had nothing to lose. If Tandan wasn't playing by wolf rules, I wouldn't either.

"Oh," I said casually, running my hand along the coffee pot. "It's me. A friend stayed over last night. I guess his scent didn't come off in the shower."

When I didn't hear a growl, I felt a rush of disappointment. Either he didn't feel the possessiveness of the mate bond or he simply excelled in ignoring it. It was pissing me off either way. A startled gasp escaped me as I felt two large hands clamp onto my waist. My belly erupted in a fit of tingles, and a blast of heat scorched my lower region. He just had to trigger the heat again.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he snarled into my ear, his breath hot and wet.

I dug my fingernails into my palms to regain some composure. His touch was pushing me so close to the edge, it was only a matter of seconds before I fell off. Through clenched teeth, I growled out, "I'm not...doing...anything."

"You come into this office dressed like that smelling like some human. You are clearly trying to do something."

His words, his offense to Matt, triggered my memory. He was the one with a human hanging off his arm, not me. Suddenly, my temper popped. I stepped to the side, tearing out of his grip, and spun around to face him. My face was flushed and hot.

"You are one to talk," I spat. "Don't touch me."

His face went blank in shock. Letting out a warning growl, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the break room. I hid in the bathroom to cool down. While I was there, I studied my outfit in the mirror over the sink. I was wearing a black pencil skirt and a silk button-up blouse. If he thought I was trying to look anything aside from professional, he was sadly mistaken. Besides, I couldn't look sexy even if I tried. My curves made it difficult and so did my shyness.

Sighing, I smoothed my blouse down and stepped out of the bathroom. My body warmed as I made my way to my desk, his musk still hanging in the air. Now I would have to wrestle with myself for the rest of the day and try not to think about how his hands felt on me.