Page 12 of Forbidden Daddy Mate

Except I’d seen the look in his eyes, and the instant he’d said it was a mistake, I’d agreed, not wanting to make things any more awkward than they already were. But the truth was, even if we had been drunk, it hadn’t felt like a mistake. It had felt almost…right. My wolf had certainly enjoyed it. But the big question, the one that had been plaguing me all night ever since I had gone upstairs, was whether I would have done it if I’d been sober.

The bizarre thing was that my gut response, the first that came to mind before I gave myself a chance to overthink it, was yes. Absolutely. And I’d do it again.

I shook my head to clear it. Thinking about Malcolm that way wasn’t going to be conducive. Instead, I tried to busy myself by making a fire.

Soon, a pleasant heat filled the living room. I sighed, moving so my back was in front of it, focusing on the heat between my shoulder blades instead of the one between my legs. No matter how I tried to push it out of my mind—because he’d been perfectly clear in his opinion on the matter—I kept thinking back to the way he’d tasted, the way his hands had held me. I shivered, wondering what it would be like to experience something like that again.

A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I walked over, assuming Malcolm had locked himself out.

Except the closer I got, the more certain I was that it wasn’t Malcolm. That same strange scent from the day before filled my nose. I froze, hand outstretched as I prepared to grab the handle.

I almost didn’t answer it. I was prepared to walk away and pretend I wasn’t home. Something about this situation screamed danger. Then, almost without realizing what I was doing, my hand grasped the handle and pulled.

I opened the door to see the dark-haired man from yesterday standing out front. He gave a smile that could have melted the snow, it was so warm.

“Hi,” he said. “Good to see you again.”

“Um, hi,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to check on you again with the storm,” he said. “It can get pretty isolating around here, and it makes it difficult if something goes wrong. So I figured I could stop by and check on things just to make sure everything was still okay.”

“Yeah,” I said, smiling. Something about the way he smiled instantly put me at ease. It was a bit of a weird situation, but I’d been in stranger ones. And he seemed so sweet. Plus, it was nice seeing another face while trapped up here in the mountains. “Thanks for checking. And what about you and your friend?”

“Oh, we’re doing fine,” he said.

“Do you guys live nearby?” I asked.

“Not too far away,” he said.

The longer I stood there, the more unsettled I grew. Why was this man here, really? Because something told me it wasn’t just to check on us. Why would he feel the need to check on strangers like this?

“Right,” I said, staring to close the door. “Well, if that’s all, I really shouldn’t keep you. Thanks so much for stopping by.”

His foot shot out, blocking the door from closing. I paused, mouth opening in shock. I raised my head to look into his smiling face.

“Actually, I’d love to come in,” he said, pushing more of the door open. “Sorry, it’s just that I’m a bit cold and I would love to warm up a bit.”

A waft of something sweet brushed over me. I should have been furious. He was basically forcing himself into my place. I should have shifted and clawed his eyes out, or at least told him to beat it. Except, he was really nice. There wasn’t any harm in letting him in, given how cold it was outside. I knew I’d want someone to do that for me.

Dazed, not entirely sure what I was doing, I stepped back and held open the door. He smiled and stepped over the threshold, kicking the snow off his boots.

“Thanks.” He stepped past me, his hand brushing against my waist and staying there for a moment. I shivered. It must have been colder than I’d thought because his hands were freezing. I could feel the chill even through my thick sweater.

It never occurred to me to wonder why he wasn’t wearing gloves.

“You really must be freezing,” I said as his frigid touch lingered on my skin. “Can I get you some tea or hot chocolate?”

“I think I’ll be fine,” he said. “The heat of the fire and your company will be more than enough to warm me, I’m sure.”

Something crawled up my spine momentarily. I blinked, brow furrowing as an unpleasant thought crept into my thoughts, breaking through the ease that had washed over me. I finally noticed my wolf snarling, telling me that whoever this was a threat and I needed to get away.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “But I don’t think you’ve told me your name.”

He chuckled. “It’s Ty,” he said, looking me up and down. “You’re stronger-willed than you look.”

I had no idea what that meant, but before I could ask, he stepped closer to me. An alluring scent of rich caramel radiated off him, masking something foreign. Something I didn’t like, and neither did my wolf. I was alone in a house with a stranger, and who knew where Malcolm was. What had I been thinking, letting this man inside? I took a step backward, only to slam against the wall.

“It’s okay,” he soothed. His hand went to my shoulder, resting there as naturally as if he’d done it a thousand times. “I’m safe. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

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