Page 6 of One True Mate

I had decided that no matter what it took, I would somehow manage to get some curtains or blinds up in her windows. Just the thought of any other wolf strolling by and seeing her like that made my head throb and my eye twitch as I bit back the surge of anger. Nudity wasn't that big of a deal in the shifter world, yet I could not stand the thought of any other male seeing her like that.

Mine, I growled in unison with my wolf.

I wasn't sure how long I could stand working so closely with her and not having her. I couldn't just fire her, and I wouldn't admit to Elise that I had made a big mistake in hiring her, or admit why I couldn't work with Kelsey. It wasn't like all the other assistants I had managed to quickly fire. But I couldn't work with her when she continued to ignore me and our bond. It hurt too much.

I came up with a plan to work her so hard that she would quit on her own. Then maybe I could breathe again. Instantly the thought of not seeing her every day caused a stab of pain straight through my chest, but I brushed it aside. She had made it painfully clear she was not interested and I would have to learn to accept that.

After lunch, I called Kelsey into my office. I had her sit down and take dictation for two straight hours, then announced I needed the report before close of business and dismissed her. It had been wonderful and harder than I ever imagined having my mate so close and yet so distant.

As soon as she settled into typing, I called her in and asked her for five different financial reports I didn't really need but thought would help overwhelm her.

“Sure thing, Mr. Westin,” she said with a smile that made my heart thump louder in my chest.

Ten minutes later, there was a quiet knock on my door.

“Come in,” I said as I hit the button on my desk allowing whoever it was to hear beyond the barrier that kept my room safe from even the most sensitive wolf ears, wondering who it could be. No one ever knocked on my door, but when it opened, her scent flooded me and I knew it was Kelsey.

“Here are those reports you asked for, Mr. Westin.” She looked me straight in the eye with a smirk as she set them on my desk and turned and walked away.

I was stunned. How had she gotten them together so quickly? My last assistant had taken nearly four days to find these exact same files. I knew because they were the same five files I had used to get rid of three other assistants I didn't find compatible.

And it did not go unnoticed how Kelsey had held my stare. My alpha power was strong. Not yet as strong as it would be when I took my rightful place as Pack Alpha when my father decided to step down, but even still, a little she-wolf such as Kelsey should not have been able to stand there and hold my gaze without cowering and showing submission. Her wolf should have demanded it, yet she had defiantly lifted her chin to me even.

If I couldn't smell her wolf, if I didn't feel the mating bond pull between us, I would swear Kelsey Adams was perfectly human. And yet, even humans felt enough of my power to back down and show submission.

A second odd thing occurred to me. My wolf didn't demand her respect. If anything, I felt as though he were bowing down to her instead of the other way around. I had no doubt my wolf would do absolutely anything for this woman.

I rubbed my eyes and shook my head. I was definitely losing it. I needed a break and had to get out of the office.

“Oh, Mr. Westin,” Kelsey said as soon as I stepped out of my office, “I just emailed over the dictation you had asked for. Is there anything else you require this afternoon?”

I looked at the clock on the wall and noted it was only three o'clock. I had asked her to have them done by close of business knowing it would be near impossible. To say I was shocked was putting it mildly.

“Um, no, I'm just stepping out for a bit of fresh air.” Even knowing I was trying to run away from her, I couldn't stop the words from tumbling from my mouth. “Would you like to join me, Ms. Adams?”

She fidgeted, looking nervous for a moment.

“Sure, let me grab a pen and notebook just in case.”

Walking with her pen and notebook, she followed me out into the hallway and down the hall to the back door. I opened it and allowed her to step out ahead of me. That had been twice, and I wasn't sure why aside from knowing she was my mate. I couldn't stop staring at her tight butt and the way it made her skirt swish when she walked. Everything about her was mesmerizing and I noticed it all.

She looked around in awe at the back gardens. Everything about the Westin Foundation headquarters was designed to make wolves feel comfortable and confident. It was well known that we weren't exactly fond of being cooped up indoors, so as much of a feeling of the outdoors as possible was brought inside to help lift the burden for those of us stuck in an office much of the week.

From the smell of pine in the air fresheners, to the potted trees, even the chosen warm colors of various shades of browns, greens, and blues throughout the building was designed specifically to help put our wolves at ease while we worked. The back gardens were no different. There were several of these oasis around the property with tables to work from on days where one just couldn't remain cooped up any longer.

I watched Kelsey as she took it all in. I saw her blush, but it didn't even register until she cleared her throat and shifted from foot to foot nervously. Oops, she had busted me checking her out. I didn't even bother to hide it or apologize.

She asked me a little about the company and my family, just making small talk, but her genuine interest soothed me, and her obvious affection already for both of my sisters filled me with warmth I didn't really understand. Just wanting to keep her talking, I divulged her of stories of me and my siblings growing up and loved the way she easily laughed along. If only every moment with Kelsey could be so enjoyable.

The second we set foot back into the office it was like flipping a switch. The small glimpse into this woman I had seen in the gardens was gone, replaced by the ever so professional ready to get back to work. I wondered if she had even realized she had dropped her guard for just a minute with me.

Shaking my head, I knew it was time to get back to work and carrying out Operation Get Her To Quit. I knew it would be best for the both of us. I didn't want this professional business front; I wanted to see her face light up and more of the carefree laugh she couldn't hold back as I told her stories, like the time Lily had climbed a tree so high she got scared and stuck. Of course, the story is much funnier knowing that wolves do not climb trees. It had taken the entire fire department half a day to coax her down low enough for them to reach her.

Yes, I wanted Kelsey Adams. She was my mate, and I could never turn my back on her or cause her harm, but I didn't need Kelsey Adams as my assistant. I needed her as my mate and something told me that as long as she worked for me, she wouldn't allow that to happen, but I couldn’t fire her knowing it would upset her. Neither my wolf nor I could handle that, so the plan to work her till she gave up was on.

I couldn't help but be impressed. I tried to throw everything possible at her to push her away and she pushed back even harder every step of the way. Over her first week of work, no matter what I gave her, she was up to the task and exceeded my expectations. At some point, I stopped throwing useless work at her and started fully utilizing her skills and we quickly settled into a strong working routine.

I shouldn't have been so surprised the moment I realized that I couldn't live without Kelsey at the office. She was my mate after all, so finding her a perfect match, even if it was just work, should not have thrown me off, but it wasn't the plan, and I still worried she'd never see me as anything but her boss. The sting of her constant personal rejections continued but I seemed to have resigned myself to them already. I think if she didn't reject me, I'd be too shocked to deal with it.

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