Page 17 of The Protector’s Heart

Clarity washed through him. Brynn knew about this. It’s why she was acting like such a loon.

“I’d love to.”

“Really?” She looked genuinely surprised.

“Of course. Do you want me to make a reservation at Luna’s?”

“Brynn already did.” She paused and said, “You’re not mad, are you? That I talked to Brynn about this?”

He smiled and closed the distance between them. He wanted to hug her, but he settled for just standing close to her. “Not at all.”

“She said that you aren’t going to be coming here anymore, and I thought this might be my last chance.”

“Last chance?”

“To take you to lunch.”

“You can see me anytime you want. I’m not going to be sitting at the reception desk all day long anymore, but I will be driving her back and forth to work, and taking her out for lunch when she wants to leave. I could…” he paused, very certain he was about to cross a line with her, push too hard and drive her away.

“Could what?” She edged closer, tilting her head back to gaze up at him.

“I could drive you, too.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I could pick you and Jack up, take him to daycare, and then drive you to work with Brynn. If you wanted.” Damn, he wanted her to say yes.

Something flickered in her eyes, and he thought for a moment that it was jealousy. She wasn’t jealous of Brynn, was she? Maybe it wasn’t too far-fetched for her to be, considering how much time Malachi spent carting her around town. His mind flickered back to the conversation he’d had with Acksel earlier in the week about what would happen when he finally got Nila to agree to be his mate. Acksel said they’d work it out, but unless someone else stepped in as her personal protector, then Malachi was stuck. Nila would have to share his time with Brynn, while Malachi drove her around.

“I’m sorry,” he said, without thinking.

“Sorry for what?” Her head tilted, her hair sliding over her shoulder. He reached out and caressed a lock, finding it warm and silky.

“I’m sorry that my pack job means I have to be Brynn’s guard.”

“Don’t be sorry for being a male that your alpha trusts. Besides, this is just lunch, Malachi Slattery. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay?” She smirked at him, and he tweaked her chin with his finger and thumb.

“Okay. What time?”

“11:30.” Her smirk slid into a full-blown smile and his wolf grinned like a fool in return.

She left him in the computer room, and he sat down heavily on the chair in front of the desk, amazed that things were looking up for him with his sweet mate.

Malachi was nervous and watched the clock constantly. Brynn called him a nutcase for being so twitchy, but he could tell she thought it was a good thing.

Before he got ready to leave for lunch, Brynn said, “Just remember that with us humans, the mate stuff can feel foreign and sound kind of crazy. Humans just meet someone they’re attracted to and fall in love, there isn’t some other furry person in our brains telling us that we’ve found ‘the one.’”

“You said you were drawn to Acksel.” he pointed out.

“Sure. He’s sexy, and I’ve known him forever, but where he knew I was his mate, I doubted that the stuff between us was real. It’s difficult to be in a relationship with someone who’s so positive you’re meant to be together when one of you is just feeling things out. If you go all caveman on her, you’re going to scare her away. Her ex treated her like property. If you start spouting off that ‘mine’ crap that Acksel does with me, then she might think you’re more like her ex than you really are. She deserves to be treated like a queen, and I know you’re the right male for the job.”

“She really called you about me last night?”

“Oh yeah,” Brynn said, grinning. “She was very curious about you and whether it was okay if you went with her to lunch. I said it was fine. I am your boss, right?”

He smirked. “Yes, Alpha.”

She laughed. “I love being the boss. Have fun and be yourself. She already likes you, she’s still just wrestling with her past.”

---