Mated to the Wilde Bear

Chapter 7: Laurel

One by one, the conversations at the table died off. Still, Xavier continued to simply eye her. She shifted but held his stare as long as she could. When another of the men cleared their throat, she finally glanced down and away, secretly proud of how long she’d stood up against the alpha’s stare.

“I’m Jake,” the man across from Xavier spoke up. His hair was lighter than Xavier’s, and longer too. But more importantly, his expression was friendlier. He smiled up at her with light brown eyes and Laurel relaxed.

“Hi, Jake.”

Jake put out his hand, and Xavier scowled as Laurel shook it.

“This is Nash,” Jake said, pointing to the golden-skinned one next to him. Laurel smiled at the threaded bracelets and the tunic-style shirt he wore. Nash, the hippy, she recalled from the little she’d heard about him. “And that’s Lucas,” Jake continued. From next to Xavier, Laurel caught sight of dark eyes obscured by jet black hair that hung over his brow. Lucas half-waved and then stared down at his glass. Something about him reminded her of Eeyore. “And that’s Harley,” Jake finished, pointing.

At the far end of the table, Harley scowled at her.

“Hi,” Laurel said to the group. Her knees felt weak, and she had to remind herself to play it cool, professional. These guys were practically celebrities in this town and here she was, getting casual introductions.

“And you are?” Jake pressed.

Laurel opened her mouth to answer, heat rising to her cheeks as she realized how utterly awkward she was being. But Xavier beat her to it.

“This is Miss Adams,” Xavier said. “She’s from DOT.” Jake raised a brow at Xavier, and Nash and Lucas exchanged a glance. Xavier ignored them and swiveled back to her, his blue eyes melting every solid surface of her body. “Can I help you with something?”

“I… yes, I need to follow up about earlier.” Laurel felt her cheeks flush at the way she’d stammered. What was wrong with her? She was usually so confident—or at least good at pretending.

Xavier growled. “You couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

“Geez, man, ease up. She’s just doing her job.” Nash shook his head.

But Xavier’s scowl only deepened and he stood, shoving back from his chair so hard it teetered. Lucas caught it before it could fall.

Xavier gestured sharply to the far end of the deck. “We can talk over there.”

Laurel cast a last glance around the table and was met with sympathetic smiles. She waved and hurried after Xavier, her humiliation only growing with each step.

Xavier reached the far end and turned, leaning his elbow on the wooden railing. His blue eyes pinned her to where she stood. “Now. What is it you need so badly, you’d come all the way out to Mack’s to hunt me down?” Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

He was using his alpha bear on her again. Just like earlier. He wanted to see her sweat. And darn it, it was working.

Laurel swallowed. “I forgot to have you sign the official report detailing the rescue effort earlier.”

Xavier’s brows lifted. “You came all the way out here for one signature?”

Laurel held up the paperwork, still gripping it too tightly. “Without it, we’d be open to all sorts of things like lawsuits and safety violations. It’s very important that I file it correctly.”

His eyes softened, and he relaxed, leaning closer. “Of course it is.”

Laurel wasn’t sure what she’d said to make him change his mind so suddenly, but it was better than fighting. Already, her skin was beginning to tingle with that heated look he gave her. His eyes were blue magma.

“I just wanted to… do my job right,” she said. Crap, why did her voice sound so breathy? How was he doing this to her with just a look?