Page 59 of My Broken Mate

Neither of us barely makes a sound, although there is a low grumble I can hear deep inside Sean’s throat, but other than that… silence. Should be eerie, but it’s just fucking hot. My fingers have moved to his shirt, tugging at it to be able to slip a hand beneath it and feel some of his warm skin.

I wish we could have an actual quickie. But with the place being so crowded, this is already a risk. Still, the best part of the evening, clearly. Though I guess it was not difficult to win against the random, boring small-talk and the constant networking.

“Meet later?” I mutter against his lips.

“Now we obviously have to,” he says.

I grin. “You started it.”

“I’m not sure. Did I?”

I shrug. “Hard to tell.”

“Joel,” Sean asks, while straightening his tie. “What are you getting out of this?”

I look at him for a moment, trying to gauge what he expects me to say or do now. He is difficult to read. Very stoic and controlled, serious, but he has a kind side to him. I saw himtalking to Remy before, and he looked sincerely worried. He is a guy who has his values and his priorities set. “You hate being lied to, don’t you?”

Sean raises his brows. “I wasn’t expecting a question to my question, but I am willing to humor you. So, yes, I hate being lied to.”

“You are attractive,” I say. “I was not lucky with my own mate-situation, so it’s not like I am waiting for someone.”

“And I am the next best thing?”

“No, you are interesting,” I say. “Sean, I hate to be cheesy and say this now, but I am a wolf.”

“And wolves love the chase,” Sean adds with a hint of amusement. “And alpha wolves want business deals.”

“I am not fucking with you because I want a deal. These two things aren’t exclusively tied to each other. I would still do you if we don’t have a deal.”

Sean snorts. “Goddess, you have a lot of confidence. It’s been a while since I have seen that in another person.”

“You believe me?”

“I do. Nothing about you tells me that you are taking advantage of me. If anything, I get as much from this as you.”

“You think my pack would be a strong ally?”

“Not necessarily in physical strength, but you as the alpha would be a loyal ally,” he says to my surprise. “And loyalty is something rare to find in our world. However, I don’t want you to sleep with me because you feel you need this to be transactional.”

I snort. “I swear, be lucky you are talking to me. Another guy might have hit you.”

He raises his eyebrows, giving him his infamous scary look.

“Or tried to,” I say. “Or at least been offended.”

“But you are not?”

“I am just a little offended, but not much. Did you miss the part when I said that you are hot, and I just feel drawn to you? If you don’t want us to have anything sexual, I would still be friends with you.”

“Friends,” he muses.

“Aren’t we?” I ask. “Or at least, isn’t that where we are heading? I told you before I like you, you are interesting, and there is a lot below your surface that I feel drawn to. You are kind to your siblings, and that’s something I appreciate. I just want to get to know you better. No harm there.”

“Hm.” He straightens his blazer and redoes his tie. “I am not fully convinced,” he admits. “But enough to know that I want a deal with you, as we already discussed. And I wouldn’t mind seeing you here and there when our time allows it.”

“But?” I ask.

He looks at me thoughtfully.