Page 6

DEACON

All good things come to those who wait.

I haven’t waited seven years because I’m one patient man.

I have waited seven years because my mate has been that good and elusive at hiding.

Years of saying her name in dreams and nightmares, while at wars and under my shower, in almost everything I fucking saw, and finally, the wait is over. And this time, there’s no running from me, Winter Cavanaugh.

The many “congratulations for acquiring Bracken Holdings” slice the air around me. The welcome jubilee that’s headed by a few omegas and betas cocoons me with handshakes and all manner of greetings, but my eyes hone in on the woman who’s looking at me with such distaste I can almost sniff it in the air.

Hate me as much as your little heart desires, baby. Give me your hate. I can take it.

The same green eyes that bore into mine and that dilated with pleasure as I sucked her neck and pumped inside her, are no longer filled with the same desire or the same innocence from seven years ago.

If anything, those green eyes look different. More mature. More resilient.

That blonde hair I ran my hands through while I made love to her in those woods has now been dyed to brown. I’d say I prefer her hair blonde, but her brown hair makes my blood light aflame like gasoline to an inferno.

But most of all, as much as seven years have changed me, so have they changed my mate.

The age of twenty-five looks good on her. That professional getup she has on hugs her voluptuous curves—curves that have only grown bigger with time.

Jacob would be smiling if he saw her right about now. She survived for seven years, all on her own, and that takes strength. I’m prouder of her than she knows.

My eyes sweep another look on her face, committing every new feature to detail, locking everything new about her inside my mind because that’s where she has lived tormenting me.

Does she know how long I have been looking for her? How crazy and manic my wolf and I have been without her?

Does she know I found her a week ago and bought this bankrupt company she works at for twelve million dollars so I could become close to her without her running away from me?

“Boss? Your office is right this way. Let me show you around,” the middle-aged man, who smells like an omega, pats me on the shoulder like we are acquaintances.

For the sake of formality and trying not to breach the distance between me and my mate lest I scare her away and begin the whole “hide and seek” thing once again, I play along. ” Lead the way.”

For the next half an hour, I’m shown at least ten departments in Bracken Holdings, and in every department, I’m forced to act cordial by pretending that every handshake I initiate with my employees doesn’t make me pissed off. The only thing I’m interested in this building is the woman with five-inch red-bottom heels, a window-pane blue blouse, and a skirt that completes the whole thing by hugging her hips. Unfortunately for me, I don’t see Winter again.

Knowing her, she probably ran. But she’s the same woman who’s worked in this company and in the same city for seven years. That tells me she won’t run. She likes this city. She likes this company. That’s reason number one why I bought it for her.

I get to the office after what feels like ages, and the first thing I do is stand by the transparent glass walls admiring the view of Bracken City on a hot Tuesday noon. Skyscrapers taller than the building I’m standing in reflect the orange glow of the sun back to my office. The smell from below, where cars honk at each other, clogs my nostrils, and in all that white noise, the only thing I can focus on is Winter’s scent, the look that was on Winter’s face, and the column of Winter’s throat. The pulse on her neck throbbed when she saw me.

“We are grateful for everything, boss. Sir Wilfred never showed up at the office or checked in on things, but we are hoping things will be different with you.”

Wilfred had a gambling problem, and I used that little information to my advantage. Getting Wilfred to sell his company for twelve million dollars was like stealing candy from a baby. It didn’t take the old man more than two minutes to sign the papers and hand me his company. I couldn’t be any more grateful since, due to Wilfred’s gambling, I’m back in Winter’s life. I’m more than tired of the hide-and-seek game we’ve been revolving around for seven years.

It’s time I finally got to see my mate.

“Cyrus?” I can hardly remember his name. It’s ironic since he’s been speaking to me for close to an hour.

“Simon, boss. My name is Simon,” he corrects nervously.

I am still gazing outside, and my wolf is badgering me to see Winter again. I give Simon a command. “Get me Winter Cavanaugh.”

“Sir?”

“The woman with emerald green eyes, mocha brown hair, blue blouse, dark skirt, dark heels, I want her inside my office in the next five minutes.”

I’d add the woman who looked at me like she wanted my neck in a noose, but that’s sufficient information to get Winter inside my office.

“Of course, Sir. Right away, Sir.”

I settle in my chair and wait.

My mate takes close to twenty minutes to show up to my office. The action would be amusing if I wasn’t dying to see her up close and in my arms.

The click of her heels against the linoleum floor is the first thing I hear as she saunters inside my office.

The next thing I feel is her scent. It’s like a cocoon hugging and hogging my senses. The scent itself is enough to raise me to my feet and round my desk.

My throat constricts, and my heart pummels against my chest. That pull, that bond between us, tugs at my heartstrings.

Winter looks at me once and then avoids my eyes altogether as her hand extends some sort of document in my direction.

“This is my resignation letter, Mr. Cross. Please accept it.”

Her words hit me like a cold bucket of ice water to the face. The sound of her calling me Mr. Cross, like we are strangers, makes a static ring in my ears.

I’m not accepting her fucking resignation letter.

Neither am I letting this be the first conversation we have in seven years.

“Winter.”

I haven’t called her name out loud in years, and she must feel it because she gives me her eyes. Eyes that are filled with so much disdain it’s enough to maim me where I stand.

“I’m resigning, so accept my resignation letter or don’t accept it, but I’ll no longer be working for Bracken Holdings as of—”

I could blame my actions on the mate bond that rages like a spitfire inside my blood.

I could blame them on my wolf, who’s been growling the word “mate” since we saw her again.

But grabbing her waist and pulling her body to my chest is all on me. I’m not ashamed, either. I lock my lips with hers, having a taste of what I’ve desired and not had for seven years.

Our lips clash like blades from opposing teams. The taste of her trims all the years of torment to sweet bliss. Her body melts in my arms, and I’m taken back to when I had her before I broke her so bad she had to run to another city to escape me.

Kiss. My hands dig into her waist.

“I’m here, baby.”

Kiss. I trace the line on her back, the one hidden by the blouse that I want to rip from her body.

“I’m back for you.”

Kiss. I suck her bottom lip, living off her taste like I need it for survival.

“I’ll never leave you.”

I’m about to lean in for another kiss when her hand crushes down on my cheek. It takes a second to understand that she just slapped me.

“You bastard!”

She wipes her lips with the palm of her hand. An action that arouses anger in me.

“Winter.”

Taking one step forward toward her makes her take one step back.

My lungs are on fire, my lips watering and throbbing for more. I learned the hard way that the kiss meant nothing to Winter as her green eyes stab me with hatred.

“I hope the kiss was enough for you to consider my resignation, Mr. Cross. If we are done here, I’ll take my leave, hoping that we don’t ever run into each other again.”

Her pretending that I was the only one who enjoyed the kiss bruises my ego much more than I would have anticipated. Her indifference and that dead-cold gaze of hers leave a bad taste in my mouth, but I endure it. I’ll endure everything till she forgives me.

Winter turns around to leave, but she’s sorely mistaken if she thinks I’ll let her walk away from me again.

“Be my personal assistant, and I’ll triple your salary. I’ll give you forty-eight hours to think about my offer, and for that reason, I’m not accepting your resignation letter, Ms. Cavanaugh. Not until I have your answer.”