Chapter Three
“Forget it,” Marigoldsaid to Luke as he watched the stunning and curvy doctor race from the room. “Quinn is a bear shifter.”
“So?” Luke shrugged. “I’ve never let a little thing like cross-species dating stop me before.”
Marigold shook her head. “You don’t understand. Whoever mates with Quinn becomes our new chief now that her father’s dead. The clan will never accept a wolf as their alpha.”
“Wait. She’s who we’ve been hired to protect this weekend? The party I’m not allowed to attend?”
“Yes. Only bears, boss. It’s tradition for an Ursula to choose her mate among the single men in attendance. The party is important to my people. If Quinn doesn’t find a suitable husband, one strong enough to run a group of bear shifters, we’ll be forced to accept a far worse man as our chief.”
“How do you know her choice of mate wouldn’t be worse than the alternative?”
“Nothing is worse than Trey Steele.” Her jaw flexed when she said his name. “If it was up to him, the women in our sleuth would have no rights. Besides, Geraldine Wilder and her paranormal dating agency will help Quinn find the right man. Mrs. Wilder doesn’t make mistakes when it comes to matching two lovers.”
“Uh-huh,” Luke muttered. He was familiar with Mrs. Wilder and her paranormal dating agency. He’d met her nephew Theron and his omega Connor when he’d started recruiting people for his team. They, along with their human mate, ran the Wildwoods Pack. As a lone wolf, it had been a courtesy and formality to get their permission to recruit employees for his agency so close to their area. Unfortunately, from what he’d heard about the actual dating agency, his chances of wooing the pretty bear had just gone from slim to none. Oddly enough, she’d requested a meeting with him today. She wanted to discuss a security job. But how could he focus on work when the sexy doc was all he could think about.
He growled his irritation. He and his wolf rarely agreed on much, and they never agreed on women--which is why he’d gone unmated for so long—but Doctor Quinn Orson brokered no disagreement between them. His wolf wanted her bear as much as he wanted the soft, voluptuous woman who’d shoved her hand in Brandon’s chest to save his life. Her dark brown gaze had stirred a longing in Luke he hadn’t even known existed inside him, and he couldn’t help but fantasize about fisting his hands in her thick, curly hair while he fucked her until she cried his name on the waves of her pleasure.
“You all right, Luke?” Marigold asked.
The nurse walked in before he had a chance to deny a problem. If what Marigold said was true, he’d have to forget about Quinn Orson, or at least try.
“I’m going to clean Mister Bennet up, and we’ll be moving him to his room shortly. He’ll be in a private wing reserved for,” his eyes danced around the room between Marigold and Luke, “patients who need more privacy.”
He meant “patients who might shift into rampaging, angry, and scared animals.” Brandon would wake up to pain while in a strange environment. Adam’s fears weren’t without merit.
Luke needed some air, and he had an appointment to prepare for with Geraldine Wilder. Before then, he needed to get his emotions and hormones under control. God, he’d shaped his life in a way that made being alone bearable. He didn’t dream of a wife and kids, and the white picket fence. Hell, to tell the truth, Luke rarely thought about the future at all. His dad had died before he made it to thirty, and Luke, who had recently crossed that milestone birthday, had never believed he’d live this long. He had nothing to offer someone like Quinn Orson.
Luke sighed. “Back later.”
