‘Is that because you’re afraid I’ll slink out of here without thanking him if I don’t have an escort?’
‘He was worried about you.’ Samantha hesitated and eyed Mallory with a brief return of her earlier perplexed expression. ‘Really worried.’
Mallory felt her cheeks warm. ‘I had too much to drink, that’s all.’
‘Mmmm.’ Samantha continued to examine her, then eventually she shrugged. ‘It happens to the best of us.’
They walked down the hallway towards Alexander’s study. The door was already ajar. Although Samantha raised her fist to knock, he was clearly aware of their presence and he called out before her hand connected with the wood, ‘Bring her in.’
Mallory grimaced. He still sounded annoyed.
She was expecting Samantha to walk in with her but instead she nudged Mallory inside and closed the door, leaving her alone with the MacTire alpha. It wasn’t ideal; between scary Samantha and angry Alexander, the former definitely seemed the preferable choice. There was only so much disapproval Mallory could take.
He was sitting behind his massive desk. She walked to the centre of the room and faced him, took a deep breath and thenfaltered; either she was in a different room to last time or he’d been doing some decorating.
The curtains had been changed; rather than an oppressive dark brocade, they were now a light-grey velvet which shimmered in the midday sun. The walls were no longer a murky green; they’d been given a lick of bright paint so they reflected light rather than absorbing it. At her feet was a fluffy orange rug. There were even four vases of flowers dotted around, their fragrant scent mingling with Alexander’s cinnamon and spice aftershave.
‘Oh.’ Mallory blinked. ‘You’ve redecorated.’
‘I took your advice.’
‘It looks good.’
He inclined his head. ‘I’m glad you approve.’ He gestured to a silver tray on the desk. ‘Coffee? And a bacon roll? It’ll help with your hangover.’
‘You’re amazing.’
‘I know,’ he replied dryly.
She helped herself. ‘I was expecting another scolding.’
He growled, ‘You need another scolding. But as it would be inappropriate for me to put you across my knee and spank you, I thought I’d take a different approach.’ She stared at him in mid-bite. ‘Have a seat, Mallory,’ he went on. ‘It makes me nervous watching you hover by my desk like that.’
She managed a grin. ‘Because I intimidate you?’
‘Because only a few hours ago you collapsed in front of me and I’d rather not repeat the experience.’
She considered his words and decided that a chair wouldn’t be a bad thing. Mallory sat down, swallowed her mouthful and gave him a long look. ‘First of all, while I appreciate your concern and I’m grateful for your help, I don’t need to be scolded like a child. I’m an adult and last night I was actually being very sensible.’
‘Really.’ Alexander’s voice was flat.
‘It’s true!’ She gulped a mouthful of coffee. ‘I don’t have to explain myself to you but, for what it’s worth, I had to go out for work. I ended up stuck inside a pub on Hirsel Street. Given the full moon, it wasn’t wise to head home during the darkest hours so I waited until it was almost sunrise.’
‘Dawn hadn’t broken when I found you.’
‘It wasn’t far off. The likelihood of meeting any werewolves who couldn’t control their basic instincts was practically nil. And,’ she pointed out, ‘Ididhave wolfsbane with me for emergencies.’
‘Which you couldn’t use,’ he shot back. ‘You were completely legless.’
‘Not completely. I’d have reached home with no problems if I’d not bumped into you.’
‘That’s up for debate.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Who were you drinking with? I know it wasn’t Liam Ferguson because he’d have been furry and on all fours.’
‘Liam Ferguson has nothing to do with this and it’s none of your business who I was with. I don’t go blabbing about you to other clients and I’m not going to start blabbing about them to you.’ She sighed. ‘I know that you mean well, but my wellbeing is not your responsibility. I would’ve been fine if you hadn’t started spinning around me like a whirling dervish.’
‘Hardly a dervish! Besides, it’s in my interests to ensure your safety while you work for me.’
Mallory opened her mouth but he didn’t give her time to speak.
