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  After the woman left to put his order in, the shop’s door opened, sending a gust of air through the space in his direction. It carried a scent that had Kiel silently moaning as his cock went from limp as a noodle to rock hard in a second flat. He turned his head toward the entrance and his gaze landed on the human woman who was his mate.

  Chapter Two

  Neha stepped into the coffee shop, grateful to be out of her rental car. She’d been on the road since eight that morning. The drive from Yellowstone National Park to Helena had taken almost four hours. She’d been on a modeling shoot at the park for the last two days, and she was more than ready to go home. A quick look at her watch showed she had an hour and a half before her flight from Helena Regional Airport to New York was to leave. She was supposed to have checked in a half hour ago, but she had no intention of sitting for that long inside the airport.

  Her high-heeled shoes clicked on the linoleum floor as she walked farther inside the shop. Neha looked at the other people sitting at tables and booths and noticed she stood out in her fashionable dress and heels. Everyone else had the causal-look going on. Since becoming a fashion model two years before, she dressed the part whenever she was going to be out in public. Helena was a hick town compared to New York City, but she wasn’t about to change what she wore to fit in with the locals.

  Neha spotted an empty table at the back of the room and headed in its direction. She walked past the counter where other patrons sat eating. Her gaze landed on a man whose looks almost took her breath away. He actually put the male models she’d left in Yellowstone to shame. His black, straight hair was on the longish side and brushed the tops of his shoulders. He had a square jaw, chiseled cheekbones and firm lips, but it was his eyes that drew her attention the most. They were an amazing light green, and the way they seemed to be eating her up, she couldn’t help her body’s reaction. Her blood heated and an ache throbbed deep inside her pussy.

  Acting like the cool, sophisticated woman she was, Neha forced her gaze off Mr. Delectable and continued on to the table she’d chosen. As she walked by him, she dragged in a deep breath and almost groaned out loud. Not only was he a gorgeous male specimen, he smelled great. His scent was musky and all male, which made the ache in her pussy increase. If a company was able to duplicate it and sell it as a man’s cologne, they’d make millions.

  She reached the back table and sat. She made sure she took a spot that gave her a good view of the counter and the hunk who was seated there. Neha looked over at him and found him still staring at her as if she were something he wanted to sink his teeth into. She didn’t think she’d try to stop him if he tried.

  A waitress came to Neha’s table and asked if she was ready to order. Neha quickly scanned the menu. Most of the food was fattening and not allowed on the diet she maintained to keep her present weight. She figured she could eat whatever she wanted once her modeling career ended. She chose the vegetable chicken noodle soup and a glass of water.

  After the waitress left, Neha turned her gaze back to the hunk at the counter. She sucked in a quick breath when she saw he walked toward her, carrying a plate with a sandwich and a steaming cup of coffee. She sat straighter once he reached her table.

  “I noticed you came in alone,” he said in his toe-curling deep voice. “Do you mind if I join you? I thought maybe you’d like the company.”

  Normally Neha would have shot down a guy who tried something like that. She wasn’t naive when it came to her looks. She hadn’t become a successful model because she was average-looking. She’d had more than her share of men who panted over her, only interested in getting her into their beds. But with Mr. Gorgeous, she nodded, allowing him to join her. With his incredible scent filling her lungs, she didn’t have the will power to resist.

  He placed what he carried on the table and then pulled out the chair across from her. Neha followed his movements with her gaze. His black t-shirt was stretched tight across his muscular shoulders and well-defined chest. His wide back ended in a tapered waist that was hugged by snug-fitting jeans. She also couldn’t miss the fact he sported an erection, which caused her breath to catch in her lungs. For some reason, she wasn’t put off by it, even though they’d barely spoken. She was drawn to him unlike any man before.

  Once he sat, he smiled, which had butterflies fluttering in Neha’s stomach and wetness pooling between her legs. She hadn’t thought he could be any better looking, but that smile proved he could. She found herself unable to drag her gaze off his lips.

  “I’m Kiel,” he said.

  Neha sucked in a shaky breath and met his gaze. “I’m Neha.”

  “Thanks for agreeing to allow me to join you.”

  At that point, the waitress came to the table with Neha’s soup and water. Once the items were placed in front of Neha, the woman left her and Kiel alone again.

  Neha picked up the conversation where it’d let off. “I don’t normally make it a practice to eat with every random man who asks.”

  Kiel grinned. “Then I guess I should count myself privileged.” He paused, then said, “By the way you’re dressed, I’d say you aren’t from around here.”

  “You guessed right. I live in New York City. I was at Yellowstone on a photo shoot for the last two days.”

  Neha didn’t miss the look of disappointment that passed for a split second over Kiel’s face. “So you’re a model?”

  “Yes. I’ve been featured in quite a few popular women’s magazines since I had my start a couple years ago. Maybe you’ve seen them?”

  Kiel chuckled. “No, sorry I haven’t. Those wouldn’t be the type of magazines I’d be buying.”

  Neha smiled. “I guess not.”

  “Are you staying in Helena for a while?”

  “Actually, no. I have to catch a flight to New York City in less an hour and a half. I just got back from Yellowstone. I’m going to finish my lunch, return my rental car, then check in at the airport.”

  Kiel appeared uneasy as he picked up half his sandwich and took a bite. Neha ate some of her soup. She decided to see how their short time together turned out. If it looked as if they would hit it off, she’d ask for his email address and cell phone number so she could keep in contact with him once she was home.

  “Would you like some company while you wait for your flight?” Kiel asked as his gaze met hers.

  That was an excellent idea. She’d have a better chance of getting to know him, and to see if he was worth considering as boyfriend potential. To be honest, if she managed to get him to come to New York City, with her connections, she’d have no problem helping Kiel get into modeling. But that was getting a little ahead of herself.

  She nodded. “Okay. Sure. Why not?”

  So far he hadn’t turned out to be a jerk, and the airport was about as a public place as she could get with the number of passengers milling around, and airport security as well. Not that she expected Kiel to attack her or anything. He didn’t give off the icky vibe some men did when all they were interested in her was as a sex object.

  They finished eating, their conversation about everyday things. Neha checked her watch and saw she had an hour before her flight was scheduled to leave. She should have plenty of time to return her rental car and then make it to the terminal.

  The waitress brought their bills. Neha reached for her purse that she’d set on the table close to her, but Kiel shook his head. He slid her bill over to his side, then took out his wallet from his jeans back pocket. He took out enough money to cover their food and a tip.

  “Ready to go?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I’ll meet you at the terminal entrance. My modeling agency already took care of the cost of my rental car so I don’t have to do anything but drop it and the keys off.”

  “All right.”

  They walked out of the coffee shop and headed for the parking lot. Once inside her rental, Neha watched as Kiel went to an older-model pickup truck and climbed inside. After he started the engine, she backed out of her spac
e and then drove toward the street. He pulled up behind her. Even though she’d hated her time at Yellowstone—a nature girl she was not—this modeling job had turned out not bad, after all. She’d met a hunk who might make returning to Helena at some point worthwhile.

  * * * *

  Kiel followed Neha’s rental car at a short distance as they drove toward the airport. Even though on the outside he didn’t show it, on the inside he was more than shocked over the fact his mate was human. It never happened. Ever. Not once in wolf shifter history had he heard of one of their kind becoming mated to someone outside of their species. And that being the case, he had no idea how to proceed with Neha.

  He really didn’t have a problem with her being what she was. For one thing, she was downright gorgeous. He itched to run his fingers through her long, brown hair. Her eyes were so dark brown they almost appeared black. Kiel had never slept with a human before, but he was more than willing to take Neha to his bed. And it wasn’t only her looks that did it for him. She seemed like a nice person. She might dress upscale, but she hadn’t looked down her nose at the locals at the coffee shop or him.

  Thinking of the figure-hugging dress Neha wore had Kiel’s hard-on twitching. There was no mistaking what she did to him. She most definitely was his mate. And that being the case, he had less than an hour to think up some kind of excuse to keep her there in Helena. There was no way he could let her get on that plane to New York City and leave him behind. He needed to claim her, make her his. He didn’t want to lose his humanity. Even though he’d been born a wolf, he liked this other part of himself. He couldn’t lose it, and he couldn’t lose Neha.

  It wasn’t long before they turned onto Skyway Drive where the airport was located. Kiel racked his brain, trying his damnedest to think of a way to keep Neha from going home. He couldn’t come up with anything other than two options. One, he’d buy a ticket and go with her to New York City, which he doubted he had enough money to do in the first place. Plus, she’d think he was some kind of weirdo to expect her to take him home with her. They didn’t really know each other to be going that far. The second choice was he’d kidnap her, take her to his cabin and keep her there until he explained what he was, what she meant to him and then claim her. If it went horribly wrong and she managed to get to the city on her own, he’d have the cops after him. She’d also want nothing to do with him ever again and he’d become one hundred percent wolf.

  At the airport, Kiel drove to the short-term parking lot while Neha continued on to the rental car place. He quickly found an empty space for his pickup, then headed for the terminal to wait for her.

  It wasn’t very long before Neha came into view. She walked toward him, pulling a large wheeled suitcase behind her. She had a carry-on bag slung over her shoulder. To him, it looked like an awful lot of luggage for a two-day trip. If he hadn’t known, he would have guessed she’d been prepared for a week.

  Neha smiled once she reached Kiel, and he took her luggage from her. “Thanks.”

  He looked down at the high heels she wore. “No problem. With those shoes, you’re liable to turn an ankle.”

  She chuckled. “I doubt it. I wear heels every day. I can do a lot in them.”

  Kiel ran his gaze up her shapely legs. He could think of one particular thing they could do together while she wore those shoes. And it involved them being naked and her thighs around his hips.

  He pushed away his wayward thoughts and cleared his throat as a surge of arousal pushed through him. “Still, I’ll take care of your bags for you just in case.”

  Neha leaned slightly in his direction and dragged in a big breath. “God, you smell good. I noticed back at the coffee shop, but now it’s stronger. I could bury my nose against your chest and breathe you in all day long.”

  Kiel bit back a moan at the thought of Neha actually doing that. It caused another surge of arousal to spike through him and his cock to ache with pounding need. She seemed to sway toward as she stared at his mouth with heavy-lidded eyes. He took a step back. If they continued this way, they’d be finding a secluded corner somewhere and he’d be claiming her in a very public area. That wasn’t going happen.

  “I guess we should hurry and get you checked in before you miss your flight,” he said.

  Neha gave a small shake of her head and seemed to come out of the almost trance she’d been in. “Yeah. Right.”

  She walked toward the terminal’s entrance, and Kiel fell into step with her. He went where she did, not having a clue where the check-in would be. He’d driven by the airport, but had never been inside it. Plus, he’d never been on an airplane before. He’d also never been anywhere outside of Montana. Helena was the farthest he’d ever gone from Canyon Creek, which was only thirty miles northwest of the city.

  Once they reached a long counter with three different stations, they stood in the short line to get to one. After they moved up and waited for someone to finish so they’d be next, Neha took out her plane ticket from her purse. Kiel frantically thought of different scenarios to keep her with him, but each one was dumber than the next.

  His mind whirled as he followed Neha to the available station. He had to do something. Kiel opened his mouth to blurt out anything, but snapped it closed once the woman who was behind the counter spoke.

  “I’m sorry, miss. Your flight was cancelled. Passengers were rebooked to other flights.”

  “Okay, then rebook me.”

  The woman shook her head. “There are no seats available.” The woman gave Neha a hard stare. “If you’d checked in two hours before your original flight was to depart as you were supposed to, you would have gotten one.”

  “All right. When is the next one going out?”

  “Not until tomorrow evening.”

  “So I’m stuck here until then?”

  “I’m afraid so.” The woman didn’t at all appear sorry for Neha. “I suggest you book into a hotel.”

  “Since I don’t have any choice, I guess I have to,” Neha said. “Can you get me a seat on the flight leaving tomorrow evening, at least?”

  The woman nodded, then typed away on the computer in front of her on the lower counter. Shortly after that a ticket printed out. She handed it to Neha. “That’s the last seat for that flight. I suggest you check in two hours ahead of departure this time.”

  Neha took the ticket, then walked away from the counter. She grumbled under her breath. She might be angry about the circumstances, but Kiel wasn’t. He now had over twenty-four hours to come up with a plan to keep her with him beyond that time.

  Once they were well away from others, Neha came to a stop and turned to face him. “I no longer have my rental. Do you mind driving me to a hotel so I can find a room? If you don’t want to, I can take a taxi.”

  Kiel really didn’t like the hotel idea either, so he said what jumped into his mind first. “I have a cabin located in Canyon Creek. It’s about thirty miles from Helena. You can have it all to yourself and it won’t cost you a cent.”

  “I don’t know,” Neha said with some reluctance.

  “That way, I can bring you here again for your flight tomorrow. You wouldn’t have to worry about calling a cab.”

  Even though it wasn’t very fair of him, Kiel conjured up the image of him and Neha naked in his bed as they made love. Of course that caused the now-familiar surge of arousal to take hold of him and his scent to increase. Neha’s face took on a dazed expression as she breathed it deep. The smell of her desire hit his nose and he had to swallow back a wolf-like growl.

  “Okay,” she said huskily. “I’ll stay at your cabin for the night.”

  That was all the answer Kiel wanted. He took hold of Neha by her arm and hurried her out of the terminal. He wanted her in his pickup truck and well on the way to Canyon Creek as fast as he could before she decided to change her mind.

  Chapter Three

  Neha found herself practically dragged along by Kiel as he walked them out of the terminal and toward the short-term parking l
ot where he’d left his pickup. Though she wasn’t short at five-foot-nine, he had a longer stride than her since he had to be at least six-foot-six. And trying to keep up with him while wearing heels was a feat in itself. He somehow managed to pull her wheeled suitcase, keep her carry-on securely over his shoulder and hold on to her all at the same time.

  Once they reached his truck, Kiel opened the passenger door for her, then after she got in went to the back and placed her luggage in the bed. He seemed in an awful rush. In no time flat, he was behind the wheel and backing out of the parking space. At the exit, he didn’t have to pay since they’d been there for less than an hour.

  Kiel kept his gaze on the road as he drove. Neha was a little shocked at herself over how quickly she’d agreed to spend the night at his cabin. A hotel would have made better sense because it was in the city, unlike where they were headed.

  The only thing she could blame her rash decision on was the man himself. Neha wanted Kiel like no other guy before him. Even now her pussy throbbed with unfulfilled desire. His looks drew her, but the way he smelled turned her crank more. Back in the airport, she’d wanted to plaster herself against him and find out if he tasted just as good. It made it so she couldn’t think straight. She’d become so aroused she’d been on the verge of kissing him right in the middle of the terminal, and she had a feeling she wouldn’t have been able to stop just there once she got started.

  At least Neha was going to have Kiel’s cabin to herself. She would have been an even bigger fool if he’d said he’d be sleeping there as well and she still agreed to go. The good thing was it wasn’t going to cost her a thing. She hadn’t brought much money with her from New York since her modeling agency had taken care of the cost of her time in Montana, but she wasn’t sure if they would extend that since it’d been her mistake that kept her there. She had a credit card, but she’d used it a little more than she should have that month and didn’t want to push it any more than she already had.