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I hope I’m charming you. I’d like to take you out this weekend, Carvin had asked.
I’m free on Saturday. We could go to the museum downtown and then out to dinner, Alexis had offered.
Carvin hadn’t texted a response yet. As soon as Magnus looked up at him again, Carvin snatched his phone back. Magnus’s inner panther fumed, ready to draw claws out and slash at the man in front of him. How dare Carvin go after her.
Magnus needed to play it cool, though, and keep Carvin from knowing just how much he’d gotten under his skin with this move.
“Why do you even think I’d care?” he asked, leaning back in the chair and forcing himself to relax his posture.
Carvin smirked. “I always keep tabs on my rivals. Especially my biggest one,” he said, jerking his chin at Magnus. “And I saw the way you were acting with that pretty little piece the morning after the masquerade.”
“And how was I acting?” Magnus asked, feigning a bored tone to his voice.
“You always leave the party a few hours after midnight,” Carvin explained. “But this time, you stayed until breakfast. That’s unusual for you.”
“Wow. Women don’t even pay that close of attention to my habits,” Magnus said.
Carvin ignored him, continuing. “Once I saw you, I knew why. The way you looked at the woman you were with, I knew immediately she must be something special. So, I thought I’d find out for myself.”
Magnus bit his tongue, trying to keep himself from leaping over the desk to tear out Carvin’s throat. He had no idea why his panther was getting so worked up over this, but he couldn’t let Carvin know.
“No deal,” he said, shrugging. “Sorry, but you must be insane if you think I’m backing out of this merger for some woman I had a one-night-stand with. I don’t give a damn about her.”
Despite the casual tone he used, his throat was tightening. He could lie to Carvin, but he couldn’t lie to himself or his panther anymore.
Alexis wasn’t just some woman.
Mate.
Carvin looked unperturbed by the words, though, and his smile grew wider. “That’s a shame. I really thought you might be reasonable about this,” he said. He shrugged and leaned in, facing Magnus head-on and narrowing his eyes.
“I hope the Crispin Pharmaceuticals deal keeps you warm at night then,” he drawled. “Because you certainly won’t have Alexis in your bed. She’ll be in mine.” With that, he straightened up and smiled.
Magnus barely kept himself back, but he smiled blandly and nodded toward the door. “If you’re done, feel free to leave.”
Carvin’s smirk never faltered. “Have a great day,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Oh, and enjoy your weekend. I know I will.”
He left, whistling some tune that grated on Magnus’s nerves immediately. Magnus curled his fingers into his palms, barely able to keep himself from shifting and eviscerating Carvin on the spot.
Alexis didn’t belong to him. No matter what his panther thought, she wasn’t his to claim. He wasn’t about to risk the deal just to keep her from seeing Carvin Hibbard.
However, with Alexis, something was different. He wanted her badly. He couldn’t get the taste of her off his tongue or the feeling of her off his skin.
It made him feel restless and tense inside.
NINE
ALEXIS
Alexis decided to meet Carvin that weekend just to get to know him better. He was charming and a little too flowery over text, but she wanted to see what he was like in person. She figured there was little harm in going on one date with the guy.
Now, she was starting to regret agreeing to let him take her out.
“And that’s how I built my company, Onyx Prowl Industries, from the ground up,” Carvin said after a ten-minute ramble to answer Alexis’s question about his childhood.
They were dining at a small bistro downtown, one of Alexis’s favorite places to go on dates. The ambiance included dim, romantic lighting and amazing views of the waterfront. But all she could think about was getting out of there and getting a burrito at the local food truck.
She nodded politely as Carvin talked, trying to act impressed. While the man was undeniably good-looking, there was no spark between them. Carvin was all flash and no substance. He reminded her of those glittery phone cases that didn’t do a thing to protect the screen from damage.
