AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I said, I already have made my fortune. My family has more money than...well, actually, more than yours. The last thing I need or want is any tie-in financially to your hotel. Relax. I'm not out for your inheritance."
"Then why do you keep pushing to spend time with me?"
Her question shocked him. Surely someone as beautiful and intelligent as Shannon couldn't be that unsure of herself. "Because I like you, Shannon. I want to be with you, not your money, not your family. You."
Her face colored a deep pink. Very cute, actually. She turned and opened the door, mumbling something about needing to get back home because it was late and that she'd wait by the car. He shielded his eyes against the setting sun, chuckling at her obvious embarrassment.
After speaking with Marcy and making plans to put in an offer on the house, he met Shannon at the car and unlocked the door for her.
They drove silently for a few minutes. But he couldn't hold back. "Feel pretty stupid about now, don't you?"
Studying her hands, she said, "I was merely protecting my family."
"I told you I'm not out to hurt your family. You're unbelievable, you know that?"
She half turned in the seat and glared at him. "I have no reason to trust you."
"And I've never given you a damn reason not to. You've got this mindset that I'm out to get you. Tell me, do you treat every man like you treat me?"
"No."
"I don't buy it. I'll bet you don't get many guys warming up to the cold front you put out."
Her eyes widened and she looked away.
"I don't get you, Shannon. One minute you're steaming hot, next you're giving me this great freeze-out for no reason."
"I don't need a reason. I just know men like you."
He made the turn into her condo lot and pulled into a parking spot, then turned off the engine and looked at her. "Men like me?"
Finally, she met his gaze. "Look, Max. We had sex. It was great. How many times do I have to tell you that it's over? Quit stalking me, quit trying to get me to go places with you and quit trying to...to..."
"To what?"
She flicked the lock and threw open the door. "Nothing. Just stay the hell away from me unless it's about work."
With a hard slam of the car door, she walked away.
Dumbfounded, he sat there for a few minutes, having no earthly idea what had just happened.
Shannon was a complete mystery. Hell, maybe it was because she was a woman. The problem was he'd never gotten close enough to one before to get into weird little arguments like this. Maybe he should call his sister. Chantal might be able to give him some insight into the female mind.
Although she'd probably laugh at him. The great playboy Max Devlin, confused about a woman's emotions. Chantal had always accused him of conveniently forgetting that women even had emotions.
Well Shannon sure as hell had them. And they were like night and day. Was this normal, or was it just Shannon?
How was he ever going to convince her to become his pack mate when he couldn't figure her out? Normally he was good at reading people's emotions. Okay, maybe not women he dated, but most people he could figure out. Shannon confounded the hell out of him.
Her hard headedness could be a stumbling block. Yes, he wanted a strong mate by his side. She couldn't be alpha female of the pack without having the balls to be in charge. That wasn't a problem with Shannon.
She'd have to learn to bend to his will, and that's where he knew they'd battle. She was not the type of woman to give up control easily. He'd just have to convince her that he was the alpha male of the pack and she'd have to do what he said.
Yeah, right.
Sure as hell figured that the first woman he'd ever wanted to make his mate had to be the one who didn't even want to give him the damn time of day.
Good thing he enjoyed a challenge.
Chapter Eight
Max was amazed at how much he'd managed to accomplish in a couple weeks. Not only was the PR campaign rolling along, but he'd closed on the house.
He'd spent two weeks making arrangements for his furniture to be shipped down, and his attorney managed a quick closing on the house. Keys in hand, he was ready for move-in day.
Everything was going just as he'd planned, with one exception--Shannon.
During the past two weeks, she'd avoided him as much as possible. Her emotions ran like the finicky fall weather. Steamy one day, chilly the next. It seemed as if she couldn't make up her mind how she wanted to react to him.
But he knew one thing. If he didn't do something and soon, they'd never have a repeat of the "hot" night they'd spent on the balcony at Lune de l'amour.. Things between them had been a bit too frosty lately, and he meant to change that.
The urge to mate was foremost on his mind now, and he needed to reveal to her who and what he was. How he was supposed to do that when she wouldn't even talk to him was the problem.
For someone who'd always maintained control of women, Max was damned irritated that he couldn't seem to handle Shannon.
He paced the front of the house while waiting for the moving van to show up, trying to figure out how to finesse his way back into her bed.
Well, hell. For that matter, they'd never ever done it in a bed. Not yet, anyway.
She refused to have dinner with him, had point blank told him that she wouldn't be seeing him socially, and had kept her distance during their business meetings.
Other than a pounce and attack approach, he wasn't sure how he was going to get past the cold shields she'd put up.
Then again, maybe he wouldn't have to, because several cars pulled into the long driveway and stopped in front of him. They were filled with Storm family, from Angelina and Galen to Logan, Kaitlyn, Melissa, Aidan and bringing up the rear, looking reluctant as hell...Shannon.
"What are you all doing here?"
Angelina hugged him and kissed his cheek. "We couldn't let you move in by yourself. What kind of southern hospitality would that be? We've come to help you."
To s
ay he was stunned was an understatement. "I don't know what to say."
Logan smiled. "It's our family's way of welcoming you. When Shannon told us you had bought a place, Mom made arrangements for a moving day barbecue. It's kind of a tradition."
"Don't bother trying to get rid of us," Kaitlyn said as she swept by, arms filled with bags. "We won't listen. You're practically family anyway now that you're moving here. Where's the kitchen?"
Speechless, he mumbled something about through the front door and down the long hallway. The rest of the family followed Kaitlyn inside, Shannon dragging the rear.
"Shannon."
She stopped and turned to him, offering the phoniest bright smile he'd ever seen. "Yes?"
"You've been avoiding me."
"I have not. I've seen you every day at work."
"I'm not talking about work. You've been avoiding me after work." He sounded like a lovesick boy. He was disgusted with himself.
She sighed. "Max, I don't want to get into this again, okay?"
"Why did you even come today if you don't want to be here?"
"I don't know what you mean by that. The Storms are always happy to help."
He wasn't buying it. He could chisel that frozen smile off her face. "Is it that awful to be around me?"
She shrugged. "Again, I have no idea what you mean."
Unable to resist, he reached for her and pulled her against his chest. She stiffened. Anger rose within him at her cold demeanor. He was tiring of these games. He'd given her plenty of space to come around, and was growing weary of tiptoeing around her, around his need for her. "Don't," he warned.
Her eyes widened. "Don't what?"
"Don't pull away from me."
"Then don't touch me unless I invite you to."
"I will be touching you, Shannon. Again and again and again. Might as well get used to the fact that we're fated to be together."
Heat sailed between them like the shock of walking from an air conditioned room to the steamy outside. And just as soon as it hit, it was gone, replaced instead by a gust of cool wind.
Shannon rolled her eyes and pushed hard at his chest. Considering her family lurked right inside, he let go and she stepped back. "Look, Max. Just because we had one night of spontaneous sex doesn't mean you own me."
She was wrong. Mating with her had put his mark on her, at least in his mind. She was his now, and always would be. He just had to convince her of that, and as usual with Shannon, he was going about things the wrong way. Maybe she just brought out the primitive side of him, and he wanted to possess her. Just take, with or without her permission. And dammit, she did want him. He knew she did! She was just too stubborn to realize it.
