Page 32 of Patrick’s Seduction

“Oh my God. Why did I date him? I should have never dated him. If I’d known that… if only I’d had a clue.” She sniffled. “He really did beat up Hank, didn’t he? Just because he was jealous.”

Even though he hadn’t been able to confirm this independently, he replied, “It’s very likely. That’s their modus operandi: intimidating and coercing others.”

“And you think he’ll come after me because I rejected him?”

“I believe so.”

He knew it for a fact. The few things he knew about werewolves made it very likely. When werewolves found the person they wanted to mate with, they didn’t stop at anything until they got what they wanted, even if that person resisted them. In fact, by breaking up with Cameron and refusing to even speak to him, Fallon had activated Cameron’s hunting instinct. Now more than ever, he would pursue her.

“What am I gonna do? I can’t just hide from him forever.”

“I’ll figure something out, but right now, the most important thing is that he doesn’t know where you are.”

Patrick cast her a sideways glance and noticed how tightly she clenched her jaw as if trying to steel herself for whatever bad things were going to happen. But she didn’t know the half of what she was facing: a werewolf who wanted her and would never give up. It would be easier to deal with a member of the Mafia. But a werewolf was another level of danger, and an entire pack spelled disaster. This wasn’t something he could handle on his own. He needed the full force of Scanguards behind him. And that would throw up all kinds of complications. Confronting a pack of werewolves meant outright war between their two species. And there was no guarantee that Scanguards would emerge as the winner.

17

Fallon shivered. The shock that Cameron was part of a Mafia family still sat deep in her bones, when Patrick slowed the car and drove into the garage of a large Victorian home. Was this the safe house he’d spoken of? If this was it, then the house had most likely been split up into several flats like so many old Victorian mansions in San Francisco. Several cars were parked here, and when she glanced to her right, she noticed that the garage seemed to extend beneath the neighboring house, providing space for at least eight cars.

“Let’s get you settled,” Patrick said and exited the car.

Fallon got out on the passenger side, and by the time she reached the back of the car, Patrick had already lifted her travel bag out of the trunk and closed it.

“This way.” He pointed to a staircase.

As she followed him, she asked, “How many flats are in this house? It looks pretty big.”

“It’s one residence.”

Surprised, she followed him. At the top of the stairs, he pressed his hand to a scanner. A soft beeping sound drifted to her ears before Patrick pushed the door open and walked into the house. Moments later, Fallon entered the foyer, and Patrick pulled the door shut behind her. Another beep sounded, and she assumed that it was the alarm resetting itself.

As she took in the rich wood-paneled foyer, disbelief flooded her. “This is a safe house?”

He smiled at her, already tapping on a contact on his cell phone. “It’s my parent’s house. Make yourself at home.”

Walking a few steps away from her, he brought the cell phone to his ear and listened for a moment, before he said something so quietly that she couldn’t hear it. The conversation only lasted a few seconds, before he shoved his cell phone back into his pocket and turned back to her.

“Nobody followed us. You’re safe here.”

“Why did you bring me here? I mean, I don’t want to inconvenience your family.”

“My parents are on vacation in Alaska, so you’re not inconveniencing anybody. Besides, the house is so big that you wouldn’t even hear them if they were home.” He cast her a reassuring smile.

She took a breath, still feeling awkward about being in somebody’s home without their knowledge and perhaps even without their consent. “You can’t possibly be bringing every client who’s in danger to your parent’s house.”

“You’re right.” He lifted her travel bag, which he’d placed on the floor earlier, and pointed to the stairs. “But your case is special, and you’ll be safest here. My parent’s house has the best security system, and you won’t be alone here. I live here too.”

At his words, a breath of air rolled over her lips, and her pulse quickened, her eyes meeting his in stunned silence. She would be staying here with Patrick?

He lifted one hand to prevent her from replying. “And before you get worried, let me assure you that you’ll have your own room and bathroom, and I won’t intrude on your privacy.”

Heat shot into her cheeks at the thought of what he meant by privacy. He wouldn’t touch her again. “Oh.”

For a long moment, their eyes met, and she wasn’t sure what to think or say. Or do.

“I’ll protect you no matter what. I don’t expect anything from you. In spite of what happened between us earlier today, I don’t want you to think that I expect you to… uhm… what I’m trying to say is that I didn’t bring you here to seduce you, even though we’re going to be alone here.”

Her chest lifted with her next breath. “Patrick, about earlier…” She was trying to find the right words to tell him what she felt. But she’d never been good at saying the right things at the right moment.