CHAPTER 7
ETHAN
Finding out the observer from the church would be joining them, Ethan Blackwood arrived late at the office. Generally, those kinds of power moves were not something he liked to shun. Being present was all the power he needed, even in the biggest negotiations. Having no idea as to who they'd be sending, he resorted to cheap tricks in an effort to keep them guessing.
No, that was a lie. For another night, he slept barely at all. When finally sleep consumed him, she tormented him in his dreams. As much as he'd like to put the blame on the wolf, that would be a bad rule to follow. The wolf did not control him. Oh, he struggled, rising close to the top when disturbed or excited, but he controlled his own actions, not him.
The shifters Ava Morales hunted—any shifter he'd met, even—lost that. They surrendered to their inner animal. They were barely more than beasts themselves, in the end. Not him. Being accountable for his own deeds, his own mind kept him in command.
The wolf's feelings about the enigmatic hunter might have run deeper, or at least more savage, than his own, but he felt them, nevertheless. Unlike the wolf, he understood and knew what the risk was. She was a killer of his species and knew what he was. Alright, when she tailed him to his cabin and broke it open, she never discovered the proof she sought, proof he was a monster such as the shifter who killed her parents. Just because it did not exist did not save him from her or from other hunters.
In his head, the wolf growled. Hunters didn't bother him at all. As ever, he urged him to use the system to find her, go to her, and claim her as theirs, risk be damned. As hard as he wished to keep to his more primal impulses, his rational head was thrilled to wake up without her when he emerged from meeting her in his cabin.
If evidence of his self-discipline were required, he could point to the fact that he hadn't used the system to track her since they'd split up on that evening. Okay, okay, so that only lasted two days, but given what she did for a living, he was concerned about her well-being almost as much as he thought about their encounter.
His chauffeur took him to the front. He waved to the uniformed security man standing in front of the metal detector, then waived him through the side door. CEOs leasing entire floors of Brookfield Place didn't have to wait around for scanning.
When the doors of the elevator opened, he stood rigid and his wolf's hackles raised. The scent of a light spicy floral that almost matched hers wafted from inside. It jolted his wandering mind back to his last encounter with her.
He should have gotten on a different elevator. Even with its speed, he bogged in that agonizingly familiar scent the entire ride up. No matter how many times he told himself that it was best to stay away from her, the perfume derailed his thoughts to all things regarding her that he found so intriguing.
With each breath he took, visions ran through his head. Her hips swayed wantonly through the dance they had shared, one and sole dance that he ever remembered to have participated in. This vision changed to the cabin and her naked, reclining on his bearskin rug. A sweat beaded on her brow after they had joined as one.
A lungful of air filled his nostrils and he almost tasted her desire. His erection throbbed to half-mast in his suit pants, just thinking about it. Yes, avoiding her hurt nearly, but he had to. If some random cologne could affect him like this just because it reminded him of her, he could not take these kinds of feelings, not for anyone.
The doors hadn't even fully opened before he almost leapt from the elevator to get away from the dizzyingly familiar scent. Too bad that the office itself wasn't much improved. The scent lingered around the reception area, disoriented by all the others that he'd learned and grown used to, but still lingering.
It got stronger the farther he proceeded beyond reception. He'd have to walk up to HR and ask whether he could ban a specific perfume. The last thing he needed was to be reminded of her every damn day at the workplace.
There was a cluster of people near the conference room door, all but one of whom were on the project team, but he was not familiar with the woman who was being talked to. She was turned away from him, partially hidden by a cubicle half-wall that cut off at waist level. He saw only the back of her bleach-blonde pixie haircut and the blue blazer she was wearing.
Was she the archdiocese observer? Least they sent Ava Morales. He'd recognize her wavy chestnut hair instantly. The woman giggled at something Ryan Thompson said, and his strides faltered. No, it could not be. Why would she chop off that beautiful hair? A deep breath confirmed what his ears already did. It hadn't just been a similar cologne in the elevator, it was her perfume. The wolf surfaced, entranced by her, but cautious. She told him that she was from St. Michael's Shelter, and he'd run off hunters from it, but that the archdiocese hired her as the observer more or less established that the church was involved with the hunters.
As he approached, the others noticed him, and most of the crowd dispersed. They didn't want to look slacking when the boss came by. Ava Morales saw Ryan Thompson's look his way and turned. Her pink lips twisted into a smirk that vanished as quickly as it had formed. Her skin-tight top dipped low enough to show a little cleavage without getting HR in an uproar. A silver crucifix hung against the white flesh just above the swellings of her breasts.
"Mr. Blackwood," Ryan Thompson said. "I wanted to present you to Ava Morales. She's the observer that the church sent to assess our new project. I didn't even know they'd have interest in the system."
"Goodness gracious, the church is always so keen to protect its flock." Hearing her words encouraged the wolf, and he pulled on his restraint with all his strength. She continued, "And not to mention the valuable paintings and relics being displayed on church premises."
She petted the head engineer's shoulder as she gave her explanation. The excitement of the wolf turned to near sheer jealous rage. He was an idiot, however. She did not need his head engineer. No, she paid him mind only to provoke that reaction. She wanted the wolf to attack.
Mr. Blackwood." She pronounced his surname as if tasting it with her mouth and tongue before holding out her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Your staff can't say enough positive things.