The Hunt Masquerade - Milly Taiden Page 0,36

television in perfect companionship.

It was so easy to spend time with Chantal. She was a fun person to be around. It was rather difficult to keep his hands to himself, but who could blame him? Chantal certainly didn’t.

They hadn’t slept together again since striking their deal, but there had been a few kisses.

Kisses that, on multiple occasions, had threatened to develop into much more. It had taken a lot of effort on both their parts to say goodnight once they had completed the puzzle, shared some takeout, and watched a movie, cuddled on Chantal’s couch. Rush had left her apartment with the hard-on to end all erections.

He didn’t mind.

He knew, eventually, they would come together again. Chantal was well worth the wait, even if he knew what it was like to be with her. It was likely that because he knew what it was like to be with his mate was the reason he could exercise such restraint. They both wanted more physical contact, probably because their physical connection was undeniable. That being said, they would still wait until they felt they knew each other better.

Whatever Chantal needed, he didn’t mind. Rush knew they would have the rest of their lives together to make up for whatever naked sexy times they lost.

His phone dinged from his back pocket, and he pulled it out to see that Chantal had messaged him. He clicked the text open and smiled down at his phone. Good luck with your meeting. Knock them dead, or whatever the equivalent of the hotel business is. ;)

Rush hadn’t yet told Chantal that his meeting was with her lifelong friend Jeremy Winslow. He would have to tell her now. Especially because Jeremy was sure to smell Chacha all over him.

The Winslow Hotels headquarters were in a towering building which the philandering George Henry, the ancestor of both lines, the Winslows and the Jensens, had willed to his mistress’s sons. Rush tried not to imagine what his life would be like if these were the offices he drove to every morning. The set of doors at the entrance was made of thick glass and heavy brass-colored panels. It gave the entire structure a pretentious air.

Something the Winslows were definitely good at.

Not for the first time since leaving the house that morning, Rush was glad Marlon wasn’t with him. His brother was all caught up in a woman he met at the masquerade. So long as Marlon was busy, there were fewer messes for Rush to clean up.

He gave his name to the receptionist who held up one long, manicured finger to point to a small chaise tucked near the elevator bank. Rush sat but immediately regretted it. There was entirely too much energy coursing through him. His wolf was going wild, begging to understand why they had willingly walked into the enemy’s den.

He ground down his teeth, promising his wolf a juicy, rare sixteen-ounce steak and a good run through the forest if the beast behaved during the meeting.

Finally, after a whole two minutes of waiting, the receptionist bid him follow her. They rode the elevator to the very top floor. The doors opened to a lavish office with a great view of the city’s landscape. The large conference table was made of glass and sparkled in the afternoon sun. It reminded him of a jewel, like the jewels that had been stolen from his family and used to finance the luxurious lifestyles, but the comparison was too tender for him just then. He couldn’t let himself think of such things.

There were more important things on the line — like his future.

Now that he had found his mate, he was even more motivated to save Jensen Hotels. He wanted to provide for Chantal, and the litter of kids they would surely have together. He knew it was very animalistic to want to provide for his woman. Chantal was a gifted designer who had broken into a significant market. But he wanted her to focus everything on her designs if that’s what she wanted—with or without hours at her family’s shop.

Jeremy was already sitting at the conference table. He stood and came to shake Rush’s hand. It was tense and made even more awkward when Jeremy took a deep breath. The man’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. He had caught Chantal’s scent on Rush way sooner than expected.

“You know Chantal?”

“Chantal is my mate,” Rush stated simply.

To his credit, Jeremy didn’t flinch, only nodded. “You can’t help who the mate sense picks out for