Mated to the Wilde Bear

"Are you always so persistent about your job?" he asked.

"Are you always so hard to work with?" she shot back. He laughed.

Laurel leaned in, drawn to the way he seemed to let all his walls down when he laughed. She wanted to be the one to make him laugh.

"Not always," he admitted. "Only for you, it seems. You bring out the grumpy alpha in me."

She felt her lips curving. "Funny, I was hoping only to bring out the grumpy alpha in myself."

His brow quirked. "You like being in charge, huh?"

She tried to decide whether he was poking fun at her, but he looked serious enough. "I guess I like being in control of things," she admitted. "Probably a little too much sometimes. It's a gift and a curse. But I'm pretty sure my boss calls it management material." In fact, her boss, Gerald, was the only friend she'd made here and the only one she let joke with her like that. Until now.

He grinned. "You're way more fun when you're not trying to piss people off."

"I wasn't..." She frowned because he'd nailed it. She had been trying to ward him off from the beginning. And now, standing so close she could practically feel his hot breath on her face, she couldn't remember why she'd want to make him mad enough to leave her alone. "Maybe I was," she finally admitted. "Sorry about that. Occupational hazard when you're a woman working in an office full of men." Xavier's expression darkened. "What do you mean? Did one of them threaten or hurt you?"

"No, no, nothing like that," she said quickly. She put her hand on his chest to stop him from getting so riled up and the same jolt shot through her again. Just like earlier, she tried yanking her hand away, but Xavier grabbed it and held it in place.

"You make me feel strangely alive," he murmured in her ear.

"Funny. You scare the crap out of me." She felt her cheeks heat at the sound of her words.

She hadn't meant to admit that-Fear made you vulnerable. It made you more easily hurt or exposed-but Xavier just gave her a crooked smile. "You don't seem like the type who scares easy," he said. She considered making a joke or even lying. She'd come here determined to keep her secret safe, and here was her opportunity. If she shut him down now, she was sure he wouldn't try again. But in the end, she couldn't. Something about Xavier Wilde called to her. And not just her animal, but her; the woman. She wasn't ready to walk away just yet.

"I'm scared constantly," she admitted. "Of everything. People getting to know me. My past. Rejection. I guess that's why I piss people off. Keeps them from getting too close."

Something flashed in Xavier's expression. Regret? Pain? It was gone before she could be sure, but she had her suspicions. People at work talked. Rumors, mostly, since none of them knew Xavier personally, but she'd heard about his past. The parties and the women when he was younger. But since his father had died, he'd been a recluse. No parties. No women. Not much wild anymore about Wilde Bear, so they said.

Was he guilty of pushing people away just like she was? Hard to believe someone like Xavier Wilde was scared of getting close to anything. But if the expression on his face currently was any indication, maybe they were more alike than she'd realized.

She laid a tentative hand on his arm. "Xavier?" she asked softly.

Xavier cleared his throat, and when he re-focused, he studied her so intently she knew there was no other thought on his mind besides her. "I know what you mean about keeping people out," he said quietly. "I know a thing or two about that." He cast a quick glance behind her, probably at his guys. She had no doubt they were watching and listening to the entire exchange. But she didn't care. Not when Xavier was staring at her like she was the sun. "My crew taught me that's no way to live, though. Maybe we can help each other get over the fear of letting someone in."

"I'd like that," she said, and his smile widened.

"Have dinner with me," he said. It sounded like a question, but even as she shook her head yes he'd already slid his arm around her hip and led her back to the table with the rest of the guys.

She welcomed the warmth and pressure of his hand against her, and there was that delicious tingling again. She had to bite back a whine of disappointment when it fell away. He grabbed a chair from the empty table behind them and set it down next to his.

"Take a seat," he said, gesturing.

"Boss?" Jake asked, brows raised as Laurel slid into the empty chair.

"Laurel's joining us for dinner," Xavier said simply.

He might as well have said she was their new sister. That was all it took for them to whoop and clap Xavier on the back. They smiled and greeted her as if they'd known her forever.

"Finally," Jake hooted, Nash echoing him. Xavier rolled his eyes, but she wondered. Maybe the rumors were true. Xavier Wilde didn't bring girls home. Or at least, not until her. The idea warmed her. Lucas nodded at her with a shy smile. "Glad to have you," he said quietly.

Harley shoved back abruptly, glaring down at her. She paused, certain he was going to tell her to piss off, but he just grunted and said, "I'll go get you a beer."

She murmured her thanks as he disappeared inside.