Xander frowned as the man attempted to explain the actions of the shifter on the ground. Did he really think he could say something that would make dragging a woman into an alley against her will okay?
“My name’s Dominick, this is my brother Trey. If you can give me one minute to have my men pick up my brother, I will explain in full.” He wasn’t given a chance to reply before the man pulled out his phone and gave directions to his location, listened for a moment, and then hung up with a sigh.
“My brother is not okay. His actions today prove that, but he is closely guarded at all times. I will speak to my men and find out who allowed him to sneak off and will make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“You do realize your brother was dragging a woman against her will into this alley, and if the bruise on her face is any indication, he hit her as well. I’m not sure what you’re used to, but I don’t condone violence against women.”
Dominick shook his head wearily. “We don’t, either. My brother’s mate was killed a few months ago when they got into a fight and she was attacked. Since then, he’s been slowly losing touch with reality. Your mate looks similar to her, and I can only assume that set him off. I’m sorry; I promise we will keep a better eye on him from now on.”
Xander didn’t bother correcting his assumption about the woman. The minute he looked into her eyes, he’d known. The connection was there. Palpable. Like nothing he had ever experienced. He watched as Dominick’s men came up and dragged off Trey. Dominick nodded and turned to where the woman had fallen, and frowned.
“Where did she go? I wanted to apologize and assure her he wouldn’t be a threat to her again.”
“She ran off a few minutes ago. Said to say thank you for rescuing her, but she couldn’t be late,” Ally called out from the sidewalk.
Xander nodded in understanding and turned back to Dominick. “Just keep an eye on your brother. The last thing we need is shifters going crazy and assaulting females. We have enough problems with humans as it is.”
“I assure you,” Dominick said with a steely edge to his voice, “he will be guarded at all times. I have my own issues in my pack, and allowing him to cause problems won’t be good for me.”
Xander nodded. A frown still playing his forehead. Everyone had issues with their people, it seemed. “Good luck with him.”
He turned away after Dominick nodded, dismissed both men from his mind, and approached Ally. “Sorry about that.” Xander frowned and looked up and down the street for the first woman in his life to make his bear wake in raging lust.
“Really, Xander. What you did was truly nice. And don’t apologize. After all these years, I’m used to your knight in shining suit act.” Ally winked.
“You haven’t changed a bit, have you? Still an incorrigible little brat, but it’s why we always let you tag along when you were home.”
Ally laughed good-naturedly. “I forgot how much fun you are to be around. Good news, maybe I can tag along again and you can introduce me to some of your single eligible friends.”
“Like I would let you near them, or them near you, for that matter,” Xander said with a grin and pulled her into a hug. “I’m running late, brat. I’ll see you Saturday and we can catch up more.”
“It’s a date, of sorts.”
Xander smiled and watched Ally cross the street to the valet area where she’d parked. The same valet who had taken Xander’s car rushed from the parking area to meet her. When he finally saw the guy escort Ally to her car, he felt confident enough to turn back to the restaurant. She had grown up a lot in the years since he saw her last. It was going to be nice having her around again. But now it was time to meet his hired mate.
He looked around for any sign of the mysterious woman, but knew it was a lost cause. She was long gone at this point. Fucking hell! The one woman to stir both his interest and his bear’s, and she disappeared.
With a sigh of regret, he turned and headed back to Ricardo’s and his pretend mate for the next couple of weeks.
“Mr. Ursi, your friend arrived. We seated her at your table a few minutes ago,” the hostess announced as Xander walked in the restaurant.
He nodded his thanks and made his way to the table. His pseudomate had her back to him, but he liked what he could see so far. She had long curly light brown hair that cascaded down her back and curves that made his mouth water. He wanted nothing more than to get closer to her. The thought stopped him cold. He hadn’t been this attracted to a female from behind in a long time.
“Hello, you must be Josilyn Martinez,” Xander said, and moved to sit in the chair opposite his hired date. The idea alone made him almost laugh out loud. A soft gasp of surprise brought his eyes up to the woman. He grinned in absolute pleasure—sometimes the stars aligned in his favor, after all. “We meet again.”
“You’re my … rescuer,” she said in a soft husky voice that made his cock jerk.
He loved the way her voice trembled slightly, and she gave him a wide-eyed stare. “I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.” Then he noticed her face and the bruises forming. The bear inside him roared to life and wanted to find that moron who touched her. “Are you okay? Your face is bruising already. Let’s get you some ice to keep the swelling to a minimum.”
She waved his concern away. “No, it’s all right. He didn’t really hurt me, well, not badly. He scared me. He was a lot stronger than I am, and I couldn’t get away.”
“I’m really happy to hear that you weren’t seriously hurt. Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Xander Ursi and it is without a doubt a pleasure to meet you.” He paused as he watched the smile brighten her glowing caramel skin. He longed to kiss the dimple on her right cheek. She was gorgeous in a way he hadn’t been expecting; the small picture he had did not do her justice in the least.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Josie,” she said with a bashful smile, and brought one hand up and brushed the lock of hair off her face. With shaky fingers, she tucked it behind her ear.
“Only if you call me Xander.”
Xander was intrigued even more now by this beautiful woman. Her light hazel eyes lit up and the dimple flashed again. His cock hardened and he had to shift slightly to relieve some of the pressure. He felt like a teenage boy in the throes of his first crush. Who was he kidding? It was so much more than that. His bear was clawing to come out and mark her as his. Josilyn, hired mate, was, in fact, his one true mate.