Chapter 2

“Ah—Marilyn?” Sydney says from her desk across from me. “We may have a problem with the app.”

I lift my gaze from the legal pad of notes I took during my interview with Jasper. While I’ve been staring at them, hoping an answer will magically appear, Sydney has been working on loading his profile. I ask, “You mean besides Jasper’s sketchy past?” We’re still not sure how to put up a description of a man on a dating app that says he’s trouble without saying he is, but I’m hoping something will come to me.

Her finger taps in staccato on her keyboard before she lets out a frustrated sigh. “My laptop keeps locking up when I try to work on his profile. I’ve rebooted twice with no luck. Can you check yours?”

“That is strange.” When I try my laptop, I run into the same problem, and I can’t escape without rebooting. “Damn it! It was working this morning.”

“It was. I’ll get Mallory.” Sydney grabs her phone to text our IT person. “Hey. What if we try the admin login?”

“It’s worth a shot.” I get up and move next to Sydney.

Footsteps sound behind me before I hear the snapping of gum in Mallory’s mouth. She says, in a voice dripping with sarcasm, “At your service, Boss Lady.”

“Not amused,” I say. “Why can’t Sydney or I access Life Revenge’s database? When we try, our computers crash.”

“Hmm.” Mallory grabs a chair and sits next to me. “Let me see.” She types, keys clicking. “Huh.” She frowns when nothing happens for her search. “I’ve got to dig into the code.” She nudges me in my rolling chair out of her way. “This might take a while.”

Mallory’s not known for her manners, but she is for her brilliance. “Got it,” I say, and I grab my cell. I leave my office to call my friend Charlie. I’m still shaken from not only my physical reaction to Jasper, but his insistence that I’m his mate. Hopefully, my bestie can clarify how mate attraction really works.

The phone barely rings before she picks up. “Hey. I was just thinking about you. How’s the matchmaking world? Any news on when you’ll be live and I’ll have another werewolf wife to hang out with?”

“Not yet.” I don’t tell her that I have to find Jasper a match before we actually go live. “How’s married life?”

“Amazing.” She sighs, and it makes me smile. My friend who swore she’d never fall in love or get married did both. “But what’s going on, Marilyn? I can hear the stress in your voice.”

I glance around the hallway to make sure nobody can hear me and lower my voice. “I need to know the real truth about mate attraction. What did it feel like?”

She gasps. “Who is he? Oh my goodness! I’m so glad you’re going to be next.”

“It’s not me!” A woman walking away from me looks over to stare, and I turn my back to her as I continue in a hushed tone. “But I’m working with a difficult werewolf and?—”

“Jasper.”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“Have you forgotten I’m married to his pack mate? Apparently everyone knows everything in a wolf pack,” Charlie says.

Great. I may as well tell Charlie what’s really going on. “Okay, look. I may have a small attraction to the guy, but he’s not my type, and he better not be my mate.”

“Uh-huh. This attraction of yours is overwhelming, and all you want to do is take him to bed. Am I right?”

“Kind of. But you should see the guy, Charlie. He’d make anyone drool.”

“Sure. That’s it. Does he act like he feels the same way? Oh! Has he done the growly thing? Because that’s a sure sign he’s into you.”

My stomach sinks as I recall Jasper getting growly more than once. I clutch at hope when I ask, “But can’t they feel that way about more than one woman?”

“Yes. Ryan did tell me they can have more than one mate, but it’s not usual.” She squeals. “Marilyn! We can double-date and do all the werewolf things. You have no idea how hard it is to keep what I’ve become secret. You’re going to love it.”

“I hate to squash your excitement, Charlie, but I am not going to be Jasper’s mate. The man’s a criminal.”

“Right.” She sighs. “I forgot about that. What did he do?”

“I have no idea.” I recall the way my boss skirted my questions when I asked about Jasper’s supposedly evil past. “Kevin won’t tell me anything. But I bet Ryan knows.”

Charlie says, “I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Thanks.”

“Marilyn?”

“Yes?”

“I hope Jasper’s crime is minor because I really want you to be as happy as I am.”

Hope sparks in my heart too. “Thanks, Charlie.”

Once I’ve returned to my office, Mallory turns to me. “It appears that when you entered Jasper in the system, it triggered something in the code to block us, and anytime we try to access his account, it kicks in.” She rises from her chair. “Don’t worry. I’ll go sort it out and let you know when it’s set.”

“Great. Thanks.” I lower myself into my chair, which squeaks, and I tap on my laptop to light up the screen. The image of Jasper’s face pops up, and I gaze into his vivid green eyes. But there’s a darkness beneath them, and I wonder what secrets the werewolf is keeping.

It occurs to me that I could use his attraction to me to get the information I need. Since a tasty steak worked to get him to speak, maybe a delicious dessert could be a good bribe too. A smile covers my face because sugar could be my ticket to the truth.

About a block from the town hall is an ice cream shop. I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven when I eat there, so I grab my purse and head over to the Moonlight Inn where Kevin insisted we book a room for Jasper to stay during the time it takes for him to be mated.

I rap my knuckles on the hard wood door to his room, and I try not to gasp when the sexy werewolf opens up wearing nothing more than a pair of snug boxer briefs. I clench my fingers so I won’t reach out and drag them along the ridges of his abs. And my gaze darts lower for a second before I say, “Hey.” My voice comes out higher in tone than normal, and I clear my throat before I add, “I was about to go down the street to get ice cream and thought you might like to join me.”

“Ice cream?”

I give him my best smile as I keep my attention on his face. “The place is amazing.”

“Then we should go.” There’s a twinkle in his eye as he gestures to his crotch. “I need to get dressed first. Come in.”

I avoid dropping my gaze and smile back with my own amusement at his attempt to get me to check out his package. I guess he doesn’t know I already did. “Clothes are a good idea.”

Jasper steps aside, and I enter into the sitting area of his suite. There’s a couch, coffee table, and television in the comfortable space. He walks through the doorway to his bedroom, and in minutes, he reappears in a pair of jeans and a white polo shirt that barely contains his massive arms and chest.

“Am I suitable?” he asks as he glances down at himself.

Jasper doesn’t strike me as the country-club type. He should be wearing a black tee instead. “You are, but what’s up with the polo shirt?” I point to the sleeve cuff that might be cutting off his circulation. “Is that too tight?”

Jasper flexes his arms, and fabric tears as he rips the sleeves with the force. “No.”

He grins at me, and I roll my eyes at him. “Is that a werewolf trick to get the girl?”

“Did it work?”

My fingers grasp the cold door handle as I turn it so we can leave. “Not on me, but I bet it will on your match.”

Jasper is behind me as I lead the way, and he leans over my shoulder to speak softly. “You keep forgetting you’re my mate, Marilyn. Don’t worry. I’ll figure out what will work on you.”

His words shouldn’t send a chill of desire down my spine, but they do. I shake it off quickly, because I’m after information. As we walk out the door to the street, Jasper places his hand at the small of my back, and our electricity zings through me, making my knees weak. I really need to find this guy a mate because while I’m supposed to be using my charm to get what I want, he’s playing the same game. And right now, he might be winning.