The art gallery was smaller than I thought it would be, but that just meant it was more intimate, more exclusive. Only the best of the best would be displayed here and the pressure I felt threatened to overwhelm me. Why did Arthur think I could do this?He squeezed my hand as if he could sense my inner turmoil and I squared my shoulders in resolve. I had at least one person’s support and an alpha’s at that. That had to count for something right.Arthur led me through the revolving doors and I was greeted by a woman with short, flaming red hair. Her dark navy blue suit and bright hair contrasted with the white walls of the gallery. Even the warm smile she gave stood out.She held out her hand and I took it hesitantly. “Hello! My name is Molly. I’m the owner of the gallery and a long time friend of Arthur’s. You must be Almara. It’s a pleasure to meet you and I can’t wait to start working with you.”Everything about her radiated kindness and I could feel myself smiling back at her. “Yes
Before I left the gallery on my assignment, Molly had given me a deadline. I had a week to get Noah Cunningham to agree to an exhibit. If I didn’t, I had no doubt that she would use my failure as an excuse to fire me, even if it would make Arthur unhappy.Since I didn’t have a car of my own, I had to take the bus to get to Cunningham’s estate. It took way longer than expected and I worried how Arthur would react if I came home so late. It’s not that he had given me a curfew or anything, but still…If he’s angry, tell him to buy you a car. I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t already, Lily suggested and I balked. I could never make such a demand from him. That would be too much considering all he had done already.You’re potentially having his baby. No demand is too much, Lily argued, but I ignored her, focusing instead on the large house that was looming over me. The gothic architecture made it stand out. None of the other houses in the area looked anything like this.With my pulse rising
The smell of alcohol nearly overwhelmed me and I just barely managed to keep myself from coughing. Arthur sat at his desk, nursing a glass of whiskey. He watched me enter quietly.I carefully walked toward him, not sure if any sudden movement would upset him. But he remained in his seat, just watching me. There was no hint of ire in his expression.“Arthur, are you okay?” I whispered, knowing he would hear me. When I reached his desk, I stayed on the other side. If he did decide to come at me, I had room to defend myself.“Are you worried about me, little wolf?” he asked, his words only slightly slurring.“Of course I’m worried about you. Anyone would be,” I answer gently and he chuckles to himself, but not like he finds anything funny about what I said.“Not everyone. My father wouldn’t be,” he mutters darkly and I cock my head at him. Had something happened with his dad while I was away?“Are you drinking because of something he did?” I asked, starting to relax a bit more. I didn’t
NoahThat woman is here again. The one that paints. She has been unnervingly persistent in the pursuit of Noah’s acceptance of the invitation that Molly Whitmore is once again trying to shove down his throat.It had been three days since the first time she came and every day was the same. She would ring the doorbell. Noah would ignore her. Then she would set up her art supplies like the yard belonged to her and paint the day away.At first it had been rather annoying. She’d mistaken him as a female and he was most certainly not a female. But try as he might, he could not stop watching her. And it was on the third day that his curiosity got the better of him.He’d left his house about thirty minutes before she was due to arrive. He had put on a cap and glasses to cover his features. If she wasn’t expecting him, then his eager disguise should work. Much like Clark Kent.When he had watched her paint for about 10 minutes, he meandered over to her, playing the part of a curious passerby.
I scurried away, heading straight to the dresser where I knew they had stocked the lingerie. I pulled out a cherry red gauze teddy with matching lace thong. This should do the trick.I took a quick shower to rinse off any stray paint and put on the lingerie. I could hear Arthur moving around in the bedroom and the butterflies in my stomach took flight. I was suddenly nervous, but not in a bad way.I opened the door to find Arthur already in the bed, the lights dimmed. It gave the room a romantic golden glow. Arthur’s eyes roved over my body appreciatively that made things lower than my stomach clench.Arthur took in a deep breath and his pupils dilated. A shiver went through my body as I crawled on the bed toward him.“You look beautiful,” he growled and my face flushed. I’m sure he was just saying it because I was an ugly duckling next to Sofia, but the compliment still made my heart flutter.“Come here,” he demanded and I settled on top of him, my knees on either side of his waist.
Despite the argument Arthur and I had this morning, I was very excited for what the day would bring. It’s not every day that you get to work with one of your heroes. And that’s exactly what Noah Cunningham was to me.I had spent hours trying to recreate his work. There was just something about his paintings that drew me in. I was hoping that as his assistant, I would learn a thing or two from him.Arthur had insisted on driving me to Noah’s house today. I had told him he didn’t have to, but he’d shut me down fast. He was a man who was used to getting what he wanted and I didn’t want to stir up trouble after last night.A blush spread across my face as I thought of last night. Arthur raised an eyebrow at me, a knowing smirk turning up the corners of his lips. Sometimes I hated being a wolf. It wasn’t fair that everyone knew when I was turned on.“Just say the word, little wolf, and I’ll give you what you want,” Arthur whispered and I shushed him, covering my hands with my face. Was he
AlmaraA week had already gone by as Noah’s assistant. Even though the first day had brought such a thick tension that I could have cut it with a knife, both men had been behaving rather nicely when they saw each other in the morning.Arthur always made a show of kissing me goodbye though. Noah took it all in stride, never once acting jealous which meant Lily had been wrong about him. I wondered if maybe he just liked riling people up for fun.While I was with Noah in the mornings, the afternoons were reserved for the gallery. There was much work to be done there to prepare for Noah’s exhibit. Sometimes he would accompany me to oversee the work, other times he trusted me enough with his vision to do it by myself.With Noah’s vote of confidence, my own confidence grew. He made me feel safe and secure enough to ask questions when I was unsure of things. Whenever I got his seal of approval on something, my heart fluttered in my chest. I didn’t know if it was because he was my hero or oth
After getting a few things set up at the gallery, I headed home with a heavy heart. I had admitted to myself that my feelings for Arthur were real and that they had developed into full blown love. I also knew that I was eventually going to get my heart broken…again.Then there were the feelings that were just starting to surface for Noah. He was charming, confident and we had so much in common. He was the artist that I most admired. And he was currently one of my bosses. Even if I weren’t with Arthur, that would be a recipe for disaster.If it makes you feel better, I will honor your choice. Arthur and Noah are both fine men. Both would make good mates, Lily said and I groaned inwardly. She would not let up.I won’t have a choice. Either Sofia will come back and that’s the end or I’ll get pregnant, have the baby and that’s the end. Arthur will never by my choice to make, I tell her for what feels the millionth time.Arthur may not be in love with you, but he likes you. And that will l