Page 49 of Purrfectly Mated

“Thank you, uh, I don’t know your name,” Elissa replied, feeling more relieved by the second.

“My name is Brayden Smith,” he nodded, but didn’t move to take her hand.

More Shifter customs, she supposed.

“Nice to meet you, Brayden. You can call me Elissa. Did you sayBear?”

“Yes, Elissa,” he grinned. “I am a Black Bear Shifter, but Hunter still took me in when I left my Clan. He isn’t prejudiced or a hard ass like some other Shifters.”

“I see,” She said, appreciating the glimpse into her mate’s past.

“Blake is the Pride Beta,” Brayden further explained.

“And he should know better than to snarl at you. Oh, and the reason I’m not taking your hand is because I’m not suicidal.,” he said with a wide grin.

“When your mate gets here, he’s gonna want to be sure you carry his scent alone. Blake already got too close to you. I imagine Hunter will take him to task for that. I know, I sure as hell would,” Brayden finished.

He nodded, and she felt her nerves loosen under his kind gaze. The male seemed friendly and polite. Definitely more respectful than Blake had been.

“Thank you, Brayden,” she said.

Elissa meant it, too. She was truly grateful for his intrusion on what was a very uncomfortable meeting with the Pride Beta.

“Oh, uh, I think those meatballs are ready.”

“Oh! Yes, you’re right. There you go,” she handed him a set of oven mitts and pointed to the right oven.

While she worked to get the other trays of food sorted, the other men came in one at a time to carry food and introduce themselves.

They each carried more than she could have, and the trays of food were waiting on the table when she walked into the dining room. Jessica sat with her eyes on her plate, and she wondered what had upset her friend. She noted Lance had not come down to eat and cast a sympathetic glance at the pretty redhead.

“Oh, uh, Lance had a date,” Jessica explained, nodding at the empty chair.

Elissa smiled. He was a kid. It wasn’t unusual for them to date and blow off meals with family,er, Pride, was it?

“Nari? I meanElissa, please allow me to introduce Tyler, Mikey, Reg, and Pierce. The five of us work under Blake. He’s the foreman for the state road crew,” Brayden said, interrupting the awkward silence.

She stared at the five huge men and swallowed. These guys had muscles on their muscles, each one handsome as sin. Though no one came close to Hunter.

He was in a class all by himself. Just thinking about him did things to her insides she couldn’t possibly explain and didn’t want to name. Did it make her a total slut that she was drooling over the guy she’d only just met?

Maybe.

But whatever. She knew her mind, trusted herself, and she wanted him. The end. Period. Nobody’s business but her own.

Mine, that new voice in her head spoke up, and she felt warm to her toes.

ChapterFifteen

Hunter had explained a bit about his business last night. Maverick Development was a small but well-known construction company that specialized in demolition. Shifter strength and all that.

He’d also explained he was trying to renew contracts the company had with the federal, state, and municipal governments for years. Everything was happening at once, and he was busier than usual.

After speaking with Jess, Elissa saw a connection. It seemed the rumors about his inability to run the Pride were hurting his business as well. She frowned heavily at the thought.

There was so much about Hunter and the Pride that she didn’t know, but she was determined to be an asset. Yes, he was practically a stranger, but she didn’t believe for a minute he was incapable of handling business. He certainly handled theirs.

Me-ow.

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