Chapter 2 - Sarael

I hadn’t really taken Becky seriously when she called my next appointment gorgeous. This isn’t a very big town, and Becky’s dated most of the single guys between 18 and 30. So I don’t trust her opinion of men. But when I walked out of the backroom and called out to him, I suddenly had a new respect for her taste. Because damn. 

I’m pretty sure my panties got wet. I had to suppress a full-body shiver as those cobalt/azure eyes raked over my body. I know I’m not much to look at, at least not dressed like this. My hair was probably a mess. I’d just thrown it into a low-side ponytail while I was working. 

And as much as I love the turquoise blue smock with the gold logo on the chest, I know it does nothing for my figure. Nor does it hide the basic white tee and dark wash jeans I was wearing. I knew I was meeting with a client, but someone… Becky… spilled her coffee on my brand new cobalt pintuck shirt dress, so I had to change into what I had on hand. 

I really wish I had been wearing that dress about now. It was at least figure-flattering and even matched his eyes. Fuck, what is wrong with me? He’s the groom. I reminded myself.  Where is the bride? I didn’t see anyone else here. And he wasn’t answering me. But when he finally did speak, I clenched my thighs. Can you orgasm just from hearing a man’s voice? Because if he keeps talking, I just might.

Bad. Bad. Bad Sarael. I berated myself. He’s the groom. Or apparently not. Thankfully he’s not the groom, just the groom’s brother. When our hands touched, I felt electricity jolt through me. I quickly covered up what happened by calling it static. But I’m not an idiot. I was raised knowing all about the supernatural. And I know there is a huge difference between static and what supernatural creatures call the mate bond. 

Now granted as a human, we have no such thing. But humans can sometimes, very rarely, be the mate of a supernatural creature. If my family hadn’t already disowned me for past events that I refuse to think about right now, they would come in a heartbeat if they learned about this. But what kind of supernatural creature is he? Vampire? Demon? Angel? Werewolf?

“Right, static.” he nodded. “So, this is certainly different. Often if I’m not meeting with the couple, it’s a wedding planner or the mother of the bride.” I commented while still assessing him, trying to determine what kind of supernatural creature I’m dealing with. “Yes, well, my brother and his bride were supposed to be here. However, she has been sick, and he’s making her see the doctor. So as best man and big brother, they sent me. I do have this as reference.” his rich voice fills my ears. I clench my jaw, trying not to let the allure of him pull me closer. “Oh, well, I hope that she is well and nothing major is wrong.” I nodded. 

I looked at the binder he was holding, stepping closer to take it from him. “May I?” I gestured to the binder. When my eyes looked from the binder back up at his handsome face, I sucked in a breath. His nostrils had flared, not in anger. No, I don’t think it was anger. He smelled me, which eliminates demon and angel from the list. They only recognize their mates by touch. 

Werewolves and vampires go by smell and touch. It’s said that the smell of their mate can drive either of those species wild with desire. I gulped as my eyes connected with his, and I saw they’d darkened—a golden ring forming at their edges. I gasped softly, taking a half step back as I realized what I’m dealing with.

Deep in those hypnotizing eyes, I saw it. I saw a near-black wolf watching me with curiosity and desire. He’s a werewolf. I’m being hired to handle the floral arrangements for a werewolf wedding, which was odd. Werewolves don’t generally do human marriages. They mate and call it a day. 

Unless his brother’s mate is a human-like me, does she know what she’s marrying? No, of course, she’d have to know. A werewolf would mark their mate. Most mark on sight with or without their mate’s consent. Of all the supernatural creatures, werewolves were the ones my family loathed the most. Hypocrites, but that’s not the point right now. The point right now is that apparently, John is a werewolf, and fate loves irony since I’m his mate.

He cleared his throat, ending our staring contest but not before I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes that I’d stepped back from him. “Yes, of course. Aurelia has been using this to keep tabs on wedding plans, and there’s a whole section regarding the floral arrangements. Everything from the flowers she wants at the ceremony to the table centerpieces for the reception.” he explained, offering the binder in a way to ensure we didn’t touch.

“Here, we can talk in my office.” I offered, gesturing for him to follow me as I flipped through the binder. This bride is well organized. I'll give her that. She had color-coded tabs for each segment of wedding planning. I flipped to the green section to find various scrapbook-style images of flowers, vases, and other examples of what she’s looking for. There were also images of the venue for the ceremony and the reception and the tables, table cloths, and table settings they intended to use. 

I was so engrossed with the details I hadn’t looked to see if he was following me. But as I stopped to open my office door, I felt like eyes on me. Sneaking a glance behind me, I saw his eyes darkened, that gold ring back as his eyes were directed at my ass. Maybe I should be glad I had to change into jeans. They certainly accent my ass, or at least enough that he’s unable to look away. 

I pressed my lips together to not smile. I shouldn’t be smiling about this. He’s a werewolf. No good can come of this. Look at my sister and all that happened when she let herself be lured in by one. “If you are done checking out my ass, Mister… I didn’t catch your last name.” I called him out. His eyes slowly moved up from my ass, taking in my curves before meeting mine.

This man held no shame in what he’d just done. Though was it the man or the beast within that held no shame? Hard to say as that ring of gold was still present. However, the gold seemed to fade in and out. Like he and his wolf were arguing over control. Eventually, the gold was gone, and I saw the wolf recede to the far reaches of his eyes.

“That would be because I didn’t offer it, Miss Adio.” he answered smoothly like he hadn’t just been checking me out. I sucked in a breath as his long arm reached around him and twisted the knob to the door. “Shall we continue with the appointment?” he asked, gesturing his hand to my now open door. His chest was millimeters from my back, and I could feel the heat radiating off him.

Oh, I am in so much trouble. I nodded curtly, turning my head away, and walked into my office. The room was small, with a solidarity window offering sunshine to the room filtered through a sheer white roman shade. I'd painted the room in an airy light blue to make it feel bigger, putting a cherry blossom wallpaper with a similar color blue background on the far wall as a focal point. The room was anchored by my grey desk that sat in front of the window. 

I slipped into my chair, wanting to have the desk act as a barrier between us, and gestured to the two chairs across from me. “Well, since you aren’t Mister Christian and you seem to prefer to keep your surname a secret, I’ll have to call you Mister John.” I shrugged a little. “Now to business, Mister John. The bride did provide a very organized view of what she’s looking for. Based on what I’ve seen and the brief conversation I had with her when she scheduled the appointment, this will be a fall wedding on a horse ranch. So keeping with fall colors and a rustic theme.” I commented.

“Yes. So reds, yellows, and oranges. I know we need about a dozen centerpieces, flowers for the arch at the ceremony, and a dozen hanging arrangements to set at the end of each row of chairs along the aisle.” he nodded as he sat. If he sat any straighter, I’d have to wonder if his back was actually a steel pipe. Though for how properly he was seated, it seemed to suit him. It matched the air of confidence and refinement he had.

I nodded along, looking back at the binder so I would stop staring at him. If I did it much longer, he was going to find me weird. But I couldn’t help but want to stare. He was certainly the best-looking man I’ve seen. His facial structure was perfect—especially that strong chin and jawline that I wanted to reach out and trace with my fingers. I want to feel that five o’clock shadow I see darkening and highlighting his cheekbones. 

“Yes. And I see she favors roses and dahlias for the arrangements. I can certainly put what she wants together, including the cascading bouquet she referenced.” I nodded, focusing on the binder. I need to focus on the job and not him. “How many bridesmaids and groomsmen?” I asked, making some notes. “Three of each. Though one of the bridesmaids is a boy.” he shrugged.

I arched an eyebrow and looked up at him. “A male bridesmaid? I suppose to each their own. Will he need a bouquet or a boutonniere?” I asked, barely managing to keep a straight face. Though I know my lips were twitching, wanting to smile, wanting to laugh.  “Depends who you are asking.” his lips twitched just a little as I saw a glimpse of a smile.

“Meaning?” I asked, cocking my head. “My brother would obviously say to give her male maid of honor a bouquet like the rest of the women. Then again, if my brother had his way, he’d make him wear a dress like the others.” that smile was more pronounced now, and I saw it in his eyes. He thought it was funny too. “And I’ll assume the bride feels otherwise.” I nodded. 

“Yes, she would like him to have a boutonniere and not be treated like a girl.” he shrugged those broad shoulders. Fuck, now I’m picturing digging my nails into them while in his lap or under him, having what I’m sure would be the most intense orgasm of my life. Though who’s to say the credit for that is because he’d actually be that good or just that my previous experiences were trash. Not that I’m going to admit it, but based on his looks, I would wager it’s him, and every other man would pale in comparison.

I shook my head a little, forcing away the lustful images and focused on the task at hand. “Then I’ll adhere to the bride’s wishes. As the saying goes, a happy wife makes a happy life. Your brother should learn it and live it.” I nodded while making more notes. “If we must.” he sighed, nodding his head. “Was there anything else you needed to proceed with finalizing? Logan hadn’t specified if payment was due today or a down payment.” he questioned.

“I will get a quote typed up, and you can either make the deposit today or wait and have the happy couple review the quote and go from there. Full payment won’t be due till the delivery is completed.” I outlined as I started typing quickly on my laptop. “I suppose it would be best to let them review your quote. Though she’s adamant about wanting you as the florist for the event.” he nodded.

I didn’t need to look to know he was watching me. My brain was split into pieces as I tried to focus on getting the quote put together while suppressing the shiver his gaze sent through me and trying to keep myself rooted in place to not throw myself wantonly at him. 

Fuck is this seriously what it feels like when you find your soulmate? Do you have to fight the urge to touch, kiss, and, to put it bluntly, screw the other person’s brains out? Daring to glance at him, he didn’t seem bothered at all. Well, that’s not true every so often that gold ring would flicker in his eyes, and his nostrils would flare. Maybe he wasn’t as immune as he was letting on.