Kian chuckled. “Hey, I had to, to see how your appointment to view that penthouse went.”
“It went well.”
“And?”
“And you can stop teasing the shit out of me about living at home.”
“You bought it?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“I guess that means you’re finally growing up, since you won’t be living with Mommy and Daddy anymore,” Kian said with a laugh.
“If this is how the conversation is going to go, I’m hanging up.” Soren let a little growl seep into his voice.
“Relax already. I had to take one last pot shot at you. Why I’m calling is Jorja and I are going to Niagara Falls for the weekend. Her lease on her apartment is up on Sunday, so we’re going to clear out the rest of her stuff. While we’re there we thought we’d hit the casino as well. And I figured you might like to tag along.”
“Ah, I can’t. I get possession of the penthouse on Friday.” Soren hoped Kian wouldn’t push it. But of course that didn’t happen.
“So what…” his friend said. “You told me the place was fully furnished. It’s not as if you will have a lot of work to get the place set up. Since you have to be around for the closing on Friday, we’ll leave for Niagara Falls on Saturday instead.”
“No, I think I’ll pass.”
“Soren, I’m going to be blunt here, but since when do you turn down a weekend at a casino? The last time we went you spent the majority of the time at the blackjack table.
There would have to be something better than moving into your own place to get you to pass.”
This was what Soren had hoped to avoid. But knowing Kian, he wouldn’t let this go until he was satisfied with the answer, which meant Soren would have to tell him the truth just to get Kian to leave him in peace.
“It’s something better. Like, life-changing better,” Soren said.
“Well, I’ll be damned. You found your mate. Where did you meet her?”
“She was the real estate agent who had the penthouse listed. So that’s why I won’t be going to Niagara Falls with you and Jorja.”
“Understandable,” Kian said. He paused for a few seconds, then continued. “Hey, it’s not that late. Why aren’t you with your mate? I know you aren’t, because we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now, since she’s a mortal. She is one, isn’t she? Right?”
Soren groaned to himself. “Yes, she’s mortal. And before you can ask, she doesn’t know I’m a werewolf yet. And I’m not with her.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
“There has to be a reason why you’re not with her. I know what it’s like to be in the throes of the mating urge, remember? It would have taken wild horses to drag me away from Jorja.”
Soren snorted. “That’s because like a drunken ass you claimed her the night you met her. You didn’t exactly give the girl a chance, now did you?”
“Hey, no turning it on me. We’re discussing why you aren’t with your mate. So what happened? Did she take one look at your ugly mug and tell you to hit the road?”
“Hardly. I did buy the penthouse through her.”
“Okay. Maybe she tolerated you being around only long enough to make the sale, then told you to get lost.”
“That didn’t happen either. I took Treasure out for dinner after we finished the paperwork.”
“Treasure?” Kian asked. “Her name is Treasure?”
Soren growled. “Yes. What of it?”
“Nothing. It’s just not a common one. No need to be so touchy. So if she did all that with you, then why are you not with her?”
“Kian,” Soren said, “can’t you keep your nose out of my business just this once? I swear you’re as bad as an old woman looking for gossip.”
His friend laughed. “Why would I do that? How else would I come up with things to ride you about? So you might as well tell me.”
Soren growled again. “Fine,” he said through clenched teeth. “You want to know why I’m not with Treasure? She’s living on a friend’s yacht at one of the Harbourfront marinas. After dinner we went back to her place.” He waited for Kian to put two and two together. It didn’t take him very long.
“A yacht? Let me get this straight. You went to the yacht with your soon-to-be mate?”
“Yes.”
“You got seasick, didn’t you? And you probably got sick on her.”
“Well, not exactly on her. I managed to make it to the toilet before it was too late, though it wasn’t perfect timing, since we’d been fooling around in bed.”
Kian’s howling laughter loudly filled Soren’s ear. Once he got himself back under control, he said, “I’m sure that will be one date she never forgets.”
“Shut the fuck up. I knew I shouldn’t have told you.”
“So when are you going to see her again, on dry land?”
“Umm…not until the penthouse closes.”
There was a short stretch of silence. “Ah, Soren, you do realize what kind of shape you’re going to be in by then, right? The mating urge is going to ride your ass harder as each day passes and you don’t claim her.”
“I know that. But what can I do? She’s busy with appointments and such. She doesn’t know what I’m going through. I would hate for her to think I’m too clingy and dump my ass.”
“You do have a point there. Just don’t let it get too bad. Go to her with some kind of excuse if you have to before Friday rolls around.”
“I’ll manage,” Soren said. “Now talking about Friday, since you won’t be going to Niagara Falls until Saturday, you can help me move. I’m going to hit up Atticus as well.”
“Fine, I’ll tell Jorja we’ll go a day later. I should get you to return the favor by helping us move my mate’s things, but I doubt you’ll be in any condition to be of much use.”
“Whatever. I’ll call you closer to the day.”
After saying goodbye, Soren snapped his phone closed. He glanced at his bed. He doubted he’d get much sleep tonight, or any of the following ones, if he could fall asleep at all. Thanks to the mating urge, if he did manage it, he’d have one erotic dream after another about Treasure. He had a feeling he’d have blue balls before the end of the week.
Chapter Four
Treasure’s cell phone beeped, and she smiled when she saw she had one unheard message. She figured Soren had left it. He’d made a point of calling her every day for the last two days. He mostly called around now, later in the afternoon and close to the evening, but this time she’d had a viewing that had turned into an offer. She’d just finished placing a counteroffer that had been accepted in the end.
Listening to the message from Soren, she felt a thrill go through her at the sound of his voice. She could listen to his deep baritone all day and never get sick of it.
About ready to finally leave her office for the day, Treasure quickly texted Soren to tell him she’d call him back as soon as she got home. Since their phone calls tended to run on the long side, there was no point in calling him now.
On board the yacht, she hurried below deck and went to her bedroom to change. It didn’t take her long to replace her skirt and short-sleeved blouse with a pair of shorts and a tank top. Back in the main cabin, she debated whether or not she should get something to eat first before she called Soren, since the last time she’d eaten had been at lunch. Deciding she could wait a little longer, she sat on the couch with her cell phone in hand.
Soren picked up after the second ring. “So how did your day go?” he asked after saying hello.
“Busy,” she replied. “But I sold one of my properties.”
“Then you had a good day.”
“Yes.”
Treasure settled more comfortably on the couch. Soren didn’t mind when she talked about her work. He was usually quick to praise and ask questions none of her previous boyfriends would have. Soren seemed completely interested in all aspects of her life. Their phone calls lasted an hour or more. They’d talked so much about each other, she felt as if she’d known him for a very long time. She found it hard to believe she’d only seen him in person that one day, and the rest had just been phone conversations.