Pheromonal: One Night With the Alpha-Chapter 46: Her New Bodyguard

My idea for a bodyguard is 100% Penelope approved.

But somehow hiring a bodyguard turns into Logan showing up at Penelope’s door at two in the afternoon, while she’s still sleeping off her night shift shenanigans.

He looms in the doorway like he owns it, but doesn’t step inside. Small courtesies, I guess.

"Why are you here?"

My question is rude as hell, but to be fair, the guy’s got me knocked off kilter with all his wafting pheromones again.

The man is oozing sex, and every part of my body is clamoring for me to jump his bones. I was not prepared to fight off a blast of pheromones, so my brain’s mildly short-circuited. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

"Penelope said you wanted to go back up the mountain. I’m here to keep you off it."

Damn her.

"I don’t need your permission."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I really don’t."

"Yes," he says, leaning down until his nose brushes against mine. For some reason, my panties want to flood from that action alone. "You really, really do, Miss d’Armand."

Ooh. Pulling out my last name. The way that tingles down my—

No. No, no. Stupid, horny Nicole needs to shut up and back off.

I step back once. Twice. No, let’s go with three times. The more space between us, the better. I need some fresh air, not lungs full of his charismatic sexiness.

"You shouldn’t be here. If you really want to stay on the case, you need to..." My voice falters as he steps forward and reaches out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"I need to...?" he prompts.

"You need to, um, stay away from me. Not cause more conflict of interest."

"Yes, that would be important." He runs his fingers down the strand of hair, lifting it to his lips in a gentle kiss. "But I can’t just let my mate run off and try to kill herself, now can I?"

"I’m not your mate." The automatic denial comes to my lips without thought, and I tug my hair out of his grasp with a nervous laugh. "Besides, I’m not trying to kill myself. There was an unfortunate accent. It isn’t like someone tried to assassinate me."

"The mountain is dangerous lately." Dropping his more flirtatious demeanor, Logan straightens with a grim look on his face. "We still haven’t found the panther shifter you spoke of, or any other evidence of a dragon-like creature. I don’t really want you going up there on your own."

"I wasn’t going to go on my own." Well, I was kind of considering it at one point, but he doesn’t need to know that. "I’m going to hire a bodyguard."

"Ah. Well, you’re in great luck. I happen to be a phenomenal bodyguard."

I take a few more steps back, my heart racing as Logan continues to close the gap between us. The air feels thick with tension, and I struggle to keep my thoughts coherent.

"I don’t think it’s a great idea to have an SED officer come along," I say, my voice wavering slightly. "I need to ask my client some questions. Alone."

Logan’s lips curl into a smirk. "Funny you should mention that. I need to go up there anyway. You might as well tag along instead of meeting me there."

My eyes narrow. "When are you going?"

His smile widens, and I feel a flutter in my stomach. "Whenever you are."

I bite my lip, weighing my options. It’s pretty clear I’m not going to be able to weasel my way out of this. Plus, I haven’t gotten a new car yet after the accident. Practicality wars with my desire to maintain some semblance of control over the situation.

Finally, I let out a resigned sigh. "Fine. I’ll go with you."

"Good girl," Logan purrs, and I feel a sudden rush of heat between my thighs. Damn those werewolf pheromones.

He leans in close, his breath tickling my ear. "Run along and tell Penelope you’re going on a date."

I nod dumbly, my brain feeling like it’s been dunked in molasses. As I turn and head towards Penelope’s room, I can feel Logan’s eyes on me, sending shivers down my spine.

I’m almost at Penelope’s door when my brain finally catches up. I spin on my heel, ready to set the record straight.

"It’s not a date!" I blurt out. My brain barely functions around him, and it’s getting old fast.

Instead of responding, Logan just motions for me to hurry up as he lifts his phone to his ear.

* * *

The wind whips my hair into a frenzy as I stick my head out the window like an overeager golden retriever. Anything to escape the intoxicating cloud of pheromones filling Logan’s car. My fingers grip the door handle, knuckles white with tension.

Logan’s jaw clenches, both hands gripping the steering wheel. Uncomfortable silence settled between us long ago. I steal glances at his profile, noting the rigid set of his shoulders.

After what feels like an eternity of awkward quiet, I can’t take it anymore. I turn to face him, ready to demand he stop this pheromone assault. I changed my panties before leaving the apartment, and I already need a new pair.

"Logan, for the love of all that’s holy, can you please stop with the pheromone dumping? It’s driving me insane."

His response comes through gritted teeth. "I’m not pheromone dumping."

"Oh, come on," I scoff. "You do this every single time you’re around me. It’s getting old."

Logan’s eyes never leave the road, but I catch a muscle twitching in his jaw. "Have you ever considered there might be a different explanation?"

I frown, my brow furrowing. "What other explanation could there possibly be?"

He takes a deep breath before answering. "It’s common for a wolf to release pheromones around their mate. It’s not something I can control."

My heart skips a beat at the word ’mate,’ but I quickly squash that feeling. "You rejected me, remember? Or did that little detail slip your mind?"

Logan mumbles something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like, "Don’t remind me."

I press on, determined to make my point. "So, even if that is true, the bond between us is broken. You shouldn’t be oozing pheromones all over the place."