Master Unchained (Stealth Guardians Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

feelings in him, he lashed out in anger, hoping to drive her away before he made the same mistake again? Before he got emotionally involved and let those emotions cloud his decisions.
    “… and maybe a box of chocolates. Those always work wonders. Every woman loves them,” Enya said.
    “What?” How long had he zoned out?
    “Why the fuck do I bother giving you advice when you don’t even listen?”
    “I was listening,” he lied.
    She looked him straight in the eye. “So what did I say then?”
    “To give her chocolates.”
    “And?” She pressed her lips into a thin line.
    He scrambled for an answer. “Say something nice to her.”
    Clearly surprised, Enya arched one eyebrow. “So you do listen occasionally.”
    Lucky guess. After all, he wasn’t born yesterday. He had been with enough women to know how to pacify one: pay her compliments, and shower her with gifts. How hard could it be?
    “Just don’t lay it on too thick. Women can smell it when a man is insincere.”
    “Enya?”
    “Hmm?”
    “Get the hell out of here! My capacity for listening to bullshit advice has reached its limit for today.”
    Chuckling, Enya eased back, walking through the metal door without opening it, while her body turned invisible. “She’s got spunk. Maybe I can learn something from her.”
    He couldn’t let her have the last word and swung the stall door open. “You’re supposed to just follow my fucking orders. If you can’t comply—”
    But Enya was already gone. Instead, a man in a suit had entered the restroom and stared at him, shaking his head.
    “Man, just do the deed in private. And for God’s sake, don’t talk to it.”
    Cursing three ways to heaven, Hamish hurried past him, embarrassment and anger sweeping through him in equal measure. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Having to play boyfriend to this bossy woman, who didn’t know what real danger she was in, was by far the bigger problem. Cinead had been wrong: the betrayal he’d suffered hadn’t inoculated him against being attracted to a woman he had no business desiring.
    But he wasn’t taking the blame for this. No, he had a very convenient scapegoat up his sleeve: rasen . Every Stealth Guardian experienced the mating call the closer he got to his two-hundredth birthday. Rasen , the need to find a mate and procreate, influenced a Stealth Guardian much in the same way a dog was affected by a bitch in heat. But Hamish was determined to ignore it—even if that mating call came in the form of the most delectable female he’d ever encountered.
    Rasen could kiss his bloody ass!

5
     
    When her assistant Collette, a leggy black woman in her mid forties, popped her head into the office, Tessa looked up from her files.
    “Tessa, I’m leaving now,” Collette said. “And so should you if you want to make it to the party on time. Traffic is hell out there. Did you hear they had to close off Park Avenue because of a demonstration?”
    “Oh, crap!” Tessa shut the file and jumped up from her armchair, glancing at her wristwatch. “I didn’t realize it was that late already. Thank you, Collette. Is Poppy still in the building?” Maybe Poppy could ride with her so she wouldn’t have to be alone with her new bodyguard, who’d texted her that afternoon to tell her he’d be picking her up at City Hall to take her to the event.
    “No, she left long ago. Said she had meetings outside the office. I believe she was planning to meet you at the party.”
    Tessa pasted a fake smile on her face to hide her disappointment. “That’s perfect, thanks. Have a great night, Collette.”
    “You, too, Tessa,” her assistant replied and left, easing the door shut.
    “Damn it,” she cursed as she collected her handbag.
    It was time to get ready to leave. She quickly checked her clothes, making sure there were no stains on her blouse, then slipped into her gray suit jacket. She’d chosen this outfit especially this morning, because she could wear it both to the