Page 14 of Mane Attraction
Lev smiled, the expression sharp and determined. “Well, if you ladies want to fix me, then you’ll find a way to help me get closer to Xelene.”
“I’ll help you,” Janice said slowly, “but only if you help me get a date with Benjamin.”
Lev’s laugh was genuine and delighted. “That will be easy enough. Benjamin is a softie, and he’s been looking for a decent woman. I have a good feeling about you.”
They shook hands, and Lev felt some of the tension in his shoulders ease. This wasn’t so bad. Maybe he could navigate this impossible situation after all—with the right allies and a little strategic thinking.
“See?” He straightened, his confidence returning in full force. “Things are shaping up nicely.”
He moved toward the door, then paused and looked back at Janice with a grin that promised trouble and adventure in equal measure.
“Let me take you ladies to your guest suites before dinner.”
NINE
XELENE
When the office door finally swung open, Xelene’s trained eye immediately caught the subtle shift in Janice’s expression—that particular gleam of satisfaction mixed with mischief that meant her friend had just secured some deal. The look made Xelene’s jaw tighten with irritation.
What could they possibly have discussed that required my absence?
The audacity of this man dismissing her from the meeting made her blood simmer. She was the lead reputation consultant here, not some junior associate to be sent away like a child on a timeout. Lev Marcan might be a prince, but he clearly had no concept of professional boundaries or basic respect.
He thinks he can do whatever he wants, say whatever he pleases, act however suits him,she thought, her fingers curling into fists at her sides.Well, he’s about to learn differently soon enough.
“Right this way, ladies.” Lev’s voice carried that easy confidence that probably made most women weak in the knees. The deep timbre rolled through the corridor, smooth and intoxicating.
As they followed him through the massive castle, Xelene found herself studying the intricate tapestries lining the stone walls, the soaring archways, the polished marble floors that gleamed under crystalline chandeliers—anything to avoid staring at the man leading them.
But her treacherous gaze kept drifting to the broad expanse of his shoulders, and the way his dark green henley stretched across the powerful muscles of his back with every step. The fabric clung just enough to hint at the raw strength beneath, and when he turned to gesture toward a particular corridor, she caught a glimpse of his profile—that strong jawline and the way his golden hair caught the light.
Stop it,she scolded herself fiercely.He’s your client. He’s insufferable. Why are you even looking at him like some starstruck teenager?
But her body betrayed her completely, her pulse quickening as her eyes traced the way his jeans hugged his powerful thighs, the perfect curve of his?—
“Xelene?”
She jerked her attention back to find both Lev and Janice watching her with knowing expressions that made heat flood her cheeks.
“Here are the guest suites,” Lev said, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. “You seemed lost in thought.”
“Just admiring the castle,” she replied coolly, grateful for her years of practice maintaining composure under pressure.
They’d stopped before two identical oak doors adorned with brass handles that gleamed like burnished gold. The hallway was wider here, with plush carpeting in deep burgundy.
“I look forward to treating you to dinner tonight, Xelene.” Lev’s voice dropped to a lower register, intimate and warm in a way that made her stomach flutter unexpectedly.
She opened her mouth to argue that she’d never actually agreed to dinner, but Janice caught her eye with a pleading expression.
What the hell,Xelene thought with resignation.I need to eat anyway.
“Sure thing,” she said, the words coming out sharper than intended. “But this is a working dinner.”
Lev’s grin was pure masculine satisfaction. “Naturally.”
He turned and walked away with that predatory grace that marked him as an apex predator, even in human form. Xelene watched the confident set of his shoulders, the easy swagger that spoke of a man who’d never doubted his own appeal, and felt her irritation spike again.
The moment he disappeared around the corner, she practically dragged Janice into her guest suite and shut the door with force.
