Maddox was confident that Tatiana is a smart woman. If he explains how those two she-wolves happened before he met Tatiana and that she saw them only because those two lingered against his orders, things will be fine.
Tatiana ended her phone call and sat at the small desk where her laptop was. The screen lit up a second later, and Tatiana started going through her emails.
Maddox looked at Tatiana's enchanting profile and he frowned while wondering if she was ignoring him or if she really didn't notice him there.
He dismissed the first option. After all, he is an Alpha and no one EVER ignored him.
But then… he is a rather big guy, standing at the door that's wide open. It would be impossible not to notice him.
Maddox didn't allow this small technicality to deflate his momentum, and he cleared his throat to get Tatiana's attention.
"Keep those down and you can leave.", Tatiana said without raising her gaze from the screen.
Rage bubbled within Maddox. How dares she dismiss him like he is some errand boy?
'BOM!'
The sound of shopping bags falling on the hardwood floor was unusually loud and Maddox wondered what she bought. That sounded too loud for shoes and garments. What if it was something hard and breakable? There was no sound breaking, but still…
"What do you think you are doing?", Tatiana asked irritably. How dares he throw things she purchased?
Maddox lifted his gaze from the bags at his feet and looked at her.
Part of him wanted to argue, and there was another part that wanted to pull her into his embrace and kiss her senselessly. He was never so conflicted!
He remembered that he was still holding onto one thing. "I brought you flowers."
Tatiana's perfectly groomed eyebrow arched. "So?"
Maddox's face fell. What does she mean by, so?
How was he supposed to answer this?
"Listen…", Maddox paused when he realized that his frustration was showing. He took a deep breath and continued. "I know we had a rough start and I want us to start over."
Maddox didn't move a muscle while Tatiana scrutinized his handsome form.
Impatience grew within Maddox, mixing with anxiousness and rage. Is it so difficult to say, 'Yes, Max. That's a wonderful idea…', and then get naked and go at it?
"Come in, close the door.", Tatiana said eventually.
Maddox grinned. It's working! Ha! And he didn't need to beg or kneel or anything!
After closing the door, Maddox turned to Tatiana who looked at him with amusement on her face, but she didn't move. He wanted to go there and embrace her, but his instincts told him that wasn't a good idea, so he stood there awkwardly.
One second. Two. Three seconds.
"I am listening.", Tatiana said, and Maddox frowned in confusion.
"To?", he asked.
"To whatever you wanted to say." Tatiana tilted her head at his silence. "I hope you came here to explain yourself because just bringing flowers won't count for much."
She stood up and straightened non-existent creases on her dress. "I will appreciate it if you hurry up."
"Do you have something more important to do than to clear up the misunderstanding with your mate?", Maddox asked with a sneer. Maybe she has something to do with that Mario person.
Tatiana ignored his hostility. "Talia and Maya set aside this afternoon for spending time on a beach. It was a long time since I relaxed, and I would like to go there, but before that, I have some work-related things to settle."
Max couldn't believe it. She just brushed off the whole mate business!
Maddox swallowed curses that threatened to come out of his mouth and forced a smile that looked more like an ugly grimace.
"As I said, I want us to start over." He extended his hand that held a disheveled bouquet of flowers. "My name is Maddox River. I am Alpha of the Blue River pack and your mate."
Seeing that Tatiana didn't move, Maddox walked toward her and stopped when he was one step away from Tatiana.
"These are for you."
Instead of taking the flowers that nearly touched her chest, Tatiana asked, "Do you know why I left your room this morning?"
Maddox pressed his lips into a line. "Those she-wolves were there since last night. That was before I was aware of your existence. I told them to leave, but they didn't. If I knew they were in that bathroom, I wouldn't bring you to my room."
"So, if they left the room when you told them to, everything would be great. Right?"
Maddox was not sure where she was going with this, but the answer was obvious. "Yes."
Tatiana frowned and before she could say anything, Maddox spoke again, "You know we are mates. We are made for each other. Why are you making this difficult?"
Tatiana looked at him in disbelief. "I am making this difficult? Listen here, Maddox River, Alpha of the Blue-whatever pack. Mates should cherish each other, put the other one first. It's a sacred bond created by the Moon Goddess, and you dirtied it."
"How did I dirty it? When I saw you, I forgot about everything else, including that there might be other women in my room."
Tatiana's face stiffened. "I would assume that an Alpha in charge of a pack would have more things going for him. You disappoint me."
Maddox frowned. "What am I lacking?"
"Brain.", Tatiana deadpanned. "Your lack of sensibility is proving that you are just a hot piece of ass."
Subconsciously, Maddox twisted his body to see his behind and mumbled, "It's a good ass."
Really, no one ever complained about his physique, and he had no idea why Tatiana brought it up. Besides, if he ignored her derisive tone, it sounded like a compliment. How can a hot piece of ass be a bad thing?
Seeing that Tatiana's face darkened, Maddox added, "No one said how my hot ass is the only thing I have. I am sensible and that is why I'm here. With flowers."
Tatiana sneered. "Sensible? And how do you explain that my other half was eager to claim me as his on the bed where he spent a rowdy night with two other women? And it was not just the night. Based on the fresh scents lingering in the air, I was confident that you were busy until minutes before we met. Is that how one should treat his mate? You talk about starting over but that might be possible only if you can erase that disgusting mental image."
The truth was that under her composed fa?ade, Tatiana was barely keeping it together. The mate bond works in such a way. Maddox was outrageously handsome, and his scent of coffee was irresistible, and she paid attention not to touch him because if the addictive sparks flare, she might snap and pounce on him.
But she couldn't give in to those primal urges because Maddox obviously needed an attitude adjustment.
Maddox realized that the problem is wider than just two women emerging from the bathroom with towels around their bodies. This was also about the bed, but… "The only one I could think of was you, and everything else…"
"Wrong!", Tatiana snapped and her voice was rising as she lost control of her temper. "The only one you could think of was YOU. If you thought about me even a little bit, you would wonder if I would enjoy shagging a guy on the bed that was recently used by someone else. Damn it! At least you could change the bedsheets. And you would definitely double-check if the sluts you left in your room were still there."
Maddox was at a loss for words. Everything she said was correct, but this didn't sound right either. But he had a feeling that talking about it won't lead anywhere and it will only make things worse.
He wished that Mindy was there. Mindy was knowledgeable about this female stuff, and she would definitely tell him something useful. He thought about mind-linking Mindy, but then he remembered that she cut him off earlier, which means that Mindy abandoned him and he was on his own.
