To Claim His Mate by Serena Pettus

vegetable soup. Maybe even with a grilled cheese sandwich.
    Thoughts of homemade soup brought back memories of her parents taking care of her when she was sick, and then of her grandmother preparing some on a frosty winter day. Those thoughts led her back to the cold truth: she had nothing left of any of her loved ones, except for these memories. But Adam was right, Shane could never take those from her. In fact, he and his friends had done as much damage as they could. They’d destroyed everything she cared for…except Adam.
    Adam .
    Suddenly, the plan he and Gus had come up with didn’t sit so well with her. If Shane believed she cared for Adam, then Adam would become a target. Eva would have to carefully disguise her growing feelings while in public. Not to mention cage her raging hormones. The damn things went off like the Fourth of July whenever he was around.
    Eva sighed. She refused to allow her sexual urges to place him in harm’s way. He’d said Shane had drug and gambling problems, so her ex must need money. Well, if that was all it took to get him off her back, she’d do it. She’d pay whatever he wanted.
    God, if only she’d known about this sooner, she might have been able to save herself a lot of grief. But Adam was right. Anger would serve her better than crying. Grandma had always said Eva was a “tough cookie” and would do well in life. Now, she was determined to do just that.
    Feeling a little better as a somewhat rough plan formed, she curled up and drifted off to sleep.

 
     
    Chapter Six
     
     
    Adam stood at the kitchen island with a knife in one hand and a stalk of celery in the other. He tried to focus on the task of chopping vegetables, but his damn dick had other plans.
    Evangeline’s near accident had shaken him, but his wolf was bound and determined to bond with its mate. To connect them in a way that would forever let him know her feelings and wellbeing were secure. Problem was he could tell she wasn’t ready. He’d scented her interest and arousal at dinner the other night, but she wasn’t ready to take that step just yet. Hell, she didn’t even know what he was!
    She definitely didn’t need that shock yet.
    In the meantime, he was stuck walking around with a permanent erection…his own personal divining rod that always pointed to her. No amount of cold showers or jacking off seemed to dull the throbbing need, and Adam knew his control was slipping with every hour spent in her presence. He always found little ways to touch her or make her smile, but if he got another whiff of her arousal, that delicious, sensual perfume, he’d be a dead man, damned to the seventh circle of hell for taking advantage of her in her vulnerable state.
    “Fuck!” Adam hissed when he cut his thumb. A chuffing from below had him raising an eyebrow. “So you two found that amusing? Well, see if you get any leftovers,” he teased. Lightning gave a dismissive huff and wandered into the living room while Storm rubbed up against his thigh. “Suck-up.”
    Once everything was in the pot, he set it to simmer and made his way through the house, checking the doors and windows. Not that anyone in their right mind would enter a house with two timber wolves inside, but he didn’t think he was dealing with men who were playing with a full deck.
    His phone rang, and he raced to answer it before the sound disturbed Evangeline. “Hello?”
    “Hi, honey, how is everything going?” His mother was, of course, being a typical mom. She’d no doubt heard about his houseguest from his sisters-in-law and now wanted a full report.
    “Not too good.” After relaying the whole sordid tale, he added, “To make things even more complicated, she’s my mate.”
    “Oh, honey, that’s wonderful! About the mate part, of course, not the rest. Well, we were planning to come over next weekend, so let’s plan a barbeque. We’ll bring everything, and you just have the grill ready.” Yup, that was his mom, she’d just