The Contract (My Perfect Mate Continued)

The Fourth Floor

Andy laid his head on the back of the couch and sighed as I turned over onto my back.

"I can't believe that just f*****g happened."

I was worried that he was disappointed, but that quickly faded away when I saw a smile on his lips. He rolled his head to the side and looked at me. His natural color slowly retook his eyes.

"That was incredible." I said between gasps. "Thank you for f*****g me."

Andy chuckled and let his body fall towards me and placed his head just under my sternum.

"I'm sorry that I marked you. I know that it was way too soon." He whispered against my skin.

I played with his curls on top of his head, "I don't think that our wolves would have given us a choice in the matter."

Andy propped himself up so he could look into my eyes, "You are incredible, Thea."

He shimmied his way up closer to my face and craned his neck, so our lips could touch. Andy gave me a peck on the corner of my mouth. "Do you want to stay over?" I said flirtatiously.

"I don't think I have a choice, my brain can't convince my muscles to move right now." He said with a chuckle. He adjusted further so we could spoon and I snuggled in closer. Comfortably rested my ass against his c**k.

"Good, because I can't either." I said as my eyes were already closing.

Andy kissed me behind my ear and I drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, I woke up feeling like my skin was on fire. Wolves generally run at a higher temperature, with both of us lying next to each other, I was sweltering. I carefully peeled myself off the couch and shuffled to the pile of clothes on the floor. With the sudden drop in heat, I was shivering. I quietly slipped into my sweatpants and pulled my sweater over my head. I checked the clock on the wall, it was 3:30. It was about the time that I was going to get up anyway.

I tip toed over to the kitchen and set the coffee pot to brew at 4. I looked over my shoulder to make sure that Andy was still fast asleep. I slipped into the bathroom to relieve myself. I brushed my teeth and scrubbed my face before whipping my hair into a quick braid down the center of my head. I hope that Andy was still planning on letting me join in training today.

When I was done with my morning routine, I headed into my bedroom across the hall to get dressed. I refreshed my deodorant and picked out a matching workout set. I heard some shuffling in the living room and the clang of metal. Andy was getting dressed. I prayed that he wasn't going to slip out like all the other men did. I took a couple of steps towards the doorway in my bedroom, so I could hear better. I thought I was being discreet until I stepped on a squeaky floor board. I held my breath, closed my eyes and waited.

"Thea?"

I stepped out into the hallway with a smile. "Good morning, I'm sorry if I woke you up."

Andy let out a large yawn and outstretched his arms. I could hear the bones in his back crack from 10 feet away. "No, I needed to get up anyway." He took a pause and looked my body up and down. His crooked smile appeared, "You look so cute in your workout gear, I assume you still want to join?"

"Yes please, if that's okay?"

"Of course, I just have to run home and get ready. Do you want to come with me? I'd love to show you around my place." He said mischievously.

I heard the click of the coffee maker and could smell the sweet aroma as it filled the apartment. "I would love to, but coffee first?"

Andy smiled, "I would love some."

We sat at the island and sipped our mugs. Surprisingly, our silence was comfortable despite my thoughts circling inside my head. I suddenly felt guilty about the events of last night. It was incredible, but I couldn't stop the negativity from swirling around in my head. It scared me because I didn't feel the mate bond forming. Surely it would by now, most of the time it was instantaneously. My heart sank when I thought of the possibility of our night together being a fluke. The silence became awkward as I began to over-analyze my own thoughts.

"You okay?" Andy lightly nudged my shoulder. I put on a fake smile and nodded,

"Are you sure? I don't feel Everest anymore. You're lost in thought. What are you thinking about?"

I tried to hold back my emotions. I didn't want to unpack this right now. I knew that training would be a good way to keep me distracted. I calmed my mind and tried again.

"Seriously, I'm fine. I think I just need some food." I pushed back suddenly and headed further into the kitchen.

"Do you want anything?"

"No, thank you." He checked his watch and then looked up in my direction. "We should get going though."

"Okay, let me just grab something quick."

"I didn't mean to rush you."

"No, it's okay, I don't really eat much in the morning anyway. I'll just grab a banana, and we can head out." I tried to play my mood off as exhaustion.

"Shall we go?"

Andy didn't say anything, but smiled instead. I headed towards the door and I could feel him close behind me.

******

I hadn't seen this part of the pack house before. I had no idea how big it actually was until I was inside. Andy led me to the elevator in the far corner of the living room. He explained that it was tucked away for security purposes. Andy entered a four-digit code into the keypad and the doors opened up so we could step inside. After a moment, I felt the gentle tug of the elevator, and we ascended to the fourth floor.

The elevator doors opened up to a grand foyer. There was a set of double doors across from the elevator bay. There was minimal decoration in the small foyer. A large piece of art work hung on one side with a small entry table placed under it. A bouquet of fresh flowers filled the room with an airy fragrance. Andy grasped my hand and led me out of the elevator. He punched in a different four-number combination and I heard the click of the door. I felt as though we were entering a prison.

The penthouse was quite impressive, the 20-foot ceiling made the space look even larger. Everything was light and bright with the white marble covering almost every surface. Despite the sterile color, it still seemed homey. The apartment was filled with dark wood accents and matte black finishes.

"This place is incredible!" I turned around slowly, taking in every detail.

"I'm so glad you like it. Let me show you around."

Andy proceeded further into the apartment, towards the kitchen. I loved the mixture of textures throughout the penthouse. The kitchen had dark mahogany cabinets and was topped with pristine, solid-white granite. There were black, wrought iron pulls and a matte black, stainless steel sink to match. There was a vast island with four leather-bound bar stools in the center of the room. It had the same chef-quality appliances that were in my apartment. It's too bad I don't cook.

We didn't make it very far into the apartment tour before Andy's phone began to ring in his pocket,

"Excuse me." He slipped the phone out of his pocket and pressed it to his ear, "Alpha."

I watched him walk down a different hallway and his voice drifted off with him. I took in my surroundings in his absence. I decided to wander a bit. Directly off of the kitchen was an intimate living space. Floor to ceiling shelves lined the walls on either side of the fire place. I could picture sleepy Sunday mornings with a roaring fire, the flames being the only source of light.Despite the Alpha living alone, it didn't feel like a typical bachelor pad. The smell of clean linen and Andy's signature scent filled the apartment. In the center of the room was a sizable sectional couch positioned in front of a 70 inch screen TV. There was a natural wood coffee table in the center of the sitting area and was flanked by two, over-stuffed armchairs. The area rug was massive, made of white, microfiber material. I could only imagine how it felt on bare feet.

I kept wandering to the left and was greeted by another set of double doors in the far corner of the room. I subconsciously reached for the handle and pushed my way across the threshold. The large bed directly in front of me was framed by floor to ceiling windows, similar to the ones in my own apartment. They were dressed in white, textured fabric curtains. They were hung higher than the window frame, making the room look even taller. The bedroom had minimal furniture, but the pieces that were chosen were beautiful. They were all made of natural wood and made it feel like we were in the forest. There was a white leather settee sat at the foot of the bed and faced a large TV hung on the adjacent wall.

I noticed a set of double doors at the back of the room and began walking towards them. Inside was a larger than necessary closet. I was surrounded by wall-to-wall shelving, adorned by every color shirt, pants and shoe imaginable. There was an island placed in the center of the closet with various pull-out drawers. Each with a different category of clothing. I blushed when I reached Andy's underwear drawer. I don't know why I was so embarrassed, it's not like I didn't see my fair share of him already. I closed the drawers and followed the closet around another corner. As I walked further into that part of the room, the motion detection lights lit up a path for me. This was to be my space. The shelves were mostly empty, but this would be more than enough space for me. I didn't come with much.

When there wasn't anything more to look at, I walked back out into the bedroom. I saw a sliding barn door directly to my left and guessed that it was the bathroom. I was right.

There was a double vanity directly to the left when you walked in. There was a giant, claw-foot tub across from the sinks with a partial wall that separated the tub and the glass surround, walk-in shower. It was big enough to fit at least 10 people inside. It had several rain-style shower heads. The control panel looked like a spaceship switchboard.

I jumped slightly when I heard Andy's voice behind me.

"Oh, here you are. I'm sorry that it took so long. Shall we continue on the tour?"

I nodded my head and Andy led me back out into the living room.