Selfishly, she wished she’d turned off her phone. She’d thought about it, but considering her unfolding position in the Henderson pack, she’d thought that would be irresponsible.
Reluctantly she drew away from Quentin’s hot kiss. “Sorry, but I’d better get that.”
“Okay.” He didn’t argue, but she could see the disappointment in his eyes. He probably thought she should let it go to voice mail.
“It’s my mother,” she offered by way of explanation as she walked to the sofa and took her phone out of her purse. Tucking her hair back, she pushed the connect button and put the phone to her ear. “Hi, Mom.”
“Nadia, you have to come home.” Her mother’s voice trembled.
A chill ran up her spine. “What’s wrong?” Head down, she walked out of the living room and into the foyer. This promised to be an emotional conversation, and she felt protective toward her mother.
“Theo challenged your father this afternoon, Were to Were. He won the fight, Nadia.” Her mother started to cry.
“Is Dad okay?” Her world spun. Her father couldn’t be—
“He’s . . . he’s okay.” Her mother gulped for air. “Physically. But mentally, he’s not. Theo says he’s the alpha now, and the pack’s . . . the pack’s in an uproar. Some side with him, most don’t.”
“I’ll get there as soon as I can.” She thought quickly. The corporate jet was at LaGuardia and she’d given the small crew a few days off to explore New York. They’d have to cut their holiday short.
“You need to challenge Theo.”
“I know, Mom.”
“He’s my son, but he’s not fit to—”
“I’ll handle Theo.” Her jaw clenched as she thought of Theo challenging his own father. The days when a physical battle determined who would become the alpha were supposed to be over. Not for Theo, obviously. “You take care of Dad.”
“I will, but the pack’s counting on you, Nadia. And so am I.”
“I won’t let you down. Hang in there, Mom.” She disconnected the call and stood in the foyer taking slow, deep breaths. Then she called the pilot and told him to round up the crew and meet her at the airport. Next she left a voice mail for Sherry instructing her to handle their remaining appointments as best she could and book herself a first-class seat on a commercial airline when she was ready to come home.
After one more deep breath, Nadia walked back into the living room.
Quentin turned from the window, his expression troubled.
“You probably heard my side of that conversation,” she said.
He came toward her. “I tried not to, but—”
“It’s okay.” She ached to be held, to be comforted, but she was about to become the Henderson pack alpha, which meant she needed to be tough and strong. “Theo defeated my dad and declared himself the alpha. Now I have to go home and challenge Theo.”
He stiffened, as if he himself had taken a blow. But then his gaze locked with hers. “You’ll be fine.” He eliminated the space between them and folded her into his arms. “You’ll be fine, Nadia.”
“I know.” She laid her head against his broad chest and hugged him, grateful for his solid warmth and his unquestioning acceptance of this sudden turn of events.
He didn’t whine about putting an end to their evening. He didn’t cast doubt on her ability to triumph over her brother. He was concerned but not afraid. He believed in her. That was pure gold.
He stroked her hair. “Do you want me to come with you?”
Yes. “Thank you, but no. I’m the only one who can handle this.”
He pulled back to look at her. “Just to be clear, I’m not offering to fight Theo. That’s your job. But if it would help to have a friend in your corner, I’d like to be that friend.”
She allowed herself to consider it, just for a moment. He was a friend, someone who had only her best interests at heart. She knew instinctively she could trust him, and she was about to go into a situation where a trusted friend, one with no agenda beyond her happiness, would be a real asset.
But it wouldn’t be fair to him. “I can’t expect that of you.”
“Why not?”
She hated what she was about to say, but it was time to face facts. “Once I’ve ousted Theo, the pack will expect me to start looking for a mate.”
“Yes, it will.”
“That can’t be you.”
“I know.” He sounded very sure of that. He’d probably realized it long ago, when he first knew they were attracted to each other.
Disappointment tasted bitter on her tongue. “I should scuttle the idea of renting your loft, too.”
He shook his head. “Not if you want a spot to relax when you come here on business.” His grin was a little off-center. “I promise not to gouge you on the price.”
“But the whole idea was to create a special place we could share, and I can’t—”
“That wasn’t the whole idea. It was part of the idea. If being there is good for you, then you should still plan on it. I can be your landlord and friend without making love to you.”
She gripped his broad shoulders and relished the sturdy comfort he provided. “I don’t know if I’m that strong. This wanting is very powerful. I might have to stay away from you completely.”
Sadness flickered briefly in his eyes and was gone. “Let’s not worry about that now. You need to get home, and I’d like to come along and give you whatever support I can.”
“I’m not sure that—”
“Let me do this, Nadia. If we have to part ways after it’s over, I’ll understand. But it’s not in my nature to let someone I care about go off alone to face the enemy.”
A lump lodged in her throat. “He is my enemy, and I hate that. Theo and I should be on the same side.”
“Which makes it so much harder to deal with.”
She let out a long, shaky breath and looked into his eyes. She needed him right now, and so she was going to be selfish and take advantage of his offer. “Please come with me, Quentin.”
He smiled gently. “You bet.”
CHAPTER FIVE
As the Learjet took off from LaGuardia, Quentin adjusted his seat belt and wondered if he should have his head examined for inviting himself along on this trip. But he’d told Nadia the truth about his motives.
Letting her go back alone to face her brother would have been torture for him. He couldn’t step in and help her subdue the little creep, because that would undermine her authority. In fact, he wasn’t sure exactly what he could do that would be of help except to be there.
Yet he didn’t underestimate the importance of moral support. His cousin Roarke had never overtly helped him with anything, but Quentin had always known Roarke liked him and wanted him to succeed. That had meant a lot over the years.
Quentin didn’t have to wonder what Roarke would think about this mess in the Henderson pack. If Roarke couldn’t be here to go along to support Nadia, he’d want someone to do it. Aidan would feel the same way. And Quentin happened to be available.
Before they’d left Quentin’s apartment, he’d changed out of his sweats and T-shirt into his preferred choice of jeans and a cotton shirt. Then he’d thrown a few things into a duffle bag. They’d stopped by Nadia’s hotel so she could quickly repack her suitcase.
The private jet was plush, which Quentin had expected. The Wallace pack had a similar plane, and Roarke loved flying it so he’d taken Quentin up a few times as an excuse to play pilot.
On the way to the airport Nadia had mentioned her preference for taking commercial flights. She’d used the private jet only because her dad had complained that he’d lose it as a tax write-off if she didn’t start flying in it more often. Quentin wondered if she’d sell the plane and find other tax breaks once she became the pack alpha.
The cabin attendant turned out to be a young guy who looked all of twenty-two. Clearly smitten with Nadia, he knocked himself out providing food and beverages for her. She made sure he didn’t forget Quentin, and at one point when the kid wasn’t looking, she glanced at Quentin and rolled her eyes.
He swallowed a laugh. He didn’t blame the kid one bit. Any male with a pulse would be attracted to someone as beautiful and sexy as Nadia. Quentin had been amazed when Aidan chose Emma over Nadia and had seriously, but privately, questioned his judgment in doing so.
After Nadia had finished her portion of the meal the attendant had provided for them, she smothered a yawn.
“You should probably grab a nap,” Quentin said.
“Good idea.” She reclined her seat until it was nearly flat. “So should you.”
“Okay.” He did the same, and there they were, lying side-by-side. It wasn’t quite the way he’d pictured they’d sleep together tonight, but at least he was here with her.
She smiled at him. “Sweet dreams.”
“That could turn out to be embarrassing,” he murmured. “Maybe I should throw a blanket over my lap just in case.”
She laughed. “Weren’t you the one bragging about how you’d have no trouble just being friends?”