An Unexpected Mate

Chapter 1 - A chance meeting

He was sitting in the corner of the coffee shop, looking over some reports, when he first noticed the scent - it was a mix of caramel, chocolate, and something sweeter that made his mouth water. Brax felt all his senses come alert and had to mentally struggle from jumping up. Glancing around the room, he could not place it. A number of people had walked in since he had sat down.

As he tamped down the inner turmoil, he flashed back to his youth and the thrumming excitement of turning 18 and yearning for his soul mate. It was a time he hadn't thought about for years, something he had pushed to the back of his mind.

The scent became stronger, the aroma pulling him from his daydreams. There was a well-dressed, blonde bombshell placing her order at the counter. He stared for a second, catching her attention and getting a saucy look from the women before turning away. Behind her were three older teens, maybe 19 or 20, that were giggling and looking over at him. Brax brushed his gaze past them with a smirk. Then the smell of caramel increased and he noticed a woman hurrying past him from the back hallway out of his peripheral vision before she sat against the opposite wall, slightly obscured by other patrons.

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Lily was tired and she felt....off. There wasn't really a word to explain it, but she was feeling just off. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was unsettled.

She looked down at the stack of papers she needed to grade as she sipped on her caramel macchiato. Could she just give them all "As"? Would anyone notice? Being a biology instructor wasn't exactly what she was feeling like doing right now. It just seemed like a never-ending series of obligations that piled on top of everything else.

As she brushed a strand of wayward red hair out of her eyes and tried to tame it back into her messy bun, she felt someone looking at her. What was it now? Lily tried to focus on her work, switching to course prep from the monotonous grading. 

It wasn't working, she felt a pull to look up, a desire to see what she was feeling. It almost seemed like her body would betray her. She tried to resist. She really did not need this.

Lily looked up from the coffee she was drinking to see an intense gaze from the corner. While it gave her a flutter in her stomach, she flashed her wedding ring to try and prevent having to talk to someone...today just was not the day. Looking back down Lily really had no idea what was coming her way.

In her mind she could still see the brooding man that was staring at her. From that single glance, her heart was fluttering. He was fucking HOT... What was he doing looking towards her? He was probably in his mid-to-late 30s, longish black hair that fell slightly in his face, an angular jaw, and intense eyes that had made her ...tingle...? Why would he be staring at her? Lily knew she was about average. Maybe she had been pretty when she was younger, but now she was slightly overweight and horrible at taking care of herself. She couldn't remember how many times people had mentioned how she was "letting herself go" or "should spend more energy on herself." Lily couldn't think of a reason to have attracted attention. She couldn't focus though and that was a problem.

What was wrong with her? She was a married woman! She could not be old enough to be having a mid-life crisis, could she? Did she need to get a fast car, liposuction, breast implants, and a younger man...haha. Confusion now warred with tingles as she could still feel the stare from across the room.

It was time to leave...

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Brax kept trying to move his gaze, but he was losing an internal battle. He could barely keep himself from leaping across the room, let alone looking away. He let out a slight growl - whether it was at himself or the situation he didn't know.

What was wrong with him. He was a 40 year old man that could control his feelings. He was strong and powerful, loved living a life with no strings attached - it made him who he was. Who was this woman and what was she doing to him?

As she finally looked up into his eyes, Brax felt like he had been hit by a bus. She had reddish blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun with curly strands falling out. Her eyes were a deep blue, but he could see that she was tired by the slight bags beneath them. Her gaze was strained, but he could also see a slight shock when their eyes met. As she brushed another loose strand of hair from her face, Brax tensed...a diamond had winked in the light.

Brax felt himself tense up more, his eyes darkening. Almost rising out of his chair, he saw through his blurred vision the woman quickly pushing her papers and laptop into a bag and walking out of the coffee shop. He took a few deep breathes to calm down as he debated whether to follow her.