Alpha Male Incorporated: Take Control by Marie Rochelle

green eyes and beautiful smile, but you’re tone deaf. I’m sorry.”
    Jax stared at her for a minute or two then burst out laughing. “Baby, I never said I was any good, but I was willing to embarrass myself for my mate. Love will do that to a vampire who is as old as I am.”
    Standing on her tiptoes, she planted a kiss on Jax’s firm mouth before he got carried away and took over. “We both know that you never had any reason when it came to me,” she teased.
    “You’re right,” he agreed. “You had my heart way before I was ready to admit it. We are so happy. I just wish—”
    Sahara heard the worry in Jax’s deep voice and it concerned her. She knew he was going to see Thorsten after he had mentally sensed something wrong with him. She had gotten sidetracked by her own problems that she didn’t even ask how his trip had gone.
    “I’m sorry I didn’t ask sooner. How did your trip go with Thorsten? Was it as bad as you thought?”
    Groaning, Jax raked his fingers through his thick, blond hair as he moved away from her. She instantly knew something was wrong because he only touched his hair like that when he was upset about a family member.
    “I don’t even know where to begin with him. I keep giving him advice and nothing seems to be sticking inside of his thick skull. I swear if he wasn’t family I might erase Raya from his mind and just have the “sleep of the dead” take over his stupid ass. It would serve him right for not listening to anything I’m trying to do for him.”
    She gasped. “Is it really that bad?”
    He stopped pacing and looked at her from across the room. “Raya told Thorsten to leave her alone tonight because she had a date and couldn’t be bothered with him. Who is she dating? I thought you told me she was single.”
    Frowning, she racked her brain trying to remember if Raya told her about a new man in her life. She didn’t think she had forgotten about her best friend confessing about anyone new. Raya worked so much that she wasn’t aware her girlfriend was even looking or on the market.
    “I’m not sure why Raya told Thorsten she had a boyfriend, but it isn’t true. She’s single. I can’t even recall the last time she wasn’t buried in her paperwork. Do you want me to tell Thorsten for you? Is he at home or still at the office?” She spun around to Jax, who flashed in her path blocking her way.
    “No, don’t say a word to him about her,” he told her. “Thorsten has been giving too much. Let him work for this relationship with Raya. A vampire winning over his mate is a rite of passage; it’s an experience he’ll never forget.”
    “What if she truly isn’t attracted to him? I mean, he can fall under the ‘sleep of the dead’. Do you really want to lose him forever? I know the two of you fight, but he’s still a part of our family.”
    Touching her arm, Jax brought her back to his body. “Sweetheart, Thorsten isn’t going to throw in the towel to anything. You are worrying about nothing. I want you to focus all of your attention on this concert. Let Thorsten and Raya work through whatever has them at each other’s throats besides this hedge fund business.”
    Sahara ran her hands up and down his husband’s chest. “I can’t help but worry about her. She’s always been there for me, even when I was on the fence about accepting you in my life. How can I not be there for her? Maybe if I tell her the reason for Thorsten’s behavior she would give him more of a chance. Once Raya makes her first impression about a person, it’s hard to get her to change her mind.”
    “My cousin is very persistent as we both already know. I love that Raya is his mate because she’s the perfect woman for him and he has to find out on his own without any outside help for us. Are you hearing me, Sahara?”
    She hated the idea of not helping Raya through this important time in her life, but her husband was suggesting that she take a step back. Could she really do this ?