by Jen L. Grey
Dear God. He was a fucking moron. “No, you’re not getting what I’m trying to say.”
“She doesn’t do clingers.” Ella entered the room with a huge smile on her face.
“I’m not clinging.” He huffed and raised both hands up.
“What do you call this?” She pointed to the book I had open on my desk. “She’s got her textbook out, trying to read instead of talking to you.”
He wasn’t understanding the clues from me. I’d only given him my phone number so I could escape and never responded to any of his texts. To top it all off, I ignored him when I saw him in this class and avoided him to the best of my abilities. Maybe she could get through to him.
“She’s just playing hard to get.” His face kind of fell, and he glanced at me. “Right?”
“No, sorry.” I couldn’t lie and try to tell him it was me and not him. “We’re just not right for each other.”
“But we just had sex…” He jerked back as if he’d been burned. “Are you saying I wasn’t a good lay?”
“I’m really trying not to.” But he was about to force my hand. I was trying not to embarrass the guy.
“So, since you’re having trouble breaking it down.” Ella plopped in her seat beside me. “That means yes. You weren’t good.”
“I was drunk.” He spoke louder despite the fact students were beginning to trickle in. “Let’s do a sober do-over. You’ll see.”
“No, I won’t.” He reminded me of the type of guy who always got what he wanted and never had to work at anything. He probably never had to handle rejection like this before.
“In other words, not interested.” Ella shook her head and gazed at me. “Be glad I’m here to be your wingwoman.”
“That’s usually for picking up guys.” She beat to her own drum, and I liked it.
“Eh, it’s for everything. Pick-ups and dumps.” She lifted a finger in the air. “Not to be confused with bowel movements.”
“Noted.” Even though I couldn’t stand Connor, I didn’t want to steamroll him, and class should be starting any second. I took a deep breath and leaned toward him, lowering my voice, “You weren’t bad.”
“I wasn’t?” There was hope glowing in his eyes. “Then, what’s the problem?”
“There wasn’t a connection.” He had been boring as hell, but I was sure, for a true human, he’d been excellent. I’d had a few sexual encounters, and most of them had been the same way. I was betting it was because whether I liked it or not, I was a wolf. “That’s it.”
“But I…” He trailed off and took a deep breath. “Okay, got it.”
“It looks like you kicked his puppy or something,” Ella whispered, probably not realizing I could hear it.
“Thanks for the talk?” Though he had meant it as a statement, the tone ended on a question as if he wasn’t sure.
“Yeah, I’m glad we’re on the same page finally.” I needed him to leave me alone now.
“You have a break between classes, right?” Ella pulled out her notebook and pen.
“Uh, yeah.” She couldn’t be trying to talk me into going to the student center with her again.
“How long of a break do you have?” She tapped her pen on her paper.
“About an hour.” I didn’t want to hang out on campus, but at the same time, I didn’t have time to leave campus either.
“There’s a coffee shop a few blocks away.” She leaned toward me and winked. “It’s right by the university; not in it. Why don’t we go hang out over there?”
“I’m not sure…”
“Where are you going to go? Sit in the other classroom for an entire hour?” She tilted her head toward me and arched an eyebrow. “We both know that it’d be more fun if you spent time with me.”
That was precisely the problem. I didn’t mind her company. “Fine, but as long as it’s not on campus.”
I agreed, but I couldn’t help but wonder if I was making a big mistake.
Chapter Five
The next few weeks seemed to pass in a blur. Even though I tried fighting Ella’s friendship, she’d completely lured me in. She was funny, blunt, and a breath of fresh air.
We stood from our desks as we both walked out into the hallway together. “Coffee shop again, or are we ready to brave the Student Center once more?”
“Coffee shop.” She’d been mentioning the student center more and more lately.
“Ugh, fine.” She pouted. “It’s just that the coffee shop is so much farther to my next class.”
“So, you’re getting lazy on me?” She had yet to tell me about being supernatural, which I didn’t blame her for. Hell, I hadn’t told her about me being one either.
“Hey, it’s hard to be so put together.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she snorted. “I can’t keep rushing to class. I get all sweaty.”
“I’m sure you can handle it.” I had a feeling eventually she was going to wear me down.
“Ella.” A deep, raspy voice echoed in the hallway.
“Great.” She huffed and turned to face the person head-on.
I took a few steps off toward the side and continued my march to the front of the building. That was until Ella grabbed my arm.
“Don’t you dare try to sneak off. This won’t take long.”
“Hey.” The guy I’d seen in the hallway that day after I ran from the student center was standing right in front of me. His eyes darted to me and kept hold. “Who are you?”
“Nobody.” A shiver wanted to rock through my body.
“You sure don’t look like a nobody.” A small grin peeked through the corner of his lips.
“No! Do not hit on her.” Ella stepped in between us and pointed her finger at him. “She is my friend, and you better back off.”
“What?” He stepped around to look at me once more. “I mean, I should know your friends, right?”
The bastard was hot and arrogant. I should be disgusted, but my damn body was responding to him in very inappropriate ways. I had no clue who he was, but he was definitely a shifter, which meant that was not good. “Nah, I think you’ll be fine letting me keep my secrets.”
“Maybe I…”
“Mason, stop.” All humor was removed from her face. “Seriously, she’s my friend. One I don’t want to share with you because then when you break her heart, she’ll not want to be my friend anymore.”
Something passed through his eyes. “Hey, that’s not true…” He winced and nodded his head. “Fine, since you asked so lovingly.”
I couldn’t believe this was her brother, and of course, he’d be a womanizer. “Glad we’re all three settled on that.” I turned my back to him and nodded at Ella. “I’ll wait for you out front.”
“Yeah, okay.” Her shoulders seemed to sag a little. “Be there in a second.”
After I was a few steps away, Mason whispered to Ella. “Who the hell is she?”
Of course, they hadn’t realized I was a shifter and that I could hear them from this distance.
“Seriously, she’s one of my friends.” Her tone took on an edge. “So don’t mess with her. For once, someone wants to be my friend for me.”
“All right.” He huffed.
“Stop looking at her.” I heard a loud thump.
“Dammit. Okay.”
If I had any doubt they were related, that would’ve been erased now. I headed outside, effectively cutting their conversation off from my ears.
It was a gorgeous day, and I moved over to a vacant bench and sat.
“Hey, Elena.” Connor waved and headed over in my direction.
Great, maybe I should’ve stayed inside and eavesdropped on Ella and her brother. “Hi.”
“How is class going for you?” He glanced at the ground and adjusted his backpack straps on his shoulders.
“Fine.” It was a straightforward business ethics class. “How about you?” The tension between us was thick.
“Boring, but okay.” He cleared his throat and darted his eyes
to mine. “Would you wanna have coffee or something sometime?”
“We’ve already had this conversation.” At this point, I wasn’t sure how much more blunt I could be. “I’m not interested.”
“I mean as friends.” He scratched the back of his neck with his hand.
“Still no.” I guessed I was going to have to be a bitch. “I don’t think you mean that.”
“No, I do.” He lifted both hands in the air and tensed his shoulders. “You made it blatantly clear, but I’d like to have you in my life in some capacity.”
“Are you really trying to work the friend angle?” Ella breezed through the doorway and sat right next to me. “I thought you’d at least be a little more original than that.”
“He says he’s okay with being friends.” I arched an eyebrow at her. “Do you believe it?”
“Hell, no.” She motioned toward my body. “You’re hot stuff, so he’s trying to find another way in.”
“What? No.” He shook his head until Ella crossed her arms.
“If you want to be her friend, that means you want to be mine too.” She bumped her shoulder into mine. “It’s a package deal.”
“Uh, sure.” He tilted his head and squinted his eyes for a moment. “Of course I want to be friends with both of you.”
“So you’re saying I have a hot body too?” She tilted her head and tapped her foot on the ground.
“What? No.” Connor shook his head hard.
“Now I’m not hot?” She turned her head in my direction and widened her eyes. “He’s not very nice is he?”
“No, I didn’t mean that.”
Poor guy. Ella was having fun at his expense.
“Of course you didn’t.” She huffed and stood again. “Come on, let’s go. We don’t need to stay here all day and get insulted.”
I would’ve felt bad for him if he hadn’t brought it on himself. But I didn’t want to leave being an asshole. “Look, if you want to be friends that’s fine. But I don’t hang out or anything like that. Essentially, it’s just you saying hi to me when I pass.”
“Yeah, okay.” His eyes focused back on the ground. “I just thought…”
“Thinking usually gets guys in trouble.” Ella tugged on my arm ready to go. “So I’d recommend you stop right there.”
“I’ll see you later.” I stood and followed Ella.
She stopped and waited for me to catch up. “He’s trying to weasel his way in.”
“Yeah, I know.” That was pretty obvious. “It won’t work, so don’t worry.”
“Oh, I wasn’t.” She shook her head and sighed. “It’s just, how blunt do we have to be in order for him to realize it’s not happening.”
“As long as I’m single, he might think there’s a chance.” What he didn’t realize was that I’d be single for my entire life.
“Then we need to find you a date.” Her eyes sparkled. “Maybe he’ll finally shut it down.”
“I don’t date.” Never had and didn’t ever plan on starting that.
“Heartbroken?” She frowned as she slowed her pace.
“Yeah, something like that.” It wasn’t from a guy tearing my heart out.
“That sucks.” She looped her arm through mine. “Been there and done that.”
“What happened?” The more I could get her talking about herself, the less it would be about me.
“Let’s just say he found someone else.” Her usual happy demeanor chilled.
“I’m sorry. He didn’t deserve you.” Whoever it was made an impact on her.
“It wasn’t his fault. Sometimes, fate has a way of intervening.” She sighed and stared off. “Some people were made for each other. I wasn’t made for him.”
He must have found his fated mate. “It still sucks whether he meant it or not.”
“Now that I can agree with.”
The coffee shop appeared in front of us. We’d be there in a matter of minutes.
“Is your brother okay?” I hadn’t meant to ask the question, but he kept appearing in my mind.
“Oh, yeah.” She waved it off, but her feet slowed a little. “He made a decision that I’m not super thrilled with, and he wanted to let me know before I heard it from someone else.”
“What is he doing?” If she wasn’t thrilled, it couldn’t be something good.
“He’s doing something illegal.” She opened the door to the coffee shop, and we both entered.
“It’s not like,” I said and then lowered my voice, “drugs or anything, right?”
She burst out laughing. “No. God no.” She held her side and laughed some more. “Not like that. It’s a little insane. He’s doing some fighting in a gym. After-hours if you know what I mean.”
“Okay.” That wasn’t too horrible as long as he didn’t get caught. The plus side was him being a shifter, so he shouldn’t get hurt too badly.
“Don’t get all judgmental on him.” She pulled out her credit card as she approached the cash register. “Mom’s not doing so well, and we need the money.”
“I’m sorry.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. I wanted to ask if they notified the regional representatives, but then that would open up another can of worms. “Do you want me to like him or not?”
“What?” Her forehead furrowed.
“Your brother.” She gave me hell all the time. “You threaten him to not talk to me and then get pissy when you think I’m criticizing him. Pick a side.”
She stopped in her tracks and tapped her hands on her dress. “I’m not being pissy. It’s complicated. Okay? I don’t want something to happen and lose this.”
“Fine.” I still wasn’t sure how to act with a friend without feeling weird. I sidled up to the register and ordered two vanilla lattes.
“Hey, I always get these.” She swung her hip into mine, trying to get me to move away.
“Exactly. It’s my treat.” I had just gotten paid, and the tips were good from that huge party the other night, I wanted to at least buy this round. “Don’t worry. I got paid.”
“You work?” She tilted her head and examined me. “I don’t know why, but I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Don’t worry. I’m the kitchen help most of the time, so I get to be by myself, washing dishes, and don’t have to interact with a lot of people.” That was the top job requirement when I started looking. Mona had wanted me to work in the antique store with her, but I didn’t want to be around all those supernaturals. They tended to be her biggest customer base. Humans greatly underestimated the value of old relics.
“Good.” She moved aside so I could hand the cashier my credit card. “You’d make a killing as a waitress if you could smile and be nice to people.”
“Hey, I’m buying your drink right now.”
“But I’m different.” She pointed to her face and smiled. “My natural charm removes your natural defenses.”
She was one hundred percent right, but I wouldn’t admit it. “Eh… sure. Let’s go with that.”
“You bitch.” She laughed though she tried to school her features into a mask of indifference.
“Please stop.” I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “You look constipated.”
“Here you go.” The cashier handed me back my card with a slight scowl on her face. “Next.”
“I don’t think she appreciated our swagger.” Ella rolled her eyes with a huge grin on her face.
“Most don’t.” It felt so weird and nice to be like this with someone. In all reality, she was my first real friend.
Her phone buzzed, and she huffed. “Hey, I’m going to have to go and meet one of my brother’s friends. There’s something going on.”
Our lattes got placed on the counter, and I walked over and grabbed both of them.
“Then go.” I handed her coffee to her. I’ll see you next week.”
“Are you working this weekend?” She took the drink from my hand and smiled. “And thank you for this.”
“Yeah.” I wasn’t quite sure what she
was aiming for.
“Dammit.” She pouted and sighed. “I’ll be tied up with my brother and his friends this weekend. All right, have a great weekend, and Monday we’re back on schedule. Okay?”
“Got it.” I watched her run out of the coffee shop and hoped that everything was okay.
As I hurried to my car, something cold ran down my spine. It felt as if I was being watched. As I walked past a section of trees right before my parking lot, a comforting earthy smell hit me, and all of a sudden Ella’s brother stepped out.
His shirt wasn’t tight, but the fit emphasized the muscles in his chest, and his gorgeous eyes landed on me. “What’s the hurry? Are you being chased?” He grinned.
He probably thought he was being clever. Yeah, he was a wolf and thought I was unaware, but frankly, I was the one who had the upper hand. At least, for now… “Nope, just needing to get away from you.” I turned on my heel, and as I walked past him, he reached out, snagging my arm.
“Most girls are flattered to receive my attention.” He arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
“Well, being stalked isn’t flattering in my book.” I yanked my arm away from him and tried not to shiver. His touch was way too pleasant, and it couldn’t happen again. “So why don’t you go spend your time on them and not me.” I pushed my legs to walk fast, gaining distance between us, but he was watching me, so moving at a speed I wanted to wasn’t a good idea.
“Hey,” he yelled at me, but I ignored him as I hurried into the parking lot. Maybe he’d get the hint.
I arrived at work only a few hours after my last class. I hurried into an already buzzing, packed building.
The one good thing about busy nights was there were a lot of dishes I had to scrape off and clean, so I should get out of having to do anything that involved peopling.
Not wasting any time, I clocked in and headed toward the kitchen.
“Thank God you’re here.” Brad pointed at the dishwashers. “All three of them just now stopped running. Fill them up and do the remainder by hand. We’re in for a busier than normal night.”