by Jen L. Grey
“It wasn’t on purpose.” I’d rather we hadn’t met either. It would make things easier on both of us.
“Oh, I know.” He met my gaze. “And you protected my sister way better than Alec ever could. Please come so both Ella and I make it out in one piece.”
The next words that I spoke were going to change my life forever. I knew better. I’d been fighting this hard, but ‘’yes’’ fell from my lips. Our bond somehow had already begun forming. It was too late to turn back. One night couldn’t hurt. “Just let me go change real fast.”
“I’ll be waiting in the car.” He grinned at me, which made my breath catch.
I headed back into the house, already regretting my decision. Not only was it a piss-poor one, but I would never hear the end of it from my guardians. It was strange, but that was how I thought about them though they weren’t a couple. They were straight and had more action in a day than I had my entire life. But they refused to settle down with anyone because of me, which made me feel more damn guilty.
“So who was that?” I hadn’t even taken a step into the den before Kassie was already asking questions.
“The brother of one of my friends.” I cringed when I said the last word.
“Friend?” Mona closed her eyes and lifted her head toward the ceiling. “Hallelujah.”
“See, this makes me want to take my decision back.” Even though I hadn’t meant for it to happen, she had become a friend.
“No, honey.” Kassie gave me a sad smile. “We’re thrilled that you have them, and they’re wolves. You need to be around your people.”
“They’re not my people.” I wasn’t Queen. I wished they’d stopped talking to me like I was. “I’m a human.”
“Honey, humans don’t have to go see a witch every few weeks.” Mona frowned and sighed. “In fact, they avoid them. You actively seek one out.”
“Just go have fun.” Kassie gave Mona a warning gaze. “We’ll stop teasing you. Anyway, Mona and I were thinking about going to the bar down the street and finding a couple of good lays.”
“Ew.” I felt like they were my parents, so I didn’t want to think of them like that. Yes, I may have been an adult, but I hadn’t matured that much. “Please stop.”
“We’re grown women who have needs too.” Mona snorted, getting a kick out of my reaction.
“On that note, I’m glad I decided to go.” I shook my head and bounded up the stairs.
I looked in the mirror and figured my yoga pants and shirt weren’t going to make the cut, so I began scavenging my closet. I found a pair of skinny jeans and a low-cut floral top that tied in the front. It was comfortable but low cut enough to where I wouldn’t stand out as a prude or a slut.
Running a brush through my long red hair, I glanced in the mirror. My hair always made me stand out, but I refused to dye it. It hurt to see my reflection; it was easy to tell who my parents were once the connection was made. I grabbed my makeup and quickly put it on before I began overthinking everything.
I took one last look in the mirror. My eyeliner brought out the blue more, and my lip gloss emphasized my full lips. Taking a shaky breath, I turned and marched out of the house before either Mona or Kassie could say anything else.
As I stepped outside, I stopped in my tracks.
Mason leaned against the driver’s side door of his car, looking fine as hell. His eyes scanned over me. A small grin spread across his face. “You look incredible.”
“Uh…” I glanced at the ground and bit my bottom lip. I’d received compliments like those fairly often, but they were usually by drunken idiots or guys who wanted to get into my pants. “Thanks.” I forced my head up and stared at his eyes. “Should I drive my car too?”
“Well, I asked if you’d come to my fight tonight.” He tilted his head and pointed at his car. “I wouldn’t have stayed here if I didn’t want to take you myself.”
“It’s really no problem.” I didn’t want him to feel as if he was obligated to me. We may have been mates, but that didn’t mean I wanted to control his life. “It’s fine. You’ll want to go out with your friends or something afterward.”
“Actually, no.” He chuckled hard. “I want to hang out with you.”
My heart sped up at all the implications that statement could mean. “We need to take this slow. Maybe this is a bad idea.” I began to turn around when he jogged over to me and took my hand. It was definitely a bad idea.
“I gotta admit I’m not used to working for this.” He threaded his fingers through mine.
“But I’m not asking you to.” My breath hitched, causing the words to come out as just a whisper, but the smile in his eyes told me he heard.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t want to.” He lifted his free hand and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. “We can take this as slow or fast as you want.”
“But Brid--”
“Please don’t say her name again.” He winced and shook his head. “Let me be clear. From this point on, there won’t be anyone but you.” He winked at me. “Let’s just see how this goes.”
“You’re playing dirty.” He knew what he was doing.
“Whatever it takes to get you in the car.” He tugged on my hand and took a few steps backward toward his car.
“So total exclusivity?” I sounded kind of childish, but we were already in too deep to turn this around. “For both of us? This seems a little too sudden. Everyone knows you’re a womanizer.” I had to remember that. He would be fine without me. A lot better off than with me.
“I promise. And those days are far behind.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” We needed to stop talking about it, and now. “Let’s go.” I started to walk around his car when his hand pulled me to a stop to face him again.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Was he playing games now? It would be best if he were. “What?”
“It’s only proper if I open your door.” He strolled over to the car and opened the passenger door. “You were about to jump in before I could do this.”
My heart wanted to burst from my chest. “No, I’ve got it.” I strode over and pushed him aside as I got into the car. As soon as I was settled, he shut the door before I could and walked around to his side.
I had to get my act together and calm my ass down. As he slid into the seat beside me, his earthy scent filled my nose. He smelled like home.
He started the car and looked in his rearview mirror. He had a Mazda that wasn’t much bigger than my Civic and had to be at least five years older, but it was kept in good condition.
“I honestly wasn’t sure if you would say yes.” He put the car into DRIVE and pulled onto the road.
“Technically, I didn’t say yes.” I had to make sure I didn’t do anything to confuse him. We were both going to make this harder, but maybe I could enjoy one night with him before I pushed him away completely.
“Really? You’re going to keep fighting this?” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Am I that hard to read?” At least I wasn’t showing all my feelings like I’d been afraid I did. So maybe I had more composure than I realized.
“Yeah, you are.” He frowned and shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
I wasn’t even going to expand on that one.
“Where are we going?” I needed to change the subject and fast.
“I thought we’d grab something to eat first.” He slowed down at a pizza place. “Your stomach has been growling ever since we went outside.”
“But you’ll be late to your fight.” I glanced at the time and saw that it was already six-thirty. I hadn’t planned for this. I was only supposed to ride with him to the fight and back. No eating, no spending intimate time together. I definitely would’ve said no if I knew about this.
“Not at all.” He pulled into a parking spot and turned off his car. “It starts at eight, so we have plenty of time to get a pizza.”
“Okay.” That sounded good, and I
was already in his car. If I jumped out and ran home, it would probably raise more questions and intrigue him even more, so I was stuck with my decision. The good thing was that I’d had my mind set on pizza ever since he rang my doorbell. “But remember, this is just as friends.”
“Yup. Totally exclusive friends.” He saluted me. “Got it.” He jumped out of the car and sprinted to my side.
He looked fucking ridiculous but so damn sexy at the same time. He was going to be my undoing.
“Here you go.” He opened the door and held his hand out for me to take it.
I hadn’t expected that, so of course, I reached out and placed my hand in his. The buzzing was now a pleasurable shock that sprang to life, and my wolf howled inside.
His breath caught as I stood on my own two legs.
“No fucking way.” He ran his free hand through his hair. “How is this possible?”
“What?” I forced my expression to remain indifferent and took a deep breath, trying to prevent my heart from racing. Not only was he confused since he thought I was a human, but this bond between us was escalating with little to no encouragement between us. This wasn’t how it was supposed to work, so what the hell was going on?
Chapter Ten
His eyes landed on my lips as the electricity increased the longer we touched. He leaned his head down and breathed in my scent.
Somehow, our bond had started, and I had no clue how. Mom had always said it began from the first kiss that the couple shared. Did last night already start this? “Come on. We need to go.” I slipped away from him and tried to get him to release my hand.
Instead, he held my hand tighter. “Nice try. Let’s get you fed. I have a feeling you’re not very fun when you’re hangry.”
“Maybe you’re pushing your shortcomings on me.” It was so scary how easy this all felt. I knew I had to pull back, but I wasn’t sure how to do it right now.
“Nah, I have a feeling I’d have a hard time finding anything wrong with you.” He opened the door to the restaurant that seemed to be, once again, full of college kids.
“Is that what you say to all your dates?” I wanted to slap myself. I’d only encouraged him.
“Date, huh?” He arched an eyebrow.
“Uh... I meant…” He placed a finger over my lips, causing our connection to spring to life.
“No, I like that.” He scanned my face and smiled. “Don’t freak out. Just go with the flow, okay?”
“Okay.” I was being ridiculous. We’d just agreed to do this. “Then it’s a one-time friendly date.”
“Wow.” He chuckled. “I’ve never been so ecstatic to hear those words before.”
“Mason.” A girl with long black hair ruined our bubble. She wore a low cut top that left little to the imagination and skin-tight shorts. She straightened her shoulders, emphasizing her boobs, and tossed a piece of hair over her shoulder. “Hey. We’ve got a table over here.” She pointed over to a group that included two other girls along with Ella and Alec.
It was foolish, but I kind of thought he was taking me somewhere so we could be alone. This was better though. The less alone time we had, the better. It might at least slow down whatever tension was building between us, and I could get my head on straight.
“Oh.” He glanced over and waved at the group. “I didn’t realize you were going to be here.”
When Ella’s eyes landed on me, her face lit up. “Elena.” She jumped out of her seat and hurried over to us. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s fine.” I took a step back. “I’ll just head back home. It’s no biggie.”
“No.” Both Mason and Ella said at the same time.
Ella’s eyes went to mine and Mason’s joined hands. “You didn’t know we were going to be here.”
When I tried to let go of his hand, he held on tight.
“Obviously, I didn’t, or we wouldn’t be here.” Mason huffed and glanced back at me.
“You were trying to take her somewhere, just you and her?” The dark-haired girl jerked back. “I thought you didn’t date.”
“It changed today, Meredith.” Mason glared at the girl and moved to stand slightly in front of me. “She’s officially my girlfriend, so your claws stay hidden. Got it?”
Whoa. This just accelerated, but I couldn’t bring my damn mouth to open and correct him. I didn’t want her to think she had a chance with him. This was a fucking awful idea.
“Humph.” She cut her amber eyes to me. “Don’t get too excited. He’ll be crawling into my bed before it’s all over.”
“No, I won’t be.” He lifted his chin and growled. “And don’t talk to her that way again.”
“Maybe instead of just opening your legs whenever a guy gives you attention, you could develop a good personality.” Ella crossed her arms and stared the girl down. “I mean you should at least try to have one redeeming quality.”
I loved that girl so fucking much, but I refused to be talked down to. “Usually the type who threaten are overcompensating for something.” I turned and fixed my gaze on hers. “Do you have daddy issues or something?”
Meredith jerked back as if she was slapped. “You…”
“It’s best if you shut the hell up.” Mason scowled at her. “The next words you say will make me come unglued, and we’re around…” He glanced at me and cleared his throat, “a lot of people.”
“Be a good girl, and let my brother have his date.” Ella winked at me and turned on her heel. “Besides, I like them together.”
Meredith glared at me as she slammed right into my shoulder in an attempt to knock me aside.
I stood tall and shoved back into her too. I wasn’t going to let someone treat me like that. If I did, things were only going to get worse.
She stumbled and fell to the ground with a loud thud. “You bitch.”
Mason lurched forward, but I tugged him back.
“The number-one rule of taking on someone is making sure you can win.” I squatted so I was close to eye level with her. “Don’t fuck with me.”
“Girl, I love you so much.” Ella laughed so hard she clutched her side. “That’s been a long time coming.”
“Come on.” Mason stepped around Meredith, making the situation that much more comical. “There’s an open table over here.”
Not wanting to be a complete ass, I gave her a wider berth, but when I glanced at her one more time, something like respect reflected in her eyes.
Yeah, I wasn’t going to analyze that one. I followed after him as he made his way to a table that was across the restaurant in the corner.
When he reached the table, he pulled out the chair for me. “I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s fine.” I sat, and he stepped over to his chair. “I mean we’re just friends after all.”
“No, it’s not, and we both know better, no matter how desperate you are to not admit it.” He ran his hands through his short hair. “I’m going to be honest. I’ve never dated someone.”
“You don’t say?” He acted like that was brand new information.
“Touché.” He leaned back in his seat as the waitress appeared. “Hi, do you guys know what you want?”
My stomach growled loudly once more. “Can I get a large pizza with all the meats?” Oh crap, I was used to being alone. “I mean if that’s okay with you.”
“Make it two.” He tapped the table with his finger. “And I’ll take a Coke.”
“Water for me, please.” I gazed out the window, not quite sure what to say next.
“So, you’ve got two moms?” He leaned back in his seat and got comfortable.
“Yeah, something like that.” Eventually, I would have to tell him my story, but it wasn’t going to be tonight. So I gave him the shortened version. “My parents died young, and Kassie and Mona took care of me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He winced and scratched the back of his neck with his hand. “I didn’t realize.”
“Don’t.” Flashes from that day filtered
through my head. I couldn’t break down here. “I… don’t want to talk about it.”
“Yeah, okay.” He nodded his head and licked his bottom lip. “Well, they sure seem nice. I mean this is a stupid question, but do you know them well?”
Ah, he was fishing. “Of course. I’ve lived with them every day for the past twelve years. Why would you ask that?” He was trying to figure out how much I knew about wolves.
“No reason.” He cleared his throat and pursed his lips to the side. “You’re enjoying making me squirm.”
“What?” I mashed my lips together, trying to hide my laugh. “No.” But it slipped through anyway.
“You sneak.” He laughed and reached over the table, taking my hand in his. The electricity sprung to life, and my wolf howled louder in my head.
I yanked my hand back, but the place he had touched still tingled. I was playing a dangerous game, and I could only hope that I knew what I was doing.
We rolled up to the gym about a quarter till fight time.
“Are you sure we aren’t late?” I’d been stressing the entire time. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“Aw, that’s cute.” He parked the car and turned to face me. “I’ll be fine. Come on; let’s head inside so I can make sure you and Ella are settled before my fight.”
I jumped out of the car before he had a chance to open my door. Boundaries. I needed to have boundaries. “They should already be in there. They left before we did.”
“Alec likes to get here early. That’s all.” We strolled through the parking lot toward the building.“I’m surprised that you haven’t asked me why I do this yet.” He caught up to me and took my hand.
I tried releasing my hand from his grasp, but once again he held it firmly in his. “Ella already told me about your mom.” I hoped he was okay with the fact that she had.
“Of course she did.” He shook his head and squeezed my hand. “It’s going to take some getting used to.”