by Sophie Stern
New Amy is bold.
New Amy is un-fucking-believable.
And New Amy has a choice to make.
Am I going to do what I’ve always done and pussy out when the going gets tough? Adam asked me a hard question and I have to answer it. I have to answer and what I say right now is going to change things.
I can say “nothing.
I can brush off the question.
I can continue down the road I’ve been on my entire life.
Or I can grow a pair of balls and tell him what I want to say.
“It’s almost like us meeting was destiny,” I say. “It’s almost like it was meant to be. Is that crazy?”
I hold my breath because admitting this is the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Telling this stranger I feel like we were destined to come across each other is terrifying. Nobody talks like this. Nobody says this. Not to strangers.
I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is about Adam that has me so hooked. He’s handsome, but he’s sweet. He’s smart. He’s kind. He says all the right things, but there’s a lot he doesn’t say, too. He held the door for a couple of older women when we were at the diner. He even helped them to their seats. He left a huge tip for the servers. He helped me avoid stepping in a huge puddle.
There are so many things he does that are caring and thoughtful. I’ve never met anyone like him before and I feel drawn to him. It’s an attraction, but it’s stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before.
This is magnetic.
For a brief second, I wonder if Adam is going to tell me I’m crazy. I wonder if he’s going to say I’m completely nuts, completely bonkers. I wonder if he’s going to tell me how insane I am and send me on my way, but he doesn’t.
He doesn’t.
He just looks at me, and then the sweetest smile crosses his face.
“Destiny,” he repeats. “I like it.”
And then Adam steps just a little bit closer, and he brings his lips to mine.
Chapter 6
Adam
Honey.
Cherries.
Springtime.
She tastes like everything I love the most. She tastes perfect, like heaven, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I’ve been with plenty of women, but none of them were her. None of them made me feel like her. None of them completed me like she does.
Amy melts into our kiss. She lets out a tiny little noise and moves up on her tip-toes to kiss me more deeply. It’s sweet, and she wraps her arms around my neck as we deepen the kiss.
She’s my mate.
She’s my one true mate.
She’s mine.
I run my hands through her hair and down her back, pulling her closer to me. We can’t seem to get quite close enough and I so desperately want to feel near to her. I’ve been waiting for Amy my entire life and despite what Heather says, I don’t really want to wait another day. I’m desperate for Amy. I’m needy for her.
And she’s in my arms.
I don’t know if I’m going to be able to let her go.
Suddenly, the sound of honking brings us out of our little love fog, and I realize we were making out in the middle of the road.
“Get a room!” Someone calls out as they swerve around us. I look at Amy, worried she’ll be upset, but she just giggles.
“Guess it’s time to go,” she says. Then she takes my hand and holds it tight as we walk the rest of the way to the Wolfe City Motel. She leads me to her room and stops at the door. “I’m going to get ready,” she tells me. “Then I have to go find out about getting my car fixed.”
I don’t want to leave her, but I have to go to work, too. I’m already late and Tony is going to be pissed, but I’m counting on the fact that she’s my mate and I can make him understand. She’s my mate.
“Can I see you later?” I ask her.
“Of course,” Amy looks surprised I asked. While I’m happy she wants to see me, I’m also worried and a little sad. No one really ever appreciated her before this, did they? No one really ever took the time to make her feel special. Amy is incredible and it seems like the people she knew before just didn’t get that.
Maybe they didn’t have time to notice her or maybe they were just completely self-absorbed. I’m not sure. All I know is that I plan to spend the rest of my life making it up to her. I’m going to spend the rest of my life making Amy feel loved and adored because she deserves it. She deserves to feel special and appreciated.
“Tonight?” I ask her, stepping forward. I want to kiss her again. I want to get my hands on her again. I want to run my hands up and down her arms, want to run my fingers through her hair.
“Tonight,” she repeats. “It’s a date.”
She blushes, and I run my finger over her cheek. Yeah, she’s a little shy, but that’s quite all right. She just hasn’t been truly appreciated before. Something tells me Amy doesn’t know how beautiful she is, how lovely she is.
I’m going to show her all of that.
I hand her my phone so she can punch in her number. Then I call her so she has mine. Luckily, I actually have my phone with me right now. Most of the time, I don’t even bother carrying one since I can’t bring it with me when I shift. Today, though, I’m all hers, and I’ve got everything I need to look after her.
“Where should I meet you?” She asks. “I don’t really know my way around town.”
“I’ll pick you up,” I tell her. “Is seven okay?”
“Yeah,” Amy smiles, and her grin lights up her face. “That sounds perfect.” I give her one last kiss, and then she gives me a little wave goodbye and steps back into the room. She closes the door and once more, my heart swells with hope. I can’t believe I’ve finally met her.
I’ve finally found my mate.
I stop by the front office where Heather is painting her nails at the desk.
“Fancy seeing you here,” she says dryly.
“What’s the status on her car?” I ask, but Heather shakes her head.
“Herb got it towed this morning. Found it right where she said it would be, but he won’t have a chance to look at it until after lunch. At first glance, it’s pretty fucked.”
“Is that right?” I raise an eyebrow.
“She’s going to need a new car,” Heather says. “I can pretty much guarantee it.”
Amy doesn’t look like she has a lot of money. She seems frugal and sweet, and after everything that happened with her job, I’m guessing she wasn’t prepared to be unemployed for a period of time.
She’s here now, though, and I’m going to take care of her. I’m going to look after her. I’m going to keep Amy safe. If that means buying her a new car, I’ll buy her a new car. If it means helping her find a job, I’ll help her find a job. Hell, if it means moving to Honeypot, I’ll fucking do that.
I’ll do anything for her.
I slap my credit card on the table.
“What?” Heather glances at it, confused.
“Charge me for her room,” I tell her. “However long she needs to stay, you bill me.”
“Is that right?” Heather grins mischievously.
“That’s right,” I say. “You let me worry about it. Just take care of her, okay?”
“Look,” Heather turns serious, but also takes my card and starts punching in numbers on her computer. She might be my friend, but she’s also serious about her business, and she’ll let me pay for the room if it means she’s getting paid. “She’s a sweet girl and yesterday, I thought you were being a little crazy, but I saw the way she was looking at you.”
“And what way is that?”
“Like you’re her magical prince,” Heather says. “Like you’re her hero. Like you’re coming to save her.”
“I’m her mate, Heather,” I say. “I’ll do anything for her.”
“I get the feeling she’s been hurt before. Just be careful, Adam. She might seem strong, but I think she’s really hurting. Tread lightly.”
I nod, but don’t say anything.
There’s not really anything else to say. I’m not going to do anything to hurt Amy. I never would. The only thing I want to do is help her, save her. The only thing I want to do is love her.
When I leave Heather’s, I head straight for Tony’s. I should have been at work hours ago, but I wasn’t, and I’m sure I’m going to have my ass handed to me when I walk in. It doesn’t matter because Amy is the one. If spending the morning with her means I need to find a new job because Tony can’t handle it, that’s fine. Even as I think this, though, I realize I need to explain myself to him.
Tony and I have been friends for as long as I can remember and he’s one of the top dogs in the pack. He can make my life heaven or hell in the Wolfe City Pack, and I prefer heaven.
“Nice to see you finally decided to show up,” he says, looking pointedly at the clock when I walk in. It’s nearly 11:00, which means the lunch crowd is going to arrive shortly.
“I can explain,” I say.
“I’d like to see you try.” He stands with his arms crossed over his chest. He’s lean and tall, like most wolves, and his features are dark. Tony isn’t the kind of person you mess with. He’s the kind of person who demands respect from everyone he meets.
We’ve been working together for a long time, but today is the first time I’ve blown off work. I’ve never even missed work before, let alone missed without giving him a courtesy call.
“I think it’s pretty awful that my manager couldn’t be bothered to ring me or return a phone call when he was going to be hours late,” Tony says. “I was worried,” his voice softens. “What happened, Adam?”
“I found my mate,” I choke the words out, suddenly filled with emotion. I didn’t mean to make him worry. I just wanted to spend time with her.
“What?”
“My mate, Tony. She’s here. She’s in Wolfe City.”
“How?” He asks, shaking his head, shocked. “Who? Is it someone I know?”
“No, she’s…she’s human.”
If I didn’t have his attention before, I really have it now. It’s uncommon for wolves to be mated with anyone other than a wolf. There are a couple of wolves in the pack who are mated to bears or tigers, but humans? That’s almost completely unheard of.
“A human? How did she end up here?”
“Her car broke down outside of town.”
“Is Herb fixing it?”
“Yeah, but it’s going to be a day or two.”
“That doesn’t give you a lot of time to convince her to stay,” Tony says.
“If she goes, I’ll go with her,” I tell him honestly. “I’ll do anything for her.” His eyes widen and I know I’ve got him.
“Is that right?” He asks.
“Yeah, that’s right. She’s the one, Tony. I know it.”
The big wolf closes the distance between us and wraps me up in a hug. It’s unexpected, but I’ll take it because Tony really is one of my favorite people in the world. Being in a pack doesn’t mean we do everything together, but it does mean we’re always there for each other. When something big happens, when someone needs us, we’re there.
And Tony is here for me today.
“You’re a lucky wolf,” he says.
“I know it.”
“When do I get to meet her?”
“We’re having dinner tonight,” I tell him. I don’t mention that Heather was originally going to bring Amy in to the restaurant at lunch and arrange a “surprise” meeting for us. I’m secretly glad I ran into her at the diner, though I should find out if Heather suggested Amy eat there or if it really was a happy coincidence.
It was nice getting to meet her and getting to know her without too many prying eyes on us. It was nice getting a little bit of time to just enjoy Amy’s company this morning.
“Good,” Tony says. “You can eat here.”
“Is that so?” I raise an eyebrow.
“You’ll eat here. I’ll cook for you,” Tony says.
“Thanks, brother,” I tell him.
“She’s a lucky girl,” Tony says with a wink. “Now get to work.”
Chapter 7
Amy
So my car is completely done.
It needs a new engine and about five other new parts that I can’t afford and to be honest, even if I could, aren’t worth buying. The cost to repair the vehicle is much higher than its current value and when Herb tells me, I almost burst into tears.
It’s just one more thing.
It’s one just more problem.
It’s just one more issue I have to deal with.
Herb is gentle with me when he explains the situation. He offers to buy the car from me at a fair price and I know he’s being generous, for some reason. It’s not worth what he’s offering.
“I’ll give you a few minutes, all right?” He says, and I nod, grateful for the privacy he’s offering. A little bit of alone time is exactly what I need to decide what I’m going to do. Herb walks away and I start pacing in the little waiting room. There’s an old, vinyl couch and a vending machine, but I don’t want a snack and I don’t want to sit.
I want to clear my head.
After a few minutes, I decide to get out of the tiny waiting room. I walk outside and away from the shop. There are a couple of people standing around outside and I’m reminded of the diner this morning when so many heads turned toward me. There are two women and three men here now. I’m not sure if they work at the auto-body shop or if they’re just hanging out. Someone sniffs the air and I blush. Do I stink? Fuck. I showered, but maybe I got sweaty earlier. I’m not sure.
People in Wolfe City seem to have very sensitive noses, either way.
“Hello,” one of the guys says to me.
“Um, hi,” I give a little wave. I don’t really want to make friends right now, but I also don’t want to be rude. I want to wallow in self-pity and feel bad about my bad luck. I can’t believe my car is completely finished. I can’t believe I broke down in the middle of nowhere and my car is just done.
I guess I’ll be here for a couple of days, after all. I’m sure Hope will come pick me up, but I don’t want to burden her, so I should arrange a moving truck or rent a car for a couple of days. I’m not really even sure where to start, though.
With all of these thoughts swimming through my head, I don’t notice the people moving closer to me until they’ve almost completely surrounded me.
“Where are you from?” One of the women asks, not unkindly. She’s got dark red hair pulled back in a ponytail and a bright smile. Her tank top shows off her delicate curves and I’m caught off-guard by just how pretty she is. I’m not usually interested in women, but she’s something else.
“Missouri,” I tell her.
“You’re a long way from home,” one of the guys says. He runs his hand up and down my arm and I shiver, but not from fear: from arousal. What is with the people in this town? Adam this morning was incredible, and I’m looking forward to our date. I’m looking forward to spending more time with him, to getting to know him. I’m looking forward to getting to know everything about him.
But right now, I’m starting to get horny, and it’s a strange feeling for me.
Strangers don’t turn me on.
Not ever.
Another girl steps forward and smiles at me gently.
“What’s your name?” She asks. She reaches for my hand and I let her hold it. I’m not sure why. I’m just overwhelmed for a second at all of the sensations, at all of these eyes on me. They’re all looking at me like they positively want to eat me up. This isn’t something that happens to me.
Ever.
This is something that happens to popular girls, to cheerleaders. This sort of thing doesn’t happen to the nerdy girl with the glasses and the frizzy hair.
“Amy,” I manage to finally say.
“Well, Amy,” the second girl says, running a finger up my arm. “You’re very beautiful. Do you know that?”
The rest of the group murmurs in agreement and I smi
le.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“Do you have a boyfriend, Amy?” One of the guys steps up behind me and starts touching my hair. I shouldn’t let him. I should resist. I shouldn’t let strangers touch me like this. I shouldn’t let them turn me on like this, especially when I have a date in a few hours.
It’s difficult, but I manage to shake my head and step away from the little group.
“I do,” I tell them. “Sorry.”
Then, even though it’s completely rude and will probably irritate everyone, I scurry back inside the mechanic’s shop and sit down on the worn vinyl couch. A few minutes later, Herb reappears.
“Have you made a decision, hon?”
“Yeah,” I tell him, still aroused, still quivering from my brief encounter outside. “Take it. You can take the car. I just need to get my stuff out of it.”
“Not a problem,” he says. “Would you like me to drop everything off at the motel for you?”
“What?” I ask. “You’d do that?”
“Of course,” he waves his hand. “Not a problem, my dear. I can bring it with me on my way home tonight. Heather would have my tail if I didn’t.”
“Your tail?” I ask before I can stop myself. He just winks at me and heads behind the desk.
“Here’s a check,” he says, writing something down. “For the vehicle.”
He hands it to me and I grip it tightly. In my hands, I now hold my future. This money is what’s going to get me to Honeypot, or at least get me through the week. I still have to go pay for my hotel room for tonight. I still have to figure out what I’m going to wear on my date tonight. I still have to figure out what I’m going to do with the future.
“Would you like someone to walk you back?” Herb asks kindly. “It’s no problem at all. I know there were some, uh, people out there talking to you.”
I wave him off as I keep staring at the check. My mind is going into overdrive. I need to call Hope. I need to talk to Heather. I need to figure out what the hell I’m going to wear on this date tonight.
“It’s fine,” I tell him. “But thank you.” I look up at him and Herb is watching me carefully. He seems to see everything. For an older guy, not a lot gets past him. “I really appreciate it.”