“The same cup is fine,” he says.
I freeze and look over at him. “What?”
“I want to drink from the same cup,” he repeats quietly, staring at me with a matter-of-fact expression on his beautiful face. Does that mean…?
“I’m going to be sharing a lot more with you, after all.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, walking forward with the water in my hands. My fingers tremble and I hand him the water so I don’t have to risk dropping it.
He drinks it quickly, looking stronger by the minute, then sets it beside him on the bed stand and looks up at me. “We’re going to be mated, right?”
I bite my lip, wishing for a sassy retort, but I have none. “Why?” I ask stupidly, knowing it’s a silly, fishing question and just asking to get me hurt.
He frowns. “What do you mean, why? My body literally flew in front of yours. We’re fated.”
I bristle at that. Not the right answer for me. I lift my chin. I know I’m being stubborn, but I want to be wanted for me, not because of some uncontrollable destiny.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Fated isn’t enough,” I say. “You thought you were fated with Ava, and you were wrong about that, too, right?” My tone is bitter, but I don’t see how saying we’re fated brings any security. What I feel for him is far beyond a sense of obligation to any fate we may share.
“Misty, you don’t understand…”
I turn away and fold my arms. “People keep telling me that, but I think I understand more than they think. I may not understand all of werewolf culture, but I understand human hearts. And we’re a little of both.”
He nods, tilting his head curiously as if he doesn’t see what the problem is. He’s beautiful, that hair, that body, and oh my gosh, that face.
But would it be enough to spend a life with him, knowing how much more I felt than he did?
Either way, I don’t think I can spend it with anyone else either. I liked the idea of being fated with him, but that’s because I care for him.
“I’m going down to get Hawes,” I say. “And your family. They’ll want to see you.”
“What happened with Jack?” he asks.
“We turned him over to the tribunal.”
Lindon nods. “And Lock?”
I shake my head. “He got away.”
Lindon gives me a knowing glance but doesn’t say any more. “Okay, send the family up.”
I nod. We still don’t know who killed my parents. Jack didn’t know anything about it. So we were wrong about the person trying to kill me having anything to do with my parents dying. A mystery that may never be solved. But I seem to be safe now anyway.
I stop at the door, a chill up my back as I wonder if I should be brave enough to tell Lindon all of the things I thought while I watched him dying, while I stayed with him last night.
“Misty?” he asks.
“Yes?” I say, turning around hopefully.
He raises an eyebrow. “Are you going?”
“Oh, right,” I say, heart sinking in my chest like a boat loaded with water. He didn’t have to watch me dying, so he didn’t have all of the same revelations. It makes sense.
I head to my room first to put on proper clothes. A bra, a loose tee shirt, and some yoga pants that hug my curves. Then I pull my hair back up into a ponytail so that it’s not everywhere, and head downstairs.
Lindon’s family is waiting on couches around the living room. Aspen, Rafe, Hawes and a pale, blond female I don’t recognize, and Rowan all sit facing each other with wan faces and blank expressions.
Hawes stands. “Misty, this is Rose, my mate.” He beams with pride despite the stress lines on his face, and I force a smile as I walk forward and shake her hand.
Rowan stands and grips my hand in both of his. “Thank you so much for taking care of him.” Then he pulls me into a harsh hug. “I don’t know what we’d have done if you hadn’t been there.”
“Really?” I ask quietly. “I mean, I felt like I was hogging him.”
Rafe chuckles and some of the others join in nervously. Hawes pulls me away from Rowan and into the kitchen while they wait.
“How is he doing?” he asks.
“Good, he’s awake and asking for the family.” Well, that’s not completely true. I’m the one who wanted to run away and used the family as an excuse. But I did know that they were probably dying to see him and know he was okay. I know I waited all night for that.
“Alright, I’ll go see him,” Hawes says. “You should probably say goodbye.” He gestures outside and I see cars out front, and a cab, and suitcases. Of course, the other men.
I guess everyone agrees with Lindon at this point. It’s over, and I’m going to be with him. And it’s what I wanted, so why do I feel just the tiniest bit bitter? I have a man who would sacrifice his life for me. But…doesn’t love me.
He’s fated to me, but he didn’t…choose me.
I open the front door as Hawes takes the family upstairs.
Thor turns to see me, and his face pales. Bradley and Asher also freeze, hands on their suitcases, which they are loading into the cab.
Tim and Tom are next to a Limo, and they walk over to give me a hug, squishing me between them. I hug back, and then Thor joins, and then Fifi, and then it’s just a big ball of men with me laughing and crying between them.
I pull back, wiping a tear that’s just from the emotion of saying goodbye to them all. They’ve been good to me, for the most part.
“I’m still going to finish that book,” Thor says, a half smile on his face.
I nod. “Good.”
“Tell me if you need someone to make a wedding cake,” Bradley says, coming to give me a hug of his own. He smells amazing. “I never told you what my family does. We own a bake shop.”
I grin and playfully swat his arm. “Ha, so that’s why you were so good at baking.”
He grins guiltily and puts a hand behind his neck. Then he waves goodbye and steps over to the cab.
Asher is next, and he stands there awkwardly as Tim and Tom wave goodbye and take off in the Limo. “I…you’re not bad,” he says. “I think you ended up with the right man.”
“Thanks for the self defense help,” I say.
He blushes and starts to walk away, waving his hand. But then he turns back and envelops me in a rough hug. Then he flips around again. He walks to the cab and yells over his shoulder. “And tell that asshole if he hurts you, I’ll kill him.”
“Will do,” I say, a smile touching the corners of my lips.
Thor gives me a hug. He’s tall and hard and fun to hug, and I’ll genuinely miss his weirdness around.
“What will you do now?” I ask him.
“Go back home,” he says, looking slightly haunted. “What else can I do? I’ll have to answer to the pack.”
“Thor?” I say, letting him go.
“Yeah?”
“Let me know if you hear from him.”
His face tenses a little, then relaxes. He gives me a smile. “If I can, I will.”
“And get a copy of that book, it’s on Amazon.”
“Will do,” he says, making a little salute. “Does it have a happy ending?”
I pause, thinking about it. Depends if you think about the book or the man who wrote it. “I don’t know,” I say.
“I hope it does,” he says, winking at me. Then he gets into a red sports car and pulls away.
I just stand there, stunned. The more I got to know him, the more I felt was under that shell. But I don’t have much time to think about it, because Fifi is now enveloping me in a flowery hug, and I cough and peel him off because he’s a little too strong.
“You’re strangling her,” Matt says, pulling him off. Fifi just shrugs and looks off in the distance. Matt puts a hand on my shoulder. “You know, I think I will miss you.” She pulls a note from her pocket. “Here’s my contact info. Get in touch if you want to. It’d be nice to have a girl friend.”
> I warm and give her a wide grin and a deep blush spreads over her cheeks.
“Don’t get all weird about it, commoner,” she says, turning on her heel and walking away.
Fifi grins and follows her, giving me a wave. “Take care of Lindon,” he says.
“Will do,” I say.
“Take care of each other,” Matt corrects.
I nod.
How to do that I’m not really sure. But as I watch the last of my new friends and potential suitors drive away, the finality of it all really sinks in.
It’s just me and Lindon now.
So what happens when his family leaves? My heart skips a beat at the thought.
Chapter 9
I head back upstairs, hearing Lindon’s family talking loudly behind his closed door. I feel like an outsider once again. I walk down to my room and open the door and walk in and shut it behind me, breathing a sigh of relief to have a moment alone.
I eye the bed. Tempting. But I still feel like I have to get clean first. I have Lindon’s blood on me and all of the males’ scents, including probably Lock’s. I lock the bedroom door, put a chair against the knob just in case, so I’m not bothered, and hop in the shower.
The warm water seems to wash away my stress, but it also lets me feel how tired I really am. Maybe I’m just overreacting to Lindon right now because I’m exhausted.
I finish my shower and stumble out, taking just enough time to put my hair in a loose braid and tie off the bottom, and put on my pajamas. I crawl into bed with a sigh, and my last thought before drifting off is Lindon’s face. Smiling.
I go to sleep peacefully.
When I wake up, it’s light outside still. Did I barely sleep at all? I groan and push my hair behind my ears, feeling like I’ve both slept forever and not slept at all. It’s still morning outside. Did I sleep for an entire day? I look at the clock. It’s earlier than it was when I went to sleep, so I must have.
I groan again, louder this time, and sink back into the covers. I feel weak from hunger, grumpy from stress, and hot and sticky from being in bed too long.
A knock sounds at my door and I growl and hide under my sheets.
“Misty?” Lindon calls out, sounding far too good for someone who was shot like a day ago.
I don’t answer.
“Misty, we need to talk. I’ve given you privacy because it feels like you’ve got a chair in front of your door, and you probably needed to sleep, but we need to talk. You’re misunderstanding something.”
Or maybe I understand things just fine. Maybe I don’t want to hear anymore from him right now. I’m not strong enough for more of his fated talk.
Not before breakfast.
But I make no move to get up or open the door. I just stare at it, a little nervous about even seeing the man behind the door.
“Come on, Misty, open up.” His voice is melodic and sexy. He sounds much freer than before. Maybe even before the shooting. I swallow. I don’t know how to deal with this Lindon. He’s not being snarky and mean.
But he doesn’t love me. And I love him. I know this really well, because I felt it deep inside me as I watched him hurt.
I pull the covers over my head again and hide, as if it’s my own little cave where no one can find me.
How did I end up in this mess? Werewolves everywhere. No job anymore. And just me and a supermodel gorgeous blond in a gargantuan mansion.
Life could be worse, right? So why am I so nervous? Maybe because once we’re mated it can’t be undone, and I’d be locked into a marriage of obligation for life?
Yikes.
“If you don’t let me in, I’m going to pull a Thor and climb your wall.”
That thought makes one corner of my mouth twitch in a smile. Ha, I’d like to see him try. Sensible, stuffy Lindon couldn’t possibly…
But then I hear footsteps walking away from the door. I jump from the bed and stumble to the door and pull the chair away from it. “Wait, Lindon…” He shouldn’t be doing that in his condition.
When I yank open the door he swings out from beside it, mischievous gold eyes winking at me. He grabs me around the waist and pulls me against him, inhaling deeply.
“I missed you,” he says, running a hand through my curls.
“I look a mess,” I say, blushing as he holds me tight. It feels good, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t want to hope this means something it doesn’t. If I don’t get my hopes up, then I can’t be hurt.
“You look perfect,” he says, placing a kiss to my head. He pulls back and frowns when he looks down at me. “What’s wrong?” he asks.
I shrug, feeling tears prick the corners of my eyes. But I hold them back.
“Misty, what happened? Did I do something? Do I need to use another free pass? Told you I’d need them.”
I swipe at my eyes, making sure they’re dry. “No,” I say. “Just glad you’re okay. That was a close one. It was torture to watch.”
“Yeah, Hawes said you stayed with me all night. Another reason I thought you needed sleep.” He runs his hands over my arms, bringing the blood back into them. “Another sign we’re fated?”
I shake my head at that and take a small step backwards. Puzzlement wrinkles his perfect nose and one eyebrow raises in question.
“I’m hungry,” I say. “Do we have anything to eat?”
“Do we,” he says. “You should see what everyone brought. Come on, let’s go down and feed you.”
I walk forward but stumble on trembling legs.
“Here,” he says, sweeping me up into his arms.
“No,” I stutter. “You aren’t strong enough yet…your wound.”
“Is completely healed. I have good healing ability. Once things started to turn around, they turned around fast.” He ignores my struggles and carries me down the stairs.
“No, stop. I’m too heavy.”
He sighs at me as he takes me to a couch in the living room and gently plops me on it. “Misty?”
“Yes?” I ask bashfully.
“Let me go back to being the hero, all right?” His voice is stern, but his eyes are twinkling, so I humph and turn around on the couch, facing away from him.
I can hear things clinking in the kitchen, water running, the fridge opening and closing.
When he comes back, he’s holding two plates, both piled with fruit, pancakes, and whipped cream. He hands mine to me and then sits on a couch across from me.
He watches me with wicked eyes as he lifts a berry to his mouth and bites slowly into it with perfect, white teeth.
I just stare down at my plate, wondering how I’m going to eat all of this.
“Eat up,” he says, putting the rest of the berry in his mouth and running a pink tongue over his lower lip to catch the juices. “You’re going to need your strength for what I have planned.”
Damn.
I start eating. My heart may be wary about this whole thing, but damn does my body respond to him.
I finish eating in silence, and when I’m happy and full I look up to see him staring at me with intensity in those golden eyes.
What exactly is going on behind all that gilded beauty?
He runs a hand slowly through his clean, tousled blond hair and I lick my lips in response. The air grows thick and heady around us and for once we don’t have to worry about upsetting anyone else in the house.
For better or for worse, it’s just us now.
Lindon swallows, and I watch the muscles in his chest and arms tighten as his gaze lingers on my body.
I put one finger up to my mouth and lick the juice off, slowly sucking the tip in and then releasing it with a little pop. His eyes widen and he pounces forward, lifting me in the air and running for the stairs.
I laugh at how strong he is. I’m not a small woman and he makes me feel like I weigh nothing. So tall and so strong.
“Lindon…” I say, uncertainty rising in me even as excitement is bursting through. “I…”
“What?” He asks, kick
ing open the door to his room and dropping me on his bed.
He folds his arms and stands there, tall and commanding, waiting for my objections.
I run my tongue over my lips as I look him over from head to toe.
No objections here, your honor.
He’s wearing low-slung sweat pants that reveal perfect, cut ken doll lines and a tank top that leaves a sliver of tanned skin showing at his trim waist line. His powerful pecs and shoulders rise out of the thin tank top, uncontained. His muscles flex as he waits for me to speak.
But I don’t have any words anymore. My tongue feels fuzzy in my mouth, and Lindon’s scent is releasing into the air, making me ache as I’ve never ached before. I need him inside me, now.
He gives me a quiet, knowing smile, and the arousal just spikes higher. I need him. I want him. I love him.
But still I dig my hands into the sheets and tell myself to stay strong. Tell him what’s bothering you, Misty.
But then we might fight, and if we fight, there’s a chance he won’t do me.
And I really want him to do me.
He clucks his tongue as if sensing my hesitation. “You’re impossible, you know that, right? You’ve been chasing me for days and now that I’m here, ready to claim you, you’re hesitating as if someone just offered you a half-eaten banana. What do you want, for me to get on one knee?”
“It wouldn’t hurt,” I joke.
His expression darkens. “We don’t work like that, Misty. But I am going to claim you. You know it and I know it.”
I swallow, still heating up as his scent overwhelms me. I still don’t know how to describe it. It’s like joy, translated into a scent. It just makes my heart full to breathe it in, makes my whole body come alive with wanting, and makes my whole view of the universe center in on this man.
And he hasn’t even touched me yet. Still, there’s a slight hesitation in my heart as I watch him.
He presses his lips together. “I guess I have no choice.” He turns and storms from the room, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter 10
I wince, feeling cold at the loss of him. I’m about to get up and follow him, wanting to beg for forgiveness, to say anything, just so he comes back, when he comes in with a sheaf of papers in his hands. He tosses them toward me. They’re paper-clipped and they land in a thump on the end of the bed. I crawl over and gingerly pick them up, looking at the title.
Alpha Contender Boxed Set: BWWM Paranormal shifter romance BBW Page 29