She didn’t want to be too hopeful, but it seemed like she and Carter were hitting it off.
Carter leaned close. “How’s your ankle?”
“Getting better.”
“Good.” He smiled, warming her heart. “Want to take a walk? They just lit up the gazebo.”
Faith followed his line of sight to the pier jutting into the lake. At the end, a gazebo had been illuminated with strings of miniature white lights. The night was completely dark, and not a single star peeked from the lumbering cloud cover.
It smelled like rain.
“All right.”
Carter pulled out her chair and waited for her to lead the way. As David Gray played softly in the background, they wound around the pool—passing Nate and Bimbo who pretended not to notice them—and down to the beach. They ascended the few steps onto the dock, and then walked side by side to the end, where a bench stood. The water was pitch black, and the warm lights of the houses along the shore looked like they were calling people home.
“I can’t thank you enough,” he said as they sat on the bench seat beneath the lights. “You’ve got them eating out of your hand.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“You do.” His gaze heated the side of her face. “Did you trip on purpose?”
She laughed and covered the tear in her dress with her hand. “No, but it worked out pretty well, didn’t it?”
“You certainly got the sympathy vote.”
For the next few minutes, nothing but the sound of water lapping against the wood posts of the pier filled the silence between them. Faith couldn’t even hear her own heartbeat. She was completely at ease with him.
Their eyes met, and for a split second, Faith thought he was going to lean in and kiss her.
“Want another drink?” he asked quickly, averting his gaze to the lake. “I’d like another drink.” He stood, brushing his hands down his pants. “Wine?”
She nodded. “I guess. Sure.”
“Wait here,” he said, then stormed down the pier.
It was quiet without him, still. The solitude under the gazebo was nice. At first. But as the minutes dragged on, Faith started to wonder if he was going to return at all. She peered through the dark at the Owenses’ house. Carter wasn’t at the bar, but she couldn’t pick him out from the other members of the pack who were also in tuxedos. Suddenly, a silhouette appeared at the end of the pier.
He was coming back.
Nerves spiraled in her belly. She breathed deeply, and slid her hands beneath her legs so they wouldn’t quiver. He was finally seeing her as someone he could be with. She’d finally gotten out of the dreaded friend zone.
She was going to owe Tracy big-time for helping her pick out this dress.
“He’s a dumbass for leaving you out here all alone,” a deep voice said.
Nate.
Deflating, she said, “He just went to get us a drink.” It didn’t feel right being out here with Nate like this. “He’ll be right back.”
“Mind if I sit?” He pointed to the bench.
Yes. “No, not at all.” Faith scooted to the end of the bench, making room for Carter’s competition.
“How long have you two been a couple?” His tone was oddly light. Like they were long-lost friends who were in need of catching up.
“About a year, off and on.”
Don’t stumble. Play the part.
“He’s dated other women this year,” he said, as rain dimpled the water around them and made a soft pitter-pat on the gazebo roof above. “Doesn’t that bother you?”
She looked at him, feigning confidence. “We haven’t been exclusive until recently. He’s dated other women, and I’ve dated other men. His relationships with them would only bother me if I was insecure about what we have.”
“And you’re not,” Nate said.
“No.”
It was raining harder now. The clouds must’ve really opened up.
Faith glanced down the pier. Empty. Carter still wasn’t coming. What would have held him up for this long?
“Well, I’ve got a confession to make,” he said softly. “The relationship he had with my fiancée bothers me. You’re a stronger person than I am to let that kind of bond roll off your shoulders.”
Faith twitched, but didn’t take the bait.
“From what Paisely says, they were close to getting married.”
“That’s nice.” Didn’t sound familiar, though. Faith mentally scrolled through Carter’s dating reel. He’d dated Paisely a few times, but he’d said they weren’t serious. A fling, he’d said. Why wouldn’t he have told her the truth? “When are you two getting married?”
Lightning ripped open the sky, illuminating the hard lines of Nate’s face.
“Next weekend.” His jaw clenched. “But we’re going to need to have a talk before then. Especially after tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
Thunder rumbled the gazebo, and a gust of wind blew through the posts, chilling Faith to the bone.
“Because I don’t like the way they’re talking.” Nate stood, paced around the bench, and rested his hands on Faith’s shoulders. He pointed to the top of the patio near the back doors of the house. “They’re standing too close. Like two people who still share something.”
Through the rain, Faith spotted two figures. One was facing the lake and the other was pressed against his or her side. As lightning illuminated the dark, the sharp angles of Carter’s face and the bright red sheen of Paisely’s dress came into view. They weren’t doing anything wrong. They weren’t kissing. She couldn’t even tell if they were touching or if they were simply standing really close together.
But Nate was right. Carter should’ve been out here with her instead of pinned against the wall by a Hollywood starlet. Although he and Faith weren’t actually dating, which meant he could stand near or touch anyone he wanted, he’d sworn not make her look foolish for the next few months.
They were at a business function.
He was supposed to be with her, his new fiancée.
And he was flirting with an ex-girlfriend.
Now she felt foolish.
Slowly, Faith glanced down at her tattered dress, the crazy-tall heels strapped to her feet, the French pedicure. She raised her chin and sighed.
She’d made a fool of herself by thinking she could pretend to be somebody she wasn’t. For thinking Carter might actually feel something for her beyond friendship. For wanting him to.
As the clouds on the horizon parted, the bright yellow glare of the moon peeked through, wrenching her heart.
“I’m sorry,” she said, taking off her heels and hooking the straps with her fingers. “I have to go.”
She left Nate in the gazebo and ran down the pier, eager to shift. Desperate to tear through these clothes and be herself again. As she hit the line of trees behind the bar, she let the energy balling in her middle explode outward. Muscles stretched and elongated. She dropped to all fours as a coat of silky brown hair covered her body. The dress fell away to tatters and the heels dropped by the wayside.
Striding through the trees and rain, Faith felt more like herself than she did at the party, in clothes that barely fit her and the heels she had to borrow from a friend.
As she took off alongside the house and headed toward the street, a few howls erupted from behind her. While in wolf form, she could sense the others. And now she was sensing that the wolf pack was confused and concerned, probably worried that she’d let someone on the street spot her. A moment later, she could tell they were sending out a few wolves to track her and bring her back.
She wasn’t stupid enough to get caught.
Paws striking fast, Faith wound around trees and made it to the front gate. Even though she knew she shouldn’t, she looked back at the Owenses’ mansion.
The front door opened.
Carter stood in the entryway, hands hanging at his sides, a look of bewilderment marring his gorgeous face.
Chapter Nine
“Faith!” In the dark, Carter banged on her front door, his fists aching from clenching them so hard. The drive home from the party hadn’t cooled him off like he thought it would. Two hours later, even after the moon had arced across the night sky, his blood was still boiling. Faith had left him high and dry. “I know you’re in there! I can smell something baking!”
No answer.
He’d stupidly waited for Faith to return to the party. He’d told the members of the bureau that she didn’t feel well, so she must not have been able to suppress the urge to shift. It happened to the best werewolves from time to time.
But she hadn’t returned.
How she got back to her place without being seen, he had no idea.
He paced along the porch, peeking in the living room windows. She had the blinds shut and the curtains drawn. Humperdinck yelped from inside and scratched at the front door.
“Faith!” He knocked on the window. “I’m not going to leave until you come out here and talk to me!”
Radio silence.
Somewhere inside, a door slammed shut, followed by extensive cursing. Suddenly the stench of something burning stung his nose. What the devil was going on? Was she in trouble? Worry niggled at his gut, replacing the irritation that’d been simmering there.
Desperation seeping in, Carter slid his hand along the top of her doorframe and brushed against her hide-a-key. He took the key, shoved it into the lock, and pushed open the door.
“Faith!”
“Damn it!’ she hollered. Smoke billowed out of the kitchen. The fire alarm went off, blaring at an inconceivable ear-piercing level. “Get the broom! Fan the alarm!”
“Are you trying to burn down the damn house?”
She waved potholders frantically over a burned pan spewing smoke. “The broom!”
He did as he was told, running to the closet and yanking out a broom. By the time he got back to the kitchen, she was hauling ass out the front door and into the rain, the smoking pan outstretched in her shaking hands. Humperdinck yelped and chased Carter down, a wild and horny look in his eye.
Smoke clung to the ceiling and somehow seemed to hover near the ringing alarm. He swished the broom in front of it, driving away the smoke. When the alarm was finally silenced, Faith reentered the living room, minus the burned dessert, huffing and puffing. She was soaked from a few seconds of being in the rain, her WSU sweater clinging to her chest.
“What were you trying to do?” he asked, continuing to swing the broom over his head. The tuxedo coat was tight over his arms, making the motion difficult. “Torch the place?”
“I was baking!” She brushed by him as she stormed into the kitchen and turned off the stove. “I was pissed off as hell and wanting to blow off some steam. I’ve heard baking relaxes people.”
“What people?”
“You know…people!”
“I’ve never heard that,” he said, watching the last traces of smoke dissipate. “What were you baking?”
“Fiery chocolate lava cake.”
He laughed and set the broom against the wall. “At least you got the fiery part right.”
She chucked a potholder at him. It hit him square in the chest, and then fell to the floor, nearly missing Humperdinck.
“Wait, how’d you get in here?” she asked, hands on her hips.
“I used your secret key.”
“I’ve seriously got to move that.” She blew wet strands of hair out of her face. “Now that you’ve got a fire show, why don’t you show yourself the door?”
“Don’t be like that.” He strode into the kitchen. She backed against the stove. “How’d you get back here without being seen?”
She planted her hands on her hips. “I ran for about a mile and then called Seattle Canine Cab Company. They had a car in the area, so I didn’t have to wait long.”
Seattle Canine Cab Company was a free taxi company paid for by the wolf pack to assist wolves who shifted at inopportune moments. They carried clothes in the trunk—most sizes stuffed in huge pieces of luggage—and dropped shifters anywhere in Seattle. Their Alpha had always been dedicated to keeping wolves out of society, so as not to spook non-shifters. Their private cab company was one way he accomplished that, successfully.
Even though Carter felt better knowing that she’d gotten home safely, with help from the pack, he couldn’t get over one thing…
“Why’d you leave the way you did?” Carter asked. “You really freaked everyone out.”
She swallowed hard and glared at him with a look of utter defiance. “The girl who went with you to the party isn’t me. I can’t be that person.”
“What are you talking about? I went with you.”
“No, you went with a glamorized version of me.” She tugged at her sweater and swiped her hand down her jeans. “This is me. Sweater, jeans, fuzzy slipper socks. The girl in the fancy dress with the heels and makeup is fake. I can’t be like that floozy Paisely Brooks.”
Was she…jealous?
“You left because of Paisely?”
“No!” She groaned, and threw another potholder at him. “I left because of who I am and who I will not be for a man. I don’t care how much you’re offering.”
“Whoever you were tonight, the council loved it. They loved you.”
She scoffed. “What makes you think that? Oh, right. You mean from the way they started chasing after me when I shifted.” She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that might’ve been a clue.”
“That was precautionary. To make sure you weren’t going to do anything stupid. They like you, but trusting you will take longer.” Carter took off his tux coat, draped it over one of the dining room chairs, and loosened his tie. “Mrs. Owens personally invited us to a couple’s retreat in Victoria on Vancouver Island next weekend. Nate and Paisely were invited, too, but they can’t do it on account of their wedding. It’ll be a perfect time to get their attention trained on us. On me.”
“Oh…that’s nice of her,” she said, resting her hands on the counter behind her. “But count me out. I can’t be the person I was tonight. I was awkward and—”
“Didn’t you hear me? You were a hit. It wasn’t because of your dress or your heels. It was because they genuinely liked you. I told you to be yourself and that was the only way this was going to work.” His feet moved forward as if on their own accord. This close to her, he could pick up the subtle mixture of sugar and rain on her skin. “You can’t back out on me now. We’re in.”
“We’re in.” She spoke the words as if she was in some kind of a daze. “That’s swell, Carter. Should I wear Gucci or Prada next weekend? Should I bring flats in case I trip over something again? Or a backup dress in case I tear the first like I did tonight?”
He looked down at her, seeing a different woman than was on his arm tonight. She was confident earlier, and that self-assurance was sexy. Now she was back in her sweats, with her hair pulled in front of her shoulders, looking physically comfortable and yet completely uncertain. She’d transformed back to the Faith he knew before, the woman he enjoyed spending time with. Her big brown eyes bore into him, and something in his stomach twisted.
Wait a second…that tight, knotting feeling hadn’t been there yesterday.
“I don’t care if you wear these sweats when you meet them again,” he said, “or if you show up with no makeup and a torn and tattered dress. What matters is that you and I are in this together.”
“Together.” She blinked up at him, and when she spoke, her voice was faint. “Remember when I said I don’t like being made to look like a fool? Nate said you and Paisely are still close. Is that true?”
“So this is about Paisely?”
He was so confused. Why would Faith waste two seconds thinking about Paisely, a woman who meant nothing to him?
“Is it true?” she asked again.
“Paisely’s got serious Hollywood Syndrome and has to have all eyes on her, all the time. I finally realized I couldn’t trust he
r. I bolted. I guess she’s pissed to be the person dumped instead of the one doing the dumping.”
Faith’s breathing rhythm changed, slowed. The tension in her shoulders seemed to ease. “He didn’t make it sound that way.”
“When did you talk to Nate alone?”
“On the pier when I was waiting for you.”
“He saw me leave to get you a drink…”
“I’m assuming so.”
Conniving bastard. “What did you tell him?”
“That we’re very happy in a secure and loving relationship.” She nudged him away with her forearm. “I painted the picture you asked me to.”
Something about that whole scenario rubbed Carter wrong. Had Nate been trying to figure out if their relationship was a hoax, or had he been using the opportunity alone to flirt with Carter’s fiancée?
Friend, he corrected.
“So, are you in?” he asked. “Will you come to the retreat next weekend?”
She sighed and glared at him with narrowed eyes. “I’m packing my sweats.”
“That’s fine. All I ever wanted was for you to be you. I never intended for you to pretend you were somebody else. Nobody could keep that up.” He flicked a bag of sugar sitting on the counter. “Just promise to leave your baking supplies behind on the trip. Wouldn’t want you burning down our hotel room.”
“Wait.” She swiped her hand across her forehead, leaving behind a smudge of flour. “Our room, as in…one?”
“We are engaged, Faith.” He picked up the bag of flour and pretended to roll it closed as he turned his back on her. “Don’t you think it’d look strange if we told Mrs. Owens that we’d like her to reserve us two separate rooms?”
“Yes, but—”
“We’ve fallen asleep together on the couch a few times. We should just think of next weekend as an extended Friday night.”
So I Married a Werewolf (Entangled Covet) Page 6