But pros played hurt, he said. Pros did some stupid shit, in my opinion. Sebastian had to prove to his team that he was strong enough to lead them where they needed to go. He’d shown weakness once, and he lost everything.
A few whoops and hollers marked the end of the kiss.
“Didn’t realize we had an audience,” I said. My lips hurt. I wasn’t used to this much kissing.
Sebastian chuckled and gave a thumbs up to the guys who made kissy faces at him outside the window. Or maybe he gave them the finger. Either way, they laughed as they walked away. “With fifty-three guys on the team, I’m never alone.”
I waved at the guys who still lingered. “Maybe we can carve out a little time for ourselves later?”
That sounded way more forward out loud than I meant it to. The image of his bare body was burned into my memory, like a dirty screensaver for my conscience. I’d have to up my bad underwear game to convince myself to keep my clothes on. “Because you owe me a first date,” I added.
“I owe you a lot more than that.” His eyes swirled with promise. “We’ll have plenty of time to ourselves.”
He left me with an intense craving for another one of his kisses when he got out of the SUV. I’d gone to the restaurant last night with the crew, and now my only way back to the compound was to take his car.
I couldn’t go back to the TV show. Sebastian had so much at stake and he didn’t need to be saddled with a camera crew following his every move. He was on a suicide mission just being here. Even more so if he wanted to see me again. I was like a big, red you are here marking on a map. It was only a matter of time before Stefan’s pack came looking for retribution, whether Stefan was alive or not. I couldn’t imagine what was going through Sebastian’s head. He should’ve never gone to practice.
But he was a pro. He could mask his feelings and do what he needed to do. I hoped that didn’t apply to me. I didn’t want to get played.
After that crazy night, I didn’t want to run. I wanted more.
My eyes burned in the bright morning sun and I’d never been so happy to see the Werewife compound in my life. My plans for the day included a hot shower and crawling into my bed. Sebastian would be at practice until evening, and I didn’t envy him for a second. I needed to come up with something relaxing for the night.
That was, if he wanted to hang out with me. He’d be exhausted, and I didn’t want to be that clingy girlfriend. I wasn’t his girlfriend. He was only currently starring in my fantasies. Our first date was more of an abduction and a pack takedown.
I hadn’t even gotten the key out of the ignition before Tessa and the rest of the crew were in the driveway.
“What the hell happened to you?” Tessa put her hand over her mouth when I slid out of the SUV. My legs weren’t long enough for this thing and I landed on my ankle all wrong. Holy crap, that stung. I clung to the open door and Tessa put her hands around my waist. Normally I would’ve driven her away with a smart remark, but I was too tired to come up with anything. And her grip helped to redistribute my weight so I wasn’t seeing stars anymore. That was an improvement.
“I twisted my ankle.” I took a few tentative steps toward the condo. This was much harder when I wasn’t under Sebastian’s spell. When I didn’t have his strong arms around me. Tessa was doing the best she could, but I was trying to play it like I wasn’t that hurt. Good thing this was reality TV, because I was a lousy actress. “It’s been a long night.”
I shouldn’t have said that, either, judging from Tessa’s frown. “Naomi, you’re filthy. And covered in blood. Where’s Sebastian? He didn’t hurt you, did he? Where is he?”
“At practice.” I hadn’t had time to come up with a cover story to get production off my back. “I really need to get some sleep.”
That would buy me some time.
“Not until you tell us what happened.” Tessa’s command was firmer than her grip.
“No. Not with them here.” I glared at the woman holding the camera. “I know you’re about to give me a heaping helping of shit about not reading the contract right now. But you can’t have any right to Sebastian’s story.”
I needed to stop talking. I never functioned well on this little sleep. That filter that caught all the thoughts racing through my head disintegrated. I’d given production more ammunition than they needed. I’d been here long enough to know they’d get his story, whether it was theirs to tell or not.
Tessa stood between me and the doorway. “If you don’t tell us what happened, we’ll go to Coach Phelan. The Bloodhounds agreed to treat the show contestants with respect. So you can either tell us why you look like you got your ass kicked, or Sebastian can relay the story to Coach. We’re only concerned with your safety. It’s your call.”
Bullshit. They were only concerned with their ratings. Coming back here was dumb. I should’ve gone back to Sebastian’s condo and texted Tessa to let her know I was okay. Deep down, even in my sleep-deprived stupor, I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. My plan had been to come back and act like business as usual. Like we didn’t run out of the restaurant and my ankle didn’t look like an eggplant.
Sebastian protected himself. It was what he did in his professional and private life. For him to let his walls come crashing down and tell me about his past was a big deal. He trusted me, of all people, when so many others betrayed him. People much more important than me. His story wasn’t mine to tell. And it certainly wasn’t property of The Real Werewives of Alaska. But more than that, I couldn’t get him into hot water with his coach. He dragged his sore and tired ass to practice today because he wanted his team to know they could rely on him.
When conflict like this came into my life, I usually dealt with it by saying see you later. I ran. Unlike Sebastian, I wasn’t a professional. He fought so hard for his dream, and I couldn’t be the one to rob him of it. He trusted me. The one who’d coasted along, doing the easy thing her whole life.
No more. It was time to take a stand.
Oh, who was I kidding? There was nothing at stake for me. I had a family who’d roll their eyes and chalk this latest hiccup up to Naomi being Naomi, but they’d welcome me home. I had a home. And myriad more chances. Sebastian did not.
“Don’t get the coach involved.” My voice shook. The only part of my decision that scared me was its implications for Sebastian. There was no good outcome for him. “I’ll quit the show before I let you go to the coach.”
A couple of gasps were the only reaction to my statement. My break for it wasn’t as dramatic as it could’ve been, since each step was a hobble.
“Naomi.” Tessa ran ahead of me, forming a human barrier between me and freedom by pressing her back against the driver’s side door. “We knew all along you’d quit. You’ve quit everything you’ve ever started. Because of the nature of the show, it was in our best interest to take on a liability like you—you think you’re cute and you don’t take anything seriously. People would be rooting for you to fuck up.”
That hurt. A lot. Mostly because every single word of it was true. Tessa had the lady balls to say what everyone else in my life tiptoed around me with. “So great, you got your wish. I’m gone. I’ll do donuts with the SUV in the parking lot if you think it will be good for the show.”
I reached around her to open the door, but she didn’t budge. I wouldn’t push her to get out of my way. I was a lover, not a fighter, and that camera was rolling. And if she pushed me and I lost my balance, I’d never get back up. I’d made enough of a fool of myself already.
“I’ll let you leave the compound, but you’re not off the show.” Tessa smirked. That unread contract probably backed up whatever she was about to propose. “And if you let us keep following you, we won’t go to Coach.”
The deal basically rendered me homeless, and I was still stuck with my own personal paparazzi. Either way, I put Sebastian’s career on the line. The only thing the new arrangement did was buy us time. Sebastian got us away from the camera crew once, I was conf
ident he could do it again.
“Okay.” The word tasted like shit. Tessa would think I’d conceded, which was fine. I didn’t care what other people thought of me. I said yes because I wanted to prove her wrong. That I could follow something through to the end. That I was worthy of Sebastian’s trust. I’d help him keep his team and stand up to his pack. Even if right now, it looked like I’d cost him everything.
If I was going to keep Sebastian, I’d have to do something I’d never done before. Face my fears and stick around when things got tough. Because I had a feeling I hadn’t seen anything yet.
Chapter Twelve
SEBASTIAN
“We have to talk.” Naomi looked how I felt. Dark smudges under her eyes, hot pink hair fighting to escape her ponytail, and the same clothes from last night.
What the fuck? My wolf growled. You need to take care of your mate if you expect to keep her. She’ll send you away, too.
“Didn’t you go back to the compound?” My brother’s thugs could’ve come for her, looking for revenge. They wouldn’t have the balls or the muscle to mess with the team. She wouldn’t be hard to find at that compound. All they’d have to do is ask around Holiday Falls to find out where the Real Werewives were shacking up. She was an easy target and I’d left her exposed. It was stupid. I wasn’t used to thinking like a wolf anymore. I’d gotten too comfortable in my human life.
Coming back to Alaska was a slap in the face. I couldn’t run from my problems here. I had to face the pack head-on if I wanted to stay on the team and keep my mate.
She pointed behind her. The camera crew. Of course. “That was my plan. Until they freaked out when I showed up covered in your blood with a busted ankle. No surprise they jumped to conclusions pretty quickly, and you looked good in none of them. I told them I sprained my ankle, but I wouldn’t tell them anything else. Then Tessa said she’d go to your coach to get answers if I wouldn’t give them any.”
“Fuck,” I spat. “Is that why they’re here?”
Today’s practice went better than I expected, even with my pads rubbing against the healing bite and my ribs sore as hell. I had more snaps today, which made me think Coach was leaning toward putting me in the lineup for our first game. Or using me as a specialist. Having a busybody camera crew accuse me of roughing up my date would not bode well. Coach wouldn’t put up with that shit and neither would the rest of the team. They’d understand pack politics, but wouldn’t tolerate that.
Some teams had trouble with that stuff, but we had a team meeting once we found out we’d be part of the Werewives. I was proud to be working with a group of guys who didn’t condone any of that bullshit. And the last thing I needed was for them to think I was the type of asshole that would hurt a woman.
“Not exactly.” Naomi chewed on her bottom lip. It was fucking sexy. “I quit. I’d rather walk away from the whole thing than hurt your career. You’ve gone through hell to get here, and I’m not going to let them take it away from you as some sort of punishment to me.”
“No one’s ever taken a stand like that for me before.” I hesitated before going in for a kiss. Last night, in my animal haze, it was like there was never a time I wasn’t kissing her. Her lips moved against mine, erasing any doubt I had. “So why are they here?”
She wiped her lips dry, revealing a grin like sunshine when she dropped her hand. “Tessa bribed me. Somehow I’m not technically on the show anymore, or at least, I no longer live at the compound, but they still want to follow me with cameras. Not sure how that’s gonna work yet. But I kind of don’t have anywhere to stay tonight, so if you could spare some couch...”
My wolf rumbled with satisfaction. I could spare a lot more than my couch. I’d give anything to see this woman wearing nothing more than my tangled sheets in the early morning light. To start every day by tasting those lips. Didn’t matter what shit got thrown at me. With my mate by my side, it would be impossible to fail.
“You can stay with me as long as you want.” Forever, my wolf agreed.
I glanced back at the camera crew. One of the linebackers stopped to chat one of them up. He was the distraction we needed. “You mic’d?” I asked.
“No. I told them I wanted to talk to you without the whole world listening in.” She turned the key in the ignition, like she’d read my mind. “At least they’re cool about that. Like they think there’s a chance of this being more than a TV show.”
“They’re not paying any attention. Get the hell out of here.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Naomi pulled out of the spot so fast the SUV might have gone up on two wheels. “Our freedom will be short-lived. They know where you live.”
“They know where the player village is, but they usually film us at the practice facility.”
I hadn’t considered this condo much more than a place to land while I was in Alaska. The whole time I’d been here, I’d been waiting for the next thing to happen. The season to start, for it to end, and when I’d be eligible for trade. But with Naomi here, her bag in my hand and my arm around her waist to help her get in the house, those things didn’t matter anymore. She felt like home.
“Are we safe here?” she asked as I lowered her to the couch. Those big blue eyes didn’t blink. I’d been about to say the camera crew had never set foot in my condo, but that wasn’t what she meant.
I shook my head. “I can’t guarantee my brother’s wolves won’t come looking for retribution. But I’ll keep you safe.”
“How?” She lowered her gaze, shaking her head. “I’m not saying that to question your manhood, or your wolfhood. But there’s so many of them and there’s only one of you. I’m worried that I’m going to be a distraction, and that it will cost you your place on the team if you spend all your time trying to defend my honor.”
“No.”
“I mean, I’ve got some pepper spray in my purse, but I don’t how that would fare against a pack of angry wolves.” She knotted her hands in her lap. “And I know I’m jumping the gun a little bit, but I don’t want you to think of me as the one that cost your place on the team. Or your chance at reconciling with your pack. I don’t want to make this worse for you, Sebastian. I want to make it better.”
I put my hand over hers, and her fingers stilled. Everything stilled. It was only her and me. I tipped her chin up with my other hand and took a moment to drink her in. That crazy pink hair that was still messed up from last night. The smudges of makeup. My wolf wanted Naomi because she was wild.
Don’t tame her, fool, he warned.
“You do make it better.” I didn’t know how to explain it without scaring the hell out of her. When all my wolf wanted to do was lead her down on the cushion and show her exactly how I’d keep her safe. With my body, my heart and my soul. She trembled under my touch, and a quick, soft kiss put a stop to that. Her pulse quickened, and my wolf was just below the surface, whining and crying to be set free.
“Your eyes are glowing again,” she said softly. “I like it when they do that.”
Tell her why, my wolf begged me. Tell her they glow because you want her. You want to make her yours.
Shut up, beast. ‘Forever’ scared humans. Especially this one.
“It’s my wolf. He likes you.” That was a good place to start.
“Oh yeah?” Her eyes brightened and she scooted closer. “What else does he like?”
“He likes to get into trouble he can’t always get himself out of.” I’d never explained my wolf to a human before. “He believes in tradition and absolutes. And the idea of having one mate, forever.”
Her lips parted, but she didn’t pull away. “What does Sebastian, the man, think of those things?”
I shouldn’t have underestimated her, that she wouldn’t be able to separate the two parts of me. “Sometimes, my wolf is smarter than me. He knows what I want before I do. But I like to think I’m more practical than him. He knows what I want, and I know how to get it.”
She nodded. “Then how are you going to
do that?” Her breath caught in her throat, just under my touch. “Get the forever thing?”
She wants you, my wolf growled. Don’t fuck this up with your practical bullshit.
For once, I gave into that stubborn beast and led Naomi down on the couch. She pulled her hair tie out and let her hair fan around her on the cushion like hot pink flames. My knee was between her legs, and the heat radiating from her was enough to drive me insane. I wanted to ask her if she was wet. For me. I wanted her wet and hot and writhing at my touch. She had me rock hard, just thinking about it. I wanted to wring pleasure from her. Make her understand that she was mine. That she owned me. But the sound of her heart beating drowned out everything, even to my wolf ears.
“You’re perfect.” I pressed my lips against her forehead.
Cool it, beast. Don’t scare her away.
“Sebastian,” she whispered.
I rolled up, my wolf snapping at me as I ran my hand through my hair. I’d broken out in a sweat and I was losing control. Of my wolf, of everything. Naomi was right that being here put her in danger. I was stupid and selfish wanting her to stay.
I had to stake my claim on more than this woman. I needed to belong somewhere. She needed more than my heart and my body. She needed safety and stability.
“I know, I still owe you a first date.” I sighed as she scooted up, smoothing out her hair before wrapping it back into the elastic. I liked it better free. “Seems like we’re way past that, doesn’t it?”
“Light years.” She chuckled. “But your wolf likes tradition and your human side likes to be practical. So please, let’s get this first date thing out of the way.”
Running Wild Page 7
