by Sara Dailey
When Luke leaned over to get a better look at what Aiden had written, his leg, once again, leaned into mine. This time he didn’t move it. Seconds later, his hand made its way down to lie on his leg, leaving the back of it to rest against my thigh. When it was his turn to write on the table, the back of his hand lightly slid up my thigh before he grabbed a crayon to begin his turn. Stunned by the chill-bumps that broke out all over my body, I involuntarily perked up a bit and noticed Luke cut his eyes in my direction with a wicked grin on his face. Without missing a beat, Luke continued drawing, but his leg remained against mine.
Figuring two could play this game, I leaned over toward Luke, pretending to need something from my purse that I had strategically placed on the floor between our chairs. As I leaned down, the side of my breast pressed against his arm as I slowly slid my way down to reach into my purse. Barely noticeably, and I wouldn’t have detected it if I hadn’t been looking for a reaction, Luke lightly sucked in his breath. Feeling around in my purse, I felt my cell phone and clutched it in my hand, thankful I had some excuse for fumbling through my bag. But I wasn’t finished quite yet. I slowly slid my way back up Luke’s arm, making sure to not break contact. I peeked up at him just in time to witness his eyes gazing hungrily down my sweater. Just the reaction I was hoping for.
His eyes finally made their back up to meet my own as I said, “Sorry about that. I thought I had a text.”
Clearly shaken, he quickly replied, “No problem,” and continued his game with Aiden.
It wasn’t long before our food arrived, and as we ate, we all chatted about nothing in particular.
Unfortunately, Luke kept his hands to himself for the rest of lunch, and it almost seemed as if he was making a point to keep things strictly friendly. Maybe I’d completely misread the whole leg thing. By the end of our meal, my hopes of finally snagging Luke’s attention were spiraling downward at warp speed. Here I thought I could catch this guy hook, line, and sinker, but this little mission of mine was proving to be more difficult than I’d imagined.
But just when I’d decided that I might just be fighting a losing battle, I caught him staring at me while Teagan and I were admiring the butcher-paper artwork of past customers that decorated the walls surrounding the exit. There was a spark in his eyes, and a tiny piece of my hope was restored.
CHAPTER 15
Drew
“Drew, I have a meeting with Marcus today. I think you should come with me. It will give you a chance to hang out with Cade for a while. What do you say?” Brian asked, sitting in the chair opposite the one I was trying to sleep in.
“Sure,” I said, feigning interest. “When do we leave?”
“Now, actually,” he said which made me want to rethink my earlier response. All I wanted to do today was sleep, but no, Scarlett had to get up at the ass crack of dawn and start slamming doors. Who the fuck does that?
It would be a good opportunity to talk to Cade without Alli around though. They are pretty much inseparable from what I hear, so if I don’t go now, I may never catch him alone again.
“All right, I’ll be ready in five,” I said and dragged my tired ass up the stairs to change.
*****
“Brian, Gavin, so glad you could make it,” Marcus said and ushered us into his home. He told me that Cade was upstairs in the game room. That was my cue to leave and let them speak privately. I got it. Being the son of an alpha, I was used to being dismissed. That didn’t mean I liked it, but hey, one day soon I’d be the alpha. Then I guess it will be my turn to dismiss people without a second thought.
When I walked into the game room Cade was getting ready to leave.
“Hey, Gavin, what’s up?” he said looking a little disappointed to see me. I bet. He was probably heading out to see that hybrid bitch of his. I don’t blame him, really. For a half-domestic she’s smokin’ hot.
“Were you about to leave? I can wait for my dad downstairs,” I offered.
“Nah…it can wait. My dad is known for his long, impromptu meetings, so you might be here a while. Call of Duty?” Cade asked.
“Why not,” I replied and took a seat in front of the TV.
Cade handed me a controller and excused himself for a minute while he called Alli.
“You sure you don’t need to leave? I don’t mind,” I asked as he walked back into the room.
“No, it’s fine really. I told Alli I would meet up with her when the meeting’s over.”
We didn’t talk much at first, but by the time I shot his ass a couple of times he lightened up.
“I guess I’m rusty,” he laughed, tossing the controller on the floor.
“From what I’ve heard you have had a hell of a few months. No time for video games,” I said, hoping to get to the reason for my visit.
“You could say that. How much do you know?” he asked.
“Let’s see. You mated with a girl who was not your girlfriend. That girlfriend and some rogue tried to kill your mate. You found out that your mate’s brother is also your older brother. And your dad wants Aiden to take your spot as the next alpha. Did I get it all?” I said.
Cade leaned back in his seat and seemed to be absorbing every word I just said.
“Hell of a few months is right,” he admitted.
That’s when the uncomfortable silence seeped in. As I sat there and thought about it, I almost felt bad for the guy. I was actually surprised that he hadn’t gone crazy and killed his old man and half this damned pack.
“Can I ask you something, man?” I asked.
Cade just nodded.
“You’re not going to let someone, brother or not, who’s only been a werewolf for, what, like a month take what is rightfully yours, are you?” That certainly got his attention.
Before he answered, his body visibly stiffened. “It’s a little more complicated than that,” he said, but the tick in his jaw showed me how he really felt about the topic.
“Is it?” I asked. “Listen, I know it’s not my place, and we haven’t known each other that long, but you don’t seem like the type to just hand over your position without a fight.”
“He’s my brother…and Alli’s brother. That makes it complicated, but I hear what you are saying. And trust me, I’m not going to give up that easily,” he admitted.
“Gavin, you ready, son?” Brian yelled from the bottom of the stairs.
I had to give it to that man; he had perfect timing.
“Thanks for keeping me company,” I said to Cade as I got up to leave.
“Anytime,” he replied, and by the sound of his voice, I knew that I had gotten to him. Yeah, he would be thinking about our little conversation for the rest of the day.
CHAPTER 16
Luke
I had never been so relieved to leave a restaurant before in all of my life. If I had to sit there, that close to Scarlett, for one more minute, I truly believe my hands would have developed a mind of their own. Happy Harry’s probably had rules against that sort of thing that I would have broken for sure.
I knew exactly what she was doing too, leaning over to get her phone and brushing up against me. She was not as subtle as she’d like to think she was. What the hell was I supposed to do when her cleavage was right in front of me? Okay, I could have not stared. I could have looked the other direction, but I didn’t. Damn it, I couldn’t. And that was my fault. I was really going to have to build up some self-control for times like that when I was around her.
I told myself I was going to talk to her. That I was going to sit her down and make her understand that this thing between us, whatever it was, couldn’t happen. Obviously I didn’t do that. But I needed to, and if I did, maybe she’d understand and take it easy on me. If she knew that I was resisting her for her own good, she would stop going out of her way to touch me, lean up against me, or give me a view that I couldn’t resist. Maybe she would even stop wearing those tight little sweaters, those deliciously sexy skinny jeans, and that intoxicating perfume…
&n
bsp; Shit, I was getting hard just thinking about her.
I was in so much fucking trouble.
Okay, she was going to be here for what, two, maybe three weeks? Surely I could control myself for that long. If I had to, I could simply avoid her. It would be difficult but not impossible. I could just hang out at home in the morning, spend my afternoons in the gym and my evenings at Gage’s or back at home. Yeah, put in some quality time with Dad. If I felt the urge to see her or even think about seeing her, I could run it out of me. That was what I was going to have to do. If not, we’d end up hooking up and nothing good, well in the long term anyway, could come from that.
I was almost home when thoughts of being back at that restaurant flooded my mind. Feeling her leg pressed up against mine, my hand touching her leg, her tits rubbing down my arm. How she caught me staring at her before we left. The look she returned that promised there was more to come. There was no denying that I wanted that girl. I guess my plan to get Scarlett out of my head needed to start now. Trying to hide all the urgency in my voice, I called Gage and told him to meet me at the gym in forty-five minutes. A good workout might take away some of this built-up tension surging through my body. A guy could hope anyway.
*****
Gage was late again. By the time he got to the gym, I was already done with my cardio. Come to think of it, he always conveniently missed the treadmill.
“Nice of you to show up,” I huffed as I walked over to get a drink.
“You know I hate running with you.”
After several gulps from the water fountain, I said, “You are the only wolf in the history of the world who hates to run.”
“I didn’t say that I hate running. I said that I hate running with you,” he answered honestly before he shrugged and wandered off toward the free weights.
I knew he did. In fact, I knew that Gage really didn’t like the gym at all, but he almost always came with me when I asked. Being a werewolf definitely had some advantages when it came to fitness and muscle tone. Most weres never even stepped foot into a gym because they didn’t have to. I, on the other hand, didn’t have much of a choice. My dad had me working out long before most boys even started to worry about what they looked like without a shirt on. The enforcer had to look the part. I had to be the biggest, the strongest, and most importantly, the most intimidating. But Gage didn’t. He would always be just as fit as the rest of the pack, so I really did appreciate the fact that he came to the gym with me as often as he did.
“So, what’s going on with the new girl?” Gage asked as he spotted me on my first set of bench press.
“Nothing,” I lied.
Looking down at me, he shot me a look that told me that he didn’t believe me and then laughed. “Why the hell not? Send her my way if you’re not interested.”
I knew he was fucking with me, but that did nothing to prevent the anger and jealousy from boiling up inside me. I tried to cover up my automatic reaction, but it was too late. Gage saw it and ran with it.
“Yeah, I’m between ladies right now. I could use something warm in my bed,” he teased and again I tensed. “Damn, Luke, chill! I’m just messing with you.”
I put the bar back on the rack and sat up with my head down and my elbows on my knees. I couldn’t stand what this girl was doing to me. It wasn’t normal.
“She’s not making it easy to resist her,” I finally admitted.
“Why the hell are you trying to resist her?”
“I can’t get involved with another pack girl. I just can’t. Not now. Cami and I just called it quits, and it was really stupid on my part to have even started something with her in the first place. It’s one thing to jump from domestic to domestic. Chances are they don’t know each other, and even if they do, they tend to blame each other and not me. Pack girls are different. You know that,” I said.
I didn’t know why all of that came spilling out of me, but it did, and there was no taking it back now.
“Bullshit,” Gage spat as he pretended to cough.
I lifted my head and glared at him. He started taking off some of the weight from the bar so we could switch places.
I knew there was more he had to say, so I stood above him as he positioned himself on the bench and waited.
He reached up to take hold of the bar but then didn’t lift it. Instead, just as I suspected, he started in on me. “That is load of crap and you know it. Cami isn’t going to go all crazy-ass ex on you. You’re being ridiculous. I get that you don’t want to bring your man-whore ways on to the estate, but I’ve seen that girl. And I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Now, tell me the real reason you are disappointing that poor girl,” he teased.
I couldn’t tell Gage the truth. Hell, I could hardly admit the truth to myself. The truth made me feel confused and way out of my element.
“Oh shit! You like this girl,” Gage guessed, and when I didn’t immediately deny it, he knew he was right.
A change of subject was definitely in order. “Forget it, man. Are you going to lift this shit or what? If not, then get the hell up so I can finish.”
A stupid grin spread across his face and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Not until you admit it. You like her.”
“What are we, in the third grade? Who cares if I like her? I don’t do relationships.”
“Who said anything about a relationship? Have fun and see where it goes. Maybe you both will decide that serious won’t work. She could decide that she doesn’t care for big, muscle-brain assholes and dump you for another werewolf who is, I don’t know, taller and way more handsome,” he joked, rubbing his hand over his jaw.
When I didn’t respond, Gage positioned his hands on the bar once again and suddenly got all serious on me. “You’ve always sold yourself short, Luke. Just because you’re going to be the enforcer doesn’t mean you can’t have a life.”
“What the hell happened to you? Did you grow a vagina while you were gone?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.
He chuckled and then finally decided to lift the bar as he replied, “Hey, I’m just trying to help. Go ahead and keep pushing her away. Be miserable and uptight until she leaves. I don’t care. Or…”
“You’re right. I know you’re right. There’s just too much going on right now,” I told him.
After that, we moved on with our workout without any more talk of Scarlett or Gage’s new vagina. I thought that a good workout would help clear my head, but as I got in my truck, I was feeling just as confused as I did when I arrived.
CHAPTER 17
Scarlett
More confounded than ever about Luke, I sat there in a daze most of the drive home. It wasn’t long before Aiden was pulling up to my new home. Even if the lunch didn’t pan out as well as I’d hoped, I did hear one very important piece of information that could definitely prove to be useful. Teagan mentioned to Aiden that Alli was planning a girls’ night at their house with her, Cami, and Shari. When Aiden put his car in park to drop me off, Teagan turned to me to say, “I’m sure you could come over tonight if you want. I can talk to Alli.”
I was quite sure she was only asking so that I didn’t feel left out, but I was smart enough to know that my presence there would just make everyone uncomfortable. I wasn’t “one of the girls” and surely Teagan was only asking to be kind. I pushed open the car door and replied, “Thanks for asking, but I have some stuff I need to take care of tonight. Maybe next time.”
Stepping out of the car, I wrestled with the idea of asking Teagan for a huge favor. I wasn’t used to being so vulnerable, but I finally decided that it was worth a shot. “Teagan, can I talk to you for a minute—alone?” Then I smiled at Aiden, hoping he would give us some privacy.
Teagan looked over at Aiden and said, “Meet you at the house in a few? I’ll walk back. It’s only a few houses down.”
Concern flashed across Aiden’s face, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he simply nodded his head and leaned over to kiss her goodbye.
Teagan st
epped out of the car, and after she watched Aiden drive away, she turned her attention to me. “So what’s up, Scarlett?”
Feeling like a foolish schoolgirl, I pushed aside my pride and asked, “Okay, I know you may think this is none of my business, but what do you know about Luke and Cami?” I wasn’t really sure why I was suddenly so curious about Luke and Cami, other than the possibility that she may be the reason why Luke was acting so strange. I wanted more than anything to believe that it wasn’t because he just wasn’t that into me, so maybe I was grasping at straws here, but I was hoping whatever went on between them might shed some light on something.
Standing there looking completely uncomfortable, Teagan replied, “Not much, to be honest. All I really know is that they hooked up for a few weeks, and then Cami broke it off. I’m not really sure if they were ever actually together-together. They tried to keep it on the down-low but most of us knew, though I don’t think the adults here ever got wind of it.”
Great, she didn’t know any more than I did. I needed to know more. What I needed was Cami’s perspective on the whole situation, but since I’d barely spoken to her, I knew asking her wasn’t an option. Cami saw Luke and me by the fire last night, and I was pretty sure she assumed something was going on between us. Hoping Teagan would help me out with my little plan, I asked, “Okay, well I have a favor to ask. Is there any way you could ask Cami about it? I really like Luke, and I don’t know…” I trailed off.
Hardly taking a moment to even consider it, Teagan replied, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Cami and I aren’t all that close, and I don’t like to get involved in stuff like that.”
“Please just think about it. If the opportunity arises tonight, just consider it. I’d be forever in your debt. Really, I mean it,” I groveled. Good Lord, I couldn’t believe I was actually begging. What had gotten into me? Suddenly, I felt more pathetic than ever.
