As we eat breakfast at the table, all the girls start on about which shops they’re going to go to first. Yes… they have a list. I chuckle to myself as Brad and Jared look at each other with equally grim looks.
‘Why aren’t you coming too?’ Devon asks and puts me on the spot.
‘Yeah, you should come too,’ Brad agrees.
‘I have work to do here.’ I shrug. ‘Sorry.’
‘I don’t mind doing that,’ Jacob pipes up. ‘You can go.’
If looks could kill, he’d be stone cold dead. ‘No, I need to be on the job.’
‘Nah, Jacob is fine with Harrison. They’ll get the job done.’
‘Yay, you can come too.’ Willow is so fucking excited I can hardly argue against it. I look at Jared and Brad, and the fuckers are sniggering together—they planned this. I glare in their direction and change my face quickly when Willow turns her head.
‘We can go out for dinner?’ Maiya asks. So that’s my day fucking planned out. Fantastic.
We travel in two cars and get to the multi-story where we try and fail to find two spaces together. It looks packed. I grumble to myself as I turn onto yet another floor. Willow chuckles at my complaining. ‘I fucking hate shopping,’ I tell her.
‘But I love it. Besides, I have a lovely gift voucher from the girls for my birthday. You can help me pick something out.’ I roll my eyes again.
‘Can’t wait,’ I tell her sarcastically, rolling my eyes. Jared finally finds a spot, and I move a little further down the row and pull into another. The distance is short enough that we can keep each other in view.
‘You might change your mind when you find out where it’s for.’
‘If it’s not food then I won’t enjoy it, but, I will endure it for you.’ I smile at her, making her laugh.
‘Oh, you are so good to me.’
‘I know, right?’ She smacks my arm as we walk over to meet the others. Devon gets her list out and fuck me there are about ten shops on the list. Each with another list of what she wants from that shop. This is not shopping—it’s a fucking epic adventure. Only it’s not fun. We get to shop number one. Cakes. At least they sell little muffin-type buns. I browse that counter while the girls search through books of wedding cakes.
‘Do you have a theme in mind?’ The clerk asks me.
‘Sorry?’
‘A wedding theme?’
‘Umm, you need to ask the ladies or him.’ I point out Jared who has sought out the only chair in the place. ‘Can I buy a few of these please?’
‘Sure, they are all different flavours and types of cake, so you can decide what you would like on your big day.’ Ummm, am I wearing a sign that says ‘bridegroom’? Why the fuck does she keep asking me? ‘Again, not my wedding. It’s his.’ I throw my thumb over my shoulder and gesture towards Jared. ‘But I will sample the cakes.’
‘Mmm cake. Fuck yeah.’ Brad comes up behind me.
‘What do you want?’ I ask him and select my own. I turn to ask everyone else, but they are all too concerned with photos of cakes than they are with me. So I just buy one each for Brad and me. Jared can buy his own. He’s sitting with his eyes closed, kicking back in the chair. Fucker. I get a chocolate one with some kind of fondant stuff in the middle, and Brad gets a red velvet with cream in it. Oh my god, it’s good.
When I’m done, I go back. ‘That is amazing cake! Do you sell these by the box?’
‘Generally no, but I can since you asked so nicely.’ I smile when she says yes because fuck I need more of these in my life.
‘Thank you. I’ll take a dozen if you have them.’ She goes off into the back.
‘Ooooh my god. I Love it! This is the one, Jared. Come and see,’ Devon squeals in excitement, with all the other girls agreeing. He gets up and walks over. Looking over her shoulder, he comments, ‘Yeah, it’s nice. I’ll go and pay?’
‘Hang on, you haven’t even looked at it properly!’
‘If it’s what you want, then I’m happy with it’ He walks to the counter and stands at my side. The woman comes back with my cakes, and I pay her. It’s a small fucking fortune, honestly, but I pay her all the same.
‘Fucking hell, what did you buy?’ he asks when the woman tells me it’s twenty-five quid.
‘Fucking food heaven!’ I tell him smiling. He tells the woman he wants to order the cake in the picture, and she looks at him, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
‘Typical man.’ She laughs. ‘We need to go through several things before you actually purchase the cake.’
‘Several?’ he asks looking perplexed.
‘We need to know what the colour scheme is, if you want fruit or sponge and if sponge, what flavour, what icing, and what inside…’
‘Oh… so I can’t just have the cake in the picture then?’
I pat him on the back. ‘Karma, you fucker, for making me come. Enjoy.’ Brad and I both laugh as we go over to the seat in the window. I perch on the chair arm while Brad takes the seat. I watch as the lady gives him a fork and a few different muffins to try. Devon goes over, and they tuck in. Willow comes to me and leans against me.
‘Whatcha got in there?’ she asks pointing to my box of fucking ecstasy.
‘Death by chocolate,’ I answer. ‘Want one?’
‘Oh, yes please.’ I open up and take one out for her, and decide I will have another.
‘Give me one then,’ Brad demands.
‘Fuck off and get your own,’ I tell him, taking a bite and moaning at the taste.
‘Don’t be tight.’ He sticks his hand under the box flap and takes one for himself.
‘You owe me two quid.’
‘Greedy bastard.’ He laughs. ‘Oh fuck, this is good!’ he says with his mouth full. ‘Devon, you need this for your cake. It’s the dog’s bollocks,’ he mumbles taking another bite.
‘Let me try,’ she comes over and takes a bun out of my box. ‘Ohhhh, wow. You’re right.’
‘Let me try,’ Zoe, Imogen, and Maiya all say in unison.
‘Hey, buy your own,’ I grumble as they all help themselves from my box.
‘Oh god, it’s like an orgasm in your mouth,’ Zoe adds to the moans of pleasure going around them all. I’m looking at my largely depleted box of only five muffin cakes. I close the lid before they decide they want more.
An hour and a half later, Jared and Devon have all the choices made for a wedding cake, and I’m pleased that I’ll get more of the death by chocolate because that’s what they chose. That done, we move onto the next shop. Dresses. Not wedding dresses, thank fuck, but bridesmaids. Devon decides that all the girls are going to be bridesmaids. I think because she doesn’t want to leave any of them out. Considering this wasn’t going to be a big affair, it’s gone above and beyond enormous. If we ever get hitched, I think I’d rather just go and do it.
We’re about four fucking hours in the dress shop, and I must have seen every dress at least twice. I look over at Jared and Brad—they look as fed up as I feel. Jared looks like he’s going to fall asleep any second and Brad looks like he already did. Willow comes and sits in my lap, her head on my shoulder, and her breath fans out across my neck.
‘I don’t think I’m normal.’
I wrinkle my nose at her. ‘Why?’
‘Because I hate this stuff. I’d rather go home and watch a movie, eat popcorn, and order everything online.’
I grin. ‘Fuck, I knew you were right for me!’
I have two muffins left, and she lifts the lid.
‘And I’m starving!’ she says taking a bun and smiling sweetly as she does. I’ve eaten three in the time we’ve been sitting here. The girls have the dress choices down to two. Willow tells them that either is fine. They are both red, and one is long to the floor, the other short and sexy.
I know which I would prefer on Willow, but I’m not saying shit. They’re almost at a decision. Imogen wants the long one, Zoe wants the short, and Maiya and Willow are both saying they like both. Devon looks at Brad
and me. ‘Tell me which you like best?’ Brad snorts and jumps as Jared thumps him in the shoulder, waking him up.
‘You want an honest answer?’ I ask because there is only one dress I’d prefer for Willow.
‘Well duh?’ she responds.
‘Okay, well I like that one best.’
‘Me too,’ Brad says, smiling like he was fully aware of the conversation the whole time.
‘That okay with you, Imogen?’
‘Sure, it’s your day. I’ll wear whatever you want, honey.’
‘Thank fuck for that,’ I mutter under my breath to Willow, making her giggle.
Willow gets a map of the shopping centre out of her pocket, and she points to ‘Victoria’s secret’ on the next floor up. ‘That’s where I want to go,’ she whispers.
‘Oh really?’ I ask
‘Really,’ she confirms.
‘I can handle that shop, no problem. You can even do a little trying on.’ She giggles but doesn’t say no.
‘Guys, you gonna be okay if I take Willow upstairs to a couple of shops?’
‘Yeah, we’re good,’ Jared answers. ‘I’ll let you know where we are next.’
‘See you in a bit.’ We leave them, still hashing out details with the shop owner, and go in search of Victoria’s Secret. We walk in hand in hand, and my eyes pop at the possibilities. I can picture her in just about everything on display. Jesus.
‘What do you like?’ she asks a little shyly.
‘On you? Anything.’
‘But what turns you on?’
‘You, it’s that simple, sweetheart. You could put anything on in this shop or nothing at all.’ I wiggle my brows and grin. ‘The end result would be the same.’
She slaps my shoulder, and we move around the shop. I pick up some things and so does she, and I have every intention of following her into the dressing room so she can try them on, but a woman who is almost as muscley as me stands in the doorway. She counts the items Willow is taking in and then gives her tag.
‘You can’t go in there.’
‘But…’
She just shakes her head at me. I roll my eyes and decide it’s pointless. She looks about as much fun as a toothache in a sweetshop. I throw my hands in the air.
‘I guess I’ll wait out here.’
Willow pats my chest. ‘Aww, poor baby, you’ll just have to wait till we get home to see how they look.’ And as I stand with the fucking underwear bodyguard as she goes off behind a curtain. I don’t move from my spot, keeping a close eye on where she is. The woman has her back to Willow, making sure I don’t misbehave, and she looks like she’s chewed a wasp. Her mouth is puckered like an arsehole too. I mimic her stance with my own, by widening my legs and folding my arms across my chest. I even almost pucker my lips. But I don’t push it too far. I can do without being ushered out of a lingerie shop. That would go under the heading ‘most embarrassing moments’.
I relax into my stance, and she rolls her eyes right as Willow peeks around the side of the curtain. I watch her as she puts on a little show for me. Fuck me, she slowly shimmies out of the cubicle and turning, she drops her hands to her toes, giving me a full view of everything she has, covered in a red thong and red Basque, which I had picked out. Well, if my dick doesn’t stand to attention. And my fucking eyes pop out of my skull as she grabs the curtain and does kind of stripper dance while she grins mischievously. I find my head drops to the left, trying to get the full view around the bodyguard. When she notices, I make out like I am cracking my neck and Willow giggles and closes the curtain before she turns around to catch her.
I am just getting over the shock of her actually doing that when she steps out again. Treating the curtain like a stripper pole, she gives me everything she has, and I have to cover my mouth with my hand to cover my grin. She has a black and vibrant-pink pair of frilly knickers on with a matching bra, but just as she is doing her thing, the curtain rips from the rail. And I see it in slow motion as she crashes to the floor with a squeak. Right behind the wasp-chewing bodyguard. I rush to her aid, obviously, but I cant help but fucking laugh. The pair of us crack up, laughing our heads off, and the woman doesn’t even twitch her lips.
She just picks the curtain up from the floor and folds it. ‘Use the next one along,’ she directs a red-faced Willow.
‘I’m sorry,’ Willow tells her, but she may as well have spoken fucking Japanese. Willow turns around when her back is turned and flips her the bird. I just grin and hold in my laughter because I’m worried this woman might actually thump me. Needless to say, that is the end of that show. About ten minutes later she emerges with all the underwear draped over her arm.
‘You decided?’ I ask grinning at the bodyguard.
‘No, I like them all. Which is your favourite?’
‘The bit where you fell on your arse was pretty spectacular.’ I get a well-deserved thump in my arm, but I don’t mind at all. ‘Get them all.’
‘I can’t afford them all. I have a gift card, but no job yet remember.’ I just shake my head and take them all from her. Walking to the sales desk, I pile them all on.
‘There are no returns on these, so have you tried them on?’ she asks Willow, referring to the knickers.
‘Yeah, she’s all good,’ I tell the woman. Willow produces a gift card, which she got for her birthday from the girls. The woman swipes then it tells me the total left to pay.
‘A hundred and twenty-seven, ninety-eight, left to pay.’
‘Ummm, Howard,’ Willow questions as I hand over my credit card.
‘Yeah?’
‘That’s too much. I’ll put some back.’
‘No, it’s fine.’ I input my pin and wait for the receipt. The woman then spends an age wrapping each set in fucking tissue paper and into a swanky bag. Just more shit to put in the bin. But I don’t say anything. Willow is still worrying about the cost.
‘Sweetheart, I can afford it. Stop fretting.’ I am good for money—will be forever. Jared’s dad made sure of that, investing money for us, and teaching Jared and me how, as we got older. Also, the pack pays for our university funding, and the house is owned outright, so no mortgage to pay. We’re all set really for the rest of our lives. Not millionaires but comfortable. We leave the shop, and I check my phone to see where the rest of them have gone.
‘Thank you,’ Willow says, kissing my cheek.
‘You can show me how much you appreciate it later,’ I wink.
‘Hmmm maybe…’
I stop and look at her in mock horror, and she bursts out laughing, and I can’t help but laugh with her. I love this. Just pissing the day away with her. It wouldn’t matter where we are or how we lived, I’d be happy. Just having her by my side is enough.
WE’VE CHECKED CAKE, dresses, shoes, and flowers off Devon’s list. It’s getting close to five, and we’re all starving, so we stop at a TGI Friday’s. We get a huge ass table and we all order starters and main meals right off the bat. We get cocktails too, well, everyone except Jared, Devon, and Howard. Devon gets a mocktail, and the guys get cokes. We’re all laughing and dicking around when the table suddenly goes quiet as Jared answers his phone.
‘Yeah, you a hundred percent?’
I can’t hear the caller because of the music, and I get the impression nobody else can either. So we all wait while he continues to listen.
‘What about the other two? You find out anything?’ He nods, and I watch as his jaw muscle twitches. The waiters bring across our starters, and as we pass them around the table, I can see that Howard and Brad both are waiting for Jared to reiterate what’s being said.
‘If you’re a hundred percent, close it down, no point waiting for me, just get the job finished… yeah, no problem, see you soon. And, good job.’ He ends the call and looks at both Howard and Brad.
‘Got all the info. They weren’t just a part of it—they did it. Apparently, they’re not junkies, but that tweaking and jerking is the side effects of cannibalism,’ he whispers the last wor
d. I swallow hard.
‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ Howard asks, disgusted. ‘So that wasn’t a first?’ Jared shakes his head. Brad looks a bit grey. And honestly so does everyone else, especially Devon.
‘They killed the person you found on the land?’ I question. Howard nods.
‘It was a kid,’ he says disgustedly. As I look around the table, I see that everyone has lost their appetite. And for a werewolf that’s hard. I don’t remember it, so thankfully I’m saved from the vision that must be running through their minds.
‘Is anyone else ready to go home now?’ Devon asks. ‘Because I don’t think I can face eating after hearing that.’
‘I’m sorry, baby, but you said you always want the truth,’ Jared tells her.
‘And I do, Jared, always. I just don’t feel like eating now.’ There are noises of agreement all around the table. Jared stands and goes over to the waiter, apologises and pays for everything we ordered. He explains we have an emergency and the guy doesn’t charge him for the meals not yet cooked. But I think he’d have paid anyway. We head back to the cars, and after paying the parking fees, we exit the car park and head home. On the ride home I ask Howard who it was they killed.
‘It was a little girl, dumped on our perimeter. We had police all over the place for way too fucking long, and they had to take our DNA to rule us out.’
‘What?’
‘Yeah, I had to run a breaking and entering mission with your brother and Jordan, who both hated me at the time—was a lot of fun.’ He rolls his eyes.
‘Jordan? That’s the man who died when I was taken, right?’ He nods his head. I can’t help feel a pang of guilt inside as I think about the fact he died trying to protect me.
‘Why did he hate you?’ He looks a little awkward, but he answers anyway.
‘He liked you—thought he had a chance.’ He shrugs.
‘Oh.’ I mull that over a little in my mind as he looks at me sideways.
‘There was never any competition,’ he confirms.
‘Mr Confident, aren’t you?’
‘Yep. Was never in question. You were mine even before I knew it.’
Fated Love (Stone Pack book 3) Page 22
