Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
“It worked. I fell for you, and it only took… four days. Maybe it’s a new personal best.”
“Sugar,” he growled.
“Don’t sugar me. God, do you call all the girls that, so you don’t have to remember any names?” I laughed, but it was so fucking bitter.
“Riley, calm down and think. I wouldn’t–”
I raised both hands as if stopping a freight train from barreling down on me.
“Oh boy, don’t tell a girl to calm down,” Audrey murmured to herself.
“You wouldn’t… what?” I asked Cody. “Stick around now that I said that I loved you? Give me kids? Yeah, I know. You’re definitely done, right?”
His lips firmed and made a straight line. Yeah, he wasn’t talking now.
“You were playing me.” I shook my head, ran a hand over my face. “Why else would you be with me knowing… knowing you won’t give me all things someone my age would want unless it was just a game? A bargain.”
“It wasn’t a play. You know what you are to me.” He looked around again, like he couldn’t say the word mate out loud.
I scoffed. “I don’t believe that. Why now? We’ve met before. I grew up in this town, and you never showed an ounce of interest until I saw a wolf fight a mountain lion on the trail.”
“I didn’t know until now.”
I gave him a condemning look. “No more lines. I’m done.” God, it hurt. But what made it even worse was that Dad had been right. About everything. I’d played at being a grown up. I was hurt and humiliated. Now Dad would be even more of a helicopter parent, butting into my love life because I was such a dumbass.
I headed to the door, weaving through the tables and the people who were having a good time, not freaking out because the guy who said he loved her a little while ago only said it because it ended a fucking bargain. I love you was his finish line.
“Riley, wait!” Cody followed and caught my elbow, but when I shook him off he let go. “Please. Let’s talk about this.”
I shook my head, fresh tears streaking my face. “I’m not your conquest. There’s nothing to talk about. Tell Rob not to worry, I’ll forget all about you.”
26
CODY
“Riley!” I reached out to grab her arm again, but Boyd caught my shoulder and hauled me back. I barely stopped myself from turning around and headbutting him. I wanted to fight him, to let my wolf out and fight him, but I couldn’t.
“Give her some space,” he snapped.
He had no idea how close I was to tearing out his throat. “No,” I snarled. “I need to fix this.”
“Boyd’s right.” Audrey stepped near but not too close. She’d been a part of the pack long enough to know not to get between two angry males. “She’s not going to hear anything you have to say right now.”
My wolf howled with pain.
“She’s my mate.”
Watching her walk out the door with tears streaking her beautiful face and knowing I’d put them there made me want to punch my own face in.
“Doesn’t matter. Even mates need space sometimes,” Audrey said.
“What should I do?” It wasn’t like me to ask for advice on how to handle a female. But Riley wasn’t any ordinary female.
She was my life.
I didn’t even care about the implications to the pack. This wasn’t about her knowing our secret. It never was.
But somehow I’d let her believe that.
Dammit!
“Give her an hour or two to cool off. Then make contact.”
I growled. I didn’t like his advice. Fuck knew, I didn’t want to take it. But I couldn’t think with the clanging in my head. With my wolf snarling to be free to go after her.
An hour or two. How would I live that long knowing my mate was suffering? Knowing she was in pain, and I caused it? Knowing I was the only one who could also fix it?
But how? I needed to prove to Riley my love was real. That none of this was a manipulation. That she was my forever, whether she knew our secret or not.
“I need a run,” I muttered, and both Boyd and Audrey knew what that meant. My wolf needed out, or I would start to go mad.
Boyd tipped his head toward the door. “Go. Get your aggression out, so you can think straight.”
I nodded. “I have to make this right.”
Boyd dropped a hand on my shoulder and shook it roughly. “You will.”
I didn’t share his confidence. I didn’t know what the fuck I could do or say to Riley to make her understand what she meant to me.
All I knew was if I didn’t figure it out, I wouldn’t survive without her.
27
RILEY
I pulled into the garage and turned off the engine. Not at Nana’s house but Dad’s. It was the last place I wanted to be–God, was it ever–but I didn’t have many choices. Lila was away at school. Wendy and Alice knew Cody was into me based on bowling night and the way he’d followed me to the restroom, and I’d returned all dreamy from an orgasm. But I couldn’t have an ice cream binge-fest with any of them because what could I say?