Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
She started to chuckle. “It’s fine.”
“Do I make you nervous?” he asked.
“Ugh, yeah and no. Yeah, because I’m not used to this, and no, again, I’m so confused and I don’t know why.” She tried not to laugh, but it came out with a bit of a snort, and somewhat hysterical. “I have no idea what I’m saying.”
“How about I come over tonight, and we spend some time together?” he asked.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Darcy said.
“Why not?”
“I’m kind of … how do I put this … boring? Yeah, I’m boring.” She smiled at him to show she wasn’t upset or angry.
He reached out and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “I don’t think that’s possible.”
This did make her laugh.
“How about we see how boring you are?” Joe asked.
She could imagine by the end of the night he would be demanding she be removed from the pack. Darcy didn’t know if boredom could be a reason to remove her, or maybe it would help to remove that bind that brought them together as mates. Either way, she was all for it.
She took a deep breath and looked at him.
Part of her wanted to tell him no, that it was crazy and insane, and they shouldn’t be sneaking around. Another part of her was excited. She had never felt this way before about anyone. She wanted to get to know him, to be close with him. Of course, her wolf wanted to rub herself all over him and have hot, sweaty sex, but that was not happening. She never had sex on the first date and she wasn’t about to start now.
“I can live with that,” she said.
He chuckled. “You’re cute when you’re nervous. Did you know that?” he asked.
“No, I didn’t.” She had no idea what to do with his compliments.
He leaned down close to her and she couldn’t help but tense up, but then he brushed his lips against her cheek.
“Until tonight.”
Chapter Two
“What were you expecting, son?” William asked.
Joe looked toward his father as they stood in the backyard. All day he’d been following his dad around, expecting to be told certain rules or even regulations—something that would start his alpha training—only there was nothing. No direct rule book. Nothing to guide him.
“I didn’t think my job would be to help weed the yard and then rake it.”
William laughed. “I don’t know exactly what you were expecting, but trust me, you’re doing a damn fine job of it.”
Joe pulled out the last bunch of pesky weeds that were starting to piss him off, and he couldn’t help but look toward his father.
There were so many questions he wanted to ask the man, but he just couldn’t bring himself to ask him about mates and what it meant to have found his soul mate. He didn’t want his old man to start prying. Darcy was already skittish, and he had a feeling any new attention directed her way would send her over the edge.
“Come on, son, tell me what’s on your mind.” William rubbed the dirt off his hands before reaching for a tall glass of lemonade.
Joe stayed on the ground and shook his head. “It’s nothing. I just figured you’d have, like, a book, or something for me to follow. You know, to keep me on my toes.”
“A book? Of what?”
“I don’t know … how to be an alpha?”
William threw his head back and started to laugh.
“Sounds stupid, huh?” Joe asked.
It took several seconds for his father to stop laughing. “Nah, it doesn’t. In all honesty, it’s exactly what I asked your grandfather when it was my time to settle down.”
“You asked Granddad? But I thought you had already taken the reigns, and you knew you were going to stay here your whole life?” This was a revelation to him.
“Absolutely not. Why would I for a second think I had what it took to lead?”
Joe couldn’t believe this. “I always thought you knew what was best.”
William threw back his head and laughed again. “Son, thank you for your vote of confidence, but trust me, I didn’t have a clue.” He sighed and looked toward the house. “I’d watched my dad all my life and he seemed to have an answer for everything. Nothing was hard to him.”
“Granddad was always like that.” Joe smiled, remembering his grandfather. He was a good man, but he had passed away several years ago. Joe still missed him.
He felt like his grandfather was the only one to really know him and understand him. He’d been the one to recommend that he spread his wings, even told him it would make him a much better man.
Joe didn’t understand why at the time, but now he knew more than ever. He had to get away to see what he was missing, but to also find himself and learn what he wanted in life. In a strange way, he needed to miss the pack to know this was where he wanted to be for the rest of his life.