Total pages in book: 203
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
For some levity, I throw in, “We both know the food will be better at your house than ours, right, Bay?”
I’ve always teased her about her inability to cook anything edible. Usually, she looks embarrassed when I do, but right now, she looks at me like I’ve just called her actual character into question instead of teasing about her cooking skills like I’ve done for the past decade.
Carrie opens her mouth to respond but before she gets a word out, Bailey says, “I’m not going home with you, Jason.”
“Babe,” I reply simply.
Her eyes narrow. “I am not your babe.”
“Let’s give them space,” Graydon suggests, walking inside, past me.
Carrie looks worried, but follows him.
“Actually, you are,” I advise, taking a step forward, but Bailey lifts her hand to try to halt me.
I speak quickly. “I’m sorry, Bailey. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. I didn’t…” I rake my hand through my hair, looking for the words. They’re not easy to find because she’s here, in front of me, smelling delicious, looking angry. And pale. And not smelling like me. Not wearing my mark.
I sigh. “I didn’t know it’d be you. I didn’t want you being sad when it wasn’t you, so I made sure I never sent any mixed signals.”
“No, no mixed signals. Your feelings about me were crystal clear.”
“I didn’t know who it’d be. I just knew you wanted it to be you.”
“Yet you had no problem flirting with Dani repeatedly, knowing your time was coming, didn’t you? Even after Grey and Stacy mated, meaning your own mating was imminent.”
Shit.
Yeah, I was thinking with my dick that night, thinking one last fling before mating sounded victimless, suspecting some female from outside the pack would be who I identified, like with the other guys. But I’m not about to say that right now. Fate really threw a monkey wrench at me, didn’t it?
“Let’s go to the house. I need to shower, I’ll make us some food, and–”
“Absolutely not.”
“Bailey,” I say and move in, needing to touch her, feeling like she’ll melt into me once I finally pull her close.
All those times she looked at me like she wanted nothing more than to curl up and rest her head on my chest. All those times I caught her staring at me like I was her dream man. I want that now.
“Don’t,” she warns, her voice quivering, but I advance and reach for her face with both hands. The second my fingertips connect with her jaw, a painful jolt like nothing I’ve ever felt sends me flying backwards, landing on my ass on the grass in front of the steps to the Blackwood house. I’ve been blown back at least ten fucking feet.
What the fuck?
Those meddling fucking witches!
The burn in my hands is intense, but quickly fades.
Staring at my hands, I’m shocked. I look at her and she’s dumbfounded, too. And now she looks relieved as she sinks to the floor of the porch and starts laughing. It doesn’t look like a calculated and evil laugh, more like shock and relief. But laughter quickly turns to tears from her.
She’s bawling, face buried in her hands.
Anger blended with disbelief floods my system and I’m pissed. Fucking Danica, telling me I’ll regret laying a hand on my mate.
Bailey gets to her feet, about to say something, but I’m beyond pissed so I’m rushing her, intent on throwing her over my shoulder to take her home. She cowers, but it doesn’t matter because the second my shoulder connects with her midsection so I can lift her up and over my shoulder without technically laying hands on her, I’m blown back, this time landing on the road flat on my stomach, twenty feet further from where I landed the first time.
“That bitch!” I shout, rubbing my burned shoulder.
I throw my shirt off while stepping out of my shoes and socks in double-time, grab the fly of my jeans, and shift.
Bailey stands there with her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide, a horrible fear scent coming from her, filling the air around me and making me feel both angry and nauseous.
As wolf, I rush her, intent on finding out if that spell or potion applies to my two-legged form and the second my nose touches her chin, the pain is even worse this time. I yelp as my wolf is blown back, the yelp sounding like a pup got his tail stepped on.
I shift back to two feet and I’m growling.
My nose still feels like it’s on fucking fire.
I’m growling and Bailey is cowering now on the porch, hands over her mouth, eyes wide.
“Fuck!” I shout before I shift and shift back to halt the pain.
Graydon and Carrie are with her now and Graydon demands, “What the fuck?”
People next door and across the street are on their porches and in their driveways.