Chapter Eight Ace
It was a fucking miracle that I ever got Matt into my truck. I couldn’t believe it. Not only did he let me buy him ice cream after I surprised him on the beach, but he was letting me drive him back to the hotel. My heart was pounding a mile a minute with him sitting only a couple feet away. Not to mention, his rich, cinnamon scent had filled the cab, and I was doing everything I could not to smile like a complete idiot. Thankfully, I’d wrapped a towel around my waist, claiming my shorts were wet from swimming, so that covered up the massive boner I had snaked down my leg.
Of course, I never intended to run into Matt on the beach. I’d gone there to think and swim. The last thing I expected was to catch his scent on the wind and find him splashing around in the waves like a pup. It was probably the most adorable thing I’d ever seen. Sure, I’d sat at the beach watching hot guys before. Who hasn’t? But watching Matt was something else entirely. Just seeing a smile on his face made my heart sing. It made me want to be the reason he smiled someday.
However, he was pretty pissed when he saw me. That much was painfully obvious. I don’t think I’d ever had someone try so hard to piss me off. But honestly, nothing he said could get under my skin. Just the fact that he was speaking to me made me happy. That felt terribly pathetic, but it was the truth. Matt could’ve told me to go fuck myself, and I would’ve smiled the entire time.
Did the mate bond make everyone this fucking weird?
“So, Sam said you’re a farmer,” Matt said, completely unprompted.
Oh fuck. He was talking to me. Be cool. Be social. Neither of which I was good at.
“Yeah.”
Great. Some conversationalist I was.
“Do you raise cattle or something?” He gestured toward my hat sitting on the center console.
“No. Just vegetables.”
“Oh.” He turned back to his window, staring out as we drove slowly down the dirt road to the park exit.
“Do you… like vegetables?”
The moment the words left my lips, I wanted to kick myself. What a stupid fucking question. Why was I so goddamn nervous around this guy?
Matt, understandably, raised an eyebrow in my direction. “They’re okay, I guess. I eat them if that’s what you’re asking.”
“My favorite are tomatoes,” I added for some unknown reason. “I like the way the little ones pop between my teeth.”
Matt just stared at me. “You’re weird.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I don’t… talk much.”
“I can tell.”
Silence.
“So… is Ace your real name, or is that just your cowboy fursona?”
“It’s the name I picked when I came here to start a new life.” I hesitated for a moment, trying to stop myself from dumping all my trauma on him in one go. “I had it legally changed three years ago.” Then it finally hit me. “Fursona?”
“I was wondering if you’d catch that.” A grin pulled at the corners of Matt’s lips and my heart did a backflip. “It was just a joke.”
I nodded. “It’s funny.”
The one time in my entire life that I actually wanted to be a better conversationalist and I was biffing it so fucking hard.
“How are you liking the hotel?” I asked, unable to stand the silence any longer.
“Well, my entire fucking life went down the drain a week ago, so it’s better than being homeless, I guess.”
“Sorry. Stupid question.”
“It’s fine.”
Silence again.
Talking to anyone was difficult for me, but talking to Matt was especially hard. I wanted to pour out my guts to him, to ask him to tell me everything about himself. But even though his scent was overwhelming, I could still smell the hesitation and discomfort rolling off of him. He wasn’t ready for the kind of conversation I wanted to have. And if I was being honest, I wasn’t sure I was either. I wanted it, but I didn’t really have the skills to navigate it just yet. We were still complete strangers to one another, and Matt was hurting. That was plain to see.
The rest of the drive passed without a word between us. Only the wind rushing by Matt’s open window filled the void. It only took us a couple of minutes to get into town. I pulled the truck up in front of the hotel and parked along the curb.
“Home sweet home,” I said without thinking.
Matt burned me a dirty look. “Not really.”
He pushed open the door and stepped out onto the curb. For a moment, I thought he’d just walk away. But as he closed the door, he turned around and leaned one arm into the open window.
“Thanks… uh… for the ride, I guess,” he said, his cheeks blushing red. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“No problem,” I said simply.
Of course, I wanted to say, consider it my apology, or I’ll take you anywhere you want to go at any time. But I didn’t say either of those things. Instead, I just nodded and gave him a small smile.
“Bye,” he said.
With just a few steps, he disappeared back into the lobby of the hotel. The wind picked up, carrying his scent with him. I nearly reached down to roll up the windows, hoping to trap it inside the truck for a bit longer. Part of me wanted to get out, run into the lobby, and sweep him up into my arms. Of course, that would probably lead to him stabbing me. Not that I’d blame him. The urge was intense, but it didn’t outweigh the fact that Matt just plain didn’t know me or trust me, for that matter.
“Hey there!” a voice called.
I looked up to find Sam stepping up to the truck. He crossed his arms, leaning against the open window as he leaned his head inside.
“I hear you gave my tenant a ride this morning,” he smirked. “Awfully convenient, Ace.”
I shook my head. “I just happened to see him at the beach. It was a coincidence.”
“Right. Of course it was.”
The tone in Sam’s voice hinted that he didn’t believe me.
“So, how are things at the farm?” he asked, completely changing the subject. “Still keeping up with everything alright?”
“It’s busy,” I replied, happy to get away from Sam’s prying. He had a tendency to be a little nosey, if I was being honest. “I’ve got the farmer’s market on Friday, and I haven’t started picking yet. Looks like it’s gonna be a bumper crop year though. Everything is growing so fast.”
“Well, you did that expansion last year,” he added. “There’s a lot more going on.”
“I honestly didn’t think another six hundred square feet would produce so much veg.”
“You’ve got quite a green thumb for a werewolf,” he smiled. “Two of them probably at the rate you’re going.” He paused for a moment. “Are you going to hire help?”
“Not right now,” I sighed, shaking my head. “I’ll need the cash flow from this year to hire someone next season. I just don’t have enough saved up to bring someone on yet.”
“Hmm…” Sam stroked the scruff on his chin. “That is a problem, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you gonna be able to get everything picked?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll just stay up late. It’s fine. The market’s only one day a week, right?” I gave a small shrug. “I can catch up on my sleep during the winter.”
“Unless you put in that greenhouse you’ve been planning.”
“I can’t hire help and do the greenhouse.”
“You’ll figure out something,” he smiled. “Who knows? Maybe the universe will provide a way for you to pull them both off at the same time.”
“Right.” I didn’t like that glint in Sam’s eye. “What are you up to?”
“Me?!” He pretended to be shocked, his hand on his chest. “I’m not up to anything. I’ve never schemed a day in my life.”
“Uh-huh.” If that were true, I’d eat my hat.
“So, did you apologize to Matt?” he asked, suddenly changing the subject again.
My heart fell to the pit of my stomach. “Fuck.”
“Ace…” Sam sighed, shaking his head. “You really aren’t doing yourself any favors. How are you going to get that kid to like you if you don’t apologize to him?”
“Like me?”
“Uh yeah. He’s your mate.”
I just stared at him blankly.
“You are going to pursue him, right? The mate bond isn’t something that you can just ignore. It’s not gonna go away.”
“He doesn’t like me…”
“That’s because he’s hurt and confused. And, I’m not gonna tell you his business, but he’s pretty fragile at the moment. Just like you were when you first arrived here.”
“He needs time alone then…”
“Absolutely not,” Sam said, cutting me off. “The last thing I want him to do is end up an old hermit like you!”
“Old?!”
“I’m not an idiot, Ace. I know why you stay out on that little piece of land all by yourself all the time. You’re terrified that if you allow yourself to feel something, you’ll get hurt again.”
I wasn’t going to tell Sam he was right. But he was.
“Solitude is not the answer. I know you’ve built up icy walls around your heart to keep yourself safe. We’ve all been there before. But if you do that forever, you’re going to miss the opportunity that’s right in front of you.” He leaned back, pointing a finger at me. “And I’m not going to let you do that to yourself.”
Without a word or a wave, Sam turned away and walked back through the front door of the hotel. I sat in my truck, trying to process everything he’d just said. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but I had a feeling I’d find out soon enough. Sam always followed through with his threats.