Chapter 26 #2
Now I feel the warmth of his breath on my ear and neck, so I walk to the kitchen, not looking back, returning with a plate and a set of cutlery, intentionally not looking at him, though knowing his gaze is on me.
“You didn’t bring a plate for Jase?” Mom asks, and her expression says, I raised you better than this.
“It’s okay, Carrie. I ate. In fact, you don’t need that plate, Bay. I brought your breakfast. I was cooking it when you slipped out without saying anything…” He lets that hang, reprimand in his voice.
I look at him and sure enough, he’s holding a plate covered with foil.
I roll my eyes. “No thank you, I have a craving for Mom’s pancakes.”
“Bailey,” Mom hisses with disapproval.
I shoot her a look that stops her cold. Because I’m a grown woman and this shit is new but it’s already old. She seems to get it, saying nothing, eyes lighting with recognition, but this doesn’t stop her mouth from tightening.
Grey speaks up. “So… stating the obvious, you slept at Jase’s but you two haven’t made it official.”
“If it’s obvious, why bring it up?” I mutter.
Grey’s eyebrows are up high and he’s looking at Jase. It’s like I’m missing something here.
“Still can’t touch her without getting zapped,” Jase replies. “Though she can touch me…”
And the way his voice drops when he says that, grr. More sexual warfare.
“Did or did it not pour rain last night, Jason?” I ask.
“Yeah, it was rainin’ cats ‘n dogs. Why?”
The others at the table exchange glances as I give my mom a look.
Grey still has his eyebrows up, eyes on Jase and I don’t understand what sort of communication is going on right now, but there’s something between them.
Dad gets up. “I’m runnin’ to town for an errand.”
“An errand where?” Mom asks.
“Just… back later,” Dad mutters and he’s walking past us.
“What’s going on?” Mom asks, looking confused.
Stacy looks uncomfortable.
Jase gets closer. “Can’t touch you until tomorrow that is.”
And the threat along with the heat against my neck has me moving away from him.
“You know what? I think I’ll grab something later,” I say, ignoring my hunger. “I’ll just change so we can do what we were gonna do, yeah, Stacy?”
“Um… sure…”
Jase is wearing a panty-removing smile, dimples popping, while my brother is putting his fork down, looking like he lost his appetite.
I grab a pancake from the platter, dunk it in the puddle of syrup on my father’s abandoned plate and fold it in half, eating it on the way upstairs.
I hear Grey say, “Outside.”
And he’s saying it in a way that sounds like he’s pissed off.
I want out of here as fast as possible, so this desire wins over my desire to know what that’s about.
I rush to my bathroom and quickly wash the dirt off my feet before I go into my closet and shed everything I’m wearing other than my bra because I put it on fresh after my bath last night.
I throw some clean clothes on, put my hair up into a ponytail, roll on deodorant, spritzing a little perfume, and get into a pair of slides that won’t irritate my heel blisters.
After a quick two-minute makeup application, I check my phone battery percentage and grab my power pack, plugging it in and slipping both into my purse before I jog downstairs, grab one more cold pancake before lifting the syrup and butter to take them to the kitchen where Mom and Stacy are already working on cleaning up.
“Mom, I need out of here in a hurry. You mind if I grab Stacy and run?”
“Okay,” Mom says but I know she doesn’t agree. “I have to tell you, I’m worrying about you.”
“Don’t.”
She has enough to worry about.
She keeps going. “I think you’re avoiding your feelings and that’s not healthy.
It sounds like you went through a lot on that trip and I don’t want you to think I’m not on your side.
I’m on your side, always, I just know Jase is what you’ve wanted for a long time and right now you’re pushing your feelings away because it seems easier, but sooner or later you need to acknowledge these emotions you’re having and when you do, I’m here. Day or night.”
This is not what I need right now, but I know Mom is worried.
“Yes, I’m feeling a lot of things right now and doing my best to avoid these feelings, so I don’t have a full-scale nervous breakdown.
I have a mission and I’m choosing to focus on that instead.
I’m an adult and I don’t need or appreciate being treated like a naughty child because you all want me to play the Jase game I don’t want to play. ”
“I apologize for that. You’re right. But… what’s the mission?” Mom asks, concern etched into her features.
“I’m putting together a petition to present to the SCC where females can dispute a claiming by an alpha before it happens and I want it rushed and done before tomorrow afternoon so I can call in a favor to Dr. Blakely or to Lucinda Walsh.
I’m hoping to get the Youngs to extend my three-day reprieve so he can’t claim me while the SCC reviews the law change request. If I get the ball rolling far enough along, that might be the best way forward. ”
“Mitchell Blakely might be coming over. It’s being discussed because of what’s happening with Cicely’s mate,” Mom says.
“Will he be here today or tomorrow?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” Mom says.
“I’ll see what I can find out. Thanks, Mom.” I hug her. “Don’t worry about me. I’m worried about you too, you know. And Dad.”
“Dad and I will get through. I know how powerful a thing scent can be and your brother’s cousins are working on helping us get things back to normal. But speaking of scent, boy, you smell good, honey,” Mom says, leaning in. “Are you wearing a new perfume?”
Stacy stifles a laugh.
We both look at her as I say, “Just put on my usual stuff.”
Stacy shakes her head and waves her hand. “Don’t mind me.”
But she looks like she’s about to crack up laughing.
“What?” I ask, because there’s something she’s not saying.
Stacy’s eyes bounce between me and Mom and she’s blushing.
Mom and I are both waiting.
“Um…” Stacy’s face is getting redder by the second.
I demand, “Spill!”
“This isn’t exactly a conversation to have around my new mother-in-law…”
Mom waves. “Bah! You can say anything in front of me, believe me.”
I nod. “A hundred per cent. Mom is equal parts bestie and mom.”
Stacy leans in just a little. “You smell like Jase has marked you.”
“Oh?” Mom inquires.
Marked me?
“I think that’s why your dad left the table,” Stacy whispers. “Why Grey pulled Jase outside.”
“Huh?” I ask, but suddenly, it dawns.
“Marked me?” I check. “Like…”
“I’m guessing she means you smell like alpha cum, sweetie,” Mom says softly, patting my arm. “Something wrong with your nose?”
I jerk back. I have a damn good nose, and I know there’s something extra-Jase about my scent right now. I figured it was sleeping in his bed, his shirt…
Mom unnecessarily explains things I already know, “If you’d mated, the whole area would smell just like that scent.
It would be a highly concentrated aroma covering a wide distance.
I wouldn’t know what it is, but I’d smell it and ask and your dad or your brother or even you would’ve told me who it belonged to.
But since you haven’t mated and Stacy smells it, I’d say she’s right about Dad’s reaction as well as your brother’s.
Some males spray a scent around their mate to ward off other males, but they can only do that after mating.
Since you haven’t mated, I’d say Stacy’s assumption is likely the right one. ”
I clench my fists, blood pressure levels soaring. What’s wrong with my nose? It’s muddled by Jason Creed, I suspect. Wait. He didn’t!
“That’s… grr.”
“Calm down,” Mom requests.
“Nope! Later Mom. Meet me in the car, Stacy,” I mutter as I spin away and storm outside, finding my brother and Jase looking like they’re having words.
Grey speaks louder, eyes on me. “I’m goin’ home. You’ll bring Stacy home when you’re done at the Creeds’?”
Without waiting for me to reply, Grey walks to his car, gets in and drives off. He’s obviously pissed off. He didn’t even say goodbye to Mom and Dad. Or Stacy.
“What did you do?” I demand.
Jase eyes me from head to toe and back to head again with a dimpled smile. A big one.
“Stacy says it smells like you marked me. Did you… did you shift to wolf and spray your scent on me? You couldn’t, right? Because that’s putting a cart before a horse?”
He doesn’t answer me. But he looks supremely pleased with himself.
“That’s not only gross, it’s violating. It’s… it’s… vile!”
“I did not shift and mark you while you were sleeping, Bay. Though it’s not a terrible idea, I can’t do the wolf protection circle around my mate until you’re officially my mate.”
“I’m aware. Then what did you do? You’re conjuring up visuals for them and me that nobody needs.”
“And you should be at our house, eating the breakfast I cooked you. But you’re here, after sneaking out so the way you smell right now is more on you than on me.”
“What does that even mean? And… I didn’t sneak. I just walked straight out. Because as far as I’m concerned, there was no reason for me to continue to be in your house. They’re saying it didn’t rain. Did I imagine that?”
“Nope. Maybe Fate rained on just us so we’d go to my house and you’d see that’s where you’re supposed to be. Maybe you smell like me because that’s what you’re supposed to smell like.”
“Maybe you’re delulu.”
Frustration hits his eyes before he smiles again. And this is a different smile, the one without dimples, and it feels dangerous.
I ignore the strange, unwelcome thrill his new smile gives me and raise my palm in his face, declaring, “I’m done talking to you.” I walk toward my car.
Jase follows. “You’re goin’ to my folks?”
I get in and lock the door without answering him. I press my palm on the horn. Stacy rushes outside, hurrying to the passenger side.
“Bailey.” Jase knocks on my window.
I give him the finger and I’m backing out of my driveway while Stacy buckles up.