Chapter 3 #2
“Oh,” I say, and then I cringe at the relief that floods my body. That doesn’t mean he wants to be with her chubby daughter, doofus. He’s an Alpha. And ungodly sexy. He probably sleeps with a ton of super-hot women.
His phone alarm pings. “Dinner’s ready.”
Saved by the bell, I think as we leave the room, a weird niggling feeling tight in my stomach. I was two humiliating steps from asking him if he has a mate.
Back in the kitchen, I try to serve up the food, but he bats me away. “You relax,” he tells me firmly, and a little thrill goes through me. I like his bossy, alpha-ness. Especially as it means he’s caring for me.
“Eat in here, or the dining room?” he asks.
“Here,” I say. It feels cozy and I can still sense my mom’s presence here.
He grabs two beers from the freezer and raises a questioning eyebrow, but I shake my head. If I drink anything now, I’ll probably do something real embarrassing. Like, tell him he’s the hottest thing I’ve seen in my life.
Or try and kiss him, or something.
“Good girl,” he says approvingly, and I glow under his praise.
We settle down on either side of the island.
The deer stew is amazing, and I wolf it down.
“Your mom and her mom used to spend a lot of time in here,” he says. “Gossiping, cooking together.”
I smile. Just like I imagined. “My grandma was an awesome lady.”
His expression turns serious. “What happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what brought you here, Lily?”
I stare down at my plate. Escaping my father and my arranged mating is dangerous.
There’s no way my dad will give up on me without a fight.
I’m too valuable as an asset. My mom promised me he knows nothing about this house.
But he’s got a ton of powerful, well-connected associates.
They could probably track me all the way over here if they wanted to.
Of course, I knew all that when I snuck off in his flashy car. But what I hadn’t imagined was getting someone else caught up in it. Someone who’s cared for my mom’s memory all these years.
I shrug. “Just wanted to see where my mom was raised,” I mumble, trying to keep my voice nonchalant.
“Lily!”
I jump and my head snaps up. His voice is a deep bellow, and his eyes are burning.
I get it: he’s shown me his softer side for the past hour or so. But he’s an Alpha being, and I’m powerless to disobey him. I feel that little shifter part of me drop its head in submission.
“Don’t ever lie to me,” he thunders.
His eyes soften, like he realizes he scared the crap out of me. “You’ve got to trust me, Lily. I’m here for you.”
My throat has closed up and I swallow hard. “I just don’t want you to get caught up in this.”
He gives an impatient shake of his head, as if he’s shaking off a fly. “I’ve been caught up ever since my family moved next door to your family.”
When I continue to stare at him, my thoughts churning and churning, he reaches for my hand.
Oh god, his touch. Rough, enveloping. Thrilling. So intense I almost pull away.
Almost—because this is also the most delicious, erotic moment of my life. If it feels like this when he touches my hand, how would it feel when he touches my…
He releases me, but continues to fix his gaze on me. Waiting.
“Is your pack, like—” I struggle for the right word. “Is it dark?” I ask at last.
He frowns. “You mean, criminal?”
I nod.
He gives a dry laugh. “Nope. Violent, rough, uncivilized, yes. But not organized crime. I wouldn’t stand for it.
I didn’t think your mom’s parents were, either.
” He cracks his knuckles. “And it’s something I’ve thought about a lot over the years.
They seemed like a regular family. Then suddenly, they changed. ”
I nod. “I think her dad got into something shady and wound up being blackmailed. Our house was full of secrets when I was being raised. My grandpa was this tense, stressed-out guy. At least until he disappeared one day.”
“Disappeared?”
I nod.
He works his jaw back and forth, but doesn’t comment. “And your father?”
“A complete asshole,” I spit. “He was always mean to my mom. They had nothing in common, and he treated her like his property.”
A growl escapes Vaughn’s lips, and the bones in his face broaden. A telltale sign of a coming shift—I know it well, and I shrink back.
Right away, his wolf recedes. “Sorry.”
I straighten my spine. “I’m used to it. Don’t worry.” I force out a laugh. My father’s sudden shifts and psychotic episodes were legendary. He used to tear up the whole house, and when he shifted back, he’d act like someone else must’ve bust the TV, my mom’s laptop, and the minibar.
“It was an arranged mating?”
“I think so.”
Vaughn pounds his fist on the table. “I knew it,” he growls. “That’s why they took her away. She was too damn young.” He stares into the distance, and for a moment, he seems far away.
“How old was she?” I hardly dare ask, but I need to know.
His massive chest rises and falls again. “Sixteen. Barely sixteen.”
My breath catches. “Younger than I am now.”
He stills, his irises glowing amber as they fix on me. “And how old are you?”
“N-nineteen,” I stutter, nervous under his scrutiny.
“Nineteen.” A deep rumbling spills from his chest and I sense his wolf, rising to the surface again.
He looks hungry. Predatory.
My heart beats faster.
Does this mean…?
No.
He’s attracted to me?
Not possible.
“Why did you come here?” he demands.
“To hide.” That’s true at least.
“From your father?”
I nod.
“Because he was trying to force a mate on you?”
I exhale a long breath. He sees right through me. “Yes,” I mutter.
The roar that breaks from his throat startles me—and him too, I think. I see his animal’s rage.
Its protectiveness toward me.
The realization pours through me like lava.
“But you got away in time?” he says through clenched teeth, and I can tell how much it’s costing him to keep his animal in check.
“Yes. The night before I was going to be… to be... handed over.” The word I can’t say is mated.
When my dad told me I was going to be the wife of his forty-five-year-old associate, I was sick to my stomach.
Disgusted at the thought I’d have to take all my clothes off and let him do all kinds of things to me.
I wasn’t ready for sex—least of all with him.
I’m staring down at my empty plate in embarrassment, but I hear Vaughn taking several deep breaths, like he’s trying to calm himself. “Lily?” His voice is soft now. And slowly, I raise my gaze to his again, my cheeks burning.
“You did the right thing running away,” he says. “You were real brave. But now I’m going to protect you, keep you safe. And when you take your mate, it will be because you want it. More than anything.”
More than anything.
His words sear through my brain, while his eyes run over me, tracing a line of fire down my cleavage and over my too-big tits.
He wants me.
I can hardly believe it, but I see his pupils dilating, the swell of his animal, and desire flares in me.
I’ve never been a sexual person. I was never interested when my schoolmates were gossiping about boys.
But now I get it: I just hadn’t met my mate.
Now my whole body is on fire.
With need.
For him.