Chapter 31
CHAPTER 31
COLE
Her Heat ends and his Rut subsides, and he senses something is wrong.
His girl is pulling away from him.
She still plans to leave Green Woods after her interview with the doctor, but that’s not going to happen.
There are a few things he could do, he muses. He could wreck her car and leave her stranded in Green Woods.
But someone would give her a ride back, anyway.
He could kidnap and drag her kicking and screaming back to his summer house in Maryland, but keeping her sedated on a flight would be trickier than he’d prefer.
Besides, he doesn’t want to ruin everything he’s built with Bree.
She trusts him now. She showed him her scars, opened up about her past, and shared her body with him.
She just needs to stop denying their connection .
Which is why he doesn’t even want to leave her for an hour to grab supplies from his place. He needs another change of clothes and something to keep Breana from leaving him.
He doesn’t want to have to tie her up, but it’s important to have a backup plan in case she still insists on leaving tomorrow.
“Are you okay?” his Omega asks as she stands in the doorway to her bedroom, a frown etched on her face.
“I just need to run a quick errand.”
“Oh. Well, don’t let me stop you. I have to prepare for my interview, anyway.” She smiles at him, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Do you want to meet tonight after it's done?”
She’s shutting down on him. She’s blocking him out.
Fuck it. He won’t leave the cabin.
“Never mind. I’m staying here,” he says easily, putting his hands in his pockets. “I have no plans to leave you.”
Her eyes are dull. “I have a lot of work to do,” she replies, her voice clipped.
He simply grins at her. “Don’t let me stop you. We could even do a mock interview, if you’d like.”
She wraps her arms around herself as she looks at the floor. “I ah…” she shifts uncomfortably. “I think it would be easier if you left.”
There’s a beat of silence.
He raises an eyebrow. “You think what would be easier?”
She motions between them. “I have to go back home tomorrow, Cole,” she stammers, and the salty scent of her tears fills the room. “And I know you have a life, too.”
His girl is making this much more difficult than it needs to be.
“You’re my life now,” he tells her smoothly. “You could move to fucking Mars, and I’d follow you on a stolen rocket ship. I don’t care. ”
She chokes out a laugh, and he steps forward .
“What about your clients?” she asks. “Your job?”
“Baby. I can do my job anywhere , believe me.”
He can tell by the frown on her face that she isn’t convinced.
“I still would like some time alone,” she says softly.
No , he wants to snarl.
After he helped her through her Heat, it’s almost painful to be away from her.
“It’s not safe for you here by yourself,” he says pointedly. “Not with Eugene around, and not with everything else that has happened.”
He’s not above using his own murders to convince her that she needs him.
But she lifts her chin, his defiant, stubborn girl, and narrows her eyes at him.
“I wasn’t asking, Cole .”
The corner of his lip quirks.
“I don’t remember giving you a choice.”
She balks at that, and he grins, taking a step closer until he’s just inches from her.
“You want space, sweetheart? Fine . But you sure as hell aren’t spending the night alone. And you’re staying in this cabin until I come back for you. I do need to grab more things from my place, anyway.”
She opens her mouth to protest, but he leans in and kisses her instead. She reaches up her hands to his chest to shove at him, but he cups her face and holds her close.
“Telling me what to do won’t get you what you want,” she breathes, but her sweet scent and dilated pupils tell him it’s an empty threat.
“Shh. I’m giving you space, like you asked. Like a good, dutiful boyfriend.”
Her face flushes as he steps away.
Boyfriend.
It feels like a cheap word, compared to what he feels for her. Compared to what they actually are.
But if his girl wants space, he’ll afford her just a little of bit of it.
He’ll give her the illusion of a boundary.
“I’ll be back soon,” he tells her. “Enjoy your time alone, Breana. And don’t open that fucking door for anybody but me.”
He doesn’t want to leave her, but he knows it’s best to respect her space even if he doesn’t want to.
It’ll be a quick trip, anyway.
Then, he’ll drive her to her interview.
And after that, he’ll make sure she doesn’t doubt for a second they’re meant to be together.