Chapter 10 - Kelsey #2
I find two books that catch my interest in the sci-fi section, and Miles takes them from me to pay for them.
“You don’t have to do that, I can pay for them myself,” I grumble.
“You really hate it when people do anything for you,” he observes. I open my mouth to argue, but realize I can’t. I hate accepting help.
“Usually, they expect things in return, and help is never just help,” I mutter.
Miles furrows his brows and watches me for a moment before he replies. “And sometimes someone just wants to do something nice for you, Kels,” he says.
I bite the inside of my cheek. In my life, that has not been my experience.
“Thank you,” I whisper quietly, a little embarrassed.
He wraps his arm around my shoulder and gives me a side hug. He smells incredible, and his body is warm against mine. I quickly pull away and plaster a smile on my face.
“Where to next?” I ask.
We roam the entire town. Visiting every shop that catches our eye. We stop for lunch at the burger place, and I choose Miles’ order while he chooses mine just to make it fun.
Then, after lunch, he gets a mischievous shine in his eyes when he says, “I know a place you’ll love, Ms. No-Romance girl.”
“Oh, you do? Well, I’m dying to know what it is,” I tease.
To my surprise, he knows me way better than I would have guessed.
We walk through a sports weapons shop and out the back door, led by a tall skinny man in cargo pants and a grey shirt.
“There you go, it’s all yours. Make sure you only throw in that direction,” he says, gesturing at the giant silhouette targets shaped like men with red and white rings decorating their torsos.
They are made out of thick wood and already scarred by use.
“Axe throwing?” I laugh, looking around the place.
“An excellent way to work off some inner frustration that might be pent up,” he nods. “And fun as hell,” he adds.
“I don’t have pent-up anything,” I argue.
He cocks his head to the side and throws me a look that makes me stop talking. Firstly, it’s freaking hot. The serious depth of his stare and the intensity in his expression make my heartbeat faster. And secondly, I might have some pent-up shit. Whatever. Everyone does.
Miles picks up a long-handled axe, and in one elegant, yet deadly flick of his wrist, he sends it spinning toward the target. It lands with a solid thud, and the axe is embedded right in the center of the guy’s head.
“You’ve done this before,” I remark, impressed.
“Once or twice.”
I pick up an axe and stand in front of my target, weighing it in my hand and rocking it back and forth a little to work out the weight distribution.
Miles steps up close behind me with his chest pressed against my back. My breathing stops, caught in my throat as he slides his hand down my arm and wraps his massive hand around the back of mine.
“You want to throw it in a way that makes use of the weighted side to build momentum,” he explains, his breath warm against my neck and sending a delightful shiver down my spine.
Focus, pay attention, he’s teaching you something.
Kala spins and jumps happily, basically begging me to rip the guy's clothes off and have my way with him. I clear my throat and squeeze my eyes shut for a second, reining her in.
“You got it?” He asks, stepping back.
“Uh-huh,” I nod. I have no idea what he just said.
Letting my instincts take over, I throw the axe. It doesn’t move with the same graceful accuracy as Miles did, but I do hit the target in the chest.
“It’s definitely going to leave a mark,” Miles laughs. “That was a damn good first throw,” he says.
“Maybe you’re just a good teacher,” I giggle.
What the fuck was that? Did you just flirt with him, Kelsey? Are you serious?
I shove the intrusive thought aside. So, what if I did? There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of flirting. I am married to the guy!
And I’m having fun.
Imagine that. Kelsey. Not at work. Not even thinking about work. Out with the guys, she was shoved into an arranged marriage with and…. she’s having fun.
I grin at my inner dialogue as I pick up another axe.
“You are enjoying this?” Miles chuckles behind me.
I turn to smile at him. “Actually, I really am,” I say.
***
It’s early evening, and the sun is sinking on the horizon, already half disappeared, its big orange body smothered by the snow-covered hills we can see in the distance.
“We’ll have the rib basket,” Miles says.
“The two-person rib…”
“No. The four-person basket, thanks,” Miles corrects the waitress, and I have to look away to hide my amusement at her surprise. She can’t figure out if he’s joking for a moment, but then smiles politely and says, “Of course. And two Cokes. Will there be anything else?”
“A big plate of fries, please, with that pink sauce,” he adds.
“Oh, wow, ok,” she scribbles on her notepad, and a little giggle escapes me.
No matter where you go, the humans are always shocked by how much we eat. I don’t really blame them, though. I could easily eat a pound of barbecued ribs and still want more.
Miles waits till the waitress is out of hearing range and muses, “It’s hard not to feel judged.”
“Like we’re some gluttonous couple with an eating problem,” I laugh, agreeing with him. “You’d think she’d take one look at the size of your muscles and assume you work out all day and you need all that extra food to stay looking so damn sexy, right?”
Miles' face lights up, his eyes glimmering and his smile stretching wide. “You think I’m sexy?” He says, sounding like a kid on Christmas.
The random remark makes me choke on my water as I burst out laughing.
“Miles, every girl in the entire pack thinks you’re sexy,” I giggle, trying not to drool water and trying my best to act like a lady, but failing horribly.
Miles looks sheepishly left and right and chuckles at himself.
If I’m not mistaken, he might even be blushing underneath his tan.
“Um, so, uh…” he trips over his words, and I realize for the very first time that Miles wants me to think he’s hot. This has nothing to do with the other girls in the pack…just me. Not in the arrogant, lame way I thought. But he genuinely cares what I think.
The side of my mouth curls upward.
“Yes, I think you’re very sexy,” I mutter, unable to look at him because now my cheeks are a raging red furnace of heat.
Miles reaches across the table and cups his hand beneath my chin, lifting my head.
“You have the cutest dimples when you smile. But only when it’s a real smile,” he says quietly, his eyes piercing into mine.
My heart beats fast, slamming against my rib cage as my lips part and I wonder what it would be like to kiss him.
Right on time, the waitress arrives with our drinks, and I breathe a loud sigh of relief.
Over dinner, the conversation flows freely.
Miles doesn’t stop me when I have a little grumble about the elders and how stuck they are in the past. In fact, he actually agrees with me. “I thought all the men in the pack were kind of on the same page?” I ask.
“What page is that?”
“The one where they get to make all the decisions,” I laugh.
He shakes his head. “The elders need to get with the times. Rose Falls omegas are smart, brilliant women who have been held back for too long. It’s a big process getting the elders to see that, too.
They’re older and really giving heart to the saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” he chuckles.
“Jace is doing a good job, though. He has changed a lot,” I remark.
“Jace is brilliant. I couldn’t be happier to be his Beta. It’s an honor to have the chance to work with him like this.”
His comment surprises me.
“Aren’t you upset that you don’t get to be Alpha?” I ask. “You have Alpha genes. You could even start your own pack if you wanted to.”
He scoffs. “I love my job. I love working with a man like Jace. He’s strong, levelheaded, committed, and he has a damn good heart. He’s the type of man you're lucky to learn from. Besides, being Alpha means you have to deal with all the politics, and I hate politics. Beta is far better for me.”
After dinner, as we walk back to the car, Miles slips his arm around my back and pulls me closer to his side. “Did you have fun today?” He asks.
“I did,” I say, letting him hold me instead of moving away.
“So, it’s not as bad as you thought to take a bit of vacation time?” He says, teasing me.
“It turns out…it’s actually not bad at all,” I laugh. “It’s been a very long time since I even remember having fun.”
He kisses my forehead and sends butterflies fluttering through my stomach. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, Kels. I did too.”