Chapter 15
fifteen
KAT
Dinner at the cafe went well. We picked up food on the way, and Darius tagged along too. Merrily went straight home, but no one seemed surprised by that.
Jonah and Liv seemed to get along well, like everyone else. The conversation flowed, and Callum was even participating. On the way home, he called Jonah by his name, instead of calling him my boyfriend.
We both did a little more work before going to bed, and Sable spent the night snuggled up next to Callum again.
The next morning, Elle, my business consultant, had three people for me to train.
Three.
Between them, they were taking over basically my entire job. There were only a few things I'd still need to do, and they were the fun things. The menus. The chatting with managers. The checking in on the cafes and making sure things were going well. The design and new location planning.
I would be able to spend most of my time doing things I actually wanted to do. Honestly, I couldn't even imagine what that would feel like.
I spent two solid days training them, and we weren't done by the time the third day came around, but they were going to text me with questions while Callum and I were at the next round of challenges.
Things were normal during the drive there.
"You've been busy," Callum said.
"I usually am. You seem busy too."
"There's always something to do."
I nodded.
His hands tightened around the steering wheel.
Huh.
Was there something he wanted to say, but wasn't saying?
He probably wanted me to tell him I would start working less, but I wasn't going to do that any more than I was going to be obvious about my pushing.
I was still sticking with my love plan. He was going to fall for me, but I was taking it slow. Making him itch for me. Ache for me. Yearn for me.
Who didn't love a good yearning?
He hadn't tried to start anything between us again, but he had an erection most of the time. I made it a point to get myself off loudly every time I showered. He watched, usually, and there was no tucking away how much he wanted me afterward.
In truly wicked fashion, I also made it a point to start a conversation about his family every time he was showering, on top of watching, just to make his balls a little more blue.
Considering the way he'd tried to manipulate me into mating with him, I didn't feel bad.
And I was pretty sure my plan would work eventually. Living together without being completely together like a real couple clearly bothered him.
He did want love, he just hadn't figured that out yet.
I'd make him desperate enough to put it together, even if it required some bitchiness. Female werewolves were good at that.
"I ordered furniture for an office," Callum said. "For you. You shouldn't have to work at the kitchen table."
"Thanks, but I don't mind the table."
My phone buzzed, and I checked the message.
Jonah
Dinner with the fae at the Water Street cafe again?
Me
I'm game, let me see if they are
Jonah
Liv and Dare seem up for anything
Me
True
"I'm going to do dinner with Jonah at the cafe again tonight," I said.
"Am I invited?" Callum asked without looking at me.
He was more tense than he had been the last time we drove to the challenges. We hadn't been touching as often, since I'd been training my new... whatever they were. Business managers?
He'd been spending more time in his office. Alone. And he often had things to do for the Cabinet that required leaving the house. He'd never asked me to go with him.
"If you want to come with me, you can. That's part of our contract."
My phone buzzed again, and I looked down at another message.
Liv
You're hoarding my best friend
Also, are we doing the cafe again after the fights?
Me
Yes to the cafe
No to the hoarding, I barely see him
Liv
Then what the hell is he doing?
Me
Working?
Liv
He gets pissy when he works that much
Is he pissy?
Me
Is he ever not pissy?
Liv
He's sarcastic when he's happy
Me
I wouldn't know
Liv
You haven't warmed up to each other yet?
Me
I don't think he plans on warming at any point in the future
He told me he's not interested in love
Liv
He's full of it
Bring him to the nightclub tonight. If you dance, he'll dance too, and you'll see him not pissy
Me
I don't like nightclubs
Kind of the opposite of cafes
Liv
That wasn't a request
Think of it as payment for hoarding him
Me
I'm still not hoarding him
Liv
I still don't care
We'll do a girls' night tomorrow with Mer and come up with a plan to thaw him out
Me
I already have a plan
Liv
Then why is he working?
Me
He's not going to thaw overnight
Liv
Then turn up the heat
Me
Is this your relationship, or mine?
Liv
Fine
If you haven't made progress next week, we're getting involved
Me
I don't remember hiring you
Liv
GTG I'm at the pit
Jonah looks hot
Me
Hotter than Niall?
I hadn't gotten the story about their breakup, but Callum seemed to be trying to get her to go back to him. I was inclined to think they must've been good together because of that. He might not want to love me, but he did love Liv.
Liv
Fuck you
I grinned.
"Who are you texting?" Callum asked.
When I looked at him, his fingers were clutching the steering wheel so hard there was ice wrapped around it.
"Liv."
"About what?"
"She thinks I'm hoarding you."
Callum's fingers loosened just slightly. "You're not."
"That's what I said. She wants us to go to the nightclub with her tonight."
Callum grimaced. "Of course she does."
"She probably misses you."
"She doesn't miss me. I talk to her frequently."
More than he talked to me, probably. We'd barely talked since we got home after the last challenge. Pretty much only when he was in the shower.
"I'm going," I said.
Callum looked entirely unexcited, but jerked his head. "Fine. I will too."
Sable woke up from a nap as we parked. "I want to run around with Audrey again. Right now."
"Gwen would probably rather you wait until after it starts."
She grumbled, but agreed.
It was another long day of watching fifty different fights. Gwen wouldn't meet Sable's eyes, so when my wolf took over, she just trotted right to her.
Gwen scratched her head lightly. As much as it pained me to admit it, I thought Sable might actually be right.
Something was up with her, other than some amount of possible upset after Simon's death.
If she didn't seem better the next time I saw her, I'd talk to her. Until then, I just hoped she could deal with her shit on her own.
After the final fight, we had dinner with the same group from last time, before going home long enough to change.
The only outfit I had that would fit in at the club was the same one I'd worn when I met Callum in the first place, so that was what I put on.
He raked his eyes over me when I stepped out of the closet in it.
He no longer wore his sports coat everywhere, usually sticking with the button-up rolled up his forearms instead.
I hadn't tried to get him to dress more casually since that first time, but he clearly remembered my request and cared about it at least a little.
I still was waiting for him to admit he cared about it, though.
"We could stay in," he said, lifting his gaze back to mine. "Go to bed early."
I knew exactly what he was suggesting:
The same thing we'd done the last time he saw me in this outfit.
I smoothed my hands over the dark green velvet of the high waisted skirt, and his eyes tracked the slow movement of my hands predatorily. I could see his erection straining against the front of his pants. He'd tuck it away long before we reached the nightclub.
"He wants you so much," Sable murmured, half asleep.
Wandering around at the challenges all day had wiped her out. It was a miracle she was awake at all.
"I know. My plan is vicious."
"I love it."
She would be snoring in less than a minute.
"We could," I said, pulling lightly on the hem of my skirt just to keep his attention there. "But if you're not going to let me touch you too, we're leaving."
Never mind that there were very few things I hated as much as loud music. I could at least pretend to enjoy myself for Liv's sake.
"You know why I can't do that, Kitten."
"I know why you think you can't do that."
His jaw clenched. "I won't risk hurting you."
"Don't you think that should be up to me?"
"No."
"How do you expect my next heat to go, then? Because unless you plan on letting someone else soothe it, I'll be in pain if you don't fuck me. We both know it's going to hit in the next few weeks at the latest."
"I expect you to change your mind when it starts."
"Good luck with that. Mated couples can't get through heat with just foreplay. I'll be in pain regardless."
"That can't be true."
I lifted an eyebrow. "Are you trying to tell me you know more about werewolves than I do?"
"You're so fucking stubborn." His frustration was evident as he dodged my question.
"Fate wouldn't pair you with anyone who wasn't stubborn enough to deal with all of that." I gestured to him in a circular motion, and his nostrils flared. "Let's go. Liv's probably already there."
Callum followed me out to our car, and ice climbed over the steering wheel during the drive. The club wasn't far, but it was far enough that the silence was tense.
I let it be tense.
The tension was part of my plan.
I had no idea how long it would take to work, but I was hoping heat was going to help whenever it decided to make an appearance.
"Don't touch anyone else in the club," Callum said stiffly, after we parked.
"Wasn't planning on it."
"Don't let anyone else touch you, either."
"You're scary enough to keep them away."
"No dancing," he added.
"I'm not agreeing to that."
"I don't want anyone watching you move that way." His voice lowered.
"I'm here for Liv, and I'm pretty sure all she does is dance." I opened the door and got out of the car. He caught me just after I cleared the vehicle, his hand pressing lightly to my back as we walked.
"I'll have to dance with you," he growled, the words barely audible.
Everyone in line outside was already looking our way, but I ignored them.
"Try not to sound so excited about it."
He scoffed, pointing the expression at the crowd as we walked straight through the doors, let through by security guards that pointedly avoided looking at us.
If I'd liked nightclubs, the easy entry would've been a real perk.
Callum guided me up the stairway to the loft in front of him, his hand remaining on my lower back. I would've teased him about being so worried that I would fall, if I hadn't known he was only touching me to ease his magic's impact on him.
The music was loud enough to make my ears ache, but I tried to ignore it as we reached the top of the stairs.
Liv was already in a group of immortals on that small version of the dance floor, jumping and belting out the lyrics to a song I vaguely recognized.
Her eyes lit up when she saw me and Callum, and she ditched her group to jog over to us. Instead of throwing her arms around Callum, she launched herself at me for a hug.
I laughed, stumbling backward into Callum, who managed to keep all three of us from falling down the stairs.
"Easy," he warned Liv.
"You came!" she exclaimed. "Come on." Grabbing my hand, she towed me to the dance floor.
The grin she shot at Callum said she knew he was going to dance if I did.
"I've been trying to get him to dance for at least a century!" she yelled over the music.
"It's your lucky day!" I called back.
She pumped a fist into the air, already shaking her ass as she tugged me, and Callum behind me, into the crowd.
The chill of his magic had the group parting a little, keeping their distance from me and the ice king when we joined them.
Though I wasn't a fan of clubs, Gwen had always loved going dancing. We'd been out nearly every night in the years between high school graduation and Simon choosing her as the new Alpha. It wasn't hard to fall back into that side of me for a few hours.
No one in the crowd dared to touch any of us while we danced, as I expected.
Callum's hands remained on my waist, his skin touching mine constantly. He barely moved for at least the first twenty minutes, but when someone bumped into him, he stepped closer. As soon as he was pressed against me, he was moving too. Not with the music, but with me.
His erection was impossible to ignore, and I nudged the mental bond between us playfully when it throbbed against my back.
The small crowd in the loft with us thinned out as the night went on, but Liv showed no signs of tiring out. Outside of one short break for drinks in the royals' private room (the one I knew a little too well), which Liv instigated herself, we kept dancing.
For hours.