Chapter 4
Angie
“I think I can see my breath in here.” I huffed and watched a small cloud form before evaporating.
Rhett scowled at the yellowed plastic of the thermostat on the wall. “It doesn’t say what temperature it is. Just ‘max heat.’”
“On the bright side, this is going to be a hilarious honeymoon story someday.”
He pointed to a pile of snacks on the small two-person table crammed between the window and bed. “At least we got some real food for dinner.”
I picked up a bag of sour gummies and laughed. “The vending machine is the most modern thing in this motel by like forty years.”
There wasn’t even a TV in here.
Rhett dropped into one of the wooden chairs, and it creaked ominously. He lifted his coat off the back and held it out to me.
“No, thanks. I’m sick of feeling like a penguin in that thing.”
“I’m sorry about this,” he said. “I’m sorry I can’t get you a proper dinner.” He gave the cheese puffs a forlorn look.
“Are you kidding? Cool ranch corn nuts is like my favorite food.” I popped a few in my mouth, wincing when they crunched a little too much.
Truthfully, they were so low on my favorites list that I forgot they existed until tonight, but Rhett was so genuine that I didn’t want to make him feel bad.
“This isn’t any better than the accommodations I would have been able to afford in Fairbanks. ”
He pursed his lips. “Mates like to feed each other.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Like in a kinky way?”
“You would think that, wouldn’t you?” I shrugged, and he continued. “Male wolves are especially concerned with feeding their mates. I thought I should warn you.”
“As long as you’re not spoon-feeding me, I will not complain. Food is the surest way to my heart.” I offered him a gummy worm, and he accepted.
He shifted his chair so that our legs were touching. Gaze locked with mine, he hovered his hand over my thigh in a silent request. “Mates like to touch each other too.”
I almost choked on a gummy worm. “How much PDA are we talking here?”
“General touching is usually enough. Holding hands, sitting together like this.” His palm was hot when he lowered it, warming my skin as he made a slow trail with his thumb. “But you’re not marked, and my brothers are unmated, so I might have to touch you a lot. Is that okay?”
Was it okay?
That pulling sensation in my chest felt stronger, and even through my jeans I had tingles where his hand was resting on my thigh. He was so warm I wanted to curl up in his lap.
It would be easy to let him put his hands all over me and pretend I was infatuated. Too easy.
Dammit, I was doing it again. If it wasn’t a stray dog, it was a stray man. I just couldn’t say no to those puppy-dog eyes.
Or werewolf eyes, in this case.
But how long before my fake feelings slipped and fell and turned into real feelings? I fell in love with every cute little animal, and Rhett was no exception. He was adorable with those impeccable manners. Being hellbent on getting to his mother’s birthday party, even in this weather.
I mean, I couldn’t exactly change my mind now. We were halfway there. I heard him tell his mom on the phone that he was bringing a guest, and she probably already jumped to the conclusion we were hoping she would.
So, I might get a little attached. No biggie. It wasn’t like I could stay in Alaska indefinitely. I had a return flight booked for next week.
“Can we keep it PG?”
“Of course.” His hand left my knee, and I shivered. “I won’t ask for anything you don’t want to give.”
We finished our vending machine snacks in silence, listening to the whir of the heater as it overexerted itself.
I was beginning to think we would be warmer if we slept in the car.
A yawn stretched my lips before I could cover it, and I looked longingly at the bed.
“How do you want to do this bed thing?” It wasn’t going to be a comfortable fit for him either way, but he paid for the room, so I didn’t want to put him out.
“I’ll sleep on the floor.”
I stood, rifling through my duffle and looking for a pair of sweatpants.
“No, you won’t. We would have shared a bed if we had made it to your mother’s house.
We are both mature adults. We can share a bed.
” I made a pile of clean clothes on the bed.
My cosmetic bag was set on top of it. “I’m not going to freak out if I accidentally rub up against your morning wood.
It’s nothing I haven’t experienced before. ”
Rhett stood abruptly. His eyes were golden again, hands fisted at his side. The corners of his jaw tightened, moving up and down as they flexed. I could hear his teeth moving together painfully.
When he spoke, it was thick and gritty. “I’m going to take a shower.”
The bathroom door slammed behind him. A second later, I heard a metallic squeak and the groaning of old pipes as water sprayed into the shower.
Ooookay. So, we were supposed to touch each other, and that was fine, but joking about his AM hard on was taking it too far?
I stuffed a handful of cheese puffs into my mouth with a sigh.
Rhett reappeared thirty minutes later, dark hair damp, chest on full display. His jeans sat low on his hips. I tried to force my gaze to the white shirt clutched in his fist, but it kept wandering back to his toned stomach and the flush across his skin.
“It’s too cold in here for that.” I waved my hand in his general direction.
The corner of his mouth quirked up. His expression was too intense to be playful.
“It’s warmer in here than in the shower.” He flicked his shirt over his shoulder, arms flexing. “There doesn’t appear to be any hot water.”
“No,” I groaned. “Lukewarm, at least?”
“If you close your eyes and hold your breath, it might feel lukewarm.”
I felt clammy and dirty after our flight. There was no way I was getting in the same bed as a man who could smell my sweat without a shower.
“Well, cold plunging is all the rage right now.” I gathered my pile of clothes, skirting around him to reach the bathroom door.
Rhett sidestepped, blocking my path. His pecs were at eye level. A droplet of water fell from his hair and trailed down them. Suddenly, I wanted to be a drop of water.
That thought was immediately followed by a nauseating guilt. I was supposed to be marrying someone else. Even though he completely threw our future together away, I hadn’t fully broken the attachment. The expectations.
Hold up. A little admiration didn’t cause any harm. Rhett was objectively attractive.
But standing here, drooling over his chest and imagining my tongue replacing that water droplet, felt wrong.
Like infidelity.
That tug in my chest twisted uncomfortably. An angry, rebellious version of me wanted to throw myself at Rhett just to break through that feeling.
I didn’t owe loyalty to a man who took a job out of state without telling me. A man who asked me to mail my engagement ring back to him.
Screw him.
I could admire every inch of a hot shifter guilt-free.
And I did, taking time to look Rhett up and down, not bothering to hide my interest.
The intensity in his expression shifted to something wild, and a shiver whispered down my spine. He was a predator, and my first instinct was to run from him when he looked at me like that.
My second instinct was to hope he chased me.
I was almost to the bathroom when he grabbed my forearm and growled, “Don’t talk to me about your ex. Not unless you really do want me to kill him.”
I stood on my tiptoes, inclining my head so my mouth hovered near his as I whispered, “What if I do want you to?”
“Say the word.”
I couldn’t feel the cold anymore, warmth coiling in my middle and traveling down between my thighs. A fierce jerk in my chest startled me from my trance, and I hurried past him, shutting the door behind me.
This was just harmless flirting, right? Weird, murderous flirting. Rhett wasn’t actually going to kill my ex-fiancé.
There was a layer beneath his small town good boy personality, and I got my first glimpse of it. He was dangerous when he wanted to be.
Of course, he was. He was a wolf shifter.
A wolf shifter on his way home from a private security mission.
Why was that such a turn-on?
My sister would have filed a restraining order by now.
I cranked the shower all the way to hot, stripping out of my clothes and jumping up and down like an athlete warming up.
When I stepped into the spray of water, I almost screamed.
“Fuck, that’s cold.”
All of my suffering was going to be worth it. In a few days, I would get my closure, and then I could move on with my life.
Ten minutes later, my hair was wet and my teeth were chattering. I scrambled into my clothes, still damp, and lunged for the blow dryer.
It didn’t work.
I made a pitiful noise, stumbling to the bed with my arms wrapped around my waist. Rhett reclined on one side of the bed, scrolling on his phone—still shirtless.
I was too cold to even appreciate his shirtlessness, throwing back my half of the blankets and worming my way underneath until only my nose and mouth were uncovered.
“You’re that cold?” Rhett asked in a muffled voice.
I pulled the blanket back just enough to scowl at him. “How are you not cold?”
He pulled back his side of the blanket, sliding in beside me.
“I can keep you warm, if that’s okay.”
My answer was to squish myself against him, nestling my face into his chest. An audible sigh left me the moment our skin touched.
“You’re like a hot water bottle. What the heck?”
“Shifters run an average of seven degrees warmer than humans, depending on our animal.”
Which would explain why he felt like a furnace.
“How do your organs not melt?”
“How do I change into a wolf?”
“Good point.” I put my cold nose between his collarbones. “Though I haven’t actually seen you turn into a wolf. You could be making it all up to impress me.”
“Are you impressed?”
“Yes.”
“Get some rest. When we get to my mom’s house, I’ll show you my wolf.”
I sat up enough to see his face. “Wait, really?”
“Yes, really.”
“Can I pet him?”
“He would like that.”
I dropped my head onto the pillow, curling into Rhett’s body. His arm draped over my waist, big hand splayed over my lower back, and that sensation in my chest came alive.
Whatever that was, I had a feeling it was a good omen.
“This has been the weirdest day of my life.”
“Just wait until you meet the pack.”
I closed my eyes, feeling a comfortable sleep haze falling over me. Rhett felt safe. Reliable. Easy to be around.
And suddenly, an alarm was going off in my head because that was always how it started. With a “good guy” who liked the idea of a tatted-up babe with a free spirit.
I was their manic pixie dream girl.
Eventually, they saw what was underneath. My disorganization. My anxiety. My inability to do anything on time.
That was the end.
If I let Rhett in, he could be more than just a rebound.
But I didn’t know if I was willing to risk that again.