Chapter 9
Angie
Rhett drummed his thumb against the steering wheel, a half smile softening his face, and I knew I was in trouble.
Maybe if I hadn’t given in to temptation and kissed him, I could make it out of this alive.
Or maybe I was doomed to a string of never-ending heartbreaks as I fell head over heels for the first person to show even the mildest interest in me.
Ross was blabbing in the backseat, going on about their new alpha, and how he hoped to train with him in the spring. He named six different types of guns, and how Rhett was going to teach him to shoot all of them.
Even that wasn’t alarming enough to drag me out of my dread.
I resisted the urge to touch my chest, where that tugging sensation was so strong I felt like my heart was trying to escape. The more I noticed it, the more it seemed to be pointing in the direction of the driver’s seat, where Rhett was nodding absently at his little brother.
Dustin had disappeared up the stairs with the bartender at some point, leaving us to truck Ross home. Rhett wasn’t happy, but he seemed less agitated than I expected.
When we first met, I thought he was the cold, silent type. Seeing him with his family made me realize that he wasn’t cold at all.
Quiet, yes. And careful. Thoughtful about everything he did.
But warm. So warm that I wanted to wrap myself in him like a blanket.
I snuggled deeper into my coat, and seconds later Rhett’s hand shot to the dial for the heater, making sure it was cranked as high as it could go.
The pit in my stomach expanded.
It was a good night. Such a good night. Why couldn’t I just enjoy the experience and be happy that I had it at all?
A peaceful family dinner. Dancing without feeling judged. Being the center of a man’s attention and not feeling pressure to give something in return.
I could take all of that home with me, holding tight to the memories of this brief trip as a reminder. This was possible. If it existed here, with Rhett, it could exist for me. Just because we were pretending didn’t mean that a man like that—a family like that—wasn’t out there for me.
That sensation in my chest hardened, and I had the weirdest feeling like it was unhappy with my train of thought.
As if it were a living thing.
Okay, time to get some sleep.
I followed Rhett and Ross into the house, through the kitchen, and down a long hallway. Ross waved goodnight, disappearing behind one of the closed doors.
Rhett opened the one across the hall, guiding me inside with a palm on my lower back. My duffel bag sat on a neatly made bed beside his suitcase. It looked domestic. Normal. Out of place in the sea of emotions crashing inside me.
I took in the rest of the room. One queen-size bed, one desk, and a dozen family photos on the wall.
I eyed the floor, finding a decent sized space where I could sleep. After last night, it shouldn’t be a big deal to share a bed.
We were still mature adults.
Mature adults who kissed the hell out of each other.
For someone who was just pretending to make his family happy, Rhett went all in on that kiss.
I finally gave in, pressing my index finger to my lips, and it made me shudder. They were still so sensitive, like the feel of him was branded into me.
Rhett noticed me shivering and tossed our bags to the side, pulling the blanket back so I could climb in bed.
“Sorry, we keep it cold in here.”
I waved his apology away. “Being a shifter probably saves on the heating bill.”
I ignored my nerves, climbing onto the far side of the bed and yanking the blanket over me. It was cold in here, and my thin shirt and leggings were doing literally nothing to keep me warm.
Rhett settled in bed beside me. When I didn’t stop shivering, he rolled over, draping his legs over mine. His head settled onto my chest, fitting perfectly between my breasts.
I sighed despite myself. He really was so dang warm.
Something hard pulsed against my thigh, and my throat felt dry.
Of course, he was hard. He had boobs in his face. What man wouldn’t get a little aroused from that?
Mature adults. Just two mature adults sharing a bed because they were pretending to be in love.
Being in real love with a shifter was sounding more appealing by the minute, though. Maybe I could come back to Alaska when all of this was done. Get my fresh start in a middle of nowhere shifter town with some hunky wolf shifter that wasn’t going to wait half his life for a fated mate.
The problem was that I didn’t want just any wolf shifter. I wanted one in particular, but he wasn’t in the market for a real mate.
What was he going to tell his mom when I went home next week?
I sighed again, running my hands through Rhett’s hair. If snuggling wasn’t off limits, then neither was this.
Rhett made a noise like a purr, and his head bounced as I giggled.
“Why are you so warm? It’s not fair.”
“Perks of being a shifter.”
“You’re always warm, you can eat whatever you want, and apparently you heal like Superman. What do I have to do to become a shifter?”
“It doesn’t work like that,” he mumbled, eyes closing as my fingers tickled across his scalp.
“Are you sure? What happens if you bite me? Will I turn into a werewolf like you?”
Rhett jerked up, irises bright and wild. “You would be my mate. That’s what would happen if I bit you.”
There wasn’t an ounce of playfulness in those words.
This time, it wasn’t the cold that made me shiver. My throat worked. I was too hot, and the ache blooming between my legs was suddenly unbearable. I tried to press them together discreetly, but his thigh was nestled between mine.
Only the tiny sense of pride I had left kept me from grinding against his leg. I laughed awkwardly, pulling gently at his hair until he laid his head back down.
When his breathing slowed, and my unbidden arousal ebbed, I took a deep breath and asked, “Are you waiting for your fated mate too?”
He was quiet for so long that I thought he was asleep until he whispered, “I wasn’t not waiting for her. I just wasn’t expecting to find her either.”
My fingers stilled in his hair. The way he said it made it sound like he already knew who she was.
He couldn’t. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.
Unless…
“What if you meet your fated mate and you both hate each other?”
“I don’t think that’s ever happened.”
“Can you decide that you don’t want to be with your fated mate and find someone else?”
Rhett’s entire body went rigid. He wasn’t even breathing. When he spoke, it rumbled out of his throat like thunder. “I don’t think that’s ever happened either.”
“Because of the bond.”
“Because you’re made for each other. The perfect match. Why wouldn’t you want to be with someone who’s perfect for you?”
“Well, what if one of you is perfect, and the other is a nightmare? Or mean? Or ugly?” Why was I saying it like I was looking for reassurance? I didn’t have a fated mate who would love me for all my faults.
“I would want her anyway.”
I dropped my head onto the pillow, angling it away from his as the backs of my eyes burned.
“She’s lucky to have you, whoever she is.”
Rhett murmured something unintelligible. I muttered an equally useless response before we both fell asleep.
Rhett’s arm was so tight around my waist I could use it as a seatbelt.
Light cut through the gray curtains on the far side of the room, hitting me at just the right angle to keep me from falling back asleep.
I had no idea what time it was—the sunlight in Alaska was weird—but as long as the sun was up, I didn’t care.
I could feel the ring sitting heavy in the pocket of my bag. It was time to return it and close this chapter of my life.
Then I was going to go home and adopt a cat or something. Learn to knit. Anything but downloading another dating app. Or leaving the house where I might run into another man.
If shifters got to have fated mates, then surely humans had soul mates too. It was time to stop settling. I wouldn’t accept anyone but him.
My perfect match.
Unbidden, my eyes wandered to Rhett’s sleeping face. Too bad it wasn’t him.
How could it be? Where I was disorganized, he did everything with military precision. He was quiet, and I couldn’t shut up. He was clean-cut, polite, and just about everything I wasn’t.
I stretched my arms over my head, hoping the movement would wake Rhett and shake him free. At midnight, in the comfort of darkness, it felt fine to let him hold me. Now, I felt immoral. Like I was taking something that belonged to someone else.
How did you ever date as a shifter, knowing you were being unfaithful to a fated mate you hadn’t met yet?
Rhett rolled onto his back, mumbling to himself. His eyes stayed shut, even as I awkwardly spider-crawled over him to make my escape.
I found the bathroom dark and empty. The pipes groaned as I cranked the hot water all the way up, and I winced. Hopefully, Rhett’s brothers were morning people.
By the time I got out, I was shivering again. Alaska was so freaking cold.
A part of me was tempted to spend half an hour styling my hair and putting on my best makeup. Remind Evan of what he walked away from.
Except he’d seen me at my best, and he still left. Besides, petty wasn’t my style.
I didn’t come here to start a fight or to get revenge. I just wanted closure.
With a sigh, I cracked open the bathroom door, escaping with the steam into the hallway. There were no lights on in the house. I paused on the cool wood floor, hearing nothing but the sound of the heater blowing.
Tiptoeing into the kitchen, I almost screamed when I saw a massive figure sitting in one of the dining room chairs, eyes momentarily flashing neon before they faded to an ordinary blue.
“Tyler,” I gasped. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry.” He kept staring at me, his hands curled around a mug of black coffee.
“There more of that anywhere?”
Tyler jerked his chin toward the coffeemaker by the sink. I shuffled over, dumping a generous scoop of sugar in a mug and stirring the black liquid.
“Cream is in the fridge.”