Page 35 of Daddy's Friend’s Mate

“Why Steven would want me to return some stupid amulet—” I yanked on the necklace I wore, feeling how strangely cold it was against my skin. “—if it was just going to get us fucking killed?”

Regina held up her hands with her palms facing me like she was trying to calm me down. That wasn’t going to help. But bless her for trying. “Hey, I don’t know what my father was doing with the thing, okay?”

“You should have known, GG. He’s your father. He was your father. How could you not know? How could you let it get to this point?”

Frustration took hold of me as I paced the length of the river away from Regina. It wasn’t fair to take it out on her. But who else could take the brunt of this irritation? Steven had done the selfish thing and died on me, so I couldn’t exactly bitch to him right now.

I couldn’t touch Regina without feeling guilty. I could barely look in her direction without considering the fact that she was my daughter’s best friend. How would this look to everyone else? They might think I was trying to take advantage of a girl who had just lost her father.

No, I thought as I glanced over my shoulder. She’s not a girl anymore. She’s a woman. A beautiful woman.

She was a woman who I wanted so badly that it was starting to hurt.

My agitation softened slightly. “Maybe I didn’t understand his sympathy for both vampires and wolves, but I respected the man.”

Regina approached me slowly. “I know you did. He knew, too.”

“Did he?”

“Your grief is speaking, Eric. If you’re not careful, it’ll eat you alive.”

I growled while turning to face her. She took a fearful step back as she clutched one of her many necklaces.

Her irate frown made my heart skip a beat. “I’m not the one you’re angry at.”

“Oh? And who is it then?”

“Your ex.”

I squinted at her. “Yeah, of course. She kind of thwarted our attempt to find Méndez.”

“It’s more than that, Eric.”

“Don’t start going shrink on me now, GG. We need to find the bed and breakfast. We have to get this damn amulet to this fang jerk before—”

She stamped her foot. “Would you stop using that slur?”

“Why? Does it bother you? Are you a sympathizer, too?”

“The war is over. There’s nothing left to sympathize except the fact that ancient history had, once again, taken more lives than was necessary.”

I stomped toward her to close the space between us. She didn’t back down this time. I pressed in, getting my face as close as I dared. “You don’t even have a stake in the fight. You’re just a witch.”

“Maybe to you.”

“That’s not true!”

She scoffed. “Well, you just said it. So, how can it not be true?”

“Because you’re more than a witch, Regina. You’re a fucking saint.”

The anger in her eyes dissipated, taking some of the stony gray with it. “What?”

“I…I just don’t…” An irritated grunt surfaced as I clutched her shoulders. “I’m just trying to do right by everyone, and it feels like none of those paths lead to happiness.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

There were her eyes again, and her nose, her lips. I couldn’t keep away from them. I couldn’t stop myself from bruising her with the fierce desire that had been culminating since we left the bed and breakfast.

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