Page 39 of Little Etheldreda Riding Hood

I could never live up to that.

“You are the head of a cult?” he says, breaking my internal pity party.

“Huh? What?”

“You’re secretly a serial killer?”

I roll my eyes, “Zach–”

“You are three levels from the top of an MLM and are just trying to recruit me.”

I put my hands to his cheeks and look him dead in the eyes. “Zach, this is serious.”

He looks at me, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Okay, I’m all ears.”

I swallow hard and close my eyes. “I’m a rejected Luna. Morgan, my ex, is the future Alpha of his pack.”

I hold my breath, preparing for the awkwardness coming. He’ll have me out of here so quickly…

I feel his fingertips on my chin as his lips brush mine. “You’re a dork, you know.”

I open my eyes. “Excuse me?”

“Darla told me the first night she came to work and heard me talking about you. Threatened me within an inch of my life if I kept pursuing you without being serious about it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew?”

He shrugs. “I figured you’d tell me when you were ready. It’s not really that big a deal around here. My grandmother was a spitfire and really ran the pack when my granddaddy was Alpha. I don’t think she would have ever let a man put her below him.”

“Zach Lamar, I swear to God, do you know how stressful this has been?”

He chuckles. “You mean like every time I’d forget and accidentally tell you how good you smelled?”

“Yes. Like that, except…”

“Except what?”

I look down at his incredibly fuzzy chest. “It doesn’t feel very serious when it’s just my scent keeping you here. It feels very fleeting, very superficial. It’s not a solid foundation for a relationship and it scares me.”

He smiles. “It’s not a solid foundation, but it’s not meant to be. It’s like a marker or a flag, saying, hey, slow down and pay attention, dumbass. This is the girl you need to get to know. If you’d like me to stop bringing up your scent, then I will, but it’s amazing…you have no idea. It’s like spring and home. I could spend days with my nose to your neck.”

I shake my head. “There you go, being all romantic again.”

“What can I do to make you feel better about this?”

“Just…” I run my nails lightly over his chest and he sighs. “Just keep letting me have this conversation with you, even when it gets old.”

He nods. “Can you do something for me?”

“Sure?”

“Let me help you once in a while.”

I shake my head. “Absolutely not,” I tease.

“Red–”

“Okay, maybe sometimes…”

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