He probably didn’t believe that for a second.I wish I believed it.
Goddess, I didn’t understand my feelings. I didn’t get why this feeling kept growing inside me, this urge to jump his bones and take him to the ground with my hips. I wasn’t even experienced, because not only was I a complete loser as a teenager, I was also a massive reject with the many boys that came after Hector.
None of the men in the Beaufort Creek pack had wanted me. My name never came up to be matched. Even the few dates I had with a couple of human guys in town ended up with me getting ghosted halfway through the meal. I was just an adult loser.
Yet that wasn’t how I felt with Hector holding my hands and looking down at me like I was the most important person in his life right now.
Deflated tried to match his expression, keeping my features set with determination.If he wants a mate, I’ll give him a mate. But if he wants sex…
“Cliff,” Hector said softly, “would you remove our guests? I need to talk to my mate.”
My mother coughed, then laughed, then made this wild sound that was a cross between the two sounds. “But Alpha, we’re here to—”
Hector glared at her with all the power he possessed in his body as the new leader of the Silverfangs. “Don’t question me. Leave.Now.”
Oh.
That sudden burst of authority made me bite my lower lip. Alright, if he did want sex, then maybe I could accommodate for that. So long as he didn’t mind me being inexperienced, then we wouldn’t have a problem. We were adults, after all, and adults could decide to do whatever they wanted, like perform as a mate.
Meaning performing things that amatedoes.
Cliff ushered our parents into the living room with his sheepish grin, trying to crack jokes the whole way—have a nice trip, see you next Fall. Dad gave him a few polite chuckles. Momjust stayed deathly quiet. She was probably fuming right now with how she had been spoken to in front of the alpha—bythe alpha.
Which honestly only made me swell up with affection for the alpha.
Hector stared at my parents and my brother as they went to the front door. It wasn’t until the door clicked shut that he turned back to me, the fury in his face dissolving upon looking into my eyes. Those were such dangerous gemstones. The blue-violet reminded me of amethyst stones, the kind that were used to ground and protect. His irises were chiseled with scratches of white throughout, making them look like raw stones taken right out of the earth.
I clutched his hands. I didn’t want him to let go, even as my own body urged me to do it, to resist getting attached to someone who would probably discard me later like everyone else. Even though it was probably part of his big, planned performance, to get treated with an ounce of respect in the one place I didn’t think would ever be part of my plans again felt…
Good.
Desire coursed through my veins as I stood on my toes again. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, waiting for him to close the gap. That was the thing about kissing guys—they liked it when they got the opportunity to seal the deal. Maybe I wasn’t very experienced with sex, but I was a great kisser. I was even called adamn finekisser once by this farmer guy who smelled like outside grime and tobacco.
Hector wasn’t like those other men. He wasn’t a loose cannon. He didn’t take advantage of me when he very well could have. I didn’t want to think about him pressed against me again,but I couldn’t help it. I thought about his hips pushed into my bottom, his back flat on me, and his nose exploring my hair…
I shivered. “Do you have any clothes I could wear?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just—” He released my hands. My palms felt cold from his absence. “Upstairs. I just have to get the FROG ready.”
“I’m sorry. Thewhat?”
He chuckled. “Full Room Over Garage.”
I shook my head. “You’re weird.”
“You’re weird for not knowing that term. Come on, everybody knows that.”
My affection faded. It was amazing how guys could open their mouth one time and ruin everything at the drop of a hat. One phrase or one word was all it took to make me lose the fire in my belly for him.
I crossed my arms over my chest while straightening my posture. “Right. Yeah. I’msostupid for not knowing that.”
“You’re not stupid. Don’t call yourself that.”
“Are you telling me as my mate or my alpha?”
He stepped toward me, his chest giving off enough heat to replace what I’d lost. “Yes.”
“You’re really bad at this whole mate thing, you know. Kidnapping isn’t exactly romantic.”