Page 12 of Twisted Mates

Alexia snickers into her cup of coffee, and the small sound sends a jolt through me. I can’t help but to smile in return.

“Goddess forbid that anyone in this house do something to break a sweat,” I say, stepping up to the coffee pot and pouring it into one of the mugs set out on the counter.

“I break a sweat at Pilates class, and I look damn good doing it.”

“I’m sure you do,” I say, shooting my sister a glare and taking a sip from my steaming cup.

I was nervous to come back here and see my siblings after being away for ten years. I’ve been back for pack business, but I’ve spent no time at all with them. I feel terrible about it, but since our mother’s death, things have never been the same. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that Carrington was quick to forgive me, falling back into virtually the same easy relationship we always had.

But Kai? Not so much.

“When are you going home?”

I slowly pivot to face my brother. He stands on the other side of the kitchen island with what has to be two liters of protein shake in his hand. “The day after tomorrow. I thought I would get some time in with my baby siblings, but it seems you have more important matters to attend to.”

“I’m astonished that you can stomach us for that long.”

Kai’s words hit deep and true. This place isn’t the same without Mom. I see her everywhere—in the elegant touches to each of her houses to the sparkling green of the twins’ eyes. When I’m at the beach, I can pretend like she is still on this earth and a major player in my life isn’t missing.

“It’s not you and Care,” I say, fighting past the tight feeling in my throat.

Kai’s features soften for a moment and Carrington speaks up. “It’s tough for him too, Kai. He’s lost his momandhis dad.”

Our brother sighs and approaches the island, setting his shake down and placing both his palms flat on the marble countertop. “Xander, I’m sorry. It’s just—you didn’t come to Mom’s funeral, then you never make time for us when you come for pack business, and you show up for Lex’s ceremony and it just...” Kai takes a deep breath, like this is tough for him to admit. “It hurt, okay?”

I tuck my lips between my teeth and run my hand over my jaw. There is so much I want to say, things that I know my siblings deserve to know, but not now. Not when Kai should be focused on his mate. So I swallow down all the ugly truths and say, “I’ll explain everything to you, but it isn’t important right now. Alexia deserves all your attention, and I don’t want to take that from her. When the time is right, we can return to this discussion. I promise.”

Kai twists his lips to the side and thinks for a moment. Just when I think he’s going to tell me to fuck off, he nods. “All right.” He sticks his hand out toward me. “Truce?”

Relief washes over me and I take his hand in mine with no hesitation and shake. “Truce.” I bring him in for a hug and he pats me on the back.

“Dude, you need a shower,” he says, and I laugh as I push him away.

“Yeah, yeah,” I say, looking over my shoulder at Carrington. “I assume we have a truce already.”

She smiles. “I was nice to you last night, bro. Don’t forget it.”

I don’t know why but my attention shifts to Alexia, and my heart plummets into the pit of my stomach as she lazily draws circles on the tabletop with her fingertip. She doesn’t need to say it; her disappointment is written all over her face. It shouldn’t bother me. She’s just my kid sister’s friend, my brother’s mate. I don’t need her approval. But damn, it stings. Maybe it’s because her feelings toward me are a reflection of what our people think.

Fuck them.

I toss the rest of my coffee down the sink and stalk across the kitchen. “I’m going to take a shower.”

My head is a messed-up cluster of thoughts. Maybe it’s being in this house again, sharing a roof with a man I despise. Perhaps it’s the guilt I feel for neglecting my relationship with my siblings. What it sure as hell can’t be is Alexia Rush. She shouldbe a neutral place in all this madness. I’ve never personally let her down. She has nothing invested in me beyond my half siblings. I’m not the bane of her existence or a coward or a failure. I’m just a familiar face that she doesn’t truly know at all.

I barge into the hallway bathroom and slam the door behind me. My hands shake with rage as I pull off my clothes and turn the shower on as hot as it will go. The second the scalding stream hits my skin the tension leaves my body. I breathe in the steam, concentrating on the thick air filling my lungs.

I rest my forehead on the tiled wall, letting the water hit my coiled muscles and flow down my back. I have to calm down. So what if Alexia looks at me like the rest of this pack does? Who cares if she thinks my brother and sister are foolish for forgiving me for my past transgressions—which neither of them know the truth about.

Whydo I care what she thinks?

It’s her eyes. Those brown eyes flecked with amber. They are so expressive—the apprehension she felt walking into the grand ballroom after she’d just made her way through what must have been over a hundred wolves, the shy glances she gave Kai on the dance floor, the thoughtfulness hidden deep within them as she sat on the porch this morning. I wonder what they would look like when desire consumes her. Would the gold in them flare? Would they become hooded as her pretty pink lips part with a moan?

My hand slides over my cock.

Is her mouth soft and warm?

Would she open enough for me to slide in deep?

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