Page 33 of Rejected Bullied Mate

By the time I'd finished lacing my boots, I heard Samson's Jeep outside. I stood, smoothing my shirt, then gave myself a little nod in the mirror. "This is okay," I told myself. "Just two people who are trying to get along, going on a date together. You still hate him.”

I didn’t.

He sucked. He kidnapped me. He thought that he owned me. And I was only feeling so into him because my heat was almost on me. But it was too late to back out now. Dammit.

I hugged Kit goodbye, telling Gwen to make sure he didn't stay up too late, and headed out to meet my date, bitter and excited all at once.

Samson looked...incredible. He always did, but tonight, he looked specifically sculpted to break down all my walls. The muscles in his arms strained the sleeves of his simple black t-shirt, his hiking pants perfectly fitted around his thick thighs. His hands were in his pockets, his stance easy and relaxed.

"Ready?"

No, but I wasn't going to say that. I'd already told him I was coming, and any more argument was just another chance for him to get me worked up. I swallowed, forcing a small smile. "Yeah, I'm ready."

His eyes flicked over me, a look of approval in his eyes, before he turned and headed for the forest. "You'll want to leave your jacket in the car. It's a hot night."

I frowned. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

He didn't look back at me as he spoke, which just frustrated me even more, but I did as he asked, tossing my jacket back into the Jeep. We drove in silence, the road winding through dense trees, the scent of salt and pine filling the air. When he finally pulled off at the entrance of a narrow trail, I hesitated.

“You’re not taking me into the woods to murder me, are you?”

His lips quirked. “Not tonight."

I snorted but climbed out, following him up the trail. It wasn’t long—just a short incline that opened up to a rocky overlook. The sea stretched wide before us, the sky painted in warm streaks of orange and pink as the sun dipped toward the horizon.

I turned to Samson, who had removed his backpack. I was expecting him to pull out some kind of gear—maybe a thermos of coffee or some bottled water for us to share while we watched the sunset. I was already surprised by how genuinely sweet the entire thing was, but when he took everything he'd packed out of his bag, I almost gasped out loud.

No freaking way was Samson Jones actually this romantic.

He spread a thick blanket on the ground, setting out pillows and blankets to make a comfortable spot. A bottle of wine sat in an ice bucket, two glasses waiting beside it. He even had a basket of fresh fruit and cheese set aside.

I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. "Samson, this is amazing."

He grunted. "I'm not doing this to impress you."

"You could have fooled me.”

He gave me a look that was just shy of a glare, but didn't say anything else. We settled onto the blanket, sipping our wine and watching as the sky turned deep purple.

The silence between us was surprisingly comfortable, the tension from before melting away the longer we sat together. After a while, Samson cleared his throat, his eyes on the sunset.

"So...why do you stay?"

I swallowed the bite of cheese I had in my mouth. "What?"

"Here," he clarified, gesturing around us. "You told me at least a dozen times a day in the beginning that you were going to run the second I turned my back."

I hesitated, unsure how much of the truth I wanted to reveal. "I...well, I know it'd be impossible to escape you, first off. I couldn't leave Kit, and this place is...surprisingly good for him. I don't know why I didn't consider it, but he's a boy, and pack life is always easier for boys. Don't get me wrong, I still want to go back to Portsmouth, but I'm trying to balance what is right for my son. You're his father. If he's going to be here, I should be too."

Samson considered that. "You are a good mother."

"I try to be." I glanced down at my wine, swirling honey-colored liquid in the glass. "But there's also...you."

His eyebrows lifted. "Me?"

"Yeah. You are surprisingly a good father for Kit. And you're not the same man that I thought you were."

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