Page 14 of Rejected Pregnant Mate

He pretended to be offended. "You act like I'm a villain."

"No, but let's make something crystal clear," I took a sip of my soda before continuing. "This marriage thing is strictly business. The minute the bond is broken, we're done. Got it?"

He leaned forward, smirking. "Are you trying to convince me...or yourself?"

I slammed my hands on the table. "This isn't funny!"

"It's a little funny." He reached across the table and placed his hand on my cheek, stroking his thumb over my jaw. His skin was warm and sent shivers down my body, and I wanted to lean into the touch more than anything. The tightness in my chest eased immediately, and a muted pleasure washed over me. "Tell me you don't need me until this spell is broken, and I'll leave."

"You know I can't tell you that," I whispered, feeling trapped by his gaze.

"That's what I thought." He leaned back, satisfied. "Just give me a chance. I won't hurt you, Nayeli."

"You already have."

His face darkened. "And I'm sorry for that. I am. If I could change the past, I would, but I can't. All I can do is try to make this better."

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "Fine. Let's just eat. I'm actually starving."

He left me in peace for some time, both of us eating in silence, but Scott kept looking at me like he wanted to say something. Finally, he couldn't hold it back anymore. "Enjoying your meal, fiancé?"

I pointed a French fry at him. "Don't get cute with me, Scott."

"You know, I prefer shockingly handsome or unbearably sexy, but cute will do."

We bickered back and forth for a while, the words flying between us sharp but amusing. I hated to admit it, but I liked bantering with Scott. He was quick and smart, and, most infuriating of all, funny. When I found myself laughing with him, and not at him, I caught myself and clamped a hand over my mouth.

When Scott looked confused, I lowered my hand. "No. I'm not falling for all this flirtation nonsense. The spell is doing this to us, and we can't get dragged into...whatever this is."

Scott didn't move, but I saw the frustration in his eyes. "So what, every time we start to sort of enjoy each other's company, we have to stop?"

"When you weren't under the influence of the spell, you rejected me. That's what you wanted. Remember that. It will help both of us not get hurt."

"Fine," he stood, balling his hamburger wrapper up and throwing it in the empty bag. Scott stalked over to me, leaning over, and slipped a finger under my chin before I could stop him. I fought the urge to lean my face into his palm, just to feel that relief and pleasure again. "But we're going to be spending a lotof time together, Nayeli, and I'm going to spend a lot of time touching you...and I'm looking forward to that part a lot more than I thought I would. So you better figure out how you feel, princess, because this is about to get a lot more complicated."

He walked out, leaving me shell-shocked and breathless.

I groaned, slumping against the table. This was exactly why I'd been avoiding him. His words had my heart pounding and my cheeks turning red, and I hated it. I wanted to keep my distance and maintain control of the situation, but he kept pushing my boundaries and forcing me to confront my feelings.

This wasn't good.

I went back to my office, taking a deep breath to clear my head. I had to focus on work for a while if I wanted to make any progress on what I needed to get done before the move. My life had gone sideways over the course of a few days, and I wasn't ready for all of it.

Chapter 6 - Scott

A week ago, I'd have sworn I'd never have a wedding day. I'd rejected my mate, and had no plan to take another.

It seemed impossible that I was standing on the beach below my home, waiting on my bride, the wind off the coast ruffling my hair as I focused on the sound of the crashing waves to center myself.

I had to admit, it was the perfect evening for a wedding. The beach stretched out, a narrow strip of sand that led to the cliffs. On top of those cliffs was my house, a large, weathered structure painted gray. It was the classic style for the area, shingled with a wrap-around porch. Nayeli had moved her things in this morning, and she'd had a scant few hours to settle before it was time for the wedding.

A small platform had been set up near the waterline, and I stood upon it with Joe Longwood, the Alpha of the Brokenclaw pack and the man who would be officiating. Samson was also there, showing his support for his cousin but also our continued alliance...even if he wasn't thrilled about it at the moment.

A few members from both the Saltfang and Shadowbay pack had trickled in, sitting in the smattering of chairs we'd set up. It wasn't a surprise that the chairs weren't all full, considering the marriage had been announced just 48 hours ago. Most of the pack members didn't have time to get up here on such short notice.

My attention was diverted as Joe clapped me on the shoulder. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I muttered.

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