Page 13 of Targeted By Temptation
Looking at him in the dim parking lot light, he definitely had that gruff exterior that the Stravon family did. I wanted to ask him if he was mafia, but also, I didn’t want to know the answer. Because as much as I hated it, I was attracted to him… like, super attracted to him.
Not reaching out and putting my hand on his thigh when we were driving had been hard, which in turn had made me hard. Which was exactly what should not be happening here.
If I’d been somebody who went out and just made out with random guys or had friends-with-benefits or situationships or even relationships… well, maybe. But that wasn’t who I was. I had never even kissed a guy, and here I was wanting to bone this one.
“I have a weird question for you.”
He looked from my sandwich to my face, and I took a bite, chewing it and swallowing before asking again.
“So, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful for your help, but I just want to clarify—am I being kidnapped?”
He shook his head. “No, of course you’re not.”
“I didn’t think so, but also… I was just checking.”
“Not kidnapped… you don’t want to be married, right?”
I thought I made that abundantly clear, but guess not.
“Oh, hell no.” Not the tiniest of bits. Resigned to, maybe. Only that had been before. Now? Now I didn’t think I could go through with it no matter the consequences.
“Then here we are. I’m helping you not be married. What made you think I was kidnapping you?” He didn’t seem mad, moreconfused. That was a good thing. “I handed you all my cash at a place you could have easily escaped from.”
“Honestly? You might not know this, but the Stravon family… they’re mafia. And I kind of read a lot of books about the mafia, and… I don’t know, my imagination got away with me.” I actually hadn’t really even thought about it until I was ready to ask. And then there I was, asking the man who was helping me if he was a freaking kidnapper.
Way to go, Reign. Way to freaking go.
“If you need to take me back, now that you know he’s mafia, I get it.”
He handed me a second quarter of the sandwich and finished up his. “Did you think I didn’t know that already?” He popped the last piece in his mouth and crumpled up the paper, giving me time to answer.
“I don’t know.”
“Everyone knows he’s mafia.” He turned on the ignition. “Of course I know.”
“But then why are you helping me? I don’t understand.”
“Because I don’t want him marrying you any more than you want to marry him. We need to get going.” And that ended that conversation.
He turned on the car and drove down the street. I wasn’t sure where we were going. I guess in hindsight, I hadn’t cared. He said he was keeping me safe and keeping me from marrying someone I wanted no part of knowing. That was enough.
But as we pulled up to a cabin, all the questions could no longer be contained. I needed the answers. “Why? Why are you helping me? For real, for real.”
He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to face me. “When I said I didn’t want him to marry you, it’s because I wanted to marry you.”
“You wanted to marry me?” That made no sense. What made even less sense was that it sounded like a great plan to me. “Not marry you so much as… mate you. And we might as well get it out in the open, I’m like Stravon.”
“I knew it. You’re mafia too.” And even though it should be a red flag the size of a football field, I didn’t care.
“Well, yeah, I am, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”
This time it was me who unbuckled; I had to be looking at him face on to make sure he fully saw the honesty in my words. “Don’t you think that’s kind of a big thing?”
“Not as big as the other thing.” He grabbed his jaw. “I’m a wolf shifter. And I want to mate you.”
He couldn’t be serious and yet he was.
“Wolf shifter? Like in the books? Wolf shifter, like that kind of shifter?” Was I really entertaining his wild notions? Yes, and beyond that, I believed them, and somehow it made sense.
