Page 9 of Knot Your Pucking Mate
“Yeah, of course. Night, man.” I mumble as I make my way to my room, trying hard not to run.
I never told Axel the name of the girl who’ll forever own my heart. There was never any chance she’d be a part of my life, and I wanted to keep that to myself. Treasure it. Plus, it hurt, you know? Her name reminded me that every choice I made helped get me closer to my dream, and further away from my one true love.
Throwing my door closed behind me, I make a beeline for my drawers. Buried in the back of my top drawer, underneath my socks, is a photo of the girl I left behind.
Sitting down on the bed, I pull the photograph from its hiding place and flip it over, tracing the soft waves of blonde hair framing the heart-shaped face of my high school English tutor—Mandy Paine.
Mandy always wanted to be an author. And if I’d paid closer attention to Axel when he talked about the books he reads,maybe I would have put two and two together. It’s too big of a coincidence. A single-letter difference.
I’d bet anything that Mandy Paige and Mandy Paine are one and the same. A quick Google search confirms my suspicions.
As I lay back on the bed, staring at the photo in my hand, I can’t help but wonder whether she still thinks of me. And whether my being Axel’s packmate might ruin this for him.
Chapter Five
Mandy
I’m snuggled up in my beanbag with a thick, velvety soft purple blanket draped over me and my laptop on my knees when the doorbell rings suddenly.
Quickly checking my watch for the time, I see it’s right on seven—the time Axel and I agreed he’d pick me up for our first date.Shit.The day has completely escaped me. The room is dark, and I’m still wearing pajamas of all things! I’m not ready.
I jump up suddenly, my laptop and blanket tumbling to the floor as I rake my fingers through my hair. It’s a goddamn rat's nest. There might even be Flamin’ Hot Cheetos dust on my face. It’s definitely on my fingers. There is not a chance in hell I can let him see me like this.
The bell rings again as I stand there panicking, my heart pounding in my chest, unsure what to do. There’s no way to let him in to wait while I get ready without him seeing and scenting me. I don’t want his first impression of my scent to be associated with my current state. The stress has caused my usually sweet marshmallow notes to take on a burnt note. Not appealing. When authors talk about the writing cave, they don’t necessarily talk about how you appear when you come out of it after a few days.
To be fair, IthinkI showered yesterday.
I can’t leave him outside to wait for me, can I? Is that cruel? Will he mind?
A knock comes from the apartment door as I pull my phone from my pocket and fire off a text. There’s a cafe on the bottom floor. Hopefully, he won’t mind waiting for me there.
Mandy
Got lost in my writing. Running a little late. Would it be okay if we met at the café downstairs in 15 minutes?
His reply comes quickly.
Axel
Iced Caramel Mocha Latte?
Mandy
Extra whipped cream please :-)
I smile to myself and dash to the bathroom to have what might end up being the quickest shower of my life.
He’s been paying attention.
It wasn’t even eight hours after I ran off on Axel that he sent me a message asking if I was okay. I’m not sure how he got my number—I suspect it was Vae or Marilyn—but I’m not mad about it.
In fact, it made me feel special that he cared enough after our brief meeting to chase me down and get in contact again.
I’ve probably been in the romance writing world for too long and read too many dark romances, but it’s somewhat romantic and a whole lot exciting.
Plus, Axel doesn’t come across as a creep. He’s playful and open. If someone asked me to show them a golden retriever book boyfriend in real life, Axel would be that person. Our messages over the last few days have been the perfect mix of flirty and fun, with some deeper conversations popping in occasionally. We’ve been getting to know each other outside of being scent matches—which he still doesn’t know.
He will tonight. A shiver runs down my spine at the thought. After we arranged to meet tonight, I decided not to use any scent blockers. It’s risky. I rarely go anywhere in public without scentblockers. Self-preservation and all that jazz. All it would take is the wrong alpha to be attracted to my scent and my life could be turned upside down. It’s better not to offer the temptation in the first place.
