Page 49 of Cursed Touch
He scared the crap out of her when he got home after eight with their food. By then, Peter had left a wolf to watch the house because something important had come up with his pack. In the morning, she found a note from Carter in the kitchen, letting her know he went in early but that he would check in later.
She was not sure if he was avoiding her, or if there really were things he needed to do. The morning of the break-in, she nearly had to push him into his car and make him go to work. Now she felt as if he’d brushed off the incident and left her in the care of the pack alpha.
One minute, she was his mate and they were exploring the connection between them, and the next, trouble found her and he was nowhere to be seen.
She shook off her morose mood and set her phone to Do Not Disturb. If he did not want to contact her, that was fine. They had only fooled around some, and it did not make him her anything. At the reminder of his mouth on her body, a bolt of need shot down between her legs.
“Just because he gives good tongue, doesn’t mean he’s a good match,” she muttered to herself.
A groan from the couch made her hands still.
“Pipsqueak, please keep your thoughts to yourself.”
She narrowed her gaze on the back of Peter’s head. “What are you talking about?” she asked, her cheeks flaming. She debated the possibility he had heard her softly spoken words over the sound of his show.
Peter tapped his left ear. “Werewolf hearing.”
She covered her face and groaned. “You heard that?”
“Mhmm… And whatever has you second-guessing Carter, you should probably let it go. He had a few things to do before seeing his patients.”
Her embarrassment vanished as frustration replaced it. “Mind your own damn business.”
Peter chuckled. “I was, before you decided to share with the class that Carter gives ‘good tongue,’” he said, his fingers curling into air quotes.
“Ugh!” she snapped and grabbed a bead and wire. “You can get your own food at this rate.”
His deep laughter boomed, the sound filling the open room. “I never asked you to make me lunch, Pipsqueak.”
The man was infuriating. Instead of feeding the conversation, she lowered her head and returned to work. At least one good thing had come out of the entire situation. Inspiration struck and she got to work on a few new pieces.
A couple of hours later, a phone rang. She peered at her own, but it lay still with the screen black.
“Hey!” Peter said and chuckled after a few moments. “Well, I’m not surprised. She’s been in a bit of a mood.”
“Hey!” Vanessa called.
Peter tilted his head in her direction, and she could see the smirk on his lips before he spoke to the caller. “Yeah, I’ll let her know… That works. I’ll see you in thirty.”
“Who was that?” she called as he lowered the phone.
“Carter. I guess he’s been trying to get a hold of you,” he said around a loud yawn.
She grabbed her cell phone and remembered she had set it to Do Not Disturb. She had missed three calls and five text messages from him, but no voicemails had been left. When she opened the messages, she noted he’d checked in a few times before asking her to have Peter bring her to the boutique. Carter even apologized for not being able to check in sooner, as a few patients had had emergencies. Her frustration from before deflated as she was reminded of how important he was to his patients.
“Yo! Pipsqueak?” Peter called, clearly not for the first time.
She blinked a few times and met his gaze for the first time since lunch. “Sorry?”
“I said, if you want to change, go do it now because I have to drop you off.”
She nodded. “Yeah, that would be great. Go back to your show, and I’ll be ready soon.”
Peter’s attention returned to the TV as she collected her finished pieces. Vanessa tidied the dining room table but left her supplies with the intention of returning to them when they came home. She paused briefly and shot Peter a glance before she corrected herself mentally.
Carter’s home. Not their home.
Rushing to the room she slept in, she decided she was in need of a hot shower before they left. Her muscles were tight from hours at the table, and the heat would soothe the ache. She took an extra five minutes to let the water pound into her muscles before shutting it off.
