Page 58 of Same Difference
He hung his head. “Honestly, it’s been the worst week of my life. I haven’t slept. My head is so fucked up over everything. I’m trying to learn new things at my job but all I can think about is if you are doing okay, so no. I don’t feel okay. Not even a little.”
“Is it because of me?” she asked softly.
“Yes.” Truth.
An ache washed though her. “I’m sorry if I’m doing something wrong.”
“Can’t you see?” he gritted out. “You do everything right. I fucked up and now I have to pay for it. That’s not on you. It’s on me.”
She didn’t know what else to say about that, so she changed the subject, hoping to keep him here with her a little longer. “Liam said you are killing it as Second. He said you’ve stepped up with everything. He said the reason we have electricity up here is because you made it happen. Said you are fixing the court stuff for him too.”
Nathan shrugged. “Being Second is easy. Work is easy. Shutting down is easy.”
“I’m not easy,” she said low.
He shook his head and offered a half smile and a huff that almost,almostsounded like a laugh. “No, Delta, you aren’t easy. It’s probably why you’re so interesting.”
“You think I’m interesting?”
“Are we to the part where you’re fishing for compliments directly after I told you I’ve been tortured by the thought of you for a week?”
She shrugged up one shoulder. “Maybe?”
And now his smile was bigger and reached his glowing eyes. “Okay, here is a compliment. You look sexy, and if we weren’t just friends, I’d shove you in my truck, drive directly to your cabin,” he said, pointing, “And I would bend you over the couch and fuck the shit out of you. I would make sure you never asked me to stay away from you for a week again. I want all of you, and I can see exactly how valuable you are now. But…” He let his hand drop. “We’re just friends.”
She stepped forward and parted her lips to tell him to, ‘Do it,’ but Liam opened the door at that exact moment.
“Meeting’s starting,” their Alpha said low, somber eyes drifting between them. “You’ll have to catch up later.”
“We will be right in,” Delta said softly.
Nathan’s steady gaze stayed trained on her as Liam disappeared back inside. His cheek bones looked sharper, and his eyes were wilder. She didn’t know if he’d lost weight, or it was just caused by the wolf being close to the surface, but he looked powerful.
He lifted the six pack in his hands and twitched his head toward the house, then opened the door and held it for her.
The butterflies in her stomach fluttered as she sidled past him in the open door frame. She looked up into his eyes and hesitated for a split second.
She wanted to tell him she was sorry this was all so hard. She wanted to tell him she cared. She wanted to tell him it wasn’t her intention to hurt him.
“Let’s go,” Liam called from the table.
Pursing her lips, Delta ducked her gaze and made her way to the table. The Pack was talking low amongst themselves, but she could feel their attention on her and Nathan.
“I’ll take one of those,” Dodger said, holding his hand up.
Nathan tossed a beer to Vic, and then to Bridger, Liam and then Tabian. He offered one to Nory, but she already had a drink. Delta sat in an empty seat at the table and gave a private smile as Nathan reached over her and set an unopened, frosty can in front of her plate.
He cared.
He took the last for himself and settled his middle finger in front of Dodger’s face as he walked past him, holding eye contact. “We’re going to fight before the night is over,” he said, and oh the truth that saturated every word of his promise.
“I figured,” Dodger said easily. “I’m ready.”
“It’s not going to happen right now,” Liam ground out. “I have some announcements first.”
“Announcements, announcements, announcements,” Vic sang. The last part, he put vibrato into his voice.
“Are you going to do that every time we have a Pack meeting?” Liam asked.
