Page 13 of Beast of Eden

He looked nervous, and she was proud she’d at least made herself known. She walked toward him, and she noted he was uncomfortable.

“I’ll be taking your next dance,” she said, irritated.

Franco took her hand carefully, and she felt a spark shoot down her spine. She hated how her body reacted to him so eagerly. She wanted to stay pissed, but she couldn’t. Her tiger didn’t want her to.

She could see Franco felt it as well. His hand pulled her tighter against him as he twirled her. His breath was hot against her neck, and she wanted to lean into him. She didn’t. She had at least that much control.

She looked at him, and she saw the desire in his eyes. He felt the pull like she had. His fingers tightened on her, and she swallowed nervously.

“What is your problem?” she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly at him. While she may love his touch, she was still frustrated with him.

He inhaled, twirling them. “What do you mean?”

“You! You’ve been completely ignoring me almost the entire night. Gerri didn’t have me come here …”

She didn’t finish before he shook his head. He frowned at her. “I never asked her to bring you here. I didn’t ask her to match me up.”

She bit into her inner cheek hating how irritated he looked. Was her presence that terrible?

He sighed and looked away. “I have a lot going on, and I can’t have this right now. I can’t do this.”

It was a stab at her, and she felt it. She wanted to cry but, instead, let her anger build once more.

“It was nice meeting you, but I can’t do this.” He dropped his arms, and she frowned at him. The dance wasn’t over, and everyone could see them.

He turned to leave, and she gripped her hands into tight fists. But he stopped and turned back to her. He scratched his head for a moment before he sighed. “Can I get your number?”

She felt her jaw drop slightly. She wanted to slap him. Who behaved like this?

She knew it was the fated pull, and she didn’t know whether she liked it or despised it now. Was that the only reason he wanted her number?

“Seriously?” she asked, crossing her arms. “You want to be a prick and expect me to give you my number?”

She hated how she sounded. She hated how this entire night had gone. But she couldn’t not give him her number. She marched up to him, throwing her hand out. He pulled his phone out, sliding it into her hand. She opened a new contact, listening as the music kept playing and people gasped at them.

Others probably saw a couple eager to start their relationship, even though that felt far from the truth at the moment. She typed in her name and added behind itgirl-you-blew-off. She handed the phone back to him.

She was probably overreacting and should consider the position he was in. He wasn’t expecting to meet her tonight.

She decided she was leaving. She’d had enough of the party and, honestly, just wanted to go back to her room and relax. She turned, walked off the dance floor, and headed for the exit.

She hoped tomorrow would be better. Maybe he just needed time to think about what was happening. She could only hope.

FIVE

FRANCO

He woke and frowned at the ceiling. She was still on his mind. She was seeded deeply in his brain, and she was all he could think about. He was sure he was going insane.

Franco pulled himself out of bed and marched over to his luggage. He dug around until he found a pair of shorts and a shirt. He stripped, changing into them along with socks and his sneakers. He tied them tightly, liking them to form to the shape of his foot.

He rolled his neck and stretched his arms. He went toward his door, trying to get his mind to focus, but it was no use. His lion kept thinking about Violet.

He’d tried to push her out of his mind last night when he was getting ready for bed. He tossed and turned, disappointed with how he’d acted. That wasn’t how he wanted to behave around his mate.

But he’d been blindsided. That wasn’t how he had expected to meet her. He thought he would randomly meet her after a race or at a coffee shop. He didn’t expect their meeting to go like this.

He raked his hands through his hair and sighed heavily. He needed to get going on his duties and get her off his mind. There was a process, and he wasn’t going to screw with it. He wanted that win, and to get it, he had to put a hundred percent into it. He had to push her deep into his thoughts.

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