Chapter Eleven

Taylor was the most frustrating person I had ever met. Perhaps all people were this annoying, and I just didn’t know because I spent very little time around them. Either way, Taylor was grating on my nerves, and right now my nerves were red and raw.

I was ready to snap.

“Do it again, and I will lean over and slam that face of yours into the sand,” I hissed across at him.

If Taylor wasn’t smirking, he was usually gloating and right now he was doing both. He was gloating because he had managed to annoy me to the point of explosion and he was smirking watching my reaction.

“Come on, Allie, it’s a lovely day,” he continued his pointless flirting.

“I will kill you.” I was deadly serious.

“No one else is covering up.” Taylor pointed out, his one and only point!

“No one else has to put up with you either.”

“Come on, show me that fine body of yours.”

Come to the beach, Allie. It will be fun, Allie. Come on, Allie, everyone is going. I wanted to slap myself for letting him talk me into this.

‘Zane, you better come save your best friend before I kill him.’ I forced my words into Zane’s mind. He was playing volleyball, and I wouldn’t lie I had been stealing glances in his direction.

He was shirtless, I was a female, it was impossible not to!

‘Kill him, it doesn’t bother me.’ Zane’s voice flooded my mind, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

He was playing like I wasn’t talking in his head.

My eyes flashed to Taylor when he dared to put his hand on my knee. ‘Zane, he is touching me. I swear to God, if you don’t come over here and get your friend, I will drown him in the sea,’ I roared my words into Zane’s mind while still glaring at Taylor.

We leave for the cabin tomorrow, and why the hell I agreed to spend an extra day with him I didn’t know.

“Get your hand off me.”

I watched Taylor’s grin grew wider. “Come on, baby, don’t be mean to your man.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and that was it.

“Ouch!” Taylor dodged my second punch, but at least I got a good one in.

“Touch me again, and I’ll hit you harder.”

‘Seems to me you are handling him fine. Anyway, if it bothers you so much, stop pretending to be his mate.’ Zane’s voice flooded my mind, just in time for me to look up and catch his glance.

‘Fine. Don’t help me,’ I grunted back into his mind.

Then I noticed the female on his team flirting with him and I saw red. No screw that, I saw blood red.

“Allie?”

I was too busy glaring at the female touching my mate to notice the sudden shadow being cast over me; then I looked up and, well, shit just got real.

“Aaron?” My mouth hung open as I looked up at a guy I hadn’t seen in years.

“Thought it was you, Allie, couldn’t miss that glare anywhere.” He flashed me a bright smile and ran a hand over his wet blonde hair. Water droplets covered his bare chest. He had grown up and filled out since I’d last seen him.

“Aaron Wilson?” I got to my feet, dusting the sand off and grinning up at him. “Seriously?”

“The one and only, Allie bear. Don’t tell me you didn’t recognize me?” He opened his arms, and I quickly jumped into them and hugged him tightly.

Aaron Wilson was my next-door neighbor and best friend until he moved away four years ago. He had been my best friend since I was five and now I was looking at a grown man.

We pulled apart, and I was still grinning like a mad woman. “I can’t believe it. What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back? Seriously, Aaron! You’re here!”

I was overly excited, and that was an understatement.

“I was going to stop by your house tonight.” He grinned, then looked awkward for a moment. “Didn’t know if you would still remember me.”

“Aaron, I would never forget you!” I looked him up and down. “Although you have definitely changed; darn, Aaron, you grew up!”

“Talk about yourself, Allie.” He smirked slightly. “So, you going to tell me who the guy is standing behind you, glaring at me?”

Aaron was looking over my shoulder, and I spun around, but instead of seeing Taylor, it was Zane and Taylor.

“Oh, it’s Taylor and, um, Zane.” I waved my hand and looked back at him.

I was hoping that would be it, and the boys would take a hint and piss off, but like always Taylor wanted to make things awkward, and Zane lived to annoy me - funny how suddenly he was interested in my life.

“I’m her boyfriend.” Taylor’s hand shot out, and Aaron stood a tad taller and shook it, glancing at me in the process.

“Fake boyfriend,” I corrected him, and Aaron’s eyebrows rose at that. “It’s a long story. One I’m happy to tell you, tea tonight?”

“Sounds good, Allie bear.” He smirked at me looking a lot happier. “So, who are you?” He nodded his head at Zane; Zane’s chest was raising slowly, his arms across his chest.

“Zane. Her friend.” Zane’s words were tight, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

‘Drop the attitude, Zane,’ I snapped in his mind.

“Ok,” Aaron drew the word out and looked between us.

“Tonight, how about I pick you up at eight? We can do a late tea,” Aaron said.

“We are leaving early tomorrow, remember, Allie?” Zane chooses now to pipe up.

Right, we are going to the bloody cabin. I cringed internally.

“Where you heading to?” Aaron asked.

“We are going to this cabin in the woods for the long weekend.” The more I explained the situation, the more Aaron’s eyes flashed in understanding.

“Right, well, I’m home for the week so we can catch up when you get back.” He glanced at the boys before giving me another smile. “See ya, Allie bear.” He gave me a wink, and I watched him walk off.

Aaron Wilson.

“So, he’s human,” Taylor stated openly and then looked at me with this taunting smile. “You like a human.”

“No, I don’t,” I huffed at him. “He was just an old friend.”

Zane’s eyes were burning holes through my soul. I needed to get away from him and his judgmental eyes.

“So, are we going swimming then or what?” I snapped at Taylor and reached for the hem of my dress, ripping it off.

Taylor was checking me out, and wasn’t even pretending to hide it. “I’ll follow you anywhere, sweetheart.”

I dropped my dress to the sand, my eyes meeting Zane’s for a split second. I saw the red raw desire in his eyes - his wolf was looking at his property. I knew that look and feeling, because my wolf had been reeling for control when he was jumping around all sweaty and topless before.

Taylor couldn’t stop himself from grabbing my hand and walking hand in hand to the ocean. As soon as the waves were above our waists, I stomped on his foot.

Taylor muttered a curse word, and I couldn’t stop myself from smirking at his pained face.

“Didn’t anyone tell you, boyfriend, love hurts.” I winked at him before splashing him.

“You’re going down, girlfriend!” he yelled at me, as I swam off.

‘If he touches you, tell me, and I’ll be there in a minute.’ Zane’s voice flittered through my mind.

‘What do you care?’

‘It’s not easy watching you swim around half naked, looking like sex on a stick, with my best friend.’ Zane’s voice had rage in it as it flashed across my mind.

I looked across the waves at my mate; standing at the edge of the water glaring at us. Taylor was too busy splashing me to notice.