~
“Don’t even think…” Keri rushed to denial about what had happened between them, about what he thought came next, about her lack of judgment and being swept away in the moment.
Oh, what moments they were.
“It’s not a bad idea.”
Griffin gave her a wolfish grin. There was devilment in his eyes as he stared at her.
“It is if you start howling like someone nailed your paw to the cross,” she snapped back.
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
Griffin had ignored her sarcasm and honed in on her meaning. The mating howl. With so many humans in the area that could be somewhat problematic, to say the least.
“Maybe later,” He shrugged.
“Maybe?”
Keri started away from him on fast feet. She might have gotten carried away in his arms, but that didn’t mean that she was going to jump right into bed with the man – the mate – her forever one – true – love.
“Where are you going…?” Griffin asked, following on behind her in case she had a mind to run, or Angus was around.
“You know that sponge game? Well, I have a need to hit someone repeatedly in the face, and that seems like the next best thing. I’ll win you a big fluffy dog to keep you company of a night.” She bit out. Berating herself for what had just happened with every step she took.
Easy.
That’s what I am, or that’s what he thinks I am.
I’ll show him easy.
Magic myself a suit of armor and seal up all the entry points is what I’ll do.
A room!
Scum, sucking pond scummy doofus. What does he think I am?
Oh yeah! Easy, that’s what.
~
~
~
Isla had half an eye on the cars that were coming and going during the day and half an eye on the rest of the world going by. Their car wouldn’t be able to move until the trucks were all packed up and gone.
There was a part of her that longed for that to happen, and a part that didn’t really want to see the summer fair end.
She’d made her choice the moment that she’s found out about the wolves, and it had been reinforced the second that she’d found out that she was a mate. Run. Get the hell out of there.
The trouble was the longer that she spent with Lucas, and the more she got to know him, well, she wanted to put off making that decision until push came to shove. Even then, she kind of wished that moment wouldn’t come. That time would sort of stand still and capture them in the little bubble of the day forever.
No right decision.
No wrong decision.
Just… being.
Just that moment in time.
Together, but not.
Nobody could say that her mate wasn’t sex on a stick. He was.
She could lie to herself and say that there was no sexual attraction there, but that’s all it would ever be a lie. She fancied him something rotten.
She could tell herself that she needed to run as fast as she could in the opposite direction to get away from him, and yet, mating pull or sexual attraction be it, there was something there between them. A connection, and she was in two minds to decide if that was something that she could turn her back on.
Isla knew the truth of it. She was painfully aware that a Lycan only got one shot at true love, at finding his mate, and once he had found her there was no turning back.
She was it for him. His only chance.
If she walked away now, then there was a good chance that the man would go rogue and his pack would have no choice but the kill him.
It was something that she’d been chewing over from the moment that her rational mind had kicked out the insanity of finding out that she was a mate.
Unfair? Maybe. But that was the unhappy truth that they were both faced with.
It wasn’t as if she could just have some summer loving and never look back, because, the chances were that he wouldn’t be there.
It wasn’t as if she could go away and mull it over, because, the chances were that he’d already be dead.
It wasn’t as if he wasn’t perfect for her. Truly, one hundred percent her life mate, and would love her until the day they died. He would with relish on top.
It should have been a simple decision. Maybe to anyone else it would have been.
Under normal circumstances, two humans finding love at first sight would have been so simple. Take the chance. Go for it.
The worst that could happen was an unhappy union where you found that you really couldn’t stand each other followed by a quickie divorce. No harm, no foul.
But, he was a wolf shifter, and she was a witch.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Lucas said, and Isla frowned to herself.
Could she really just blurt it all out?
“She’s over there, and you are welcome to her.”
Isla tossed up a hand into the crowd. In truth, she didn’t have a clue where Penny was, probably running rings around her mate somewhere and driving him to drink. But it was more the deflection tactic that she was going for as she tried to shake off the thoughts and feelings that were clouding her mind.
So much for the carefree days of summer.
“Throwing your friend under the bus… nice,” Lucas chuckled, and that sound warmed her to her very core.
“Hey, every witch for herself.” Isla couldn’t help but smile.
The man certainly had a way about him, and it was catching – like norovirus, just without the puking and the pooping, she hoped.
“Witch?” Father Ted asked as he strolled by.
“Which cake to try next … they’re all yummy,” Isla rushed out, mentally slapping herself on the back of her head and kicking her mate in the process of possible discovery by the clergy.
“Ahhh, you don’t have to tell me. I think the scales are going to think I’m carrying a small child in the morning.” He tossed back over his shoulder as he kept going.
“Priests have ears,” Lucas whispered.
“Not as big as wolves though,” she whispered back, meeting his eyes with mischief in her own.
“You can judge for yourself when you meet him,” Lucas grinned and his wolf clawed at the perceived invitation.
Mine…
“I’m sure he’ll roll over on his back and let me rub his tummy,” she chuckled.
Lucas waited for his wolf to growl. The wolf didn’t like anyone touching him, and the thought of being petted like a damn family pet usually sent the animal into a bad mood, unless it was a pup doing it, but the beast didn’t make a sound.
“I’ll roll on my back and let you rub my tummy anytime.” The beta chuckled.
“I’ll bet you would.” Isla pulled her upper body away from him and frowned back at her mate.
The man was as full of self-confidence as they came. Cheeky with the right amount of teasing, and all rolled up in a sinfully tempting package of good looks and a toned body that had her fingers just about itching to test and explore.
Nope, she didn’t think that walking away from her mate was going to be as easy as it had once appeared.
Isla snapped her fingers and gave him a small taste of her magic like a fast towel being flicked against his backside. The beta stiffened and bit down on the sting and a curse, but as his eyes rolled within his head and came right back down to hers, he tipped his head on his neck and regarded her with curious eyes.
“What was that for?”
“Just testing my level of guilt.” She offered back.
“From one to ten?”
“Ooh, is that an offer like best out of three?” She grinned.
“Not so much,” he said, hoping that she didn’t take him up on his ill thought out words to give him another nine lashes of her magic.
“Spoil sport.”
~
~
~
“Come home with me.” Griffin wanted one thing, and that was to have some alone time with his mate.
“Home?”
“Yes.” His smile was more than wolfish; it was downright hungry.
“Pass.”
“Because you can’t keep your hands off me?” He challenged her, tempted her, and her eyes flicked down over his body a second later.
“Because I was warned never to go off with strange men, and let’s face it, you’re strange.”
“Says the witch.”
“Who’s looking at the wolf.”
“And liking what she sees.”
“Someone got an over supply of confidence in the mail.”
“Someone knows his mate’s mind.”
“Someone should shut their yapping.”
Griffin liked the back and forth banter, especially when he could gauge his mate’s reaction to his words and meanings. She was interested alright, even if she wasn’t about to admit to it.
He just needed to show her how interested she really was, and job done, she’d be his forever more.
At least, that was the plan.