Belle
I was just about to knock on the door when Wyatt pulled it open, his face dark and angry. Awesome!
“What’s wrong?” he asked, ushering me inside. “Did something happen to upset you?”
Sadie was standing off to the side, coffee cup in hand and Sandy sitting in one of the armchairs dotted around the large lounge. Jeez, this day just keeps getting better.
“I’m fine, just had a run-in with Kaylee,” I admitted, although I hadn’t intended to. What was going on with me today?
Sadie snickered. “And you’ve arrived without looking as if you and her tussled. Good for you, Belle.”
Giving Sadie a grateful look I nodded. “She’d try the patience of a saint, that one.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Sadie winked cheekily. “On the other hand, I’d prefer to just call her a sarcastic b . . .”
Wyatt broke in before his mate could finish but I couldn’t help but giggle.
“Sadie,” Wyatt chastised, shaking his head. “We’re here to tell Belle what she has to do to make up for her behavior earlier.”
“Oh right, yeah.” Sadie came over, her face now serious as she stared at me. “Belle, you know what you did wasn’t acceptable, don’t you?”
“Yes.” I lowered my head. “Alpha, I apologize profusely for that. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I accept your apology,” Sadie said graciously.
Thank the goddess! It looked as if I might get out of this with my ass intact.
“As you know,” she carried on, “we have the scenting ceremony very soon and I’m busy with organizing everything for that. So, I need your help taking care of a bit of business I’d normally do but I’m just too darn busy.”
My head popped up, eyes wide. Really? She was going to let me off with just helping her out? Result!
“Anything,” I gasped, surprised and excited at the same time.
Her eyes twinkled with what looked like mischief, but I had to be wrong about that. Didn’t I?
No.
Sadie nodded over her shoulder. “Your duties from now until the ceremony are to take care of Sandy. You will stay with him from now until then, apart from when you go home at night to sleep. The two of you will eat here and you’ll give him a tour of the camp, our land, and take him out for a hunt or two. You will be gracious and act in my stead, Belle, so that means no sassiness and act as I would to any important guest of the Pack.”
My heart almost exploded out of my chest. No! This wasn’t what I wanted. Send me to the nursery to deal with a billion dirty diapers. Claw my hair out. Anything but force me to spend time with Mr. Hottie.
“Aah aah, don’t open that mouth, Belle.” Sadie waggled a finger at me. “This is not open for discussion and you will comply with my orders. Understood?”
Her power ran through me making me cringe at the sudden jolt of pain.
I glanced over and saw Sandy watching, his face unreadable, as I barely nodded. “Understood.”
“For now, show Sandy around the camp and then take him for a run.” Sadie cocked her head, her eyes boring into mine. “Don’t disappoint me or Wyatt will be the one to deal with you next.”
She didn’t even try to hide the threat in her words so I meekly nodded.
“Wonderful!” Sadie whirled around, smiling widely at the Scot who’d watched everything. “Sandy, I’ll leave you in Belle’s capable hands and we’ll see you both back here for supper.”
She glanced at me once more before disappearing toward the kitchen.
Wyatt patted my shoulder. “I’ll see you later.” Then disappeared in the direction of his office.
Terrific. I was now left alone with the one person I’d wanted to avoid.
I heard him moving and couldn’t help but look. Hey. I said I wanted to avoid him but a girl can look, can’t she?
I shouldn’t have looked. No, definitely not. His body unfurling from the chair and standing to showcase all those damn muscles I’d been trying so hard to forget. His thighs were solid, thick, and the muscles rippled beneath the denim as he stretched. Damn, I was in trouble.
“I hope I’m not too much of an inconvenience,” he drawled, my eyes quickly rising to meet his.
“No, nope, not at all,” I said quickly, my heart already beating faster as he strode toward me.
Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look.
And what did I do? I freaking looked. I couldn’t help it. My eyes dropped to take in his thighs, moving higher to the bulge in his jeans, then up over his stomach, which looked even harder than his thighs, if that were possible. Then his chest. Oh my! His chest stretched the t-shirt until I thought he’d burst from it a la Hulk and it was then I noticed he’d changed.
“Where’s the other one? The one with the boy on it?”
Sandy shrugged. “I showered and changed.”
“I liked the other one.” I gave him a small smile, his eyes never leaving my face.
“Thanks, it’s one of my favorites,” he said, smiling back.
And there it was. That damn dimple.
How the freaking hell was I going to get through this without throwing myself on top of him?
My Wolf decided to do that whimpering thing she’d done earlier which made me worry all the more. I was barely controlling myself but if my beast betrayed me too, then I was in deep shit.
“Let’s go,” I mumbled, quickly opening the door and rushing through.
Sandy was closer than I thought, bumping into me when I stopped abruptly at the bottom of the stairs outside. His arm snaking around my waist to stop me toppling over.
“Careful, A stór,” he whispered against my cheek, his scent filling my nostrils until they flared, craving more.
“Well, well, who do we have here?”
The smarmy words reminding me why I’d stopped. Kaylee. She was waiting for us and I’d almost ran into her, hence Sandy bumping into me.
I struggled free and drew her a filthy look. “Kaylee, don’t you have better things to do than follow me around?”
“I’m not following you,” she sneered. “I just came to welcome our guest.”
Sandy stepped to the side as I bunched my hands into tight fists. I was on the edge. Right on the precipice of knocking this bitch’s lights out.
His hand found one of mine, forcing my fingers to open and twinning ours together. I struggled not to react but my thighs clenched all by themselves as Kaylee stepped toward Sandy.
“I’m afraid we’re a bit busy right now,” he said, looking down at her briefly before turning back to me. “Belle, shall we get going, A ghrá geal?”
“Oooooooh, is that Irish?” Kaylee said with that fawning tone she used only for men, complete with her flicking her hair over a shoulder and smiling up at Sandy. She even went so far as to run her tongue along her bottom lip.
I wanted to claw her face until blood ran.
Sandy scowled. “No,” he replied curtly. “Excuse us.”
Kaylee’s face was a picture, one I wished I’d captured to gloat over later, as Sandy tugged my hand and we walked away.
I hid my smile as she glowered at me, hands on hips and tapping a booted foot. It was nice to see, no, it was glorious to see her not getting her own way for once. My Wolf was prancing around in glee inside my head which almost had me giggling.
“She’s a pushy bint,” Sandy said as we walked away, and with our enhanced hearing, I knew she’d hear it too.
“Yes, I think, as I don’t know what bint means,” I replied, realizing he still kept a tight hold of my hand. “You can let go now. I’m sure she’s not watching any longer.”
“I dinnae want to let go,” Sandy replied gruffly. “And bint is one of those words we can use either in jest, or in her case in a derogatory manner. In this instance it means worse than a bitch.”
“That she most definitely is.” I laughed. “I’ll need to remember that one.”
“Aye.” He grinned down at me.
“I can take you to the far end of the camp and we can work our way back.” I used my free hand to point.
Sandy stopped, looking around then down at me, his head cocked to the side. “I also dinnae want to look around the camp. I want to go for a walk in the forest and then for a run.”
How could I refuse?
“All right, this way.” I veered off, heading toward the trees. “What were those words you said earlier?”
“I’ll tell you later.” He smirked cheekily.
My body betrayed me, again, as I felt my insides melt as we walked. It was strange. I couldn’t seem to control my reaction to this man, even when I knew he could scent every single reaction, my body refused to listen to my brain.
“Try and relax,” Sandy whispered, tightening his grip on my hand.
Yeah, right. As if that was going to happen when his skin was touching mine and my Wolf was prowling around in my head like a crazy beast.
I took him to the nearest entrance to the forest. My feet slowing with each step. I wasn’t looking forward to stripping off in front of him, but more likely I was scared I’d jump his bones the minute he started to undress.
Okay, it had been a while since I’d been with anyone, but even so, I wasn’t liking the way my entire being reacted to him. That was why I snapped at him when he stopped, turning me to face him.
“What?”
“I said tae relax.” He looked down at me, his impossibly green eyes seemed darker somehow.
“I’m trying,” I admitted quietly.