Cody
If Quinn had realized how much that sexy underwear brought out the wolf in me, she would’ve been wearing a lot more clothing.
On second thought, she would’ve taken it off just to spite me.
Oh wait, she did.
When I found her she’d been in that fancy club, dancing on the bar in a short, tight black dress that laced up the side in crisscrosses, revealing more than a fair amount of skin. Her long, white-blonde hair was bouncing and flying around her as she moved with the incredibly-loud music. With the way those rich-looking men around her were rubbing their hands all over her, I just about lost control of my wolf for the first time in more than ten years.
The wolf in me said that she was mine, and that the men with their hands on her skin should be dead.
Heck, I’d wanted to kill everyone who was even looking at my woman.
I’d been able to calm myself down enough to go over my options before I threw her over my shoulder and carried her out of that place without breaking any bones.
Beth, her best friend, had been sitting in the back of the room sipping at a glass of grape soda and reading a book, which she’d just about choked on when she saw me pull a very-drunk Quinn off the bar. When she saw the cotie on Quinn’s neck, which declared her a shifter and marked her as mine, she’d dragged me straight back to their apartment.
The pain that accompanied touching me for the first time, which gave Quinn a cotie that matched mine, paired with all of the alcohol she’d consumed, had knocked my soulmate out. She slept on my lap in the back seat of Beth’s little car until we got back to her apartment, where she came-to long enough to puke all over the bushes and her dress before she fell asleep.
It had taken both me and Beth to wrestle Quinn out of that ridiculously tight dress, and we’d both called it quits after we’d gotten it off, leaving her in her underwear.
The same underwear that was making it hard to focus on convincing her that we were really soulmates.
When she stripped in front of me before getting in the shower, I’d stayed frozen in place, knowing that if I allowed myself to move, I’d be yanking that sexy woman into my arms and carrying her back to the bed that I’d been such a gentleman in during the night.
Lying awake next to my soulmate, who smelled like barf even stronger than she would to any human thanks to my wolf senses, was not how I expected to spend my first night with Quinn.
I’d expected cuddling, talking, maybe some kissing…
Not sexy lace underwear and puke.
But that was alright. Quinn wasn’t what I expected, and I had a feeling she wasn’t going to make things easy for me, but I didn’t need it to be easy. I would win her over whether it took a week or a year. She was mine, and I was hers.
She poked her head around the wall of the shower, and I could see the reluctance written all over her face.
“What animal do you turn into?”
“We’re wolves.” I reminded her that she was a shifter too, and despite the steaming-hot water, her face paled before she yanked her head back inside.
I jumped up to sit on the counter beside the sink, looking around the bathroom.
Quinn and Beth’s apartment was fancy, there was no getting around that. It was large and spacious with minimal furniture and decorations. The tile was black with white speckles and stretched through the whole apartment, with gray walls. The kitchen cabinets were white and the appliances were shiny stainless-steel.
Everything coordinated perfectly, and everything looked expensive. From the handles on the cabinets to the throw-blankets on the couch, I knew money was no object for Quinn and Beth.
I was only sitting on the countertop for a few minutes when Beth walked in, wearing a pair of colorful leggings and a workout tank top, with her dark hair up in a high-ponytail.
“I run a gymnastics gym.” She offered me a quick smile. “I have to go in right now, but…” She peeked into the bathroom to make sure Quinn wasn’t watching. “Here’s a key just in case Quinn tries to lock you out or something.”
Beth handed me a key, and I took it with raised eyebrows.
“Won’t she be mad at you?”
“Definitely. But as you saw last night, she’s a wreck and I’m the only person in her life she has a real relationship with. She won’t admit it but she needs you, so I’m your new best friend.” She winked. “My boyfriend will be back soon, his name is Garrett. He’ll probably only be home for an hour or two but I already told him you’re here so don’t worry about it.
“There’s food in the fridge, force Quinn to eat before she goes to that party tonight. I’ll be back around nine.” Beth grinned. “I know I sound like her mom, but it works for us so don’t judge. Bye, and good luck, Cody!”
She hurried out the door, leaving me a little confused and a lot curious about who my soulmate was aside from the sexy underwear and the bar-dancing.
Beth came running back in a few minutes later, a few strands of hair escaped from her ponytail.
“I forgot to tell you, don’t let her go to the party alone. If she goes alone she won’t leave alone, if you know what I mean.” My body tensed. After watching the way she’d danced on the bar with all of those hands on her skin, I had first-hand experience with exactly what she meant.
“Her family is powerful enough that no one will protest if she brings a plus-one, so don’t take no for an answer. There’s an invitation on the fridge so pretend you heard about from that.”
With that, she was gone almost as quickly as she’d come in.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and clicked my sister’s contact information, my body itching to shift at the idea of going to a party full of rich people.
“Finally!” Emma answered the phone. She sounded relieved, and that wasn’t a surprise since I’d run out on family dinner a few days earlier when my wolf had kicked in and I’d realized where my mate was.
See, male shifters always know where our soulmates are, but it doesn’t start until the Creator decides it’s time for us to meet. As soon as that switch in my brain flipped, I took off to find my mate.
“What’s she like?” Emma asked. She was eager for answers, and I didn’t blame her. I’d felt just as curious when she’d met her soulmate, Logan.
“Well,” I glanced toward the bathroom. Though I could hear the shower running, I wanted to make sure she hadn’t snuck out or something. “I don’t really know yet. Right now she’s in denial.”
I was vague on purpose.
“I thought you spent the whole night together. How can you not know what she’s like?”
I grimaced, and turned when I heard the shower shut off.
“It’s complicated. Listen, Em, I have to go with her to some high-society party tonight. What am I supposed to wear to that kind of thing?”
Emma paused. Usually she was excited to help out with stuff like that, so I wondered what was brewing in her mind.
“You know, that sounds like a great question to ask your soulmate.” I could imagine the evil grin on her face. “Maybe if you ask her that, it’ll uncomplicated things.”
I bit back a groan and turned to see Quinn step out of the shower, wrapped in a soft-looking white towel. Her hair fell around her shoulders and to the middle of her back, looking like gold.
“I’ve gotta go. Thanks for nothing, Em.”
“You took the words right out my mouth.” Emma said dryly. “Good luck, Cody.”
We both hung up.
“Who’s Em?” Quinn tried to look like she didn’t care as she walked gingerly out of the bathroom. I could tell she was still feeling the effects of the outrageous amount of alcohol she’d consumed the night before, but even her hangover couldn’t have hidden the jealousy written all over face.
It was cute that she was jealous.
Since we didn’t know each other at that point, the jealousy would be coming from the wolf in her. Her wolf knew I was her mate and that I belonged to her and her alone.
“My sister, Emma.”
I bit back a grin when her tight expression relaxed.
“I have to go into the office for a few hours, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tag along like some possessive animal.” She strode toward the door of her bedroom, and I fought a smile.
I liked that she was so straightforward and that she knew what she wanted, even if it was going to make it harder to convince her that I was the guy for her.
“I need to go on a run anyway. As long as you’re not planning on hooking up with anyone in your office, I think I can manage letting you out of my sight for an hour or two.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I hardly think a meeting with my dad can be considered a booty-call.”
With that she shut the door to her bedroom, effectively blocking me out. I could get in easily— my twin brother Tanner and I had broken down plenty of doors in our lives—but I wasn’t going to bother her.
She needed her space, and I needed to read the invitation on the fridge so I knew exactly what I was walking into when I weaseled my way into her party. Growing up in the little shifter-filled town called Mount Edge, where dirt was expected and being human was not, I wasn’t exactly prepared for a party filled with rich people.
But if that’s what it took to win over my soulmate, I would adapt, and I’d be the best-looking shifter at that party.
After my soulmate, who would probably be wearing something that would make it hard to focus on anything but her soft skin and curves.