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“Wear whatever the fuck you want. It’s time for bed.” Luke turns his back to me and stalks out of the room. I don’t know where he plans on going, but I’m not fucking following.
Owen’s jaw ticks as he looks down at the shirt in his hand. “I don’t want you to wear this. At least not tonight.” I bite the inside of my cheek as he cocks his head and lets his eyes roam down my body. His breathing comes in shallow breaths and desire is written all over his face.
“I want to feel your skin against mine. It will be good for our bond.” His response seems genuine, and I allow what he’s saying to register.
I’ll cave on this issue, but only so I can escape to bed. I’m tired. I can already feel myself getting hot for him, but I haven’t got it in me to take any more physical activity tonight. I nod my head. “For tonight, fine. I just want to go to bed though.”
Surprise and disappointment are evident in Owen’s expression as he takes in my words. It takes so long for him to respond that I start to grow anxious. “Bed it is then.” Relief overwhelms my sore, tired body as his arm wraps around me and he pulls me into his side and leads me out of the room.
As we enter a bedroom at the back of the house, Luke tosses a pillow onto the left side of the bed and pulls the covers back. I stop at the entrance to the room and stare at him and then Owen.
“What’s the matter? Aren’t you tired?” Owen looks down at me with confusion.
I part my lips then slam them shut looking between the two men who are watching me expectantly. “I want my own room.” Owen laughs at my request as if I’m joking and Luke stares back at me with what looks like anger.
“Why would you want that? You’ll be needing us.”
“I can come and get you if I need you.” Desire sends a wave of need through me at his words. Fuck, I do need them, but I don’t want them. I don’t want to lead them on any more than I have to.
There’s not a doubt in my mind; I’ve decided I’m going to be leaving as soon as I get what I came for. My emotions war with themselves at the decision. I need to keep myself in check so I can leave them when the time comes. Guilt aches in my chest, but as my eyes meet Luke’s hard stare, the guilt vanishes. I think he hates that I’m his mate. How could I ever stay when that’s how he makes me feel?
“We’ll need you too, though.” Owen kisses my hair and strokes my back gently, making me involuntarily lean into his hot, hard body. Then I realize his words and my eyes pop open. “You have no idea what your scent does to us.” I look between the two men as the meaning of everything comes into clear focus.
“I’m tired and I don’t want to.”
Luke lays back in the bed and doesn’t respond to me.
“Get your sweet ass in bed, you’ve got to rest up. After all you’re only human and the last two days have been rough on you.” Owen’s words hurt me more than they should. So what if I’m human?
“What’s wrong?” Owen asks when I don’t move. The two of them are fucking clueless.
“Nothing.” I pull back the covers and scoot myself onto the bed, on the very edge to be as far away from Luke as possible.
“I don’t like you lying to me.” Owen stalks over to the bed and crawls onto the mattress, forcing me to move to the center.
“I may be human, but I’m not weak.” I can hear how pissed I am and I wish I could’ve just kept my mouth shut. Why should this bother me at all? Luke opens his eyes and rolls onto his side to stare at me. As if he’s suddenly interested in me and actually wants to have a conversation. But he doesn’t speak. I look at him for a moment, waiting for him to say something, but I get nothing. I roll onto my side with my back to him.
“No one said you were weak.” Owen’s eyes focus on Luke’s, and I get the impression that he’s lying to my face. They think I’m weak. Just another reason I have for leaving them in however many days. I swallow and settle my weak body on the bed and give myself a deadline. Realistically my editor wants the story in two days, but I’m not sure two days will be enough. Once the story hits, I’ll need to have a way to get out of here and be far away before the shitstorm comes this way. I need to scout out the place and figure out what the hell I’m going to do. Formulate a plan of escape.
As my eyes start to drift, a large arm settles across my midsection and pulls my back into a hot, solid chest of muscle. I don’t have enough energy to open my eyes and register what’s going on. As the hand splays across my belly another cups my chin and warm lips kiss mine. I murmur into the sweet touch and fall peacefully asleep, forgetting what it was that I was supposed to be thinking about.
EMMA
“You’re Charlotte?” A beautiful, yet curvy brunette with big blue eyes smiles at me. She’s so tall, she must be a wolf. I return her smile although I’m less than confident, “You’re a shifter aren’t you?” Even though I’m the one dressed in only a shirt, she’s the one who appears shy. She nods. “Yeah. I’m a shifter.”
I wouldn’t be in the hall if I didn’t truly need a restroom. I woke up about a half an hour ago and immediately grabbed a shirt from a dresser in the corner of the room. I awoke alone and a bit groggy. My entire body is sore, and I just want to soak in a hot bath. I didn’t get far down the hallway to snoop in search for bathroom before I ran into Charlotte. Thank God she’s clothed, at least. After relieving myself, she’s there waiting for me and walks me back down to the bedroom.
“I hear you prefer clothes too.”
I already like her. “Yeah, naked isn’t really something I’m used to.” I follow Charlotte back to the bedroom and that sick feeling comes back to the pit of my stomach. I don’t like that she knows where the bedroom is. I rub my arm and look out of the window, trying to gather the courage to ask. Oh, fuck it. What’s it matter anyway? It’s not like I’ll be here long. “So you hang out with the Luke and Owen a lot?” It’s not really a question, just a statement.
“Yes, I do the promotional work for the company.” She gives me a tight smile. “They suck at marketing.” She shakes her head. “How the hell they thought they’d be successful with no advertising is beyond me.” Her eyes widen and she holds up her hand. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re smart and everything, but they really weren’t thinking when it came to actually selling. They had no clue.”
I respond for the sake of responding even though all I can think about is how comfortable she is in their bedroom. “I totally understand.”
She sits on the edge of the bed, and I’m surprised by the spike of jealousy that hits me. I suppose it’s natural to be jealous of a woman who’s slept with the men you’re currently sleeping with, even if you are trying to stay emotionally detached and planning your exit. I swallow the lump growing in my throat.
“So you do the advertising.” A thought resonates in me and I decide to take advantage of the situation. It’s good for an interviewee to feel comfortable. I can get some information out of her. “So do all the shifters here work for the company. Is that how a pack works?”
