Page 61 of Full Moon Frenzy

“It is irresponsible,” Dr. Marsh agreed. “But it’s not a child. It’s a Lowell, and that might be worse.” He took a half step closer, ducking around as if he expected Shileen to be hiding under his arm. “What happened?” he hissed, glancing over his shoulder to ensure that the door was closed. “Did they just let you all out?”

Trapp’s brother shrugged casually as if he had no idea what the shifter was talking about. “Of course they let us out. Six different witnesses all saw that guy throw the first punch. Harmond is the one who called the police. What were you expecting?”

Dr. Marsh blew out a hard breath, shaking his head with a choked laugh. “I’m so glad we’re friends, Grayson. Because I sure as hell wouldn’t want you as an enemy.”

“Exactly,” the big wolf said with a pointed, glinting smile at Adriana. “Pleasure meeting you, Dr. Brunelli. Now you know someone. For what it’s worth, I’m the only wolf in town worth knowing. Make a choice. Quickly. Either I’ll see you at my wedding, or I never want to see you again.”

***

She didn’t know what she was doing.

She didn’t know what she was doing there, standing on his front steps. She had no idea what to say. She didn’t even know if she wanted to fix things with Trapp Hemming. He was arrogant, overprivileged, skated through life too easily, and he had made her life hell.

But the thought of walking away felt untenable. She couldn’t be someone new if he was here. She didn’t have anywhere else to go, and even if she did, the thought of leaving, of leaving things as they were, made her sick.

Maybe he’ll tell you to go. Maybe he’ll yell at you, slam the door, call you a horrible person. Maybe that’s what you deserve. Maybe so, but she still wasn’t apologizing. If Trapp wanted to let her in, he was going to do it on her terms, accept what she could give, and if he couldn’t, well, that was his call.

He broke someone’s jaw because of you.

She and Dr. Marsh had walked Trapp’s brother back to the waiting area, and unsurprisingly, they once again walked in on Shileen and the new nurse with heads bent. It was gratifying to see the shifter’s narrowed eyes.

“Come on, Lowell. I’ll buy you an ice cream cone on the way home if you’re good.”

It wasn’t a child he was talking to. It was another wolf, another brother, a grown-ass man of at least thirty, with Trapp’s sparkling smile and bright eyes, one of them blackened. Did they all get into a fight?!

“I know you think you’re being slick, but that sounds awesome. I want one of those milkshakes with little chocolate confetti bits inside. Wait, is that her?” Fire had flooded her face as he gawked, like she was an animal at the zoo, pulled along by his huge, intimidating brother. “I mean, at least she’s pretty!”

He’d broken someone’s jaw for her. Had started a fight because of her. Defended her honor when she’d not even been there, when there had been no reason for him to do so.

She wasn’t going to say she was sorry. She wasn’t going to grovel. But neither could she walk away without knowing.

It took forever for him to open the door. He looked like shit. Handsome shit, ridiculously handsome, and the day-old stubble on his jaw was very attractive, but like shit nonetheless. His eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles beneath. His left eye was swollen and bruised, greenish-purple extending back to his ear. Considering the size of his brother, he was lucky his head was still on his shoulders.

“Hi,” she mumbled as he leaned against the side of the door, squinting at her. His house was nothing that she’d expected. It was normal. Average-sized, tidy, his giant pickup truck in the driveway and the shades on the windows drawn. “I-I heard you got hit in the head. I just thought I’d check on you. If you think you might have a temporal fracture or—”

“Just a concussion. I have a hard head.”

“Yeah.”

She didn’t know what to say. Well, say something! Say something before he closes the door! You going to stand here picking your nails looking at the ground until he gives up and——

“Did you want to . . .?”

She raised her head, breath catching, meeting his eyes, nodding. “Yeah.”

Trapp stood back to let her in. She wasn’t going to grovel. She wasn’t going to apologize. She didn’t expect him to either. Maybe neither of you needs to. Maybe you can just let the past stay in the past and let it go for good.

Part 4

Trapp

The tones dropped that morning with a clatter, cutting through his sleep as instinct kicked in, cortisol surging, startling him to alertness. When it turned out to be nothing but the buzz of his cell phone rattling across the nightstand, amplified by the empty glass on the table, he almost flung both across the room.

He reached out, hand scrabbling on the nightstand until it closed around the phone, and then rolled to his back with a wince. Beside him, Adriana shifted and yawned, repositioning herself against him, her little nose nudging until his arm lifted and settled around her with her cheek pressed to his side.

Office. This morning.

Trapp closed his eyes, letting the phone drop. It was always a bad sign when his father used punctuation in a text message.