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She, no doubt, wanted to ask specifically about Liza, but even if she’d asked, I wouldn’t give her the details of my experience with Liza. Truthfully, it was nobody’s damn business.
Cecily was surprisingly quiet, which led me to believe her parents had instructed her to let them do the talking. Everything was a perfectly measured and precisely calculated move with this family.
Tina eyed Robert, and he spoke up, right on cue. “We hear you were mated last night. Is that something you plan on pursuing?”
Damn. The guy wasn’t holding back.
Mother opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. “Yes, I very much plan to pursue my mate.”
I glanced at Dad, whose face was flaming with anger. He balled his fists on the table. He was still holding on to the idea of me choosing a mate, possibly Cecily.
What my father wanted didn’t matter. He could be as angry at me as he wanted, but I refused to entertain the thought of a chosen mate when my fated one was right in front of me.
Speaking of my fated mate, I suddenly spotted Liza leaving out the side door. She held her purse and apron in her hand as she quickly walked to the exit.
There was no time to waste, so I didn’t. I stood. “Please excuse me.”
I walked toward Liza as my parents and Cecily’s family stared in confusion.
“Liza!” That might’ve been a little louder than intended.
Several guests turned to see what the commotion was and to watch the interaction between the two of us. Tongues would be wagging tomorrow… If they even waited that long.
Liza stutter-stepped, seemed to hesitate for a moment, then eventually came to a quick halt as she stepped outside into the warm sunshine.
I followed her and closed the door behind me. Let the rumor mill figure out what to do with that. She kept moving, and I had to jog to get to her side. I ran my hand through my hair; a nervous habit I’d had since childhood. “Liza, I want to apologize again for being such an idiot earlier. Would you please be willing to give me a chance to make it up to you over dinner?”
Liza glanced over my shoulder toward the club. I turned to see my parents standing in the doorway, watching us with absolutely no regard for how Liza might take it.
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, which was sexy as hell. It made me want to kiss that lower lip.
I could see she was worried and unsure if she could trust me—or my parents, for that matter.
“Liza,” I whispered. “Don’t worry about them.”
My instincts told me to reach for her hands, but her tight, rigid body language told me she wasn’t ready for that.
“I can’t explain the feelings coming over me, but there’s a spark unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Standing close to you is almost overwhelming.” This wasn’t an admission I would make to any other woman, but she was my mate, the one person who might understand this sensation.
Her breath hitched. She could feel it, too.
We stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like an eternity but also wasn’t long enough. There was something between us that was more than simply a sexual desire. For me, it was as if our souls were speaking to one another, like they didn’t need words exchanged. I knew who she was. She was mine.
Finally, she took a step back. “I’ll think about it.”
A smile spread across my face. At least it wasn’t a no, and there was still a chance she’d forgive me, meaning we could move past the stupidity that escaped my mouth.
I clung to that hope as I watched her drive away in her small, white hatchback. Part of me wanted to follow her to make sure she made it to her destination safely, but I wouldn’t. I would apply pressure, but there was a difference between playing and chasing. I would do one, not the other. She would make the choice to be with me. My mind was already made up.
As I headed to my car across the parking lot, my dad barked out my name.
My wolf took offense to the commanding tone. He respected his alpha, and as positions of power went, Dad was still on top. But my wolf was stronger than Dad’s and had been for a long time. He demanded respect.
“Now’s not the time to make a stand,” I instructed my wolf. “Let me handle my father.”
My wolf agreed and settled as my father strode toward us. “Tyson, you’re making a mistake with Liza.”
Despite the firm tone and his hands fisted on his hips, I didn’t believe that. Not at all. How could I when my attraction to Liza was more than physical? My wolf claimed her as his mate, and my body and soul ached for her. How could it be a wrong choice?
