Page 47 of The Runaway Mate

I raised one eyebrow. I knew him better than that.

“Okay,” he smiled at me. “I’ll try my fucking hardest to persuade you to stay, but it’s not a prison, Mai. You can leave if you really want to.”

Damn it. I hated it when he was right. I couldn’t put other Pack members at risk just because I was annoyed at his bossy, arrogant ass.

“Fine. I’ll move in. But only until this thing with Seth is resolved.”

Ryan’s smile turned into a grin. “I’m so glad you said that. I moved your things across this morning.”

I glared at Ryan and wondered just how angry I needed to be before my head exploded.

Chapter thirty-three

Mai

“Get out of my sight, Ryan,” I said through clenched teeth. “Before I do something that you’ll regret.”

Ryan laughed, then leaned down and kissed my cheek.

“I’ll see you at home later, babe. Be safe.” Then he stood up, nodded to Sofia and Wally, and walked out the door.

Taking a deep breath, I watched the door swing shut.

“That looked intense,” said Sofia as she came and sat next to me.

“I know!” agreed Wally, fanning himself with his hands. “That boy radiates sexual tension! Are you gonna have hot shower sex with him again tonight?”

A thrill jolted through me as the memory of his slick body thrusting into mine popped into my head, and I swear both Sofia and Wally knew it.

Damn it. I had to get this conversation off me and Ryan before my hormones went haywire.

I narrowed my eyes at Wally. “No more talk about Ryan. What I want to know is what’s going on between Sofia and Derek.”

Sofia shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell.”

“Bullshit. Derek always had a thing for you. The Derek I knew would never have shut you down if you came to him with information.”

“Maybe you don’t know Derek anymore,” Sofia said softly.

“Again, I call bullshit.”

Sofia sighed, looking past me and Wally to the street outside. “You’re not going to drop this, are you?”

“Well, if Mai does, I sure as hell will not!” Wally said. “You’ve been holding out on us.”

“I haven’t been holding out. There really isn’t anything to tell. About a year ago, Derek discharged from the military. He came back here, and we started to get close. We even went on a couple of dates.”

“Oh my God, you didn’t?” Wally asked.

Sofia frowned. “Didn’t what?”

“Do the nasty with Derek Shaw?”

Sofia sat bolt upright. “I did not sleep with Derek! It didn’t get that far. It… it was good. Really good. I thought… I thought he was my…” Sofia shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now. We had some dates. Then he ghosted me. Wouldn’t take my calls, didn’t answer my messages. I thought he was hurt or something. I was on my way to see him, to check he was okay, when I saw him walk out of a bookshop with Shya Little.”

My brow furrowed. “Who?”

“Shya Little is the Bridgetown Alphas' daughter,” Wally explained. “That doesn’t mean anything, Sofia.”

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