Page 48 of Heat Hesitation

I glare up at him, and even though his smirk is teasing and he's just trying to get a rise out of me, it stings. "Am I not good enough for you?" I ask. If I thought responding honestly and vulnerably would make him stop being a dick, I was wrong.

"Are we not good enough for you? I mean, you did fuck with my brother here for an entire year. Destroyed his heart. Then ignored us for weeks even after he found you again. You think because I don't live in a shitty apartment and work at a strip club, I'm not cool or hard-core enough for you."

"You don't know anything, Theo. And you're an asshole."

He shrugs, and his not-so-teasing smirk drops like he's been holding onto this animosity for a while. Asher yells at Theo for being a jerk while Enzo, phone abandoned, pulls me into his lap, his arm wrapping around me protectively.

"If you continue to disrespect my mate, Theo, we will have problems. Choose a different path." Enzo is deceptively calm, delivering the cool words with cutting transparency.

Theo's angry expression is instantly replaced with something easy and carefree.

I'm here. And maybe it's taken me a while to get here, maybe I could have handled finding my scent-matches better, but he doesn't get to pretend like I'm the only one in the wrong here.

"Maybe I'm not fancy enough for you? Maybe I need to get some implants, so my tits hang out of every dress, like that girl you were flirting with—what was her name? Bianca? Bridgette?"

"I wasn't flirting with—"

"Don't insult me, Theo. You want to give me shit for not jumping at the opportunity to bond with your pack when I've had some legitimate hang-ups for associating with anyone connected to the OFA, an organization who, might I remind you, assisted in the assault of my sister and covering up the death of my family. You can be angry all you want that I stayed away, and I hate that I hurt Asher, but that is between me and Asher."

Pulling away from Enzo, who loosens his grip on my shirt, I poke my finger into Theo's chest. "You claim you want me to join your pack, but just yesterday, you were fucking around with that girl," I snap, and I'm not proud at how my voice wavers.

My eyes prick with tears. I need to get out of this room.

Theo's expression softens, his righteous indignation melting away. "That's not what I was doing. I wasn't flirting, she was, and if you showed up twenty seconds earlier or stayed twenty seconds longer, you'd have seen me push her away."

I guess that's as much of an apology as I'm going to get.

Because I'm not an animal, I pick up my plate and quickly stick it in the dishwasher, before turning to Enzo. "Can we go?"

He nods briefly, and we leave the guys behind.

Chapter 21

Theo

I duck a left-hand cross but miss the leg sweep and land on my ass. I'm a better match with Enzo, but Sully and I have been relegated to the basement, sparring and attempting to rid ourselves of the frustration of the omega living in our home.

Her home.

She's only been here for a few days, and her scent has permeated every fiber. It's intoxicating and exciting and infuriating all at once because, for the first time in my life, my game is useless. Getting women, getting laid has always been easy. I barely try. They flock to me because of our wealth and power in this city. I'm good-looking and work hard to maintain a ripped physique. My brothers are all in good shape, but I cater each workout to shape every muscle.

I'm vain as fuck, but it's well deserved. Which is why I've never had to try before Ophelia. But she's different. Not just because she's my scent-match, our mate. She's…

Intimidating.

I don't know how to woo her; nothing works. My careless smile, my usual charm, my endearments. They all make her purse her lips or scrunch her face.

Sully's been avoiding her. I thought he'd last at least a week before crawling back, begging for forgiveness, but the only interactions I’ve witnessed so far were perfunctory and professional, so it’s not looking good. She asked him how the purchase of the C-Block building went and to please keep her informed if she could assist in keeping things moving forward in a timely fashion.

He grunted in response, and they both turned on their heels and stormed off in different directions.

I'd still take that reaction over the ones she gives me.

I don't blame her. I've been angry. I thought I'd started to let it go, but after that disastrous breakfast, I realized how much I'd been harboring.

The hurt in her eyes and the scent of her new bond with Enzo both made me realize I was being a fucking idiot. So, just like that, I let it go.

She's 'making deliveries' tonight and I'm hoping to use it as an opportunity to get her to forgive me, to show her I take her interests seriously.

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