Page 5 of Because You Rejected Me

“There you are!” Sam called, waving for me to join them. “I was going to come up and get you in a few minutes. Lunch is almost ready.”

I walked down to the end of the bench, suddenly extremely nervous. Just talking to Sam was scary enough. I didn’t know the guy at all. But having a total stranger there as well made it ten times harder.

“Pull up a seat,” Sam said, gesturing behind him as he saw to the frying baskets.

“I can leave you two alone,” I offered. It was incredible how out of place I felt standing there next to a total stranger.

“No need,” Sam replied. “But, if you feel awkward, why don’t you get plates and bowls for everyone? There’s soda in the cooler at the far end. Silverware is down that way.” He gestured vaguely to his left. “You’ll find it. Probably best you know your way around the kitchen anyways. I can’t always be here to cook for ya!”

He said it in a jovial tone, but I could hear the implication underneath. You’re going to have to learn to care for yourself. I’m not your mother. That’s what he really meant.

“Okay,” I said timidly.

I glanced at the stranger for a second, just long enough to meet his bright blue eyes. The moment I did, I felt all my skin prickle, and I turned around in a hurry, nearly jogging to the other end of the kitchen.

Not wanting to get stuck in the same awkward position anytime soon, I started searching for the silverware first. It took me a good two minutes to find it. I’d expected a drawer full of them but neglected to look under the bench where there was a large open-air rack full of them. I wasn’t sure what we were eating, so I just grabbed three of everything. Instead of taking them down to the end of the bench, I just piled them where I was. I came back once I had the plates. Then I spied the salad already prepped and waiting and decided bowls were also probably a good idea. All in all, I wasted nearly ten minutes gathering everything before I came back down to where Sam and the stranger were sitting.

And I left immediately to go get something to drink. The cooler was a welcome relief after the heat of the kitchen, so I dawdled in there for a moment, trying to calm my nerves before heading back out. There was something about that stranger that put me on edge. Maybe it was the hat or the intensity of his gaze. I wasn’t sure, but it made me feel almost naked in front of him. I’d never felt like that before around anyone.

By the time I returned, Sam was doling out steaming fried chicken and crispy potato wedges onto the plates. The stranger filled the bowls with salad. However, I noticed one set hadn’t been used.

“I already ate,” Sam said, reading my mind as I returned. “But thank you for thinking of me.”

“Sure.”

God, I was being so awkward. And then, to top it off, I glanced nervously at the stranger again, who was staring directly at me.

“Oh my god,” Sam laughed, shaking his head. “Where are my manners? This is Ace. He’s a local farmer who grows the produce I use here in the hotel. He’s just like you an’ me. He was one of my first charity cases.

Charity case. That was my label. Just what I wanted to hear.

Sam turned to me, his smile fading. “And it just dawned on me that I never asked you your name last night.”

“It’s Matt,” I replied, feeling a bit put on the spot.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Matt.” Sam held out his hand.

I took it, giving it a brief shake. “Likewise.”

Then the stranger held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Matt.”

“You too, Ace.”

But something strange happened as I took Ace’s hand. There was a sharp shock, like a strong blast of static electricity, that coursed through my fingers. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and my stomach turn over. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it caught me off guard enough to make me yank my hand back. But that wasn’t what threw me.

When I glanced up, Ace was staring at me, wide-eyed, his hand frozen in mid-air. He looked shocked, and not just literally. I saw the tell-tale flash of Alpha gold in his eyes as he leaned forward, getting within a few inches of me. He took a deep breath through his nose, obviously taking in my scent. My brain thought a hundred different things at once, but no matter how uncomfortable I was, I couldn’t seem to make myself move. It was like some invisible force was holding me there.

Ace leaned closer, his eyes full gold now as he stared at me with a soft but possessive look in his eyes.

“Mate,” he said simply.

Chapter Four: Ace

“Mate,” I heard as the word left my lips of its own accord. I took another deep breath of Matt’s thick cinnamon scent and nodded, my eyes fluttering. “Mate.”

But as I focused back on Matt, I realized he didn’t look happy. In fact, he looked downright disgusted.

“What do you mean, mate?” he scoffed, leaning away from me. “Is this some sort of joke?”

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