Page 37 of The Alpha's Bullied Pregnant Mate

You’re just being jealous, which is ridiculous. She’s allowed to know other people and have friends. She’s not a piece of property to be owned by you alone.

Isla was used to his long stretches of silence, and he kept it that way when he drove the two women back home. Elsa sat in the back seat, singing along to every song that came up on the radio. She was carefree to the point of alarm, and Fannar could see why Isla was comfortable enough to befriend her.

“Thanks for dinner,” Elsa said at Isla’s front door. “I have to say, I’m a little disappointed I didn’t hear you speak more than you did. You seem like an interesting fella. See you soon, good night.” She winked and entered the house, shutting the door behind her.

Stunned, Fannar looked at Isla, who was grinning. “I know, I know. She’s crazy. My mom thinks so too. But I promise, she means well.”

“I bet she does.”

“She does. Thanks for dinner.”

Fannar nodded. “Nothing to thank me for.” Without thinking, he leaned forward and tried to kiss Isla. She moved backwards, confusion plain on her face. Her confusion turned to anger and she frowned.

“What are you doing?”

Fannar took a step backwards. “Shit, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m sorry.”

“Good night Fannar,” Isla said, still frowning. Without another word, she turned around and entered the house, slamming the door behind her.

Fannar blinked in shock, and stared at the door, at the place where Isla had been a moment ago. He felt like the biggest idiot in the world. He was grateful nobody was about to see how red he had turned with embarrassment. What was I thinking? What was I expecting her to do? Jump into my arms? This isn’t real. The sooner I get that into my head, the better.

He returned to his car, his legs as heavy as lead. He was ashamed, but he was also angry. Angry at himself more than anything else. He had feelings for Isla. There was no denying that. But whatever he felt for her, she clearly didn’t feel the same, and he hated how much it hurt.

He got into the car and drove home, stewing in the car the whole time. He kept replaying the scene at Isla’s porch, and the more he did, the more stupid he felt. What had he been expecting to happen? And worse, he’d managed to piss her off while looking like a total ass.

He had barely settled into the couch when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his coat and glanced at the screen. Callahan. Great. Just the person I want to talk to. He picked on the second ring.

“Hey, Fannar. Great. You’re up.”

“You were wrong,” Fannar said.

“Huh?”

“Isla. You were wrong about her. You were so certain that she felt something for me. You were wrong.” Fannar was boiling and his temper needed an outlet. Callahan was perfect. He was the one that had convinced him that their was something tangible here in the first place.

“Listen. You need to ease her into it. I told you—”

“I tried, okay? You told me to try, and I did. And you were wrong.”

“Well try harder!” Callahan snapped. “Listen to yourself, Fannar. Sounds to me like you’re just looking for a reason to run away from this. Trust me when I say you’re not doing yourself any favors man. Don’t you see? She needs you to push. She probably doesn’t even realize it yet. You have to make her see it.”

“And how do I go about that?” Fannar asked impatiently. “Just when I thought things were starting to pick up between us, she reminds me that all we have is a business deal and nothing more. Why keep chasing after someone who as made it clear she doesn’t want me.”

Callahan was quiet for a long moment, and Fannar felt his nerves bristling at the silence. “Say something, dammit,” Fannar snapped into his phone. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

“I think she’s just really scared,” Callahan said softly. “And I think you are too. It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to get angry. It’s okay to have doubts. That’s where I come in. To reassure you and ease your fears.”

Fannar sighed and deflated. He rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know what to do, Callahan. She’s driving me crazy. I hate this situation and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“I think we are going about this wrong. So far, you’ve tried to ease into it cautiously. That won’t work, not with her. You need to be more direct. More assertive.”

“And how do I do that?”

“Simple,” Callahan said. “You ask her out proper, and you propose an actual relationship. You let her know that you want to solidify what you both have, and that you’d love to be in an actual relationship with her.”

“Are you insane? That’s never going to work.” Fannar got up from the couch and began pacing the room. “The moment I do that, she’s going to run away. As much as I want to make what we have real, I also have no intention of losing what we currently have.”

“Sadly, that’s a risk you’re gonna have to take. Listen to me, Fannar. I think she wants you as much as you want her. But you need to show her you want her. No more games, dammit. You need to let her know how you feel about her, man. That’s the only way.”

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