Page 25 of My Blind Date is a Werewolf

“So,” Carter piped up once the sounds of Adrian and Logan’s footsteps faded, “my brother finally grew a pair and made a move.” He snickered smugly.

My eyes snapped to his face, his knowing look making me squirm in my seat. “Pardon?” I croaked.

“I assume he finally asked you out. I was getting tired of watching him moon over you from a distance and his ‘woe is me, unrequited love sucks’ tirade. Is it too soon to welcome you to the family yet?”

I choked on air, my eyes tearing up. Welcome me to the family? Unrequited… What was Carter talking about?

“You’re going to scare the poor girl away before Adrian seals the deal, you idiot.” Tony slapped Carter upside the head.

“The scent layer is new yet, but I’d say things are going well,” Carter went on with a wink.

“Well, I for one think Adrian chose well. This means we’ll get to have those yummy treats of yours for free whenever there’s a pack event. I’m sorry we haven’t gotten to know each other, but I’ll be seeing you soon, Olivia.” Rita winked at me before saying her goodbyes. Tony followed after her, saying they were going to join in on the search, leaving me alone with Carter.

“What did you mean about unrequited love?” I asked him when I heard the front door close.

Carter paused with his coffee mug halfway to his mouth, his eyes flashing with panic. A pained look twisted his features into a grimace. “Jeez.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “He’s going to kill me. Look, Olivia, it looks like I went and said something I shouldn’t have. Can you just forget I said anything? If you’d keep my little slip from the big guy, I’d owe you one.”

“You know very well that I can’t. Do you mean to tell me that Adrian has been in love with me all this time?” Despite his silence, his eyes told me all that I needed to know. My mind went blank. How could I have missed it? “Since when?” I whispered, trying to recall our past interactions and the signs that I missed.

Carter stood up and dumped the contents of his coffee into the sink and rinsed it before leaning on the counter, one ankle crossed over the other and his arms crossed.

“I honestly can’t say. Months, maybe a year after you came back to Mystic Cove? Maybe he’s loved you all these years. Who’s to say?” He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “But what I can tell you is that when my brother loves, he does it with his entire being. Wholeheartedly. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for you if you asked him to, and despite his gruff and tough exterior, he’s a real teddy bear underneath all that beard and mean glare. A teddy bear with a really tender heart.” He pushed off the counter and started to walk out of the kitchen, squeezing my shoulder as he walked past. “So, please be gentle with him, Olivia.”

Adrian and Logan came back around fifteen minutes after Carter left, followed by a petite woman with the most luscious head of mousse brown curls I’d ever seen—Pamela. Something about her made me feel instantly at ease. Everything about her was soothing, like a balm to the soul, from her voice to her smile to her laughter.

She and the two men chatted for a short while until the ambulance came for the three injured wolves. Then Adrian insisted that he take me to Angie’s place because he did not want me to spend the night alone, but he also had to join the hunt for the rogue wolves. I asked him to take me to my mom’s place since I didn’t want to answer a million questions from my sister.

Mom was surprised to see Adrian drop me off, but thankfully waited until he drove away before the interrogation began. I don’t know why I thought she’d be less inquisitive than Angie.

“So, you and Adrian, huh? I thought there might be something going on when I saw the two of you at the hotel,” she commented as we watched his truck disappear down the road.

“How? We weren’t even dating then,” I said, hugging her around the waist from behind and resting my chin on her shoulder, just because.

“It was the way you looked at each other. A mother can see these things. Your relationship might be new yet, but the feelings already run deep.” She patted my hands before escaping my embrace and pushing me into the house.

“Should I be worried that I already feel so much for him when it’s only been a few days? His brother told me Adrian has loved me for a long time. The feelings are still fresh on my side, and yet I already know he has the capacity to hurt me more than anyone else.” I still couldn’t bring myself to use the L-word even though it was getting clearer and clearer that that was what I felt for Adrian Cooper.

“He also has the capacity to make you happier than anyone ever has, my sweet girl. To love you the way you deserve. Stop being such a negative Nancy. When the love is true, it does not matter how long you’ve been together. Time has no bearing on love.” She led me into the kitchen and removed a big tub of rum raisin ice cream and two spoons. Instead of scooping it into bowls, we were going to eat straight from the tub. “Now, tell Mama everything about your first date and don’t leave out any details…unless you had sex. You can leave those bits out.” She shuddered.

“Mom!” I groaned, taking a big enough bite of ice cream to give myself a headache to give me a little more time before I spilled my soul.

CHAPTER 18

Mom and I talked for a while, emptying half the ice cream carton. I even got her to spill what was going on between her and the mayor. She claimed that they were only good friends no matter how much I nagged her.

Worry for Adrian and his pack had me checking my phone for updates every few minutes. The urge to call or text him was strong, but I did not want to distract him during a crucial moment when he should have been hunting his foes.

Hunting.

The word alone made lead settle in my gut. There was no doubt in my mind that there would be bloody violence involved. I just hoped that Adrian and his men would be the ones to come out victorious. I tried staying up in case Adrian called or came back, but I eventually succumbed to sleep. Right as I was on the precipice of falling asleep, walking the fine line between consciousness and unconsciousness, I could have sworn I felt a push into my mind.

My fingers curled into the pillow and I moaned softly as I turned my face the other way and tried to wake up, but my eyes became heavier and heavier. The momentary panic subsided when I felt Adrian touch whatever was trying to worm its way into my head.

Sleep, Liv. I’ll be fine.

The voice was whisper soft and warm. A light caress flowed down the tether connecting Adrian and me. It felt oddly like a tender kiss and I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.

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