Page 84 of The Beta's Blind Date

Another moan cuts my words off, my back and neck arching more, but before I can press my body harder against him, he rips himself away, hand covering his mouth and his eyes wide as he backs up against the tailgate of the truck, white-knuckling the lip of it.

His shoulders and chest heave, and he shakes his head, cursing under his breath.

And then I remember his words, his reason for having “no kissing” as one of his rules—Kissing is more intimate than people realize. As soon as you add kissing to the mix…

My lip quivers, and my eyes water, throat tightening and heart clenching. I straighten my clothing and blink my eyes, turning to glance at the road as I shake my head, pursing my lips. “I’m such a fool,” I whisper, a dry laugh forcing its way out through my held-back tears. “I don’t know why I thought you could change. You can’t even kiss me without panicking.”

He darts towards me, reaching for my hand. “No, Taryn, wait—”

“Save it,” I say, snatching my hand from his reach and storming to my car.

“Please, Taryn. Just let me explain. I—”

“Goodbye, Reid.”

I slide in and slam the door shut, starting the car and taking off, ignoring his shouts and growls behind me. There is nothing he can say to convince me it’s all a misunderstanding.

I put myself out there, put my heart on the line for him, and he stepped on it. Stomped on it. I should have known he would, should have known it was all too good to be true, but I was too optimistic. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and I’m the one paying the price.

And the worst part is it’s too late. I walked right into his trap, falling head over heels for him and his charms, and now my heart is no longer mine. My heart belongs to the playboy beta, and even with the pain I’m in right now, I’m not sure I want him to give it back.

Chapter 29

REID

“Taryn,pleasewait!”Iyell through gritted teeth, gripping the edge of the tailgate on Wesley’s truck.

My wolf is right there, right at the front of my mind, pushing to shift and chase after her.

But I’m in the middle of the street, in the middle of the city, and as much as I want to let him chase after her, to explain what happened, I can’t shift in front of humans.

I lean against the back of the truck, still gripping the tailgate, and tilt my head to the sky, forcing my canines to recede. My eyes itch and water as her emotions roll into and through me like a tidal wave, so bitter I can taste them.

Regret, embarrassment, pain, anger, disappointment… Each one palpable, each one just as strong as the rest, each one meshing with my own until it is impossible to tell whose emotions are whose.

And all of it is my fault because I couldn’t control my instincts and keep my wolf at bay. Because I lost myself in the feel of her beneath my hands and my lips, and the sound of her whimpers and sighs, and the smell of her and her arousal as it swirled around me, and I almost marked her. I almost marked her before I could tell her what she is to me. I almost marked her in the middle of a busy street.

“Goddess damn it!” I growl, turning and punching the tailgate.

The metal crunches and folds, and I blink, stumbling back. I run my hand through my hair and breathe in and out, focusing on anything other than Taryn’s boiling pot of emotions.

“Shit.” I rub over the dent and push around it, trying to undo the damage, but there’s no point. “Wes is going to kill me.”

Although his potential anger towards me is a grain of sand compared to the mountain of anger I’m feeling towards myself. I groan and trudge around to the cab of the truck and climb in, picking up my phone and dialing Taryn’s number as I start the engine.

As expected, she doesn’t answer, but I leave a message anyway. “Taryn, please call me back. I want to explain. I need to explain. Please. Just call me.”

I toss the phone into the passenger seat and pull away from the curb. Everything in me aches and pines to go after her, to drive past my pack and up the mountain to hers, but it’s the wedding rehearsal tonight, and I am already close to being late as it is.

I want to go after her, but I can’t ruin this weekend for Wesley and Haven.

And through the bond, through the connection tying me to her, I feel how much she doesn’t want to talk to me. Just like I could feel her complete and utter despair on Tuesday when she failed her challenge, and every day since.

Her emotions have been flying towards me since that day, unstemmed and unfettered.

I’m not sure why I couldn’t feel them before, but I’m guessing it’s because it was such a big, raw, and vulnerable moment for her. To stand in front of all her friends and pack mates and be unable to shift into her wolf—I’d say I could only imagine how she felt, but I don’t need to imagine it. I felt every bit of embarrassment and defeat.

I will give her some space. Like I did after her challenge. I will wait for her to contact me, to reach out to me, like I waited for her the last few days.

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