Page 46 of Seduced By the Werewolves

That’s all right. They’ll wait for you. Take your time to sort out your feelings.

But for how long? And do I want them to wait?

I read over the messages again, remembering how he told me to breathe, how he held my hand. That he reached out now, at my most uncertain—I feel like Eli understands me.

I appreciate it, Eli

He hearts my message and doesn’t reply. The other brothers are all so open and stumbling over themselves to tell me how they feel, but Eli is a mystery to me.

I avoid jogging by the landscaping site the next morning. It would be too awkward. Instead, I take a different route to the park, which unfortunately makes my jog longer. I’m almost late to work, but when I get in, Mr. Bosley isn’t even there.

I find a message on my phone. “I’ll be out all morning looking at some, um, project locations,” Mr. Bosley tells the answering machine. I shiver at the uneasy tone of his voice. “Cancel my morning meetings.”

It’s a pain, but I’m able to move everyone to later in the week. Still, when afternoon comes, there’s no Mr. Bosley. It’s actually a rather lovely day, and I start wishing I had a date with one of the guys to look forward to.

And I always have my friends. Maybe if I can come at least somewhat clean with them about the landscapers, they can help me figure out what to do.

Chapter Seventeen

“I’m sorry. I want to make sure I understand right. You’re complaining about a guy being too committed?” Aisling swirls her wine around.

We’re all sitting on the floor at a low coffee table in Hannah’s apartment, two boxes of pizza mostly empty between us. Her expression is extremely judgy.

“We just found out you had a boyfriend three seconds ago,” Hannah says, annoyed. “You didn’t even text us. And now you’re saying he’s looking for marriage and you’re running away scared?”

I slide over my empty glass with a pout on my lips. Aisling rolls her eyes as she refills it with wine.

“It’s just a lot, you know?” I sound pathetic to my own ears. “We’ve only been out once.” And with Quinn, we haven’t even had a first date. But my friends don’t need to know about all that yet. I’m especially not going to tell them that all three of my boyfriends are, apparently, werewolves. I don’t think they’d believe me for a second, and it’s not my secret to tell.

“But you hooked up,” Aisling says, eyebrow raised. “Twice. How was it?”

How do I even put it into words? I think about the first time Leon came home with me, how he bossed me around, how he told me I was beautiful, how he praised me until I was floating on a cloud as he fucked me into a shivering puddle. How I came so many times with Leon and Jace together that I thought my body might implode.

“It was amazing,” I say quietly into my glass of wine. “Best sex I’ve ever had in my life. And he really liked being in charge.”

“Oooh,” hums Hannah. “So he’s a dom?”

I guess that’s one way to put it. “Yeah. And it felt fantastic. He just told me what to do and I did it.” I feel blood racing up into my cheeks. “It was so comfortable. Like I could trust him to lead.”

Aisling and Hannah exchange a look I can’t decipher.

“A guy you just met, you say?” Aisling leans forward, chin on her hand. “And you trust him enough to boss you around in bed your first time doing it?”

I pull my shoulders protectively up around my neck. “Yes? He hasn’t given me a reason not to. He’s a really good guy. A little dense sometimes, but a great guy.”

“Tell me again why you’re so afraid of him wanting commitment?” Hannah asks. “You’ve got a man who’s an awesome lay, has a good personality, and he’s seriously interested in you. I’m not understanding the problem.”

I wish I could explain that it’s not just Leon, but all three of them. That’s a lot to ask of a girl on the same day she found out she’s fucking three werewolves.

“He kept a secret from me, though,” I finally say.

Aisling raises an eyebrow. “What kind of secret?”

“Just about who he is. His past, where he comes from.”

Hannah refills her wine, then turns a serious look on me. “Is it a big enough secret to be a deal-breaker?”

“Maybe there was a reason he didn’t tell you,” Aisling says.

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