Page 25 of The Wolf Professor

There was only one guy she wanted to make out with, and he wasn’t here.

Still, it didn’t stop her dancing on her own. She loved dancing, always had. She was swaying to the beat, eyes closed, when she felt a big presence next to her. Her stomach dropped when she opened her eyes and saw Tod looming over her, his gaze a little leery, and his breath sweet from bourbon and coke.

“Hey beautiful, can’t have you dancing all alone.” Already his arm was around her waist.

Charlie couldn’t think of a reason to say no without seeming churlish. Besides, it was Tod. She’d dated him for months. He was a nice guy.

The room was packed with other gyrating bodies, and as she swayed with him, she felt his groin pressing against hers, a big hand slipping to her ass and grasping it. The message was getting clearer by the moment. And it wasn’t what she wanted. Charlie shifted away from him, but his arms tightened around her.

“Why don’t we give things another go?” Tod rasped in her ear.

Charlie’s feet ground to a halt. “What?” She arched back, her brows pleating.

“You and me. Let’s start over. You know I never wanted to split in the first place.”

“Yes, I know, but…”

“But… but…” He popped his eyes at her. “You came tonight. Doesn’t that mean…”

“It means Ilikeyou Tod, I really do, but…”

“But what?”

“As a friend.”

“Great. Slap a guy down on his birthday, why don’t you?” He held her at arm’s length, big green fingers digging into her upper arms, staring at her out of sulky red eyes.

Oh dear, he’d definitely had one too many drinks.

“That’s not my intention, Tod.” She wasn’t going to feel bad because he was clearly half cut.

Tod’s expression darkened. “You’re hot for the wolf you’re working for, aren’t you?”

Charlie’s jaw went slack. Gods, did she have a sign on her forehead broadcasting the fact? Everyone seemed to be noticing lately.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she huffed.

“Yeah, you are. You were all over him that day I saw you at The Right Bite. All gooey-eyed and salivating. Acting like his shit didn’t stink. But you know what, Charlie? It does. Because he’s a wolf. And if you hang around with him, sooner or later you are going to get bitten.”

“I’m an adult, Tod, I can look after myself.”

“Yeah, well, don’t come running back to me when the guy uses you up and spits you out, ’cos I’ll be long gone.”

Charlie leaned back, her eyes sparking with anger. “I don’t need you to save me, Tod,” she said. “And I don’t expect you to wait for me, because I’m not coming back.” Pulling away, she went to grab her coat.

What was it with guys and their macho act?

The belief that somehow, even six months after a relationship ended, they still had a right to you. To own you.

Gah.

She’d known she no longer felt romantic toward Tod, but right now she didn’t evenlikehim, and she wished she’d never come.

Without even looking for her friends, Charlie called up a Muber and went to wait outside, shivering in the shadows. Tracking the vehicle on the app on her phone, it seemed to be getting closer.

Looking back, she saw Tod, clearly more wasted than ever, staggering around with a group of other guys playing some kind of drinking game with a long tube of beer.

Tod had always gotten weird when he drank too much. She guessed that was another reason she’d stopped dating him.

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