Page 40 of Can't Be Love

“Yeah?”

“I think the horse took off with our lunch.”

He laughed, opened his eyes, and looked around. “Yeah, looks like it. He’ll find his way back when he gets hungry.”

“How about us? What are we going to do?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Want to shift and go for a run? That’s the fastest way home.”

I loved the idea of running with him. I nodded. “That sounds perfect, actually.”

Thomas folded the blanket while I gathered our clothes. He placed them in the center of the blanket and closed it up like a hobo sack.

“Brilliant,” I said, and he beamed at my praise. I loved knowing that pleased him.

He shifted first and a very large, gray wolf stood before me.

“Magnificent,” I praised again, and could feel his emotions swell even in wolf form.

He walked to me and sniffed me all over as I laughed and pushed him away. He nodded his head, encouraging me to shift. I let the warm sensation flow over me as my body transitioned into my wolf. She yipped and pranced before our mate. I licked him, then turned and took off at a full sprint. I knew I was fast, but despite the time he took to pick up our things in his massive jaws, he caught up to me easily. We ran the entire way back to the truck, clearly both of us needing to work off a little more energy.

With that thought, my wolf filled my head with images of Thomas naked above me. I rolled my eyes, not needing any reminder or further encouragement. If I let myself think about it too much I might freak out. I mean, it was Thomas, after all, but if I just let myself feel instead, all was good. Great, even.

Thomas

Chapter 16

I couldn’t believe the sudden change in my relationship with Lily. I felt like things would work out now and we’d be okay. She was amazing, sweet, funny, and really smart, not just smart-mouthed, though she was that, too. The more I really got to know her, the more I liked her.

I knew I hadn’t been myself since I lost it back in San Marco. That experience of losing control and having to fight to gain even the smallest bit of control over my wolf had humbled me. Austin had teased me earlier that I was whipped already. Emmett said she might as well put a collar on me. I should have had some witty comment to shoot back at the both of them, but I hadn’t.

I knew I could be an asshole. Sometimes it was just because I wanted to be, and other times it was a defense mechanism to keep people from getting too close. Since I’d accepted Lily, my wolf had calmed drastically, and so had I. It was kind of freaking me out, and it had shocked the hell out of the guys. I was trying not to think too much about it.

As we got back to the truck, I was glad to see the guys were gone. My wolf was feeling very protective of our mate, and I didn’t think he would have tolerated another male in her presence so soon after making love to her.

I dropped the bag I’d been carrying in my mouth next to the truck and shifted back to my human form. She followed my lead, and I wrapped my arms around her, shielding her from view, just in case I’d been mistaken and someone was around. A quick sniff of the air and another look around made me confident I hadn’t.

Still, I encouraged her to change quickly, trying to get her to understand the irrational feelings I was having. She laughed at me, but humored me by dressing.

I needed to get her home. Now that I’d had her, it wasn’t enough. I didn’t think it would ever be enough. The thought made me grin. Before she had a chance to question my expression, my phone rang.

“Hey, Mom,” I answered, seeing her face on my screen.

“Thomas, I’m glad I caught you. Your father needs to speak with you, and I wanted to see if you and Lily could come to the house for dinner tonight.”

“How soon is dinner? The horse ran away with our lunch and we’re starving,” I laughed, as Lily’s cheek turned pink and she playfully smacked me and scolded me to behave and be quiet.

“We’ll eat early then. Say five?”

“Five?” I asked Lily. She looked at the clock and groaned. It was still two hours away, but she conceded.

“Yeah, that’s fine, Mom. We’ll see you then.”

I hung up the phone and looked over at Lily. She was staring out the window, but smiling, and she felt relaxed. I reached for her hand and linked our fingers together, giving it a squeeze. She turned to look at me, and I suddenly knew there was nothing I wouldn’t do to keep that smile on her beautiful face.

“You sure you’re okay with spending time with my family tonight? I can call back and beg off if you just want to be alone.”

“No, it’s fine. I love your family. I don’t mind spending time over there, and Patrick, Maddie, Liam, and the kids will only be here a few more days.”

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