Page 36 of Rock Pucking Bottom

I chuckled.

"I'll talk to Emmy about it. If she's up for it, I'll text you."

Chapter 31

Emmy

StickingclosetoEoghan'sneighborhood, I realized how tightly knit everything was. I didn't think there were many outsiders that came around. Walking into the little coffee shop, I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb with everyone staring at me.

I didn't see Scarlett at first, so I ordered an extra-large triple shot vanilla bean latte.

I tried to be casual as I waited for my drink, but I felt like I was out of place.

Thankfully, right as I got my drink, Scarlett Smith walked into the coffee shop and gave me a smile. I waited at the end of the coffee bar since I knew she would be ordering a drink too.

As soon as she was handed her white paper cup with the cardboard sleeve, she smiled. "Let's go to someplace a little bit more private."

That sounded like a wonderful idea since I felt like I was part of the freak show at the coffee shop. "That sounds great."

I followed her out of the café, and we walked towards a hiking path.

After we got to be about a hundred and fifty yards into the path, the ex-broadcaster for the Wild said, "Sorry about everyone around here, especially if they think you're mates. They can be nosy as all hell with anyone new. It will die down, eventually."

I snorted. "It seems like one of those small towns you see in Hallmark movies."

"Pretty much. But after a while, it just becomes everyday gossip. It also doesn't help that pretty much everyone has super hearing and super sniffers. Although some guys are worse than others."

Eoghan's senses were all heightened compared to most humans. Although unless you knew him or knew how much he just relished his quiet time at the end of the night, you wouldn't know. I assumed it was a werewolf thing to have heightened senses, but I didn't even think some would have better skills than others.

"How long until they get bored with Coop and me?"

I hated calling him by his last name, but I knew his friends all call him that instead of Eoghan.

"Probably a year or so. That's if you live around here. Until then, they will be curious if you're mating and if you'll opt to become a shifter too."

Joy. We will be on display for a while.

While Eoghan always said that he could control his wolf and that it was my choice to become like him, I didn't quite believe him. I needed to hear it from someone else. "So you can choose to not be one?"

Scarlett nodded. "Yup. Dez and I made the choice a long time ago that I wouldn't become one. Twenty-some years later, I'm still human and I have no regrets."

I had to ask, "Were there any close calls?"

Scarlett sighed. "Yeah. One time. We got a little crazy with sex one night, and he thought he might have nipped me and totally panicked. Sadly, he freaked out over nothing."

This conversation wasn't exactly putting my concerns at ease. Scarlett must have realized my discomfort. She paused and looked me straight in the eye. It was a calming look where I could see it wasn't anything serious.

"He never broke the skin with that love bite after I bit him first. We both got carried away, but the moment he realized that he might have even hurt me in the slightest, he stopped and ran away." Her eyes went far away for a moment, as if she wasn't saying something. “But the relief in his face when he realized that he didn’t change me, things were good.”

Although hearing that it was something she did first gave me comfort, and I could see it happening.

Plus, it was clear this wasn't a bite out of aggression. It was from passion and love. In the past, if I got nipped during sexy time, I would do it back. Plus, it made sense why Eoghan never tried to nip me.

"How are the full moons with him?"

"Honestly, I hate the full moon since his temper gets short and even more stubborn. Doesn't help that's when he's the most protective of me. Won't let anyone come close to me that night. The worst was when I was pregnant. Both times, he refused to leave the house when he needed to go for a damn run. He was so worried that something might happen to me."

Didn't that sum up my experience with Eoghan thus far? He was both moody and protective. The best part for me was to hear how Dez was always in control.

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