Page 71 of Strelitzias in Spring

“Yeah, well, you need to learn how to hurry up.” Leaning down, I capture her lips in a light kiss and trail my hand down her side, squeezing her ass before pushing off the wall.

“Come on. I’ve been waiting for you.”

She sputters, her face going red at the taunt. “Asshole,” she mutters before slipping past me and stomping to the door.

—

The drive to Serena’s place is quick, taking less than thirty minutes to deliver her to the front of her building.

“Thank you for bringing me home. I’ll text you later. Okay, bye,” she rushes out, swinging the door open and hopping out of the cab of my truck before I’m able to string two words together. Shaking my head, I get out of my truck and round the front, eating up the distance between her fleeing form and mine.

Grabbing her hand, I stop her mid-jog. “You can thank me properly, Serena.”

“Wolf, I don’t have time for this,” she huffs, pulling at my hold.

“You’re wasting more time, princess. Kiss me goodbye.”

“Did you get a personality transplant overnight? I distinctly remember you telling me to stop kissing you not too long ago.”

“Serena,” I growl.

“Fine.” She throws herself at me, pulling my neck down at the same time she leans up to press her lips against mine. It’s a quick kiss, but anytime her lips are on mine, it’s fucking euphoric.

“Good girl. I’ll call you later. I’m not going to be able to see you much before the fight; I have training and clients in between. We’ll plan for your tattoo the first week of March, okay? You should be fully healed by then.”

She steps back, releasing her hold on my neck and nods, looking a little unsteady. “Okay, that’s no problem.”

“Hey,” I start, stepping forward to grip her chin and tilt her face up. “I’ll see you at my fight, right?”

She nods, her head guiding my hand up and down. “Of course. I’ll be there with Celeste, Ava, and the guys.”

“Good. Make sure you stay with them while I’m in the cage. My parents and other cousins will be there, too. So will Trent and Aubs.”

“Oh, your parents?”

I smile at the nervousness that flits across her face. “Yeah, my parents. That a problem for you, sweetheart?”

This time, she shakes her head, moving my hand from side to side. “Of course not. But Wolf, I really need to go.”

“Okay.” I lean down, grazing her lips one final time before stepping back and dropping my hand from her chin. “Call me tonight.”

“Bye, Wolf.”

I watch her spin and run across the pavement; something in my chest shifts at her retreat. I don’t analyze it too closely, but I do know that I can’t fucking wait to see her again.

31

Serena

Two weeks later

“Serena, is everything okay?” I glance up, looking at Meg’s concerned face over my plate of French toast at JJ’s. It’s been two weeks since I’ve seen Wolf, and honestly, I am such a riot of emotion that I don’t quite know how to respond.

On the one hand, I’m happy for the forced distance between us and the conversations that have transpired as a result. Both through call and text, Wolf and I speak every day, multiple times a day, and I’ve learned so much about his wants, dreams, and views. In turn, I’ve told him about my screenwriter dreams, the trouble with my dad and his family, and even the events at the end of last semester with Dylan and Devin. When I told him how they showed up at Greyson, Dante, and Lincoln’s house, only for Dante to punch Devin and Celeste to incapacitate Dylan, I thought Wolf would drive to my apartment to check that I was okay before finding my former best friend and neighbor and killing them.

Not figuratively, but literally, in cold blood. It was the first time that I had thought about the incident in a few weeks. I’ve been so busy, so distracted, that I haven’t had time to dwell on anything other than my coursework and my relationships with my friends, my mom, and Wolf. Even the stress of my father has taken a backseat since I haven’t heard from him in two weeks.

“I’m good,” I finally respond, taking a bite of my food and smiling around the sweet bread. Swallowing, I pat my mouth with a napkin and look at Meg. “I’m happy we were able to get together. I feel like it’s been a while since we saw each other.” My relationship with Meg may be much different, less effortless, than my relationship with Celeste and Ava, but I value her friendship, and I feel lucky that I met her.

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