Page 66 of Midnight Moon
I scoffed. “Oh, so now I’m supposed to settle for mating Asher against my will? Yippee.”
“Hey, it’s better than some middle-aged shifter you don’t know.”
Water sloshed over the sides of the hot tub as I waved my arms above me. “How about I don’t mate with either of them?”
“Ugh, fine.” Stephanie shook her head. “But I can think of worse fates than mating with that tall drink of water.”
“You don’t even know him.”
“Don’t have to. His looks are enough.”
I splashed water in her face with a smile. “You’re ridiculous.”
She returned the splash. “And you’re a prude.”
“Not wanting to mate a stranger does not make me a prude!”
“No, but not tearing off Asher’s clothes when all he does is stare at you with lusty eyes does.”
My cheeks flushed and my heart thumped. “He does not stare at me.”
Does he?
“Aha!” Stephanie grinned. Water sloshed as she pointed at my colored cheeks. “I knew it. You like him.”
My blush deepened, but I tried to play it off. “He’s good looking. That’s it.”
“Uh huh. So, you’re telling me nothing has happened between the two of you when you partnered in the games?”
“Other than getting him out of a pit, no. Nothing has happened.”
Seeing the truth on my face, Stephanie pouted. “Boo. Hunter’s been complaining about Asher so much, I was convinced something must’ve happened.”
“Nope. Nothing.” I shrugged. “Hunter’s just upset we allied with Asher and Chase in the first place.”
Stephanie gave me a look. “Hate to break it to you, but my big brother dislikes Asher for more…personalreasons.”
I skimmed my fingers over the top of the water, creating ripples, then muttered, “I know.”
Hunter had been waiting in the clearing when I returned from the second game, just steps behind Asher. I saw the way he glared at Asher in his shirtless state, then noticed his nostrils flare when he realized I was wearing the missing item.
My partner had barely listened to me long enough to hear what happened in the forest, and he didn’t even smile when he learned I’d secured us two points in the games.
We hadn’t seen each other today, but I hoped Hunter’s grouchy mood had improved. We had bigger things to worry about—like the second half of the Alpha Games.
“It’s not your fault,” Stephanie reassured me. “Hunter is bound to be disappointed as long as he refuses to accept the way things are. You don’t lead him on at all.”
I sighed. “But how long will it take before this awkwardness ends? Hunter isn’t some random guy I can ghost. He’s my partner and will be my beta one day. I’ve told him I’m not interested so many times. When will he get it?” I pressed my lips together.
Typically, I kept those kinds of thoughts to myself. Stephanie was my best friend, but she was also Hunter’s sister. I never wanted to put her in an awkward situation by venting about her brother. But my feelings had been bubbling up the past eighteen, or so, hours, and I needed to get them out.
Stephanie grimaced. “I hate to say it, Blair, but Hunter probably won’t ever drop it while you’re still single.”
I let my head fall back against the hot tub’s edge and closed my eyes. “Awesome.”
We didn’t speak for a good while. When the alarm on Stephanie’s phone went off, we both got out of the water and dried off.
We were in Stephanie’s rental car, on our way back to Badlands territory, when she said, “I’m sorry for bringing up my brother.”
