Page 16 of Country and Clove
Ginger was the first to break the silence. “Sure. I’ll take some champagne.” She stroked Hunter’s arm and the tension faded from his posture. They all ordered drinks and chatted. Aaron went out of his way to avoid Gigi. He couldn’t figure out how to stop her face from looking like Clove’s and it was freaking him out. Aria and Lark were in another corner of the bar. He avoided them, too. Aria was watching him every time he looked up and he sighed. With Aria’s mouth, it was a wonder the entire pack didn’t know about him and Clove by now.
Dinner was announced an hour later. He settled in next to Lance, strategically positioning himself on the same side of the table as Gigi. At least that way he wouldn’t have to stare at her face anymore.
A buffet of bar appetizers was placed along the long dining table that had been pushed together to accommodate the two dozen or so guests. Aaron was contentedly sipping his beer and munching on some fried potato skins when the door to the Daybreak Lounge swung open.
“There you are!” Gigi jumped to her feet, running to embrace the late arrival. Aaron’s food fell from his mouth, hitting the plate. Gigi pulled away, revealing an exact replica of herself. Only this one wasn’t some conjured-up vision from his broken bond. It was Clove.
She was wearing a short black dress that showed off her strong thighs. It fit her curves in a way that had his wolf howling to touch her. Clove’s dark hair was pulled up on top of her head, leaving only the two blue stripes to hang down in curls that framed her face. She looked absolutely breathtaking.
“Well, I’ve never been the timely twin,” Clove joked, a soft smile brightening her cheeks.Twins. Aaron dropped his head into his hands. She had a twin. And here he had thought he was losing his fucking mind. Ginger had been around with Dane before, so why hadn’t Aaron made the connection between the two? This was going to be awkward. Maybe he could sneak out the back before she saw him. He’d tell Dane he got food poisoning or something.
Mine. Aaron’s wolf called to Clove and he cursed. Clove’s head snapped around, her eyes going wide when she saw him. Gigi ushered her to the table and horror dawned on Aaron when he spotted the empty seat directly across from him.Well, shit. Clove took her seat and Aaron focused on his food. At least he tried to focus. Every few seconds he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander up.
Clove was doing a much better job looking anywhere except his way. Aaron didn’t mind it. It gave him a chance to study her. The way her hair fell across her hand as she propped her cheek on her palm. Memories of the tattoos across her bare back floated to the surface of his thoughts. The desire to see them, touch them again, grew stronger by the second. Her body was perfect, soft, warm. And when she’d moaned his name beneath the stars…
Green and gold eyes darted his way. Her lips parted and Aaron swallowed a groan. She was so close he could smell her peachy scent. The fruity, honeysuckle combination turned sweeter as it tinged with arousal. She was thinking about him too. Aaron’s cock pressed against his jeans.
Clove broke the gaze, cheeks reddening as she stared into her plate. Their main course was served and Aaron sighed, digging his fork around in the steak and vegetables as he peered down and tried to keep Clove off his mind. He was unsuccessful. It was impossible to ignore her scent when she was this close.
The rest of dinner passed agonizingly slowly. Aaron inhaled his dessert, nearly choking on the brownie, and excused himself from the table. He used the few solitary moments in the bathroom to collect his thoughts. He needed space to think. He needed air that wasn’t tainted by honeysuckle and sweet peaches.
All he had to do was get through tonight. With any luck he would have new recruits to train by the end of the week. The distraction would help him stomp out these irritatingly persistent fated-mate feelings.
He pushed out of the bathroom and kicked the back door open, ducking into the vast space beyond. Cool air washed over him and he took a deep breath in. An all-too-familiar scent hit his nose and he froze. It only took a second to spot Clove leaning against the back wall of the building. Her voice was reticent when she spoke.
“Hi.”
CHAPTER8
Clove stared at her phone. Hunter’s welcome dinner started over an hour ago. She was dressed, ready, and sitting in her truck outside the bar. But she just hadn’t been able to make it inside. It was absurd. What kind of sister wouldn’t be there to celebrate one of the happiest moments imaginable for her twin?
She sighed. Things had been hard recently. Ginger was glowing, truly the happiest she had ever been. Working around her and bearing witness to the love fest she and Hunter displayed every day had made Clove’s own feelings impossible to work through. She was grieving the loss of the mate bond. Feeling like she couldn’t tell anyone made things a million times worse. She was thrilled for her sister, truly. But being around such a happy couple was nearly unbearable at times. She had never envied her sister before. But the joy she and Hunter shared was something worth being jealous of.
Another text lit up her phone. Ginger asked where she was for probably the hundredth time.
Clove gazed at her reflection in the rearview mirror and the sad scowl that seemed to be permanently planted on her face recently. Why on Earth was she letting a man have this much control over her emotions and happiness? He didn’t want her, so what? It wasn’t the first time she’d been rejected and it probably wouldn’t be the last.
Two weeks of moping had been more than enough. Her wolf huffed, still sulking.We need to do this for Ginger. Her wolf gave a resigned sigh.
She swatted her grumpy wolf away, pulled on her big-girl pants, and pushed through the front doors. It was only a few hours. She could fake the basic pleasantries and small talk long enough to get through this and support her twin.
“There you are!” Ginger rushed to her side, dragging her into a forceful embrace. Familiarity washed over her and she squeezed her twin tightly. Her wolf perked up, reaching out to Ginger’s inner animal with an excited yip. The other animal was just as happy to see hers. Their wolves had grown up together, learned together, spent almost every minute doing everything together for most of their lives. For years neither twin would shift without the other nearby. Their animals still sought each other out instinctively each time they were in wolf form.
It was unfortunate that Clove’s wolf now sought out another animal too. One that belonged to a man who wanted nothing to do with them. Clove pulled back with a smile, one she couldn’t seem to help when her twin was so close.
“Well, I've never been the timely twin.” She laughed off the guilt of nearly skipping this event altogether. Ginger didn’t seem to mind that she was late. She was still beaming. Hunter stood nearby with the same lovesick expression on his face.
Mine.
Clove’s wolf jumped to full attention as her eyes snapped toward the one person she hadn’t expected to see here. Aaron sat at the crowded table looking as devastating as ever. His tan Stetson was pulled low, but she didn’t miss the flicker of heat in his maple eyes. Clove’s heart was hammering so loud she was sure the others could hear it. She was completely caught off guard. The only semblance of comfort came from the fact that Aaron was wearing an expression that was just as shocked as hers. He quickly schooled his rugged features. She could practically see him scolding his wolf for reaching out to her.
Discomfort shifted to horror as Ginger led her to the empty seat directly across from him.
Her wolf was spinning in circles with its tongue hanging out.Calm down. He rejected us, remember?Her inner animal huffed but settled a bit as they relived the hurt of that awful moment. Aaron did his best to pretend he wasn’t interested, but Clove could feel the searing heat of his gaze on her no matter where she was looking. His masculine scent wafted her way and damn if she didn’t get wet from that intoxicating smell alone. This whole mate thing was very inconvenient.
Dinner was spent keeping her wolf pent up and her arousal in check. If she didn’t get away from Aaron soon, she didn’t know what was going to happen. After what felt like hours, Aaron finally excused himself to the bathroom. She didn’t watch him walk away. Nope. And she certainly didn’t zero in on the way his jeans were molded to his perfect ass.
Her wolf gave her a saucy snarl. Okay maybe she was staring. Fuck. She couldn’t help it. He was impossible to ignore.
