Page 29 of Wolf's Claimed Mate
Conall gazed up at me. God, did nothing phase him? Was that what betas did? Learned not to flinch at things so they remained permanently impassive?
“I was going to find out the pack’s new location for sure,” I told him. “Find out their new leader. I was going to pretend to go with him to find out and then escape.”
“Sasha—Sasha, God, you’re fucking nuts. Do you think you’d escape a pack of wolves?”
“I did once,” I muttered.
He shook his head. Annoyance twisted through me. This was why I worked alone—nobody to judge me, nobody for me to rely on or ask for help. Nobody else ever needed. I could rely on myself.
“Are you really that stupid—”
“Call meone more name,Conall, I dare you. How can you expect me to think about working with you when all you do is call me names?” I sounded immature, I knew, but I was done with being belittled. Conall was taunting me to get under my skin, but it was exhausting.
“Have a nice day. Seeing as you ruined the meeting I psyched myself up to even arrange I’ll actually go to work and see if I can get my mind off things.”
“Wait,” he said, leaning over the booth to block my exit. I glared at him. “I have another idea.”
I was hesitant.
“Come on, let me make it up to you. I didn’t know he was… A problem like that. You’re confident, and I didn’t think it’d be an issue. I just wanted you to have backup.”
“I don’t need backup,” I muttered. Then I thought about his offer. “But fine. Okay. I’ll come with you.”
“Yeah?” He grinned.
“Yeah.”
We left the diner, and I couldn’t ignore how shaken up I was, both from Jackson and all the thoughts I’d had recently. Anger and regret, of wasting so much time on him, hatred for finding out about that contract and his plans for me the whole time…
But now I had the kiss to think about. I hadn’t thought I’d Conall like that again but… He’d kissed me with purpose, not just a fleeting, fake thing. Any brief kiss could have covered us up, but he’d kissed me properly, slowly, and I didn’t know what to make of that. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.
But his plan had worked. Now, we weren’t suspicious of being seen together. More rumors would spread about us, hopefully making our ‘relationship’ the only reason we’d be seen together in different places around town.
“Did you not bring your car?” I asked, frowning, when he walked off past the diner, and not to the parking lot outside.
“Nope.” His hands slid into his jeans, the image of casual arrogance.
“So where the hell are we going that requires no car?”
“You’ll see,” he said.
But I was through with surprises. “Just tell me, Con.”
“Oh, I’mConnow? We’re familiar like that, Sash?”
I scowled at him. “In your dreams.”
He stopped abruptly, turning to me with a smirk. “Oh, Sasha, if you knew what my dreams looked like, you’d see how they’re far more explicit than familiar nicknames.”
I decided to challenge him. “Yeah? What happens to them?” I stepped closer to him, his hands going around my wrist to make sure I didn’t back off again. “You get off on calling me a good girl?”
He was taller than me, and this close, I could scent the cologne he’d put on that morning. It was something deliciously expensive and masculine, making me want to bury my face in his neck.
“More like I get off on calling youmygood girl,” he teased in a low voice. “Can’t help what makes me hard, kitty. What does it for you, then?”
I ignored his question. “You like calling me that.”
“What?”
