Page 23 of The Wolf's Bullied Mate
I wasn’t convinced that was the case, but I didn’t want to press her for further details. I already knew a lot about her current rough circumstances, and one day, she would tell me whatever sorrows had befallen her after leaving here all those years ago. For now, I just had to be patient. We would have to restart our relationship from point one. I had to learn about Pauline again. On the one hand, I knew she was the Pauline whom I’d had a crush on in high school, but on the other hand, she felt like a completely different woman to me now. I wanted to find out all about the new person who sat in front of me.
I changed the subject to Ray. “Can you tell me what Ray likes and dislikes?”
Pauline lit up immediately, telling me all the details of her son’s interests. I learned he loved cars and often said he would become a mechanic when he grew up. My father came to mind—he was a mechanic, too. Maybe I should introduce the two of them to each other soon?
Pauline then went on to tell me about Ray’s favorite food and his allergies. I took note of everything he couldn’t or wouldn’t eat.
In no time at all, the maple syrup pancakes were done, and the three of us sat down to eat. Ray really seemed overjoyed at the sight of the sweet brunch.
As soon as Pauline’s stomach was filled, she put a hand to her lips, hiding a yawn.
“Tired?” I asked her.
She nodded. “I’m not used to traveling much in a car.”
“I’ll show you to your rooms then,” I said.
I took Pauline’s bag and escorted the two of them upstairs. “Both of your rooms are guest bedrooms, so they are quite… impersonal.”
“More than the living room and the kitchen?” Pauline chuckled.
I enjoyed the sound of her laughter. I wished she would laugh more often around me. “I guess there’s not that much of a difference.”
When Ray saw the bed in the middle of his room, he ran to it and jumped on it, hiding his face in a cushion.
“Ray, you have to take your clothes off first,” Pauline said in a scolding tone.
“In a minute,” the child mumbled.
I gestured for Pauline to follow me to the other room and deposited her bag in front of the large bed. “This room will be yours.”
I saw her staring at the bed, a blush on her cheeks. She bit her lip, stopping herself from saying something.
I sighed. “I won’t touch you until you’re ready.”
Pauline’s eyes widened. She looked back at me, but the blush on her cheeks grew even deeper. “I wasn’t-”
I had read her right. I smiled.
“It’s probably a given that we’ll be intimate one day, since we’ll be married, but I don’t want to rush anything between us. I’ll give you all the time you need to accept me,” I said in a serious tone.
She looked at me, wide-eyed. “But-”
I put a finger to her lips. “No buts. I know you’re afraid of me. I don’t know why, but I do know that I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.”
She nodded, and I took the finger away.
“Now, get yourself comfortable. If you need anything, I’ll be in the garage.”
“Alright,” she agreed.
I walked out of the room, leaving her to prepare the space for herself and Ray.
I didn’t know what was going on in Pauline’s head. I didn’t know what extra burdens she carried.
I sure wanted to find out, though.
Chapter 7 - Pauline
