Page 61 of Begrudgingly Yours
“Is it too much to ask if I take the ride with you to make sure you get home safe?” he asks and I’m positive it’s rhetorical, especially when he nods as soon as he sees my head tilt at him. “I know, you’re right. But can you at least text me when you get back?”
Despite past reservations and my deep need to feel independent, agreeing to his request feels right. “Yeah, I can text you,” I agree. “But that was one of those reverse psychology things, wasn’t it? You ask if you can do something that I definitely won’t agree to so the real thing you wanted to ask doesn’t seem that big of a deal?”
Jett’s eyes widen. “Please, you must know by now that I’m not that savvy.”
I give him a teasing smile. “I don’t know, you did keep a major secret from me for two years.”
His face falls, and I feel guilty. “You’re right, though. I honestly have no idea how I did that. I always felt like I was shitting myself when you were around.”
“Really?” My brows practically raise to my hairline. “Well, you’re a good actor. You know how sometimes you feel like you’re completely bombing and then you’re told everything you did was genius?”
Jett laughs. “That only happened in high school. My two friends and I were the only ones who knew what we were doing.”
“Understood.” I watch him, noticing how casual he’s trying to be, but I can see the worry lines appearing, and I don’t like it one bit. “You were convincing in that role you like to play. I had no idea. And I thought I had a good bullshit-detector.”
“Still… I’m sorry,” Jett says, not letting me help alleviate his guilt. “I should have told you.”
I shake my head, serious this time. “Jett… it wouldn’t have mattered,” I confess. “I needed time. Back then, it was still so soon after my dad and leaving my mom, I would have never let an alpha court me. This was for the best.”
Jett watches my expression, and I realize that purr of his is back, reaching out to me in order to offer any kind of comfort. I put my hand on his chest and let it rumble through me. “Please don’t feel guilty anymore. Let’s just move on from it, see where things go,” I whisper.
He places his own hand on mine, holding it steady. “If that’s what you want, I’ll give it to you. Whatever makes you happy, it is yours.”
I hear the words hidden in his sentence. It’s mine, as long as I’m willing to take it.
Rory: I’m home, safe and sound.
He’s texting back almost immediately.My heart nearly jumps out of my chest as I race to exit out of the chat, but he beats me to it.
Jett: good, I won’t have to send out a search party then.
My fingers are flying before I can even stop them, the flirty side of me tumbling out on autopilot.
Rory: And who would be in said search party?
Jett: Everett, Dax, and I obviously. Ciro would probably make it fun. and then probably Sam and Atlas because let’s face it, without them we’d be lost.
Rory: Definitely. Then you’d also need a search party.
Jett: Everett is probably better with a compass than we think.
I can’t stop the smile that appears as I think about how right that sounds. Jett has only known Everett for a short time, but it seems like he completely recognizes his pack mate for who he is. Everett is a secret, quiet leader. He doesn’t fuss about anything.
Does that make him the prime? I wonder if they’ve even thought about that, but the answer seems obvious to me.
I shake my head at the thought. It’s weird to think about pack dynamics at all, especially when I’m thinking about adding myself to it.
Rory: He’s definitely a boy scout at heart. I’d be safe and back in your lives in no time.
Jett: I don’t think we’d last very long so thank god for Everett’s hypothetical survivalist skills.
Rory: We might need him for The Apocalypse.
Jett: Might? We would die without him. What are you and I going to do? Pretend to be zombies to trick them?
Jett:That actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea.
Rory:They did that in The Walking Dead
