Page 78 of Howl You Doin?
“I have no idea what is happening to me.”
He pats me lightly on the shoulder. “Och, did Connor no’ tell ye, you’re his mate?”
I frown.“His mate?”
“Now what the fuck givesyouthe right to tell her that?” Connor’s pissed-off voice ricochets off the cavern walls, making me gasp.
My body is engulfed in fur, and my heart races as I whip my head to where he stands, likely having come from the same direction Lachlan had gone to get the shirt earlier. My eyes go wide at the sight of his disheveled hair, his Dracula costume dirty and dust covered, as if he rolled in dirt on his way here—there’s even a dark smudge high on his brow. His bare feet pad almost silently across the stone floor, his pupils large and full of concern and worry—for me.
Warmth blooms in my middle at the sight of him, spreading through my limbs.Connor. I’ve been standing here half naked in front of a stranger. At least I knowthisidiot isn’t going to be weird with me. I’m relieved to see him, even if I want to throat punch him.
“Are you alright, Whitley?” he asks, his usual baby blues a deep yellow gold, his gaze wary, as if he’s scared I’ve been hurt.
I guess I did jump out of a freaking window.
Lachlan moves suddenly, wrapping his hand around my waist, and he tugs me into his arms before I can answer him. I glance up at the Loch Ness monster and I’m more than a little taken aback at the satisfied expression on his face.
“She’s just fine, dinna fash,” Lachlan drawls over the top of my head.
The way he says it comes across like I am somehow a toy being fought over on the playground. I scoff, taken aback, and freeze awkwardly in his arms. He pats my back gently, where I know Connor can’t see, and I get the distinct feeling Lachlan is trying to fuck with Connor hard—but why?
Red brows wiggle across Lachlan’s forehead as he looks down at me and winks, and I realize what this could look like. I try to move my arms, but the guy is so strong.
“Did you drag her down here, you silly sea serpent?” Connor asks, and the sound echoes around the cavern walls, reverberating loudly. “Come off it, Lachlan, and let her go.”
Relief spreads that he obviously has no illusions that I’ve passed him over for the Loch Ness monster instead.
“Maybe I should keep the lass since ye dinna seem tae ken how tae care for her properly,” Lachlan says, rotating us and effectively blocking me from Connor.
He strokes a large hand down the back of my hair, weirdly coming off more like a concerned parent than a lover would. Or like a cartoon I’d seen once as a kid with a large furry monster that petted Daffy Duck roughly.
“Ouch, that smarts,” I gripe when his big hand snags.
“Let her go,” Connor demands, his gaze darkening like a shadow has fallen over it. “You’re beginning to test me, Lachlan.”
“I really wouldn’t mind sitting down,” I mutter, but neither male pays a lick of attention to me.
Lachlan’s rough features slide into a grin, as his hand drifts to my side. I try to step away, but he keeps me there, and says, “Me and the lass were just chatting. She’s rather bonnie, even in wolf form.”
My face pinches, since it’s now obvious Lachlan is purposefully trying to upset Connor for some silly reason. I huff a hard breath to myself.Men.
No.Notmen. Monsters.
What is my life? I’m trying to keep my not-a-werewolf boyfriend and the Loch Ness monster from fighting!
Connor O’Doyle
“Lachlan, let hergo.”My voice drops an octave and is all menace, as my hands turn to claws, but Lachlan just cocks his head instead of backing away from her. No, his hand slides even deeper around her side. Not too low, not too high, and enough to seem platonic, but it grates on me anyway.
Annoyance prickles under the surface of my skin, but I hold myself still. The old fool isn’t hurting her so far as I can tell, and the last thing I want to do is freak her out even more.
Relief and gratitude course through me, even as it rankles that she is allowing his touch. I remind myself that it’s lucky I found her whole and safe down here, and not flattened on the rocks just beneath the moat like I first feared she would be. Lachlan has been down here for so long, it’s hard to guess what his sanity is like. He could have made her a snack.
“Nah, I dinna think I will.” His hands tighten on Whitley.
“Ugh! You’re both being ridiculous,” she bites out, throwing her hands up. “Whatever beef you two have, leave me out of it.”
Time slows. The moment she shakes her head, trying to step away, and he grows as he drags her back, I go ballistic.
