Page 36 of The Mating Game
I wince, trying to get my aggravation in check as I realize that this whole thing most likelyisa nightmare for her—the fact that she can’t control it. Part of me feels like an asshole now.
I’m opening my mouth to try to smooth things over, maybe even offer to stay with Jeannie while Tess is here, as much of a hassle as that will be for me, but then—
“Oy, Tess! You here?”
I take a step back to catch sight of three random men pushing through the door in the foyer at the base of the stairs, each carrying a bag and looking around with interest. When I turn to Tess, I notice relief in her features, her mouth even twisting up in a smile.
“Be right there!” she calls, leaning past me. Then she gives me her attention once more. “Look. I’m sorry toinconvenienceyou—but I can handle myself. I’m really sorry I put you in that…position last night, but it won’t happen again. I can do this job, and now that I know what to expect, I can handle whateverissuesarise on my own going forward.”
I can feel the argument trying to escape my mouth, but she’s already pushing past me to bound down the stairs. I move to brace myself on the banister as I watch her throw herself at one of the men, feeling a prickling sensation in my skin as I watch them take turns hugging her tight. Just watching them makes my stomach churn for some reason.
Am I…jealous?
No. Absolutely not. It’s just my fucking instincts and hormonal bullshit. Besides, I reason—to myself or my alpha, I can’t be sure—these have to be herbrothers. Herbetabrothers, she said. They pose no threat to me.
Not that there would be any reason for them to.
I know I should go introduce myself and play nice or whatever, but right now…I can’t seem to muster up the desire to do anything more than push off the banister and skulk back to my room. My room, which still smells completely saturated withher.
I tell myself that in a day or so, these urges will abate. Everything I’m feeling is just a direct result of what happened. It’s a natural response, that’s all.
I take a deep breath, letting her sweet scent fill my nostrils, only realizing what I’ve done when I feel myself start to harden in my sweats.
Natural response, I scoff at myself.
Right.
9
Tess
“Today we’re goingto be tearing up this old carpet. I think once it’s gone the room is going to look like an entirely new space already!”
Kyle pans around to show the entire floor, and I go through the motions of explaining everything we’re about to do as I try not to focus on the fact that I watched Hunter walk through this room to the back deck not half an hour ago.
Which is a problem because…I can’t look at him.
It’s been three days since the Incident, as I’m calling it in my mind, and every time I catch a glimpse of Hunter, be it passing in the hallway or sitting across the dinner table, I can’t seem to look him in the eye.
I tell myself that this is a reasonable response to approaching a veritable stranger while being high on sex hormones and begging him to touch you only for him to outrightrejectyou, but it doesn’t make it any less awkward. I know deep down that Hunter didn’trejectme—I know that. If anything, I’m grateful for the way he…handled things. Had he actually given me what I begged for, I’d probably be halfway across the country right now, wallowing in my mortification.
I can smell how fucking wet you are.
God. Is that a wolf thing? They really should print up some better pamphlets.
I can’t remember everything that was said between us that night, but the flashes Idoremember are…a lot. Fuck, I can’t even lie down in bed at night without scattered memories ofGood girlandTouch yourselfflitting through my thoughts.
It’s enough to make my current working conditions…strained.
Beyond my mortification is a sense of overall aggravation at having been seen like that—vulnerable, needy—for the first time in a long time. And in the most carnal way, Ineededsomeone. I can’t pretend I’m not grateful to have lucked out, to have that person be Hunter, who took care of me in a way that minimized my humiliation as much as he could. Come to think of it…I haven’t thanked him for that. It really seems so ludicrous,thankingsomeone for what happened.
“You gonna just stand there looking at that carpet or do you wanna help tear it up?” Chase asks when we’re done filming.
I shoot a scowl at my brother, but Chase only gives me his usual lopsided grin. He’s the baby of the family and looks more like me than Thomas, which means it’s like looking at a less-stressed version of myself currently smirking at me.
“I was thinking,” I tell him.
He chuckles under his breath, handing me a hammer. “Been doing a lot of that the last couple of days.”
