Page 37 of Into the Woods

“Hello.” I gave him a polite smile before turning to the next.

“Geoffry Barnes,” he drawled, red-rimmed eyes a little glassy and unfocused as he shook my hand. As soon as he released me, his gaze wandered away.

I glanced at Eric, who gave me a concerned look and a helpless little smile. Like he was saying, sorry my friends are idiots.

Shrugging it off, I gazed at the last man. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Beads of sweat dotted his brow, and his chest heaved like he’d run a marathon.

“Henry?” Colby prompted in a tone I couldn’t quite figure out. “Say hello to Eric’s friend.” He reached back, almost like he was going to sling an arm around Henry’s shoulders, but Henry dodged him at the last second, then froze. Fear trickled into his expression.

Colby laughed, the sound forced and a little caustic. “Forgive us, Bex. Henry and I have a long history of roughhousing. He always seems to think I’m going to tackle him or some shite.”

But Henry wasn’t laughing.

He did, however, shuffle forward and incline his head to me. “Nice to meet you, Bex.”

“You, too,” I replied, not sure if I meant it or not. Unsure what to do next, I looked back at Eric and caught him frowning, too.

As soon as he realized I was watching him, his expression smoothed into something neutral. He glanced at his friends. “Give us a moment.”

Without complaint, they moved back to the table and took the seats they’d had previously.

Eric pulled me to his side and pressed a kiss to my temple, murmuring, “Sorry, love. We’ll make an excuse and leave if you want.”

I subtly shook my head and turned my face to his. “No, it’s fine. But is Geoffry okay?”

Eric smiled and bumped his nose with mine while lifting a hand to tuck my hair behind my ear. “His grandfather recently passed. They were extremely close. That's why I agreed to see them tonight. He’s in town for the funeral and is clearly self-medicating.”

“Oh no.” I couldn’t imagine losing my grandparents.

“Colby and Henry… They’ve got a complicated past. It’s been awkward since they hooked up a few months ago,” he added, his tone somber. “Their families will never allow them to be together.”

I scowled. “Small-minded assholes.”

Eric grinned at me. “I’m sorry I brought you, love. I knew that Geoffry needed a night with his friends, but I couldn’t stand the thought of being away from you.”

Warmth wrapped around my chest.

Eric’s nose wrinkled. “I suppose I sound like a proper bleeding idiot, don’t I?”

I tilted my head. “What? No. Why would you say that?”

He sucked in a deep breath, his cheeks turning pink. “We’ve scarcely known each other a week, and I can’t seem to stay away from you.” A hand came up to cradle my cheek. “You’re becoming my favorite addiction, Bex.”

My heart did a little flip, because that was exactly what I wanted to hear… right? For some reason, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that this felt wrong. Maybe it was because Eric’s friends seemed like a bunch of jerks, and I was putting a lot of pressure on tonight.

But Eric wasn’t his friends. You couldn’t help who you grew up with; I was proof positive of that.

His voice dipped. “You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now.”

My breath caught. “O-okay.” Nervous butterflies erupted in my belly.

“I’m not kissing you for the first time in front of my mates, love,” he said with a low chuckle. He closed the inches that had separated us. “But later tonight…”

A smile lifted the corners of my mouth as my heart beat faster. Anticipation flowed through my veins in an icy wave of nerves that left me unsteady. I needed to stop putting so much pressure on a freaking kiss.

And I definitely needed to not be wondering if Eric would kiss the way I’d always dreamed of being kissed: dominating and controlling, making me feel safe and precious.

I’d always been drawn to the alphahole heroes, in books and in life. But those guys weren’t good in anything but fiction. Dependable. Reliable. Constant. That was what I needed.

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