Page 27 of Forbidden Virgin Mate

I watch as she rearranges her clothes, and I step outside to grab my shirt from where I discarded it earlier. "Stay,” I say to her. “Stay for dinner with us. I don't want you to go."

I don't know where the words are coming from, but I suddenly want her in my home, by my side. It's unnerving. I've never been bothered about having a woman hang around for very long. First, my wolf wants to claim Tanya, and now I want to make her dinner. I could almost laugh at myself, but I hold my breath instead, waiting for her answer.

"I should really get back," she says, and I try to mask my disappointment. "You and Saffy should catch up."

She's right, of course, but I don't miss how she turns away from me. I wonder if she just got carried away, and now that we're back to reality, she’s still nursing the same doubts about me. Maybe even more so after today.

I watch as she drives away until she's out of sight. Her scent is still on me and driving me crazy. If I'm confused about this situation with the stolen money, I'm probably even more confused about where things are going with Tanya. I can't shake the feeling something is holding her back.

I worry that something is me.

Chapter 13 - Tanya

I sit down on the sofa with what must be my fifth large cup of coffee and pick up the laptop from where I discarded it on the cushions. I click through to my college emails. I should be at the school today, and I feel guilty for calling in and pretending to be sick. I had no choice, though. Agent Barnes set up a series of calls for me to help with an overseas op. I was up at 5 a.m., talking to teams on the other side of the world. Coffee is the only thing keeping me going right now.

I flick back to the college emails and check today’s attendance file. When I see Saffy's name there, I feel satisfied and click back to my work.

Good for her, going in today.

I almost feel bad for not being there in case anyone says anything to her. But who am I to play protector when I’m the one causing her problems?

I try to shake off those thoughts. I'm not the one who caused all this. Her parents did this. The blame is all theirs. And everyone else in this town who didn't bother fighting for my family.

I fire off some questions to the teams and take a long sip of my coffee. I need to concentrate—Agent Barnes laid it on thick how important this op is. Even though my role is minor in comparison to the men and women on the ground, I still need to focus. I definitely shouldn't be thinking about one of my students, or her sexy older brother, or…revenge.

As if on cue, my phone lights up. I set it to silent so I wouldn’t be disturbed, but one glance at the screen confirms it's my mom. I'm used to her calling at all times of the day, and it doesn't seem to register with her that I have a job. I should be teaching right now, and she doesn't know I'm at home.

I let her call ring off. Neither she nor my dad have worked properly since being banished, preferring to get by on disability and the occasional cash-in-hand job. Obviously, once I started really making bank from my hacking, I was able to support them. That's when they stopped trying to make a go of things at all.

I sometimes wonder if I'm doing the right thing by enabling them. I also wonder what it would be like to have parents who looked after me rather than the other way around. I jump slightly, almost spilling my coffee as I feel a tear sliding down my cheek. I put the cup down and quickly wipe my face. This is ridiculous. I'm sitting here, helping a high-profile FBI task force and crying over my parents.

I'm not a crier. I've been looking after myself for a very long time, and I'm here to take control of my life and my history. I'll fix everything that happened to my parents, they'll get themselves back on track, and hopefully, we can be a happier family.

My thoughts return to Saffy. I conducted many hacking campaigns both before Agent Barnes found me and after I started working for the FBI. Arguably, many of them had victims. However, I was focused on corporations or extremely rich individuals. My campaign against Zack's family is personal, and for the first time, I'm seeing the fallout up close and personal.

Not for the first time, I think about how Saffy reminds me a lot of myself. It's not just the interest in computers, though she's showing a lot of promise in that department. It's her quiet resilience and humor. I honestly wish I didn't like her so damn much.

And Zack…I can't even think about Zack.

When he asked me to stay for dinner with him and Saffy the other night, I had this sudden image of the three of us sitting together like some kind of family. My stomach roiled. All the way home, I convinced myself it was because I've been sleeping with the enemy and was just ashamed of myself for getting into this situation. But in the cold light of day, as I sat waiting for the teams to come online at 5 a.m., Zack was all I could think about. I'm seriously beginning to doubt what my heart really wants.

My parents have been so much more engaged since I first explained my plans for revenge to them. My mom, especially, sees it as their route to redemption. She's never called me so much or seemed so interested in what I'm doing. Not since I was a little kid, anyway. We were happy back then.

I know my parents aren't bad people. They've just given up and let bitterness consume them. If I can free them from it, they might return to being who they really are.

That was the idea, anyway. In reality, I feel the weight of their bitterness every time they call. You'd think it would be easier, living far away from them. But if anything, it feels more stifling.

I'm pulled from my thoughts by an alert on my screen from Agent Barnes.

Thanks, everyone. Teams are all back on base. Debrief at 2 pm.

I give a thumbs-up emoji—which I know Barnes hates on official comms—and shut down my secure company servers. I'm glad the mission went well and everyone's back safely. I'm never privy to all the intel; I just provide background support by hacking security systems and running interference. Still, I feel part of the team.

For once, though, I'm just grateful this mission is over so I can set aside one of the many loads on my mind. I take a sip of my now-cold coffee, nearly gagging on it, and head back to the kitchen for yet another cup.

I'll be buzzing tonight.

My thoughts return to Saffy. I can't shake how worried I am about her—she even looked like she'd lost weight. At least she'll have Zack, though, if they get banished. He doesn't strike me as the type to fall apart, so she'll have more going for her than I did.

---