Page 53 of The Wolf's Surrogate

Footsteps thumped behind me. I knew it was Liam. I caught his scent in the air, the leather and spice that apparently wasn’t cologne but somehow clung to his skin. Was it soap? Shampoo? Deodorant? There had to besomethingto explain the intensity of it.

After ten minutes, I came upon the collection of buildings. I wandered past them and headed for the greenhouse. Between the greenhouse and the community center was a tree-lined path that led toward the fields. The cold breeze blew my hair away from my face, blasting hard enough to turn the tip of my nose into ice.

Liam caught up to me. His shadow hovered over me from the street lamp, an eerie crunch sounding from beneath our shoes as we walked the gravel path.

He sighed. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“I’m sorry about all that.”

Questions came and went in my mind. At this point, I just wanted to go to bed instead of trying to sort out my life. Too many things had happened today.

I shrugged. “It’s fine.”

“Doesn’t seem fine.”

“Not much I can do about it.”

He looped his arm in mine. “You can choose to walk away.”

I stopped in my tracks. “How can you say something like that to me?”

He stayed connected to me, stayed close enough for me to hear his raspy breathing. It was short and quick, like he was getting ready to spill some dark secret that was causing him grief. Was it me? Did he have hang-ups about being my mate already?

Other than us being strangers, we seemed to get along fine.

I frowned at my boots.Is this really what I want? To be mated to a guy I don’t even know?

Liam released my arm and held me at arm’s length. His shadow engulfed me, blocking the light that hung above the tree. “I say that so you feel like you have a choice.”

“After what your alphas said, it doesn’t really seem like I do. It’s not like the mate bond will keep you from leaving me.”

“Why are you worried about that?”

I glowered at him. “Why do you think?”

He bent forward to match my height. Light spilled into my eyes, causing me to turn. But he wouldn’t let me hide. He wouldn’t let me look away. He caught my chin and pivoted my body so the lamp wouldn’t blind me. At this angle, I could see his features—I could see his smile.

“Sounds like I need to take you on a date,” he teased. “Arealdate.”

I sniffled. “Like to the beach?”

“Is that what you want to do?”

“Yeah, I haven’t had much time between Memphis and work.”

He stood up straight and pulled me into a sweet embrace. “If that’s what you want, then we’ll do that.”

Was it seriously as easy as asking him for what I wanted? No, that couldn’t be right. I’d never had that happen in my entire life. Men weren’t usually reasonable about my needs, let alone my desires. Hearing Liam decide our plans based on my wants was like getting a paycheck before ever putting in any hours.

I closed my eyes. I leaned into his embrace, enjoying the way his scent enveloped me. Warmth greeted my right ear followed by the rasp of his voice through his chest. “Should we go back home now?”

“Home,” I whispered. “I feel weird saying that.”

“Well, if we’re mates, then…”

I lifted my head from his chest. “Then what?”

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