“I deserve that.” He blew out a breath and moved, removing his wallet from his back pocket. “This probably doesn’t change anything, but I need you to know that I never stopped thinking about you… loving you even when I came off like a douche.” He pulled out some pictures.
“What?” I blinked a few times not believing what I saw. They were of me. One was at a football game cheering--I was on top of the pyramid. Another one was of me right outside my school in my prom dress. Jacob had his arm around me. “Where did you get these?”
“I took them.” He closed his eyes and his cheeks turned a slight pink. “I always watched when I could to make sure you were safe. Do you remember that night of prom when you left and there were lilies on your car?”
“Yeah.” Jacob had said he’d put them there. I’d be so surprised that he remembered my favorite flowers.
“They were from me.” He barked out a humorless laugh. “But that prick took credit, and you believed him.”
“I thought I smelled your scent but that I was going crazy.” When Jacob said it had been from him, I was afraid not to believe him. Maybe he had done everything, thinking he was protecting me. “I’m willing to try again as long as you promise to tell me everything soon.”
“Promise.” He focused on my lips, and he scooted even closer to me.
My heart began to race. There was no hiding it, and when he lowered his head, my brain became foggy.
His lips touched mine, and an electric jolt shot through me. Until this very moment, I’d never understood what people meant when they’d said it hurt so good. I licked his lips, needing to taste him.
A low growl emanated from his chest, and his mouth quickly opened to deepen our kiss. We both panted as we tried to get our fill of each other. It had been four very long years since anything had ever come close to this.
Just as I was about to lose all sense, I pulled back, creating a small space between us. “Someone could walk by.”
“So what? You’re mine now, and dammit, I’ve always been yours.” He pulled me close so our lips touched once more.
A low moan escaped me as the musky scent of his arousal mixed with mine. My wolf took over, wanting me to climb him and claim him right here. It took every ounce of willpower I had to keep my human senses in control. We were in public after all; however, my wolf didn’t give a damn.
My hands slid under his shirt, touching his rock-hard abs.
He pulled back and growled. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“You’re the one who didn’t want to stop.” I ran my finger along the waistband of his jeans as my lips touched his again.
A branch broke in the distance, and Aidan went still. He stiffened and scanned the area.
“What’s wrong?” I spoke in a whisper so that only he could hear me.
“I’ve got to go check something.” His jaw clenched. “Can I take you to dinner tonight?”
“Uh … sure.” My brain was trying to catch up to my hormones.
“Great.” He squeezed my hand lovingly and stood. “I’ll be by around six. Does that work?”
“Yeah.” I hated that he hadn’t told me what was wrong, but now wasn’t the time to pressure him.
“Okay, I’ll see you soon.” He growled in obvious frustration as he pecked my lips once more. “Bye.”
“Bye,” I said faintly as I watched him hurry off in the direction of the sound.
“Wow, I’m going to say I wasn’t expecting to get a show when we came out here to check on you.” Laughter laced Beth’s voice. “So … I’m assuming that went well?”
I spun around to find them a few feet away from the main doors, staring straight at me. Oh my God. How had neither one of us noticed they were watching us? “It went … okay.”
Coral laughed. “If that’s what okay looks like, I’m afraid of what great means.”
“They are both happy.” Amethyst smiled and waved them off. “Just ignore them.”
I wanted to enjoy the moment, but something was bugging Aidan. I had a feeling it had to do with his family and whatever secret he was keeping. I’d be patient for now, but sooner or later, I was determined to find out the truth.
Aidan
Someone near the tree line was watching Emma and me. This couldn’t be a good sign. I tapped into my wolf and headed to where they were. They weren’t even trying to run away.
I stepped into the woods right as a guy my age appeared from behind a tree. He wore a Crawford University shirt, and his soulless brown eyes found mine.
“Aren’t you supposed to be investigating her, not making out with her?” The guy frowned as the breeze ruffled his brown hair.
“Ah… I take it you’re the ally who’s attending here?” I had no clue which pack he belonged to or who he was. He’d come here to check out the marked girl just like me, but he never reached out to me like expected. Dad figured that the ally decided not to come to the school after all since our pack was the stronger one. We were directly descended from the original Murphy alpha, and others didn’t like being second place.
“Yeah, and thanks, by the way.” He glowered. “Now I’ll have to deal with a sobbing Rogers wolf crying over her dumping his ass.”
That wasn’t my problem. “Avoid him.”
“I can’t. He’s my fucking roommate.” He paced and grimaced. “Maybe I can actually get some information from him now since he won’t be so shoved up her ass.”
“What do you mean?” I wanted to say she didn’t have a mark, but he’d know if I lied. “She’s harmless. In fact, I was thinking about heading home.” Those weren’t lies.
“I think I saw something the other day.” Hatred filled his eyes. “So you better check again. I’d hate for your feelings to cloud your judgment. I’d hate to have to call your father.”
And the cards were out on the table. “No, I’m fine.”
For the first time ever, my eyes were open. I just had to protect her.
Chapter Thirteen
Emma
My heart pounded as the clock ticked closer to six. I’d been ready for half an hour, and my hands were sweaty.
I’d gotten the call from my parents two hours ago. Jacob had informed them of our breakup. Like I’d expected, Mom wasn’t surprised. They’d both told me that my happiness was the most important thing to them. It was good to know they were on my side.
“You need to calm down.” Beth sat on her bed and glanced up from her phone. “You’re going to ruin the hard work I put into your face.”
“Hey.” In her defense, she had spent thirty minutes making sure my face looked perfect. She’d done light smoky eyes that complemented natural pink lipstick. I’d tried doing it myself, but my hands had shaken with nerves. I felt like I was going on my first official date, and in a way, I kind of was … if he showed. “That’s harsh.”
“Oh, stop.” She rolled her eyes and scooched back on the bed so her back was against the plain white wall. “You know you’re gorgeous. I only meant your natural look will start melting if you don’t take it down a notch.”