But as Percy turned and walked out of my office, I began to wonder if maybe there was something there that might be worth exploring.
7
Percy
“So, I hear you aren’t a fan of Kevin Patterson,” Tuck said, cutting his eyes at me, a smirk on his face as he lifted his beer bottle to his mouth.
“What? How the hell—”
Tuck snickered, spinning on the barstool to fully face me. The knowing look on his face was enough to make me gesture to Ship, Tuck’s new bartender, to bring me another.
“Easton came by the house last night to see Addison, and I heard him talking to Jamie. Apparently, you don’t like the idea of anyone getting too close to your mate, do you?”
A growl escaped me before I could stop it, and I cursed my wolf for being such a jealous bastard. “I don’t know if he’s my mate.”
Tucker just lifted an eyebrow and drained the rest of his beer, obviously not convinced.
Damn. I should complain about people not minding their own business in this small town, but what Tuck said wasn’t wrong, and he’d heard it straight from the source.
“I don’t know he’s my mate,” I insisted. “And as for what happened at Easton’s office…”
It had been three days, and I still couldn’t shake the jealousy, though I blamed it entirely on my wolf and his misguided connection to Easton’s wolf. I’d thought coming out to Tuck It Bar and Grill with my best friend might be a welcome distraction, but apparently, I couldn’t escape this shit with Easton.
“Look, that was just my wolf having some crazy reaction. Personally, I don’t care who Easton is involved with. If he wanted to see someone like Kevin, that’s his business. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t letting anything cloud his judgment about the case.”
It was a feeble excuse, and I knew Tuck didn’t buy it. Hell, even I felt like I was lying to myself at that point. But I didn’t know what to do about it.
Ship dropped off two more beers for us, and fortunately, Tuck didn’t push the issue. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, nursing our beers, but my mind was entirely centered on Easton. What a fucking mess this was turning out to be.
I drummed my fingers on the bar, debating if I should talk it out with Tuck. After all, he and Jamie had a pretty rough time at the beginning of their relationship. Maybe he’d have some insight. Unable to let it go, I sucked it up and asked what was on my mind.
“What made you finally stop fighting your feelings for Jamie?”
Tuck lifted a brow and pursed his lips. “Honestly, it got to the point that the idea of not having Jamie in my life became too much. You know how I was—how the fear of losing someone I cared about pretty much ruled my life. But I eventually realized that not having him at all was way worse than the possibility of having him and then losing him. I didn’t want to miss out on something that had the potential to change my life.” He grinned. “And look where we are now.”
I chuckled. “Indeed.”
He gave me a sympathetic smile. “Seriously, though, I know what you’re going through, at least to a point. But love and fate have a way of working things out. I don’t regret it for a second. Obviously.”
I sipped from my beer as I rolled his words around in my mind. Love… I didn’t have much experience in that area. Certainly not romantic love. I’d never been in a real relationship. Had never wanted to after growing up with my parents. They hadn’t known how to show love—to me or to each other. So yeah, they weren’t exactly stellar examples of what a relationship was supposed to be like.
Tucker glanced at me again, curiosity in his eyes. “How do you feel about things?”
“What in particular?”
“All of it? That he might be your mate? That your wolf is obviously not letting it go? What are you really thinking about the idea of exploring this with Easton?”
I sighed. “Truthfully, I’m pretty conflicted about the whole thing. I’m attracted to him, obviously. And yeah, my wolf goes crazy any time he’s around.” Even when he wasn’t around, he was constantly on my mind.
“But I don’t think the timing is right to start anything with Easton. I mean, we’re working on a case where the guy is trying to put my client behind bars. We’re basically enemies at this point. I just don’t know how we could possibly have a relationship when there are so many obstacles to overcome.” My own hang-ups about relationships ranking pretty damn high on that list.
“Well, you’ll never know if...” Tuck looked over my shoulder toward the door and widened his eyes slightly. “Speak of the devil.”
I turned, following his gaze, only to find Easton standing in the entry of the bar, flanked by his cousin, Owen, and that fucking cop, Kevin. I narrowed my eyes and wondered what they were doing there together.
I was about to spin back around on the barstool, hoping he wouldn’t notice me, but too late. Easton locked his gaze on mine, and he parted his lips slightly. For a few seconds, it was like nothing else existed. Everything in the bar faded away, and all I could think about was walking up to him, pulling him against my chest, and finally finding out what those full lips felt like against my own.
Then the moment was broken as Kevin touched Easton’s arm, drawing his attention from me. The bastard pointed to a booth in the corner, and then the three of them were moving through the crowd.
I kept my gaze on them the entire time. Owen and Easton sat on opposite sides of the booth, Kevin sliding in beside Easton and leaning in to whisper something in his ear. Easton threw his head back and laughed at whatever it was the fucker said.
A growl escaped my lips before I could get myself under control. But what the hell was I supposed to do? That guy was way too fucking close to my mate—to Easton. Easton. Not my mate. My wolf, however, didn’t seem to care that I was still refusing to accept the idea. Another growl rumbled in my chest, and Tuck cursed, reaching out to grip my shoulder.
“Dude, chill. Do not cause a scene in my bar, or I’ll have to throw you out.”
I turned slowly, taking a deep breath. Tuck was staring me down, wariness replacing the amusement in his eyes. I ground my teeth. Fuck. This was ridiculous. I would never embarrass myself this way, but my wolf—he was so out of control I could feel him practically boiling with the desire to stake his claim. I was barely restraining myself from marching over there. What the hell was happening to me?
“Percy, when was the last time you went for a run? Or spent any time with the pack for that matter?”
“Way too fucking long,” I admitted. I’d been so busy with work for months that I hadn’t taken the time to let my wolf out, to let him run free. And it was showing.
“Obviously,” Tuck said. “Maybe you ought to do something about that before you lose it. I mean, you look one wrong word away from shifting right here and now.”
He was right. I could feel myself vibrating from my wolf’s insistence that I listen to him. I’d denied him for too long, and it was taking a toll. Maybe if I went for a run, it would do me some good. Maybe it would help me move past the craziness I felt any time I was around Easton.