Page 48 of Wolves Always Bite

“So,”Isaid, following him over to a bench.Hedidn’t sit, he just stared at it for a minute.

“Areyou going to talk to me about what’s going on?”

“Whatdo you mean?”Icrossed my arms over my chest.

“Seriously?Youspent the last half hour admiring the art display in the restaurant’s foyer.Therewere only six prints on display.”

“Ienjoyed the way they captured the sunset.”

“Itwas a sunrise,”Jeremycorrected. “Andthey were all of the same spot on the same day, just taken a few minutes apart.”

Ibit the inside of my cheek.IknewI’dbeen pushing my luck by trying to waste some time there.

“Talkto me.”

“About?”

Jeremytwisted to face me.Heclasped his hands and his face was unexpectedly serious.Therewas a dullness in his eyes that made my chest twist and ache. “Imean,Ihad fun today, but you know you don’t have to babysit me anymore.AshandDillonare supes too, so they aren’t vulnerable the same way a human would be.I’llstay with them for a while if you still don’t thinkIshould go back home.Imean,IknowI’ma lot.Ididn’t expect you to stay interested in me, so you don’t have to work so hard to avoid being alone with me.Igot the message.”

Igaped at him.HethoughtIwas rejecting him.

And…Iguess maybeIhad.

Itwasn’t my intention.Ihadn’t really thought about it like that.I’donly thought about myself.Fuck,Iwas a selfish bastard.Onewho lied to himself too.Because, suddenly,Icouldn’t remember a single reason why getting involved withJeremywas a bad idea.Iloved his smile and his outlook on life and the way his eyes glinted when he was about to ask a particularly oddball question.Iloved his enthusiasm and his endless questions, and the way his hair fell over his forehead.EverythingaboutJeremyhad become sexy to me.Itwas ridiculous.

Allmy good intentions be damned.Self-preservation?Whatself-preservation?

And, yes, he was fragile, butIwas wolf enough to protect him.

“I…”

“I’mgoing to go back to the room for a bit.”Thenhe walked away.

Hewas two steps away beforeIfinally reacted.Insidemy head, my wolf instincts were running amok, demanding we make things right with this precious human.

“Jeremy, stop,”Ishouted asIdarted after him.Myarms were around his waist andIwas hauling him up against my body beforeIknew whatIwas doing.Jeremydidn’t push me away, but he didn’t lean into me either.Inuzzled the side of his neck. “I’msorry.”

“Don’tworry about it, wolf man.”Jeremypatted my arm lightly.

“No.Youdon’t understand.I’venever felt like this before.ThethingsIwant to do to you.Thethoughts in my head.I…”Iswallowed. “It’sall consuming, andIfreaked out.I’msorry.Icouldn’t understand whyIwas being like this, soIpulled away like an asshole.Inever meant to hurt you.Idon’t know what to do with all the thingsI’mthinking and feeling.”

Jeremyturned in my arms.Hepeered into my eyes with an intensity that made me wonder if he could read minds.Buthe was just a human, soIknew that wasn’t it.

“You’redoing the same thing to me,” he said after a long moment. “Makingme all crazy inside.I’venever felt this way about anyone.Ever.Itshouldn’t happen this fast.Iknow that.Butit doesn’t scare me like it does you.Ifyou need time to decide if you want to do this… with me… that’s okay.Iunderstand.”

“No.Idon’t want time.Imade a mistake.I’msorryIhurt you.”Ipressed my forehead to his and closed my eyes asJeremywrapped his arms around me.Everythingabout this moment and having him in my arms felt right.Icouldn’t understand howI’dbecome so attached to him so quickly, butIshould never have tried to push him away. “Butthere are things you need to know.”

Jeremystilled in my arms.

“Let’sgo sit somewhere…”Ilooked around for a quiet place.Ididn’t want to go back to the room yet.Icouldn’t be in that small unfamiliar room ifIwas going to tellJeremyabout my past.Ineeded to be out in the open with the sky over my head.Wewalked to a small park overlooking the lake.Closeto the water, people were sprawled out over large towels, soIsteeredJeremytoward a quiet picnic table under a massive elm tree.Hesat on one side;Isat on the other.

Jeremyeyed me warily whenIdidn’t speak right away.Hishands were clasped tightly in front of him on the table as he waited.

“Mylife isn’t my own,”Isaid finally. “Imade a deal withGage.I’mindebted to him.”

Jeremystudied me. “Whatdo you mean?”

“Gageis a demon.Hecan see what a person wants.Whenhe found me,Iwas almost lost to my wolf, butIstill dreamed of having a place in the world and people who called me their own.I’dbeen without a pack for more years thanIcan remember…”