Page 44 of Tempting Fate

He’s silent for a few seconds. “No.”

Jamie kissed Em? Not to get to me. I know that without being told. Because he wanted to. Wants to, just like I do.

I rub my hand over my forehead. If I thought the three of us would work… I shake my head. Jamie and I aren’t mates. I don’t feel the same for him as I do for Em, don’t get the same tunnel vision when I look at him.

And I don’t know how I’d handle that, anyway. Sure, I’m surprised that I don’t feel jealous now, that the idea of Jamie and Em kissing makes my skin all hot and my breath come short, but what about when that wears off? It has to, right? Drew, Sam, and Adam make it work, but they’re not us. Not me.

“Patch, say something.”

“You were right. It’s not a big deal.”

“Please—”

“I mean it,” I interrupt because I want Em to know that it’s the truth. “I mean, you’re right about everything you said, too, and if I were angry, it wouldn’t be your fault, but I’m… not.”

Em makes a sound that might almost be a laugh. “You’re sure about that? Because that sounded like a question.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure. I just thought I’d feel differently too.”

“Is it because you want to be with Jamie?”

“We talked about this.”

“Only a little,” Em says but doesn’t seem keen to press the matter. “Anyway. I thought you should know. Sorry I didn’t do it in person.”

“I’d rather get a phone call than you waiting until Monday. You’d be all stressed out.”

Em chuckles. “Yeah, I guess.”

“What about last night?”

“What about it?”

“You said it was strange. Everything okay over there?”

“Yeah.” Something rustles, as though Em is getting himself into a more comfortable position now that the hard part of the conversation is done. I smile into my empty room. “I made Jamie and Nick dinner last night. Made soup. Talked to Cate, too. She says I only make soup when I’m trying to figure things out.”

“What were you trying to figure out?”

“The kiss. All of it. Anyway, I made dinner. That was nice; they really liked it.”

“Doesn’t sound strange so far.” My stomach rumbles. “You’re making me hungry, though.”

Em laughs. “Sorry. Yeah, I went for a walk late. Couldn’t sleep. I saw—Thought I saw—”

My heart thuds against my ribs. “What did you see?”

The moment stretches taut. If he says a wolf, I’ll have to go over there. He’s my mate, anyway. So long as I tell him properly, no one will get into trouble. He’s tied to me, to the whole supernatural community through me.

“A big fucking dog,” Em says finally. “Huge. I should have stayed, tried to find its owner, but I panicked. Ran.”

Disappointment floods me, the emotion a stark contrast to the relief I felt a moment ago at hearing about Em and Jamie’s kiss. My wolf chuffs, annoyed, and I swallow down the bitter taste in my mouth. “Fuck. It didn’t chase you?”

“No. I know running wasn’t a good idea, but I wasn’t sure what to do,” Em says. “But I’m okay. Went back that way this morning. The dog’s gone.”

Is he telling me he saw a dog, or convincing himself? I hope it’s the former. It makes sense he wouldn’t fully trust me yet, but I don’t want him to blind himself to what’s truly out there.

“You need to be careful walking around late,” I say instead of any of that, and Em’s laugh this time sounds a little pleased.

“Don’t worry about me. As you can tell, I am very skilled at making a quick escape.”

My chest warms. He might not know me quite yet, but at least my mate is safe.