Daegan was pretty sure he could hear Sheila grinding her teeth as she wished them all good night in a pleasant voice, but it was Andrea’s blatantly false, almost mocking demeanor that took him by surprise.
Chapter Four
Andrea was livid. Not only did the woman have her eyes on Xavier, she’d actually spent the night deliberately ignoring Isaac and Daegan. And it wasn’t just the actions of a woman smitten by a man and distracted by his charm. It was the deliberate calculation of an elitist snob who considered herself more important than everyone else.
A growl rose up in her throat as the woman walked away, her hips swinging in an obvious attempt to attract Xavier’s attention.
“Who is she?” Andrea asked the moment the three were gone from the restaurant.
“Dave’s sister,” Xavier answered, looking a little startled. Stupid man.
“I know that,” she said, trying to contain her temper. “Who is she to you?”
Xavier looked very uncomfortable, and judging by the way Isaac’s hand had once again started caressing her leg, Andrea knew she wasn’t going to like the answer.
“We’ve dated a few times,” Xavier said dismissively. “But there was never anything serious.”
“Have you fucked her?” She deliberately made the question offensive.
“Andrea, calm down.” Oh, that was the absolute worst thing he could have said at that very moment. Talk about a flashback to her disastrous marriage. She dragged in a breath.
“I need some air.” She shook off Isaac’s hand, anxious to be alone. “Stay,” she growled when Daegan tried to get out of his chair.
Angrier than she could ever remember, Andrea stomped out the front door of the restaurant and around the corner. She tried to steady her breathing as a cool breeze hit her face. Unfortunately, it also carried words to her ears.
“I don’t care if he has a mate. She’s not worthy of him. He’s an alpha, and she’s some pathetic little human his brothers probably dragged out of the gutter.”
“Sheila,” her brother warned angrily, “Andrea is the alpha’s mate whether you like it or not. You can’t change that, so don’t even try.”
“Of course I can change it. I haven’t worked this hard or this long to see my rightful position handed to some human whore,” she said smugly as she slid into the driver’s seat of her car. She slammed the door closed, and the vehicle started a moment later.
Andrea watched, her mind racing with thoughts, as Dave and Jessie exchanged a few quiet words and then headed to their own car. Andrea continued to gaze at the road long after both cars turned onto the highway and headed up the mountain.
“I expected Isaac would be the one to follow me,” she said as Xavier slid his arms around her from behind.
“I know,” he said with a sigh. “But I just got a rushed, truncated version of what has been happening behind my back for the last couple of years and thought I better be the one to deal with it.”
“You didn’t know?” she asked incredulously. How could he not know the woman’s true personality? Was it obvious to everyone but him?
“No, I didn’t know,” he answered in an irritated tone. “It seems that my brothers spend a lot of time trying to protect me. I suppose none of it really mattered until you came along anyway. You’re my mate, Andrea, and I will always be faithful to you.”
“You don’t even know me,” she whispered, feeling wretched. Less than twenty-four hours ago she’d been screaming blue murder at the idea of getting married to anyone, yet now she couldn’t imagine not tying her future to these men. Was it the nearly dying or the changing into a werewolf that had fucked up her thinking?
“I know you,” he said with a confident laugh. “I know that when I do this”—he licked her earlobe and then sucked it into his mouth for a moment—“it makes your knees wobble and your breath catch.” He pressed a line of kisses down her throat. “I know that the idea of having sex with the three of us makes your panties damp and your pussy swell with need.” He turned her in his arms and pressed her head against his heart. “And I know that you don’t like having your feelings dismissed. I’m sorry, sugar. I spoke before I gave any thought to how the words might affect you. I’m the leader of our pack and used to giving orders. I just hope you believe me when I say it won’t happen again.”
“Bullshit,” she said with a quiet laugh. “I know it will happen again. As you say, you’re the top dog, used to pushing others around.”