Tarnished(8)

Never, ever would he want her to feel pressured. She was a treasure. A gem. He was sure of it.

“Hungry?”

She looked at him quizzically. “I guess.”

“Let’s get something to eat. We can head to the dining hall and grab a table. It’ll be better than this gravel under our butts.” He held her hand tighter than he intended. It wasn’t as though she could dodge him and run away. Although he wasn’t taking that chance… He just didn’t want to lose the connection.

He grabbed for the door, but she didn’t budge. Her arm stretched out with his grasp, but her feet didn’t move.

She bit her lip and lowered her gaze. “Could we not?”

“Not what? Eat? Sure. What would you like to do? Anything but that stupid meat-market room. I can’t take that.”

She lifted her gaze and gasped.

Hell, he would march straight to that room and make friends with everyone in it if it meant that much to her. “Unless you wanted to go there. I’ll survive.”

“No. It’s not that. It’s just that I called it the same thing you just did earlier today. A meat market. You surprised me. That place gives me the chills.”

Relief flooded him. Thank God. She was officially off the market. No need to seek out entertainment of the available-wolves type.

She still didn’t move forward. He stepped closer to her. When she didn’t protest, he cupped her cheek and tipped her head back. “Where do you want to go?”

“Can we just not? I’ve had a rough day. I can’t face my family right now. I don’t even know why I came here at all.”

“I’m glad you did.” He set his forehead on hers. She didn’t protest. Her scent burrowed under his skin. Into every pore on his body. Into his mouth. She made his heart race. He used every ounce of strength he didn’t really even possess to keep from taking her lips with his own. “Whatever you want.”

The woman could lead him to the moon. He didn’t care as long as she held his hand and gazed up at him with those wide chocolate eyes.

“Could we just stay out here? Or leave even? Do you think anyone would notice?”

Leave? Fuck me. If he took her to his truck, could he keep from mauling her? Hell, yes. He could endure a lifetime of hard cocks if it was her wish. “I’m sure we could escape for a while. My family is more interested in the events than I am. They won’t notice me missing.”

She exhaled, her breath mingling with his between them. Inches separated their mouths.

And then she stepped back and turned away, her chest heaving for air as he watched her shoulders lift with each breath. Thank God I’m affecting her as much as she is me. It’d be hell if it weren’t equal.

She pulled. He followed. It wasn’t in his nature. The woman had him under some sort of spell. He was a dominant alpha male through and through. Suddenly, this pixie of a woman, barely five feet three, had him by the balls. He was whipped. God. He’d never live this down once his brothers caught on.

“Where’s your car?”

Hey, at least he had one thing. Knowledge of the location of the vehicle. She couldn’t read his mind. “This way.” He nodded to the right and stepped in front of her. I’ll lead.

She shook her hand free and tucked both sets of fingers into the front pockets of her jeans. When he glanced back at her, she shrugged. “The connection was sucking my brain cells out of my head.”

He laughed. “True. I might actually be able to find my truck now.”

God, her smile was mesmerizing. It lit up her whole face. Tiny dimples formed on each cheek. Her gaze narrowed. He wanted to see that every day for the rest of his life. Now all he had to do was figure out how to convince her to go along with that in the next two hours.

He figured he could be gone that long without anyone missing him. And he’d treasure the moments alone with her.

The only sound filling the otherwise silent parking lot was the gravel beneath their feet. Everyone had arrived by now and funneled inside. The sun shone bright, beating off the roofs of the cars to warm the air and make him squint.

When they reached his truck, he opened the passenger door for her and helped her inside by gently holding her elbow. Her gasp at the contact matched his own elevated heart rate. Lord, when will that spark of electricity ease up?

According to his parents, never.

Drake shut the door and rounded the hood at warp speed. His woman was inside his truck, and he didn’t want to waste a moment with her.





Chapter Three


As soon as he started the ignition, he turned to face her. “Where do you want to go? I’m not familiar with this area at all. Are you staying close by?”