“That’s not the ex I meant.”
“Then you should have been more specific.” He handed her a shot. “Bottom’s up.”
Sighing, she drank down the fiery alcohol.
He took a minute to think about his next question. What did he want to know about her? Everything. He pushed the thought away and tried to focus on the specific details that might come in handy. He could ask her more about her lost coven, perhaps details of her past relationships.
But the question that emerged from his lips was far from planned.
“In the car, why did you look so lost?”
The smile slipped from her lips. “That has nothing to do with our ruse.”
“Doesn’t matter. I asked you a question, you answer. That’s how this works.”
“And if I don’t want to respond?”
“Three shot forfeit.”
She gaped. “That will put me on the floor. Plus you can’t change the rules once the game has started.”
“Of course I can.” His wolf paced inside him. Just like the man, it wanted answers. Wanted to figure out the inner workings of Chloe. If he were a gentleman he might retract his question, given her discomfort, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind he dismissed it. She was a puzzle he had to figure out. One way or another he’d hear her confessions, even if it meant giving a few of his own.
“Tell me the truth,” he repeated. “What were you thinking about?”
She wanted to tell him to back off. Her realizations about her own desires had nothing to do with his plot. But she’d agreed to this game, and the alcohol was already flowing insidiously through her veins. Truths she’d regret tomorrow seemed a small price to pay for information she wanted today.
Take a page out of his book. Distance yourself from your emotions. Just lay out the facts.
“I realized I want to find my mate,” she said, chin up. “When we are through with our ruse, I’m going to start actively searching for him.”
The smile slipped off Kieran’s face. “You want to settle down?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t think so, but these few weeks made me think otherwise. I suppose I have you to thank for that. If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t have realized I was ready for something real.”
“If not for me, huh?”
Reaching for the decanter, she poured him another drink. “Yeah. At least something positive is coming out of this.” She held the glass out to him.
Saluting her, he tossed it back.
“Now, tell me about her. The woman you don’t want to talk about.”
He sighed, setting the shot glass back down on the coffee table. “Lisette,” he said. “Her name was Lisette.”
Chloe swallowed at the pain she heard in that simple sentence. Who had this woman been to him? Whatever had happened, it had obviously been brutal enough to leave scars. “What happened?”
“What always happens,” he replied. “We loved too hard. The drama that fueled our passion grew too unstable. It overwhelmed our lives. Every little thing blew up into a fight until eventually, we forgot about the love and only focused on the anger.”
She swallowed hard. “Did you leave her?”
He smiled, staring at his hands. “She left me. At least, I suppose that’s what you can call screwing another man in our bed.”
“What?” she breathed. “That’s just…” Chloe shook her head. “Unconscionable.”
“We’d been growing apart for a decade,” he replied, his voice unnaturally even. “It was inevitable.”
“Parting, maybe. But not so cruelly.”
His gaze rose to hers. “I wasn’t the alpha when we first got together. For years we were happy, until my father decided to step down. When you’re immortal, there are only so many lifetimes you can do a job before you tire of it. He was at the end of his reign, and I was ready to take my place as head of the pack. But that time of transition put…”
“Pressure on your relationship,” she filled in. “You had new responsibilities, and Lisette wasn’t your only concern anymore.”
“She wanted to lead, but she didn’t want to be tied down to the needs of the pack.” He shook his head. “There’s a reason ruling alpha pairs are rare. Not everyone is cut out for such a relationship.”
Chloe scoffed. “That’s nonsense. If a curve ball gets thrown into your relationship, then you adapt. At least you do if it’s worth fighting for.”
Dark eyes caught hers. “We’ve already established, my lovely witch, that you think differently than other women.”
“Not most other women,” she said, sliding closer to him. “Maybe differently than ‘Candy’ but only because I care.”