The Mate Mistake(The Woolven Secret 3)(5)

“Belle?” he prodded.

“Yeah, of course. Look, I want the attention even less than you do. I’ve… I know some bad people. They’re going to come looking for me now. I have to get the fuck out of Dodge and the faster the better. So just show me where to sign.”

He found his phone and the thing was practically a hot coal in his hands—vibrating with notification after notification.

“Well, aren’t you important.”

“They’re Google alerts. This has already hit the internet. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

She scrambled to find her clothes and get dressed.

His phone started ringing. He didn’t answer it.

She washed her face and took a hard look at herself in the mirror. She needed a plan.

“Where is Blake?” she heard from the living room. “No, this is important. I’m not kidding, Drew. I fucked up. It’s all over the papers. Yes, I… no. No. Well, they were looking. What do you expect me to do, cower? It’s undignified. No, no more so than… fine. How the hell should I know? Get the lawyers on it. Call me back.”

She emerged into the living room and found Parker had put on his wrinkled slacks from the night before.

“Well, we’re in a holding pattern at the moment until the lawyers get back to us.”

“How long’s that going to take?” Bad people could already have assets in Vegas coming to deal with her. Most likely not until dark, but she needed all the head start she could get.

“Not long. Wanna get some room service while we’re here? Might as well, right?” He leaned back on the couch and pushed his hands through his hair. “I’m really sorry about this.”

It would be easy to let him take all the blame, but she’d said, “I do.” Just the same as he had.

“Me too. I think if we’d met under different circumstances, we’d be able to be friends.”

He raised a brow. “Just friends?”

The way he looked at her made her blush again. Just being near him made her feel… alive. More alive than the sun warming her bones. More alive than the last time she’d had human blood…

“Friends with lots of benefits.”

“Good. Then since we’re stuck here, maybe we can both have breakfast.”

“Are you seriously trying to get in my pants again after what just happened?”

“Is this a trick question?”

She found herself laughing again. “Okay, seriously? In any other circumstance, I’d say go for it. I mean, I’d love nothing better than to have a rare piece of liver and a bloody mary for breakfast while you give me bean, but I’m kind of planning how to save my life. So being stupid stoned on the best orgasms of my life really isn’t helpful at the moment.”

He sighed. “I suppose I can arrange for the rare liver and the bloody mary then. I wouldn’t want you to die,” Parker drawled. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly did you do to incur deadly wrath? Did you embezzle from mobsters? Not pay your coke dealer? Take candy from babies?”

“Not exactly.” She wondered how much she should tell him. He was a werewolf, after all. He’d understand. Wouldn’t he?

Or maybe he wouldn’t. His kind and her kind didn’t mix. Not usually. Would he tear her throat out once he knew what she was? She studied him and took a deep breath.

His phone rang.

“It’s my brother.” He picked it up. “Drew.” His face paled. “Kumarin? Are you sure? Goddamn it.”

Kumarin. Evgeni Kumarin, if her guess was correct. A vampire. An evil one. A lot worse even than those who were after her.

She watched the play of emotions over Parker’s face. Such genuine concern and loyalty to his family. She liked that about him.

Belle could admit she liked a lot of things about him.

Her position was more precarious than she’d thought. It would be so easy to fall in love with him and that would be the stupidest thing she could do. Even more so than climbing on his face and riding it like a wild pony before she had to say goodbye to him.

She couldn’t bring her family’s wrath down on him.

The Woolvens wouldn’t go to war with the entire vampire nation for one little waitress and an impromptu Vegas wedding.

Not that she wanted them to, she assured herself.

Maybe in another world, another time, she and Parker Woolven could’ve been something more. But this was not that time and this was not that world.

“Yeah, I don’t know. Well, she’s a person, Drew. She has a choice.”

His words jerked her attention back front and center.

“Fine. Fine. I said fine. What about Maribella? Yeah, okay. I’ll let you know.”