Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
She shivered. Elle didn’t want to think of his hands hurting anyone, especially when they brought her so much pleasure.
“When everything settled down, I made us a drink, and he came up behind me. Lewis wrapped his arms around my waist and ground his … erm … dick against my ass. He told me he wanted me.” Layla was bright red.
“I bet he said way more than that.”
“He did. I refused. I told him I didn’t sleep with men. I’m waiting for the right man for me. He backed off instantly. With the way Brandon’s behaved around you, I know I’m not mated to Lewis. He’d have claimed me by now.”
Elle saw the sadness in her friend’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.” She reached out but Layla stopped her.
“You don’t need to pity me. It’s no problem. I’m not destined to be with Lewis. It’s for the best. Your guy is here. I’m going to serve coffee. I hope you find what you need.”
Layla rushed out of the room. Matthew was sat in his usual seat with his mate. Taking a deep breath, Elle moved out of the kitchen. She approached his table.
“Hi,” she said.
“Elle, how are you doing?”
She put her notebook away. “I was wondering if I could talk to the pair of you,” she said.
“Sure, take a seat.”
Matthew’s mate smiled at her.
“I’m ever so sorry but I don’t know your name,” Elle said.
The woman laughed. “No problem. I’m used to being called Matthew’s mate. I’m Christine.”
She shook the woman’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Elle said.
“So, Elle, what do you need to ask?”
“I need to talk to you about this mating thing.”
He froze. “You should talk to the alpha. He’s your mate.”
“I’m not used to this, Matthew. I don’t know how to talk with him about this. He won’t tell me everything that happens during a mating. We’re at an impasse,” she said, trying to reason with him.
“You need to tell her, Matthew. She has a right to know,” Christine said.
Elle smiled at the other woman.
Matthew let out an agitated sigh. “This is going to get me into fucking trouble.” He leaned forward. “Have you accepted the mating?”
Elle frowned. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Mating takes two people, Elle. You either accept Brandon as your mate, or you don’t.”
“He’s convinced I’m his mate.”
“But you can still reject him. It’s not unheard of. We’re mated together for a reason, but it can happen,” Christine said.
“The mating requires you to open yourself up to the other person. Christine and I accepted each other. There was no fight between us. We found each other, fell in love, and the rest is history.” He stroked her hair.
Elle watched the movement and yearned for something similar. Brandon touched her, but it wasn’t affectionate. Brandon’s touch always made her think of him telling the world he owned her. She didn’t like it. There was no affection in his touch.
“Your mind is the barrier I’m talking about. We all build walls up around ourselves to protect us. When I found Christine, the barrier went down, and I let her in. She knows my thoughts and feelings.”
Christine smiled at him. “I know when he’s horny or hungry. The connection is between us like an electric spark no one else can see, but it’s there, and it’s all ours.”
The woman locked her fingers with Matthew.
“When the mating happens you’ll sense each other, and we can communicate through our minds. We don’t need to talk.”
“Also, we want to fuck, a lot,” Christine said.
Elle chuckled even though she blushed. Every wolf she’d come across was crude.
“Once we mate, we mate for life, Elle. When you make your mind up you should know that. I don’t know how this works for a human, but for us, we’re lifers.”
She gazed out of the window and saw Brandon walking toward her. “Can I talk to you some more?” she asked.
He nodded.
Leaving the booth, she grabbed her notebook and started scribbling down their order.
Chapter Fourteen
Brandon waited out in the chilly night for Elle to finish. He’d spent most of the night inside the diner eating and watching her work. When she bent over he got so many sinful thoughts that he’d spent most of the night rock-hard. Lewis stood waiting with him. Darcy and Drake had left several hours ago. Their disapproval filled the air around them. The pack were slowly finding out about Lori taking Elle’s place by his side for this visit. He’d need to have a meeting to explain his decision.
The scent of disapproval came off Lewis.
“Go on, spill,” Brandon said, folding his arms.
“I’m not saying a fucking word. I’ve said everything that needs to be said. You know my position, and I’m not backing down from it.” Lewis was waiting for Layla to finish.
The other man helped her home safely. With the creatures of the Otherworld present the humans were not safe. In the next twenty-four hours the vamps would turn up. Brandon didn’t like the blood suckers, and the humans would have a curfew of when they could leave home.