“Yeah, we have a few. You’re welcome to take them. I’ll box them up for you.”
“Appreciated.”
She went behind the counter to the bakery case and pulled out a tray of buns. Sneaking him a few glances as she prepared his order, Allie realized how much he looked like his brother. Jett’s raven hair and deeply tanned skin set off the unique near purple of his eyes. His brow was set in a serious line, one he didn’t relax very often and the faint lines around his eyes whispered of hours spent in tension. He was physically striking and also... sad? Like he was carrying anguish deep inside that couldn’t be contained.
Curious what his story was, Allie handed him the box. “All set. My treat.”
He hesitated before taking the box. He gave a nod, and looked like he might turn to go, but caught her eyes and held them without mercy.
“Don’t lead my brother on. There’s no time for false hope.”
Allie paused mid-air in reaching for a paper towel. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Jett looked behind him as if to ensure they were still alone in the store. He gripped the bakery box hard enough to imprint the cardboard.
“He needs to accept a mate by the end of the full moon in three days. If it’s not going to be you, you need to tell him right now.”
Dax hadn’t said anything about a timeline, nor had he directly asked her to be his mate. He’d said she was... implying fate or some divine intervention.
“He hasn’t specifically asked me to be his mate.” It wasn’t a lie, just a diversion around what Dax had implied.
Jett frowned. “Knowing my brother, he hasn’t filled you in on all the details. He’s just come on to you hard and fast, trying to hurry you into feeling something for him. But there are dire consequences to your decision. If you don’t feel anything for him, let him go so he can take another mate.”
Allie dropped the towel. Her mind was trying to catch up while pulling bits and pieces of her and Dax’s time together. He hadn’t expressed feelings for her per say yet made them clear in the way he touched her body and the words he said. Everything he’d done, in some way, was to show her he was interested. Invested, even. Why would he consider another mate?
“Are you telling me that if I don’t agree to be Dax’s mate, he’s going to dump me to find a woman who will?”
“Yes.” His decisive tone stung.
Allie cocked her head and swallowed down the lump that formed in her throat. “Let me get this straight. Dax needs to take a mate ASAP or something bad is going to happen?”
Jett nodded.
“Okay, so why did he wait so long? I mean, why now?”
There’s no way a man like Dax would have any trouble finding a woman to mate with him.
“He’s... had a hard time settling down. But the timeline is pressuring him now so he’s— “
“Settling,” she said as tears stung her eyes. Is that what was going on? Dax had come on to her strong and fast. And while he hadn’t asked her to express love or any emotions, really, he did try and convince her that she was his fated mate. Did he really feel that way?
You have no idea how much I need you.The words that had filled her with so much promise and hope were nothing more than a bid to meet his end goal. Was it all a lie to meet a deadline?
“Thank you for telling me.” Allie cleared her throat, ready to be done with this conversation. “I’ll speak to Dax about it.”
Jett tucked the bakery box in the crook of his left arm and headed for the door. Allie wasn’t sure if she was more stunned by Jett’s bluntness, or Dax’s possible fraud. She’d never once felt like he was playing her to meet his own end, yet clearly her radar and ability to judge assholes appropriately were off thanks to her relationship with Blake. Was Dax pulling the same rose-colored wool over her eyes?
A single tear fell down her cheek. First Marybeth’s threat to do harm to Sticky Sweet if she didn’t stay away from Dax, and now this.
The Loser Allie List was supposed to be a sarcastic reflection of her life, yet the more things piled up, the more she realized there was more truth and less sarcasm to the whole damn thing. Was she so pathetic that she was going to fall for a man’s games again?
The buzz of her phone pulled her from her reverie. Marybeth.
It’s five o’clock, Allie Mae. What’s your answer?
