Her eyes widened. “You and Brandon? I thought you hated him!?”
“I do. Well…I did.”
She waved a hand. “So wait, are you just doing it?”
“No, it was a one-time thing. It was just a kiss.”
Nora snorted. “Oh, that’s a load of shit.”
“It was,” I said and sighed. “We…we can’t screw this up for Ilsa.”
Nora’s face fell. “Do you want something to happen?”
I shook my head, but Nora simply raised an eyebrow at me. “Your face says otherwise.”
I looked away from her. “I don’t know. It’s simpler when we’re just living in the same house. But once you add emotions and feelings into the mix, it just…muddies everything.”
Nora tilted her head. “But you guys aren’t just living together, Jade. You guys have a child together. You guys are mates as well, so you’re trying to fight something that was not meant to be fought against.”
“You’re supposed to agree with me on this,” I grumbled.
Nora smirked. “I’m only stating the facts here.”
I huffed, and she tilted her head. “You know you’re getting all flustered over a kiss. If it was just a kiss, I don’t see the problem.”
I chewed on my lip. “Well…”
Her eyebrows went up, and she held a smug expression. “It wasn’t just a kiss, was it?”
I felt my face grow hot. “It may or may not have been…a moment.”
“Like you guys almost had sex?”
Would I have allowed it? I wasn’t sure. It all happened so fast. One moment, I was enjoying the way he held me, the way his lips pressed against mine, and then suddenly, I was aware of just how bad it was.
“I don’t know.”
Nora looked surprised. “Wow. Okay. Uhh, so I don’t know Brandon well besides what I’ve heard, but why don’t you go for it? I know you said Ilsa, but…you guys clearly get along.”
“And what if he decides to leave again?” I whispered softly. “He left me once. He is enjoying this now, but I have no idea why he’s back. I doubt it was just to take over as Alpha. I don’t know what’s going on in the big picture, and how can I give him something like that when I don’t know the outcome?”I twisted my fingers together. “I can’t allow anything to happen when it’s not just my heart I have to think about.”
Nora gave me a soft, sympathetic expression. “Have you spoken to him about this?”
“I doubt he would be honest,” I said with a sigh. “And honestly, I’d rather live in la-la-land for a while, then think about the truth that he might leave.” And that was the big pill I couldn’t swallow.
Chapter 13 - Brandon
I looked at the open ground that Asher had picked out for us to use for practice today. It was just near the outskirts of the pack border, but still inside, so I knew we would be safe. Westley had already checked the area and stated that everything was clear, so we could proceed.
The group had grown, so we had to divide it into smaller groups. I placed both men and women in each group, ensuring that the females received the same training as the males.
The groups had grown stronger, and everyone was improving, but my eyes froze on Jade, who stood in the back. She was wearing a pair of stretchy pants and a loose yellow tank top. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and as she moved to stretch, I could see she’d put on weight. Since joining, she’d gained muscle and strength. She didn’t look like the weak woman I had seen when I first arrived.
My mind traveled back to the other night and her lips. Her fingers were hot against my skin, and I so badly wanted her. I thought one kiss would have been enough, but it wasn’t. I was hungry, and only she was going to be the one to calm it.
“Are we ready?” Asher asked as he stopped next to me with his arms crossed. He scanned the ground, keeping count of everyone.
I nodded. “Yeah, let’s see what they have in them today.”
