“Look, I know you’re smart as fuck. That investment you told me about has quadrupled in value. But a mate is a different thing entirely. There is no textbook about it. There’s no logic. You can’t use your brain here. You have to use your heart… and maybe your dick. For once, let her lead.”
12
SUMMER
* * *
“I’m scared of him, Nat,” I said. I’d returned to the table and picked my coffee back up. It would be a shame to waste such delicious caffeine.
She cocked her head. “Honey, I can tell you until I’m blue in the face that Boone would never hurt you. Ever. If he scented you, then you are his mate, and it’s in his very biology to do anything and everything to make you safe and happy.”
“Like Rand does with you?” I’d seen how he treated her, and I was envious. It was the first thing that made me realize how truly awful Marty was. Would Boone be like that with me?
She nodded. “Yes, like Rand does with me. I will admit, at first, he was kind of… smothering. When they go all in for their mate, they go all in.”
That sure sounded familiar. “Were you scared?”
She gave me a soft smile. “No. Freaked, maybe, but Rand has only been sweet. Growly, for sure, but kind. I feel safe with him and all the guys in the pack.”
“He… Boone, he doesn’t seem to know what to say. Like everything that comes out of his mouth sets me off.”
“Boone’s an interesting one. Did you know he went to college in New York? Got an MBA. He lived and worked there for years.”
My eyes widened. I didn’t think he was dumb, but he seemed… hyperfocused on me.
“Shifters live in big cities like that?” I wondered.
Natalie shrugged. “Maybe some, but they are pack animals, and they love to run on full moons. Pretty hard to do in a huge city like that.”
I frowned, studied the pretty glazing on my mug Natalie told me once had been made by her friend Joy. “Then why’d he go there?”
She took a sip of her coffee. “This was way before my time, but Rand told me that when the last alpha died, Boone was a possibility to replace him because he was his–the alpha’s–nephew. Rob Wolf and Boone are first cousins. Boone’s father, the old alpha’s brother, wanted Boone to challenge Rob for the position. They argued. Boone and his dad, I mean. Fought even. His dad was hurt from the confrontation, and Boone left for Columbia University.”
Wow, that didn’t sound like the Boone I knew. “How old was he?”
She took a sip of coffee. “Sixteen, I think. Boone and Rob are around the same age.”
My eyes widened. “Sixteen and he went to college?”
She nodded and smiled. “Yeah. He’s that smart. Got a fancy Wall Street job that dealt with rich people’s money. Can you see him in a suit?”
I couldn’t. Surely, they’d have been custom made. No matter how appealing he’d have looked, I liked him in flannel. Or naked. “Then why’d he come back?”
Natalie shrugged. “Not sure. Something bad must’ve happened because he’s pretty much isolated himself on the mountain ever since. Which, circling back to you, is why he’s acting all weird. He’s never had a mate before.”
“Like, no ex-mates?”
She shook her head. “You only get one. Some might settle for a relationship with another shifter if they give up on finding their mate, but no. He’s never been like this with anyone else. You’ve got to give him a little slack. He might seem so big and strong and brave, but he’s got his own baggage. I think a lot of it.”
I frowned, suddenly seeing Boone as more than just a huge guy. He was strong but had worries and feelings and concerns like everyone else.
“I don’t blame you for being scared, especially after what Marty did, but that was Marty. You can’t put his behavior on every guy you meet. Especially on Boone because his growly nature isn’t going to change. You just need to take some time to start trusting him.”
I bit my lip. “We, um… had sex.”
She smiled. “I figured if he came down for coffee with you. And?” She waggled her brows.
“And it was amazing.” I grinned back, blushing at remembering how hot it had been. I never imagined it could ever be like that. What I’d had with Marty, my own husband, for years, paled in comparison to one night with Boone. “So, yeah, I trusted him enough to bring him home.”
