He kissed me again, slower.
When I pulled away, we were both breathing faster.
“I’ll meet you at the dress place. Text me when you know a time,” he said lightly.
I nodded, not quite in the right position to speak.
He finally took a step to the side.
Though leaving was the last thing I wanted to do, I slipped out. His hand brushed my waist again as I went, and he leaned against the doorway with his hands in his pockets while my friends met me in the hallway.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Areyouready?” Emmy teased. “You’re blushing like crazy.”
“I’m just testing your pink obsession. Is it working for me?” I pressed the backs of my hands to my cheeks again. I never blushed red, just really pink.
“One-hundred percent,” Stella confirmed with a thumbs-up.
Abby winked. “Mated life looks good on you.”
“So does the werewolf,” Jade put in.
“I’m feeling strangely objectified,” Connor remarked.
“Don’t pretend you don’t like it,” Jade tossed back.
I looked at Connor, and found him wearing a lazy smile. “Have fun. Call me if you start shifting.”
I nodded.
“Are you in the shitty shifter boat with me?” Jade asked on our way out. “I can’t seem to learn how to shift less painfully to save my life.”
“Unfortunately.”
“It’s because you’re both control freaks,” Stella said. “I’ve watched a shit-ton of the guys’ coaching, and the main concept is learning to respect your wolf enough to let them take over whenever they want to.”
“How are you supposed to respect a wolf you can never meet or otherwise talk to?” I asked.
Emmy shrugged as we all climbed into Stella’s truck. “You just do.”
Me, Emmy, and Abby all took the back row while Jade and Stella sat in the front. Someone gave me a massive plate of food, and I dug in immediately.
“Your wolf is a living, breathing being just like you are. If you can respect dogs, bears, or cows, you can respect your wolf,” Abby put in.
“It can be difficult to let go even if you do respect the wolf,” Jade pointed out. “I think mine is great, but it’s still hard to let her take over.”
Stella pulled away from Connor’s house. My gaze lifted from my plate to the porch, where he stood leaning up against the railing.
He was insanely hot.
When he caught me staring, his lips curved upward and he waved. After a beat of hesitation, I waved back.
“The drive is pretty long, but Maya is going to meet us there,” Emmy said.
“Hmm?” I looked at my friend. We were too far to see Connor anymore anyway.
Emmy smiled. “I called Maya, and she agreed to come to the dress store. It sounds like she’s even going to come to the wedding.”
