I opened my mouth to speak then shut it again. I already knew I was the one who had breached sides and snuggled up to him in my sleep. And I had a feeling that I’d find him again ifhe tried to sleep in here with me tonight. Though I doubted that would happen with two other bedrooms for him to sleep in.
Monte
Chapter 11
She seemed surprised by my omission. I sure hoped she didn’t expect me to sleep in some other room. She deserved the master bedroom, though I really did feel like the bed was too big for us. I’d take a full size or even a twin over this beast of a bed anytime.
When we went to check out the bathroom it was just as enormous, but then so was the jetted tub that was easily big enough for the both of us.
Ideas started forming in my mind as a slow smile crept across my face.
“I don’t even want to know what you’re thinking,” Zoey said.
I knew enough about women to understand she definitely wanted to know, but I didn’t give her the satisfaction. Instead, I shrugged and made my way back to the living room. It felt like safer, more neutral territory. I’d promised to take Bucky’s lesson at one and if I stayed in that bedroom even a second longer with my mate, there was little chance I’d make it.
“Hey, are you okay if I order room service or would you rather go down to the dining room?”
“I’m starving. Food sounds great.”
She rummaged around until she found the room service menu.
“Yum. A cheeseburger and fries sounds perfect.”
“Yeah, it does for me too,” I agreed. “I’ll call it in.”
When I reached to take the menu from her and find the number to call, our hands brushed. All conscious thought left my mind. Was it any wonder I couldn’t remember?
This woman did things to me that I couldn’t even describe to myself. All I knew for sure was that she made me feel comfortable and confident enough to just be me.
Freshman year I’d tried to keep up and play the fraternity game. Remy, Brax, Caleb, and I had all decided to rush together. Then there was Kellen and Jax, too. We’d had a lot of fun that year, but outside the house I felt like I had to be this person I wasn’t and hated it. The whole pretense thing just wasn’t me.
As I thought about it, I knew that’s why I had keyed in so quickly to the way Zoey spoke and acted around Karla. It was all an act. She wasn’t being herself. But I genuinely felt like when it was just the two of us that she let her guard down. It felt like she was just being herself.
I just hoped that it wasn’t me imagining things or making them up. Her world wasn’t exactly filled with authentic people. I knew how Theta girls acted. It was often all about appearances. So how the hell was Zoey their president? Combine that with her role as a social media influencer, which also wasn’t known for authenticity, and I had to believe that she was being real and honest with me. Because if not, true mate or not, I knew I couldn’t be with her.
After making the call to room service, I kicked off my shoes and settled onto the couch. I still had an hour before I needed to go, and it wasn’t like I had much of anything to unpack.
Zoey sat across from me with her feet tucked under her. It was strange how much I hated the distance between us even though it was only a few feet.
“So, that was weird,” I blurted out.
“What was?”
“You. It was like you were an entirely different person when you were speaking with Karla.”
There was panic in her eyes. She looked like a scared little doe, frozen but ready to bolt at the sign of danger. I wanted to kick my own ass for putting her in that position. But I sat there watching her as she transformed before my eyes.
That fake, plastic look replaced with the woman I thought I was getting to know.
She smiled at me and I shuddered.
“Don’t do that,” I said before she even opened her mouth.
“Do what?”
“Put on the mask when we’re talking.”
This time there was real fear there. I could smell it on her as she curled herself into a ball, hugging her legs to her chest.
