He looks up at me then, a tiny flash of something on his face before he shrugs. “There’s a game on tonight that I might watch,” he says, and goes back to his phone, but much less relaxed than before.
His mint scent singes slightly, like the aroma of burning leaves. I didn’t mean to judge his plans, having apparently put my foot in my mouth, but it got to him nevertheless. His insecurity bleeds out of his scent as he tries to distract himself once more with the temporary dopamine of short videos.
I scuffle my feet, kicking imaginary dirt as I hesitate to speak, but then I muster up the courage and rip the Band-Aid off before I can walk away by saying, “Maybe we can hang out.”
His eyes meet mine once more and they nearly take me out. I didn’t notice before, but they’re the most decadent brown I’ve ever seen, little flashes of gold shimmering in the center. They widen at the indication.
“Us?” he asks incredulously.
I steel my spine. “Yes,us. Why not? We’re both single, so we don’t have anything better to do or anywhere else to be.”
Thatcher swallows. The movement of his throat would be distracting if it weren’t for the furrowed brows on his face. Hiseyes dart away. “What about your friends? Maybe you can hang out with them.”
A laugh bursts out of me. “What? My two friends who are newly bonded? You think they’d be available to hang out on Valentine’s Day?”
“Shit, you’re right. I forgot they were bonded.”
The amusement continues to tickle me pink. “Yeah, I wouldn’t risk going near them with a ten-foot pole today.”
Thatcher chuckles and my head jolts up at the sound. It’s so foreign, so mind-throttling. When he notices me looking at him, he flattens his lips and clears his throat.
“Didn’t you live with someone before you moved in? Maybe you can hang out with her.”
His question startles me and my smile falls. He asked about my friends and I only thought about Rory and Stacia. The horror of what just happened seeps in almost immediately. Maybe I was wrong about why Cindy’s and my friendship is in this current state… maybeI’mthe bad friend in this scenario.
“Hey,” Thatcher says softly, and I realize I’ve been staring off into space for a few moments. “Where did you go?”
I sit down on the couch, feeling guilty. “I did live with a friend, but we haven’t felt like friends for a long time,” I admit. “So much so that I didn’t even remember her until you asked.”
Thatcher looks sympathetic, and his head tilts to turn his whole attention to me. “I’m sorry. Sometimes it’s hard to live with people, even when you like them.”
“Maybe… but even before that, our friendship was strained.”
The alpha looks mildly uncomfortable. Maybe he isn’t one for emotions, or maybe my sudden onset of problems is too much for him, but then he asks, “Did you guys have a fight?”
The question is so simple, but there’s something so innocent about it that it brings a smile to my face. A weak one,considering the subject matter, but a smile still. “It probably would have been better if we did,” I say candidly. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to bring the mood down. Maybe you should spend the holiday with someone less… confused.”
The word comes out, and I realize I’m not just referencing my friendship with Cindy, but also my presence in this house. Even now, his scent calls to me and I can’t do a damn thing about it. If I leaned towards him, if I closed any contact between us, he would look at me like I was from Mars. No one in this house can smell me. This connection is one-sided, and I am falling deeper into it by the minute.
“Wait,” he says as I stand up to leave. I turn to look at him, halted in my spot. He looks strained, hesitant. His hand rubs the back of his neck, staring at the floor as he works through whatever is happening in his mind. Finally, he heaves a heavy sigh and pats the spot beside him. “Come on.”
I widen my eyes at him. “Really?”
He nods. “I think hanging out”—he coughs slightly—“withyoucould be fun. And you’re right. I have nowhere else to be. I’d rather not be…” He lets the sentence linger, the last word forgotten, but he doesn’t need to clarify. It’s the same reason why I went looking for Kit, why I came down here and pushed my luck with him. Being alone, especially today, doesn’t sound like fun.
But being near a grumpy, complicated alpha might just be, which is why I take my seat next to him with an uplifted energy.
FOURTEEN
Playing: “Look After You” by The Fray
Over a year ago,I couldn’t even get a guy to have a picnic with me. Now, as I sit with my scent match over a candlelight dinner at this luxury resort, I’m thinking about how silly it was to feel so much despair when it came to my relationships.
Now, my love life is soaring, and I have the best partner in the world.
The entire day has been one big surprise after another. When he swept me off my feet this morning and announced we were leaving, I had no idea this is where we would end up. The ski resort is lush in the best possible way. Every detail looks expensive but also cozy as it mimics somewhere a family would enjoy their holiday. There’s been hot chocolate, basic training since I’ve never been skiing before, and a cute snowy lunch after we took a break from the slopes. We even had time for aquickie in the sauna before anyone could bust us in an unseemly position.
I take another bite of my steak, and the waiter stops by and asks me if I’d like more wine.
