Walking down the side of the road like he’s got nowhere to be and doesn’t care. The hell is he doing out here?
I slow the car, my gaze narrowing as I pull up alongside him. He’s trudging down the side of the road, kicking rocks as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders. Even from inside the car, I can sense something’s off. There’s an aura around him,like he’s trying to hold everything together, but it’s fraying at the edges.
Rolling down the window, I call out, “Chad!”
He doesn’t stop walking. Doesn’t even look my way.
“Chad, get in the car.”
Still nothing. The wind picks up, rustling through the trees, and I grit my teeth as I pull the car ahead and park it at an angle, blocking his path. I step out, slamming the door behind me, eyes locking on him as he keeps walking like I’m invisible.
“Get in the damn car,” I growl, stepping into his path.
He stops but doesn’t look at me, eyes fixed on the road ahead. His jaw’s tight, and his hands are shoved in his pockets. “Not in the mood, Dean. Just keep driving.”
I take a step closer, crossing my arms. “Not asking, Chad. Get in.”
He lets out a scoff, finally turning to face me, eyes flashing with defiance. “I don’t need your charity. I’m fine.”
“Yeah, you look real fine. Walking in the middle of nowhere, miles from town. You planning on making it there by morning?”
“I’ll make it just fine, it’s not that far,” he snaps, his voice sharper now, that edge of his back. “I don’t need your help.”
“Like hell you don’t,” I growl, stepping right into his space. “You want to be a stubborn asshole? Fine. But you’re getting in this car, one way or another.”
He meets my glare, eyes narrowed, mouth set in a hard line. For a second, I think he’s going to push me out of the way and keep walking. But then he smirks, lifting his chin defiantly. “Or what, Dean? You gonna throw me in the car like some damsel in distress?”
“If that’s what it takes, yeah,” I growl, my patience wearing thin. “I’ll throw your ass in.”
His perfume spikes between us, and my fucking alpha takes notice. My scent match and once upon a time possible mate,alone on the side of the road. Yeah, there’s no fucking way I’m leaving him here. He might have rejected our bond, but my inner alpha will not allow me to drive away and leave him here. Not with the sadness tinging his normally tangy papaya and lime scent.
It makes me want to wrap my arms around him and purr until he’s his brash self again.
His smirk deepens, that challenge flashing in his eyes. “Try me.”
I don’t move for a second, just glaring at him, feeling the tension crackle between us like a live wire. My musk joins the tantalizing mixture of his pheromones attempting to drown me. It makes me want to?—
Before I can finish that thought, I grab his wrist, yanking him toward the car.
Chad stumbles but doesn’t resist, a laugh slipping from his mouth as he jerks his arm back, pulling free. “Easy, tiger,” he says, still smirking but finally heading toward the passenger side. “Didn’t think you cared so much.”
“Get in the damn car, Chad,” I growl again, climbing into the driver’s seat as he throws open the door and slides in beside me.
Once the doors slam shut, I gun the engine, pulling back onto the road. The silence is thick between us, but Chad doesn’t seem fazed, at least he’s pretending he isn’t. He sits back, crossing his arms, eyes flicking out the window like he’s got better places to be.
“So,” he says after a few beats, voice dripping with sarcasm. “What’s the rush, Dean? Got somewhere to be?”
I grip the wheel tighter, jaw flexing as I glance at him from the corner of my eye. “Yeah. Away from your smart-ass mouth.” And fucking amazing perfume.
Chad chuckles, leaning back in the seat, as if he owns the damn car. “You missed me. And we both know you like my smart-ass mouth.”
I don’t respond. Can’t. Keeping my eyes locked on the road, I shove down whatever it is that stirs when he says things like that. But the tension in my chest is undeniable. Something about having him here, in such close quarters, makes my pulse thrum in ways I don’t want to acknowledge.
A need. A want. The same one that's been clinging to me since he showed back up, strutting into my life like he belongs in it.
“Where are we headed?” His voice cuts through the thick air between us.
“Town.”
