“One of the penthouse apartments over in Pine Ridge?” Echo says. And the way that she’s getting information out of him without him even realizing is masterful. I didn’t understand how useful she was going to be on this endeavor, but clearly Madame LaFontaine knew what she was doing by linking us up with her.
I mean, I doubt she knew Echo was also our mate, but then again, the woman is an important weaver, so perhaps she knows things that the rest of us aren’t privy to.
Echo turns to me with a huge smile on her face and I realize I got so distracted with thinking about her I missed the last part of her conversation with ‘Scotty’—as he referred to himself like only the biggest douchebags do.
“Let’s go,” she says.
We head out into the alleyway next to the apartment building and Echo grabs onto my wrist on one side and Brogan’s on the other. I’m then assaulted by that same world-bending feeling where everything around me dissolves and I find my feet touching a white stone floor in the middle of a stark white hallway.
We must be inside Andrew’s new apartment building. I look at Echo and quirk my eyebrow, not able to show exactly how impressive I am finding my mate.
“You have the apartment number?”
“Sure do, sweets.”
I’d be lying if my stomach didn’t do a little flip at the casual pet name she’s lobbed my way. Because I’m now pathetic, clearly and any hint of affection from my mate has me wanting to lap it up like Brogan’s hound form drinks water.
She moves toward the apartment, one of only two on this entire floor, and raps her knuckles against the wood. I find myself mesmerized by the sheer confidence she exudes with every movement. She moves with a kind of grace and fluidity that makes it difficult to take my eyes off her. Brogan nudges me in the ribs with a shit-eating grin on his face and I scowl back at him as he mouths, ‘don’t let yourself get distracted’ at me.
Fucker.
He’s right though. I was practically drooling at Echo and am pretty sure I need to dial it back a notch if I don’t want to creep her out.
Although… that coat is doing some surprising things to me. I’ve never been a hugely sexual person. Something to do with being an ice cold prick that doesn’t want to get close to anyone yet who also doesn’t want to settle for just getting his dick wet. The thought of sex with no other connection has always just felt alien to me.
But for the first time in my life, I want to see the curves that her oversized coat is hiding. I want to run my hands over her waist and the swell of her ass. I want to feel the softness of her skin, to trace the lines of her body, to wrap my fingers through her hair and tug as she submits to me. I want to taste her skin and feel what it’s like to have that full bottom lip between my teeth. I want to tug at it and—
Fuck, I’m hard. This is another thing that I’ve never had to deal with before. I’m not the guy that gets randomly hard in public while perving over an attractive woman.
Granted, that woman is my mate, but still.
I feel like every minute spent with her is unraveling me. Soon I’ll just be a pile of thread… and maybe cum on the ground.
That’s… quite the mental image.
Yep, I’m definitely mentally unraveling. I’ve only spent just over a day in her presence, and I’m well and truly falling to pieces.
Brogan’s low whistle finally pulls my attention from Echo and my traitorous dick.
“This place is certainly an upgrade,” he says from the other end of the hallway. He’s standing beside an enormous window that looks out onto the rest of the city and I can see instantly what he means. This entire area is a lot more leafy and green. There are sports cars parked on the road outside and boutique shops lining the streets.
Yeah, it’s fancy. A lot nicer than the last place.
Echo knocks louder, and it seems like all we’ve done today is waste time waiting for people to take their sweet time answering the door. Another full minute passes before the door opens part way.
“I didn’t order anything,” a male voice says.
“Oh well, that’s good because I have nothing on me to deliver,” Echo chirps with all her endless enthusiasm. “You’re Andrew, right? I wanted to talk to you about a friend of mine that we have in common. Wren?”
He cracks the door a little wider, only opening it fully when he gets a good look at Echo.
I don’t like how he’s looking at her.
“I’m Andrew. Would you like to come in?” he says, all charming and smarmy. I take a step toward Echo as she moves to head inside, but Brogan is even quicker than me, swooping in with his arm around her shoulders again.
Andrew raises an eyebrow but continues to hold the door open for the three of us.
He’s an average height guy, maybe five foot eight or five nine, with dark brown hair that flops over his forehead like he’s the lead in a rom-com. Otherwise, I’d say that he's remarkably plain-looking. I know I’m not the best at noticing other people, but if he walked by me on the street, I don’t think I’d recognize him even after meeting him.
