“I know what you thought, and I let you think it. I was eighteen. I didn’t know how I felt about finding my true mate so quickly. I thought I’d have time. When you walked in on Anna throwing herself on me, I went with it. I didn’t sleep with her, though, and as soon as you left, I wished I could take everything back. I wanted to make it right, but I was too late.”
Back then, not everyone had a cell phone. Certainly not Brenna Jones. When he realized his mistake, he’d sought her out, only to learn from her parents she’d left for university and had met some guy during orientation week. The news gutted him. The words still haunted his dreams.
Werewolves gained the ability to sense their true mates at eighteen. Brenna had her birthday, realized the depths of his actions, discarded the bond, and left without a second thought. It still cut, but he had no one to blame but himself.
“Too late?” she said.
“You were dating someone. Josh something-or-other. Your parents seemed to like him.” Well damn, his tone came out a bit more bitter than he’d like.
She didn’t comment, but a wry smile spread across her face as if recalling a funny memory. He didn’t care about past boyfriends. He cared about now. They sat in silence while he watched the wheels turn in her head.
“You spoke to my parents?” she asked.
“I wanted to find you to explain things, but you’d already moved on.”
Brenna studied her hands in her lap. How he wanted to pick them up and place them on his body, feel her wanting him as much as he wanted her.
“I thought about you,” she said.
“You did?”
She nodded. “Thought about what a jerk you were, and how I’d fallen for your act.”
He winced. “It wasn’t an act.”
“How do I know this isn’t an act, too? You’re very charming.”
He clenched his teeth, and his hands balled into fists. “I’m not playing around, Brenna.”
She flinched before turning that large soulful gaze on him. “Not now, I get that, but can you understand how much you hurt me?”
He nodded. Against every alpha instinct in his body, he went for honesty, accepting the truth and owning his mistakes. She deserved that. “You’d confronted me at a party and told me I’d been a jerk to you throughout high school. I acknowledged my stupidity and apologized for it. I explained I treated you that way because I really liked you. You admitted when I wasn’t a jerk, you really liked me, too. I believe you mentioned a ‘passionate girl crush.’ We made out. Things got intense. By that point, I realized you were my mate but knew you wouldn’t feel the pull until your birthday. You went to call your brother to let him know you’d walk back to the cabin with friends, and when you came back, you found Anna Walker kissing me.”
“The same Anna Walker you’d been dating, and rumour had it she planned to lose her virginity to you at that party.” She jabbed a stiff finger into his chest.
He chuckled. “Well, one, she was no virgin, and two, we’d broken up the weekend before, but she plotted to seduce me and get me back.”
“She was in her bra and panties sucking the life out of your face while dry-humping your leg.”
“Yeah.” He scratched his jaw. “By the time I untangled myself from that girl’s clutches to talk to you, you were gone. I don’t blame you. I hate myself.”
Brenna huffed.
“It seems our lives have been entangled with misunderstandings and hurt. At least where you and I are concerned,” he said. “For what it’s worth, I wish I could take it back.”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “Me too.”
He leaned forward, drawing in her rosy scent. “Let me make it up to you.”
She took a deep breath and turned to him. With her shoulders pulled back, she met his gaze. Those pouty lips parted, and his stomach lurched. She was going to deny him again, and it would be final this time. Before, the needling doubt had also meant a glimmer of hope. Even though she rejected the bond, they could still build something, something true without the bond. If she denied him now, though, it would close the door on possibilities between them forever.
“Okay,” she said.
Chapter 11
For a dazed second, Brenna’s breath caught in her throat as Eric sat beside her, blinking. Maybe he hadn’t heard what she said? Maybe he already changed his mind? How exactly did he plan to make it up to her anyway?
Without warning, his large hands gripped her arms and pulled her roughly to him. Her breasts smushed against his hard chest. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. He leaned in, and his mouth crushed hers.
