Fuuucck me.
“Wow,” I blurt.
My wolf pants.
“Wow?”
Shit. Did I just say that out loud?
My wolf snickers.Yeah, you did!
She makes me nervous. How is it that my mouth could salivate and dry up at the same time?
She asked you a question. Speak!My wolf reminds me.
Right, thanks.
I shake my head and clear my throat. “Er...I meant, wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen that outfit…”
Great. Now she probably thinks I keep tabs on what Taya’s wearing like some kind of stalker.What a creepy thing to say to someone. I cringe at myself.
We only stalkmate.My wolf doesn’t do any better at coming up with an argument to dig me out of the hole I’ve put us in.
Yeah, I don’t think that’s helping, I tell him.
Confused, he tilts his head. To him, hunting and stalking are completely normal and sane behavior. But to humans, it’s creepy.
Crap. Okay. I can recover from this. Think.
“Sorry, that...didn’t come out right.” My words come out broken. “I just meant that seeing that outfit brought up some nostalgia,” I say. “Taya used to wear it a lot,” I add a lie to be more convincing.
“Oh.”Jay examines herself in the mirror andfrowns.
Did I say something wrong? Oh, fuck, what’d I say?
With her attention focused elsewhere, I wipe my brow, but my palms are also sweaty, which doesn’t help. I yank my shirt up towipe my face and hands before she notices, and my wolf seizes the chance to offer advice.
Eh...maybe don’t speak, my wolf advises me.
I know.I’m just making things worse.
And I thought I was good at digging holes, he says.
That’s not helpful!I snap back at him.
You’re sweating a lot...Mate looks good, doesn’t she?Hesnickers at me.
Good? She’s fucking beautiful.Mentally, I kick myself. Now why couldn’t I have just said that?Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen that outfit, I mock myself. Ugh, idiot!
The way shecontinues to frownas shescrutinizes herself in the mirrormakes no sense to me. What could she possibly be insecure about?
“If I had her curves, I could probably fill it out better,” Jay says.She laughs somberly.“I guess I shouldn’t be surprisedthat someone as pretty as her would be so memorable.”
If only she knew how long I’ve been trying to forget her...and failing.But Jay’s problem is selectiveblindness. She doesn’t see what I see. It kills me that her mind could convince her to think she’sanythingless than downright breathtaking. Taya is pretty, but Jay? Jay is…
“You’re perfect,” I breathe.
As soon as I say the words, my wolf’s jaw drops.
