Rising on my toes to kiss Malcolm’s cheek, his eyes fly open, warily assessing my smile. “Thank you for the gift of his company, it’s been incredibly dull up here alone. Who knows, maybe I'll like him and want him to stay.” Malcolm and Kasen exchange a weighted look as I add, “I hear all the cool kids are joining packs these days, so why not let a vamp in on the action? Heck, there's even an uptick of humans fleeing to the wilds to have a puppy pile. Maybe they're onto something.”
“Scarlett,” he starts, but I shush him with another kiss.
“No need to talk about it, I understand. Leave everything to me.” As he looks at Kasen again, I start shooing him towards the elevator. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him while you’re at work.”
Malcolm’s block is still rigidly in place, and I’m kind of glad, because I don’t want him to feel like he has to explain himself. “You’re taking this extremely well,” he says slowly and I shrug.
“Would you rather I reject your gift and ask you to take him back?”
A twin chorus of, “No!” barks out around me and I grin.
“Then the sooner you get going, the sooner you can get home.” I practically push him into the elevator. “I have a dungeon raid at four, but it shouldn’t last more than a couple of hours. We can all have dinner afterward?”
Face unreadable, he nods as I wave goodbye. When the door finally closes I rub my jaw, cheeks sore from smiling so much, and turn to Kasen. “Thought he was never going to leave. Come on, you can help me find something to wear and then we can watch a movie, but full disclosure, I’m probably going to pass out halfway through; haven’t been to bed yet.” Walking past Kasen, I grab his hand and drag him into motion. He’s spent too long being shoved to the outskirts and forgotten in favor of me. I don’t want him to resent me for it, especially since we’re in this awkward mess together.
I cringe as I realize just how much damage control there is to be done, but I’m nothing if not determined.
Chapter 12
Kasen
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Scarlett drops hertowel and my fingers twitch as I restrain myself from reaching for her. She slips on some casual sleep shorts, a bra, and a baggy t-shirt without missing a beat, like she isn’t killing me, here. All of that embarrassment from before, poof. Gone. She just up and changed in front of me like it was no big deal, and I’m about two seconds away from throwing her to the ground and rutting against her until she can’t walk, my mouth dry and cock straining against my jeans.
“So, when did you meet Malcolm?” she asks, her question seemingly innocent, but after the epic shitstorm that resulted from Malcolm trying to guide her in my direction, it hits me like a lead weight.
She thinks I’m his godsdamned side piece.
“A couple of years ago,” I croak, clearing my throat to try and regain a semblance of decency. No matter what misunderstanding is going on, I don’t want her to be uncomfortable around me.
She frowns, but carries on, her voice upbeat. “Want to watch a movie? I know we have a good amount of things to catch up on, but I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
Overwhelmme?Tell her. Just tell her she’s wrong, that she’s my mate. She isn’t opposed to being in a pack, she’s confused and running on assumptions.
“A movie sounds great.”
