“Yes,” I answer without hesitation. “I may not have known you all that long, but something deep inside me…it’s telling me that this isright. That the four of you are right. So even if things don’t progress that far before my heat hits, at least I’ll know each of you more.”
Ethan frowns. “It’s not a bad idea by a longshot, but what would we do for dates? We can’t exactly leave the cabin. Well,wecan,” he quickly amends, “but you can’t.”
Right. With my parents telling the world I’ve been kidnapped, if someone spots me at the movies or something, they could call the police and I’d be back with my parents in an instant.
“I can get creative.” I shrug.
“No.” Maverick’s voice is stern, and my heart drops. No? No to the dates? No to the whole thing? “As your pack, it’s our job to think of things like dates.We’llget creative.”
Just as quickly as my heart had dropped, it soars back up, feeling lighter than air. Every time I expect the rug to be pulled out from under me, they surprise me instead.
“Okay.” I smile, my cheeks heating, but I don’t care.
Teddy grins. “Well then, I guess my date is tonight then, cause I already have the perfect idea.”
Chapter 18
Wren
Igasp as I look around the room. “Teddy, how did you…?”
Two canvases sit in the middle of the room, facing away from each other with paints, charcoal, colored pencils, erasers, and water cups laid out in front of each one. There’s a giant plastic tarp covering the floor of the otherwise empty room—I’m figuring to protect the carpet.
“Just a little online order to a local art store.” He grins, walking past me to sit at the canvas furthest away. “Went and picked it up while you were still unconscious. I know you were paintin’ to make money, but you enjoyed it too, right?”
“Immensely. I just wish you would have told me what we were doing—I would have worn my overalls.” I motion at the cute-but-comfy loungewear set the guys picked out for me. They got me new overalls too, since all of my clothes are probably in the dumpster now.
I feel bad that the guys have to buy me all these things…then the thought of all my savings sitting under the floorboards at my parents house has my gut sinking.
“What’s wrong, Dove?” Teddy frowns.
“I just…all the money I saved while I was trying to get out. I…I left it at my parents house.”
“Oh!” He jumps up, a look of sudden clarity on his expression as he hurries out of the room without a word. I stare dumbstruck after him, before he returns to the room with a wad of cash. “I grabbed it for you!”
My eyes widen. “You did?”
“I added the twen’y five from the sale that night too.” He smiles proudly, before his face drops. “I can’t believe I f’got to give it to you. I’m sorry, Dove.”
“That’s okay,” I smile gently, taking the money and putting it on a nearby table. For so long, it was my focus, building up this pile of paper. And while it’s still good to have, my freedom doesn’t depend on it anymore. I turn back to him. “Alright, what are we making?”
Nearly an hour later, I’m dabbing the final stroke onto my piece. I had been excited when Teddy said he wanted us to do portraits of each other, as I’ve always wanted to paint the butterfly on the front of his throat.
The portrait of Teddy stares at me, his blonde hair sexily tousled, and his teeth bared in an unrestrained smile. I may have gone a little overboard, because I seem to have forgotten to give him a shirt under his denim vest. I’ve never even seen him shirtless, so I havenoidea where that came from.
The longer I stare at it, the more embarrassed I feel. I debate the merit of swiping some white paint on his chest to make up a tank top. But I spent so long doing the shading on his abs…
Teddy’s timer goes off.
“Time’s up!” he announces like a gameshow host, quickly standing. “‘Ands off your brushes!”
Biting my lip, I drop my brush, staring at the painting that I now realize looks like Teddy is about to audition for Magic Mike. “Do we…reveal them at the same time?” I ask, my voice wavering slightly in embarrassment. Why am I being so ridiculous? Teddylovesme. Plus, I’m obviously attracted to him or we wouldn’t even be here.
Unfortunately, I am also, apparently, so fucking horny.
This is mortifying. He’s going to show me his, and I’ll have—wait. Can Teddy even paint? Maybe he drew me as a stick figure and I don’t have to worry about mine.
“I’ll show you mine first.” He grins, before grabbing his canvas off the easel and flipping it around.
