“Good to know. Well, not really ‘good to know’, but that gives us all the more incentive to find these guys quickly.” Tristan shuddered at the thought of how CLI could be used as a tactical weapon. Not only could wolves use it against each other, it could be used by humans and vamps against wolves as well.
“One last item. Tonight there’s a charity function I need you to go to. The mayor’s having a gala to raise money for the libraries. Aside from having committed to it months ago, I want whoever’s responsible to see you out in public with the pack. It could help draw them out of the shadows.” Tristan surveyed the flash of fear that flared in her eyes then left as quickly as it came. His little wolf had grown adept at hiding her emotions. He made a mental note that he’d need to help her with that. She wasn’t doing him or herself any favors hiding her feelings.
Her stomach roiled at the thought of going out in public, but she owed him, owed the Lyceum Wolves. And she couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t say, ‘out with him’. He specifically said, ‘out with the pack’. Aware of the difference and ripe with anxiety, she reluctantly nodded.
Tristan put the pup down on the floor, picked up the rope toy and waved it in his face. Immediately, the puppy clamped down on the fibers, refusing to let go. Giving the rope a tiny shake, the puppy copied Tristan’s motions. Before he knew it, the puppy was growling and shaking it hard, refusing to give up his prize.
“Look at your Lowell, Doc. He’s really something,” Tristan laughed. “What a tough boy you are,” he sang in his best dog voice, making soft growling noises. He smiled broadly, feeling proud the puppy held on so well.
“He likes you,” she acknowledged, grinning at the way Lowell ferociously challenged Tristan. There was something about watching the most lethal Alpha on the East Coast play gently with the tiny whelp.
Tristan’s face fell into a soft wolfish grin, pinning Kalli with his gaze. “He’s an Alpha, Kalli. Look at him holding on tight. He’s claiming it, unwilling to share with another wolf. I don’t let others take what’s mine either.”
“Is that right, huh? Takes one to know one? Perhaps that’s why I love him so much,” she flirted.
“Yes, he definitely isn’t sharing. He knows what’s his.” Tristan continued to maintain eye contact, giving her a sultry smile.
Kalli’s breath caught, feeling as if he was looking into her soul. Embarrassed, she lowered her head into a puppy once more. Was he insinuating that she was his? Last night, he’d been so angry, justifiably, but still, he’d sent her to stay with his beta. Maybe she’d misread his intention, but he’d surely pawned her off to his friend. And it wasn’t as if Logan was chopped liver. With his thick brown hair, chiseled jawline and lean, muscled body, she was sure the girls flocked to him in droves. But while she found Logan attractive, she wasn’t necessarily attracted to him.
With Tristan, however, he lit every nerve she had on end, filling her with desire just about every time she saw him. Even though he was fully clothed, dressed in denim and a black t-shirt, she struggled to resist the urge to devour him on the spot. She reasoned she could skip her meals and lick him head to toe. Shaking her head, she flushed at the thought. Her wolf must be putting these ideas into her mind. But still, she’d have to be six feet under not to want to at least kiss each one of his abs that she’d felt last night. It was as if she’d only had an appetizer, and she was still starving for the whole meal. It wasn’t as if they were doing anything remotely sexual; just sitting on the floor, petting dogs. Yet the insane chemistry managed to infiltrate every single one of her carefully constructed emotional shields she’d built last night in Logan’s guest room.
She realized, in that second, that there was more to what was going on between them. Not only did she want his apology and forgiveness, she wanted every part of him. The impending feelings threatened to tear her heart in shreds if he didn’t return them. But the reality of the situation was that in a single act of not telling him the truth, she’d destroyed the fragile sense of trust they’d erected since they’d met. Sitting on the floor, she could feel it mending, albeit not fixed, but there was an air of openness that hadn’t existed before. No more secrets. No more lies. Emotionally, she was bare. He could either make her his or walk away.
Tristan refused to release her from his gaze, watching the conflicting emotions on her face. He could tell she was struggling to hide her arousal, and he loved that even after everything they’d been through the night before, she couldn’t conceal her reaction to him. But she’d lied, and well, he’d acted like a complete jerk by sending her to Logan as if she were nothing more than a female to be used by males. Something he knew would cut her to her core, given her past experiences in a pack.
He regretted the action, but was unsure how to proceed. Well fueled in anger the previous night, he’d asked Mira to accompany him to the gala. He justified it by telling himself that he needed Mira with him to field business questions. But as he sat next to Kalli in a room full of puppies, he was second guessing taking Mira. As he contemplated his predicament, his phone alarm went off, reminding him of an important meeting, one he couldn’t miss.
“Kalli, I…I’m sorry, I have to go. Got a call to Japan in thirty minutes, and I need to get back to the office,” he explained. “I meant what I said. I’m sorry about how I reacted last night. I’m torn up over what’s happened to Toby, and it just got out of hand.”
“I’m sorry for not telling you the truth sooner. If I had told you, maybe the boys wouldn’t have gotten hurt,” she responded in a barely audible whisper. As much as she tried to push the pain down, she found herself starting to cry again. A tear ran down her already reddened cheeks; her mouth parted as her tongue darted out to lick her upper lip.
“Chérie, look at me.” Tristan cupped her face with one hand and wiped her tear with his thumb. He resisted letting his thumb slide in between her warm pink lips so she could suck his finger. Who was he kidding? He wanted her to suck more than his finger….just the thought of those plump lips, wrapping themselves around the hard length of him sent blood rushing down to his groin. He tried shaking off the dirty images running through his mind. Don’t be a selfish prick, Tris. Get it together. He had to look away and take a deep breath before continuing. He tried to focus on his words and not the very naughty things he wanted to do to her.
“What happened is not your fault. As for you and I, we’ll see, okay? I’m still kind of processing what happened, and I need to be on the top of my game in the next few days. Listen, I’ll see you tonight.”
Kalli swore he was going to kiss her as he ran his calloused thumb near her mouth. But instead of a kiss, he gently hugged her and stood to leave.
After he left, his words reverberated in her head: ‘As for you and I, we’ll see, okay?’ What was that supposed to mean? They’d almost made love yesterday, and now they were at ‘we’ll see’. She smiled sadly, wondering if everything she’d been feeling was real or if it was all in her imagination. It sure as hell felt real, but his lack of intention made her wonder if she needed to protect her heart. Emotionally exposed, she could not have felt more vulnerable.
Although playing with puppies blanketed her with love and happiness, a hot shower really helped to relax Kalli’s thoughts. It was if she let the stress wash down the drain while resolving to put on her big girl panties. She reasoned that no matter how much her hormones drove her crazy with lust, it’d be in her best interest to let her brain do the talking in the future. Allowing her heart to dictate how she handled the next few weeks in and around an Alpha would only lead to heartache. She was a well-educated, compassionate doctor, and it was about time she started acting like it. Forlorn lovesick teenager wasn’t at all working for her. Either Tristan would forgive her and own up to his feelings or he wouldn’t. In the meantime, it was time to buck up and get her act together. As the hot spray hit her face, she decided that it was time to snap out of it. Whether she liked it or not, she was stuck living with Logan, while trying to help catch killers.