of hot chocolate.
She laughed. “Are you going to help me eat this?”
Pulling out the stool next to hers, Jake joined her at the bar. “You said you were hungry. Satisfying appetites is what I do.”
“So I’ve heard.” She quickly took a bite of the sandwich to hide her smile.
“I was talking about the tavern.” He ran his index finger down her arm, drawing her gaze back to his face. “What were you talking about?”
Awareness arced between them, tense and electric. She’d felt this crackling pulse before but it had never been so powerful. “Lexxie mentioned your fondness for casual relationships.” She tried to minimize the inference but suspected it was too late.
His brows arched then he raised his mug to his lips. After taking a nice long sip, he licked the residue and looked into her eyes. “And Lexxie is a dependable source for information?”
Damn. She really didn’t want to go down this particular road. Admitting she knew what he and Lexxie talked about made her look like a coconspirator. She wasn’t here to be seduced. Was she? She took a deep breath and whispered, “She has a tendency to exaggerate.”
He chuckled and took another drink. “Oh I don’t know. Sometimes her observations are surprisingly insightful.”
“You don’t know her as well as I do.” She swiveled toward the bar and picked up the other half of the sandwich.
He watched her eat as he sipped his hot chocolate. She could feel his gaze on her but didn’t look at him. She was only here for one night. It didn’t make sense to start something she wasn’t prepared to finish. Jake was tempting as hell. She was the first to admit she was attracted to him, but indulging that attraction was just plain foolish.
“Will any of the other packs offer you shelter?”
Rather than carelessly dismiss the possibility, she took a moment and ran through the various packs. Her father was network Prime, which meant he was the most powerful canine alpha. “There are two pack alphas who resent my father’s power. They might be willing to shelter me just to spite him.”
He shook his head. “You’d be right back where you started. Any of your father’s enemies would force a mating bond or worse.”
“All the other packs are either loyal to Father or fear him. Either way, they’re not going to help me.”
He was silent for a moment as his gaze searched hers. “And there isn’t anyone you would consider accepting as your mate? Even if your father didn’t approve of your choice, it would defuse the situation.”
She pushed the mostly empty plate aside and picked up her mug. Old wounds ached, threatening to break open and bleed. “I… No, there’s been no one since David.”
His head tilted and his brows scrunched together. It was obvious he wanted to delve deeper into the subject. Instead he asked, “Are you defined?”
She shuddered so violently a few drops of hot chocolate rained down on her legs. “Y-yes.” He didn’t know. There was no way he could know her secret. He was asking why she didn’t mate with the man who defined her. It was common practice.
“You weren’t defined by your fiancé?”
“My definition was…complicated.” She didn’t say more and he didn’t pry. But the question unleashed a maelstrom of emotions and memories. Her definition had been every bit as traumatic as what nearly happened tonight. Even six years after the event, she felt ashamed and confused every time she thought about Carlos.
“I think we should call Landon after you’ve had a few hours of sleep. He’s your brother. Besides, he’s already on the outs with most of the wolf packs. What does he have to lose?”
She finished her drink and set the mug on the bar. None of this was Jake’s problem, so why did his suggestion sting? “I’m not sure where I’ll go, but I won’t stay more than one night. I appreciate your hospitality and I won’t impose more than I already have.”
He caught her hand and waited until she
She laughed. “Are you going to help me eat this?”
Pulling out the stool next to hers, Jake joined her at the bar. “You said you were hungry. Satisfying appetites is what I do.”
“So I’ve heard.” She quickly took a bite of the sandwich to hide her smile.
“I was talking about the tavern.” He ran his index finger down her arm, drawing her gaze back to his face. “What were you talking about?”
Awareness arced between them, tense and electric. She’d felt this crackling pulse before but it had never been so powerful. “Lexxie mentioned your fondness for casual relationships.” She tried to minimize the inference but suspected it was too late.
His brows arched then he raised his mug to his lips. After taking a nice long sip, he licked the residue and looked into her eyes. “And Lexxie is a dependable source for information?”
Damn. She really didn’t want to go down this particular road. Admitting she knew what he and Lexxie talked about made her look like a coconspirator. She wasn’t here to be seduced. Was she? She took a deep breath and whispered, “She has a tendency to exaggerate.”
He chuckled and took another drink. “Oh I don’t know. Sometimes her observations are surprisingly insightful.”
“You don’t know her as well as I do.” She swiveled toward the bar and picked up the other half of the sandwich.
He watched her eat as he sipped his hot chocolate. She could feel his gaze on her but didn’t look at him. She was only here for one night. It didn’t make sense to start something she wasn’t prepared to finish. Jake was tempting as hell. She was the first to admit she was attracted to him, but indulging that attraction was just plain foolish.
“Will any of the other packs offer you shelter?”
Rather than carelessly dismiss the possibility, she took a moment and ran through the various packs. Her father was network Prime, which meant he was the most powerful canine alpha. “There are two pack alphas who resent my father’s power. They might be willing to shelter me just to spite him.”
He shook his head. “You’d be right back where you started. Any of your father’s enemies would force a mating bond or worse.”
“All the other packs are either loyal to Father or fear him. Either way, they’re not going to help me.”
He was silent for a moment as his gaze searched hers. “And there isn’t anyone you would consider accepting as your mate? Even if your father didn’t approve of your choice, it would defuse the situation.”
She pushed the mostly empty plate aside and picked up her mug. Old wounds ached, threatening to break open and bleed. “I… No, there’s been no one since David.”
His head tilted and his brows scrunched together. It was obvious he wanted to delve deeper into the subject. Instead he asked, “Are you defined?”
She shuddered so violently a few drops of hot chocolate rained down on her legs. “Y-yes.” He didn’t know. There was no way he could know her secret. He was asking why she didn’t mate with the man who defined her. It was common practice.
“You weren’t defined by your fiancé?”
“My definition was…complicated.” She didn’t say more and he didn’t pry. But the question unleashed a maelstrom of emotions and memories. Her definition had been every bit as traumatic as what nearly happened tonight. Even six years after the event, she felt ashamed and confused every time she thought about Carlos.
“I think we should call Landon after you’ve had a few hours of sleep. He’s your brother. Besides, he’s already on the outs with most of the wolf packs. What does he have to lose?”
She finished her drink and set the mug on the bar. None of this was Jake’s problem, so why did his suggestion sting? “I’m not sure where I’ll go, but I won’t stay more than one night. I appreciate your hospitality and I won’t impose more than I already have.”
He caught her hand and waited until she
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