It wasn’t that he was afraid to take help.
To him, being the alpha, he was the one that protected, that made sure all of his pack were safe. They couldn’t afford for him to be out of the loop.
“What do you suggest I do?” Liam asked.
“You know, pretending to take advice doesn’t cut it.”
“I’ve never had a mate before. I’m willing to take any advice that will help me with her. I don’t know what to expect. How to deal with what I’m feeling. It’s all new to me.”
“Then in that case, you need to relax, and you also need to spend some time with her,” Jake said.
“I will. When she calls.”
“If she’s your mate, your wolf won’t allow prolonged distance.”
This made Liam turn to Jake. He was the alpha, but being unmated, this was all new to him.
“How do you mean?”
“You said it’s been a couple of days since you last saw her, right?”
“Yes.”
“Your thoughts are about her? Have they diminished to nothing or are they getting stronger? Are you finding yourself thinking about her all the time? Those thoughts becoming more of a sexual nature? You want her more than anything else in the world?”
“What are you getting at?” Liam asked, feeling a little uncomfortable with how apt he was.
“Because if she’s your mate and if your wolf accepts that, it’s only going to get worse. Distance doesn’t help with a mated couple. You’re going to have to spend time with her, a lot of time. I don’t know if this is the same with human women. For us, me, Eli, and Ben, we’ve talked. We were all consumed with our need for our woman. It was like a fire burning beneath our skin, and we couldn’t put it out. Only when we were around our woman would it help. If you don’t visit this female soon, your wolf could snap, and make that decision for you. Last time I checked, one of us with our wolf in charge is not a pretty sight.”
“I’d never hurt her.”
“No, but seeing your wolf before she’s ready, could damage her for life. You know this.”
“She loves wolves.”
Jake laughed. “When they’re pretty, furry animals, not when they’re trying to mate you.” Jake slapped his shoulder. “Think about it.”
****
Rebecca glanced at her cell phone and gritted her teeth. She’d been wanting to call Liam several times now, but each time she was worried that she’d sound more like a stalker. Were women supposed to make the first move after a date? How did she know the date went well? Did it go well? Toward the end of the night, he seemed to want to end it quite quickly.
Was that normal?
“Shut up!” She pressed her hands to her face. The computer screen glared at her with the next edit she must complete, and still, she was dragging her ass. She couldn’t focus when all she could think about was Liam.
Tipping her head back, she took a deep breath, and tried to relax.
It was impossible to do.
How could she relax, not knowing what to expect?
There was no way she’d be able to finish her work. Leaving her computer, she walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. Uncapping the lid, she took a long swig, all the time staring at her very silent phone.
Women weren’t supposed to make the call, right? Would he just show up Thursday?
Rubbing her forehead, she tried to think of something else, of anyone else. Even the hero in the story she was currently editing had started to look like Liam. In fact, most of her thoughts were dominated by one man and one man alone.
“Stop being crazy.” She walked back over to her computer, sat down, and stared, her fingers poised over the keyboard. She read the first line and nothing.
For thirty minutes she kept reading over that first line, and still she couldn’t think of what to edit or write. None of the words were sinking in. This edit had been sitting in her inbox for three days. She normally had edits completed in no time, especially first round edits.
Picking up her cell phone, she ran her thumb across the screen, and brought up his number. Even as she shook her head, she pressed the call button, waiting.
If he didn’t answer she’d either hang up or leave a message.
Starting to sound desperate.
Do you think other women call their dates?
What if he doesn’t like me? Was he brushing me off by bringing me home early?
He felt that connection. I know he did.
“Hello,” Liam said. His deep voice made her melt in her chair.
She’d never been connected to any man in her life, but just hearing him talk was enough to get her going. With being socially awkward, dating was out of the question. With no dating, sex was also out of the question. She could watch all the porn she liked, or dating shows, but not once had she gotten the chance to actually be with someone.