She sighs and pulls the clothes close to her body, which is a fucking pity because if I had my way, she wouldn’t get dressed again for a while. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
“You don’t have to do this,” I tell her. I want to stroke her hair. Kiss her swollen lips. Hell, get her beneath me in bed again. “You don’t owe him any explanation.”
She looks away and nods. “I do, though. He and I were supposed to talk this morning at breakfast, and I… Well, obviously I wasn’t there. I’m an adult, but I do live with them. I owe them the courtesy of at least a text or something to let them know where I am. After… well, after what I went through, they deserve that much.”
I can’t help but agree. Even if it means she dresses and leaves.
“I may have sneaked in here with a plan, but I didn’t mean to stay all night, Austin.”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen either,” I admit, “but it did, and I fucking loved the surprise.” I give in and caress her messy hair—hair that’s mussed because she was in my bed. “I’m not sorry.”
A small smile turns up the corner of her mouth. “I’m not either. But I do owe my dad an explanation as to why I wasn’t at breakfast. God, how did I let this happen?”
“Carly…”
“I’ll just be a minute.” She closes the door between us.
I sigh and turn. Miles still stands just inside my bedroom.
“What do you want me to tell Chance and Mayor Vance?” he asks.
I shake my head, running my fingers through my hair again. “Tell them that this isn’t eighth grade and my sex life isn’t any of their business.”
“You got it.” Miles grips the doorknob.
“No, wait.” I hold up a hand and sigh.
He turns.
Mayor Vance is Carly’s father. He means something to her, and she means something to me.
Hell, she means a lot to me.
If we’d known each other for more than a damned week, I’d say I’m falling for her. But how can I be? Love at first sight doesn’t exist.
Except I feel like a wolf who needs to protect his mate.
But protect her from whom?
The only other person who wants her safety as much as I do. Her father.
“I’m aging here,” Miles says. “Vance isn’t going to wait forever in the other room. Soon enough, he’ll start searching.”
“I need to put on something more than jeans. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“With Carly?”
“That’s up to her.”
He turns toward the door. “Good enough. I’ll tell them you’re coming. The mayor and Chance are in the living room.”
“Wait, wait, wait… You’re not going to be there?”
“This doesn’t concern me, bro.”
“It doesn’t concern either of them either.”
Miles lets out a laugh. “Good point.”