“Mate,” he confirmed with a nod. “I’m willing to take things slower, establish ourselves as a family before I spend the night here. But, Lily.” He reached down and tipped my chin up, so I was forced to look into his eyes. “That day is coming and I’m looking forward to it with every breath.”
He said goodbye then, walking out and leaving me with my mouth hanging open, his taste still on my tongue.
Chapter 31
I’d forgotten to talk to Ben about pickups and drop offs, something Evie reminded me of in the morning, so I put her off with a promise I’d chase that up with Ben. But as I got her ready and off to school and me to the shop, my head still felt like it was filled with glue.
Mate?
I kept playing that word over and over in my mind, which was stupid. Damon had already made it clear that’s how he saw me, as had Jasper. It wasn’t unexpected and yet… I’d made a whole lot of sacrifices in my mind for Ben’s prospective mate, the spectre of her standing between me and telling Ben about Evie for all these years. To find out he thought it was me all along? I frowned at that as I opened up the shop’s front door, flicking on the lights and going out the back for the float, when I heard the door’s bell jingle.
“We’re not open ye—”
I turned around, expecting to see Mrs Fiddler or one of her cronies beating down the door like they did on new release day, but, instead, another figure loomed in the doorway. He damn near filled it as he stood there, staring.
Logan.
“We’re not open yet,” I said much more clearly now.
“Good.” He shut the door behind him and then damn him, he turned the lock and stepped forward.
“Ah, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“We need to talk.”
“You forgot the question mark in that sentence,” I said, striding over. “Lily, can we talk?”
“Why would I make a question of it?” he shot back, dark eyes flashing as his eyebrows jerked down.
In a movie, Logan would have been so hot. The sharply defined cheekbones, the square jaw covered in black stubble and that severe frown. He was the dream that bad boys were made of. In reality, I just wanted to put my foot up his butt and shove him out of my shop.
“We could never find an omega that worked for us, despite so many of them trying. My dad has been on my back for us to find a mate and take over from him, so we came to town as a last-ditch attempt to make that happen. That’s when I discover you. My brother neglected to tell me he knotted some beta.” His lips curled back as he spat out my designation, and mine did the same in a silent snarl. “And that she had a child…”
All the anger seemed to leach out of him then, leaving him wavering slightly on his feet.
“Our child. Our cub.”
But he couldn’t stay quiet, not for long, and I was guessing that was a common complaint of Logan.
“But when we try and see the child we’ve been kept from her entire life, what does her mother do? Tie us up in meetings and bullshit agreements.” He took a step forward then, and I bristled, grabbing my phone out of my back pocket and swiping up the keypad. “You kept us from Everly, and you’re still keeping us from her.”
“I’m not doing anything that any other beta wouldn’t do,” I shot back. “What did you expect? For me to open my house and my arms to you?”
I was being snarky, defensive, because I felt like I was being backed up against a wall right now and not in the sexy way. But Logan, he stopped at my words, frowning slightly as he cocked his head to one side. Those dark eyes turned to silver, his nostrils flaring as he drew in a breath, which reminded me of what Ben had said. Of smelling me and my need. I crossed my arms firmly, squaring my stance as I stared him down.
“Why wouldn’t you?” he growled, making me wonder who was in control now, the man or the wolf.
“I don’t know you,” I replied with a splutter, as my heart began to race. We betas didn’t know much about alphas and the way they operated, seeing few in the city. All the ones I knew were thoroughly domesticated, but Logan? I would not have used that word to describe him right now, not at all. “Evie doesn’t know you. You could be violent, dangerous…”
Yeah, that was exactly the right word I’d use as Logan moved closer and closer, his body throwing mine in shadow. I trembled like a girl in a monster movie, not willing to move an inch for fear of setting off the beast, and I didn’t like that for a second. Because I wasn’t some ditzy blonde stumbling into a basement in the middle of the night. I was me, in my place of business, and I wasn’t—
I put my hand out, full of ire, and my palm slammed down on his chest, ready to shove the man out of the way and then give him a stern talking to about his high handed bullshit, when I realised just what kind of allowances the alphas of my acquaintance made for me. My hand felt like it hit a wall of stone and Logan was just as immovable, my muscles straining to shove him off and achieving precisely nothing. He leant in then, a slow, carnivorous smile spreading across his face. I went to jerk my hand back but his hand slapped down over mine, keeping me exactly where I was. And that wasn’t enough apparently. To compound the feeling of powerlessness, his other hand smacked down on my butt, hauling me closer until I was wedged in tight against his body.
“Don’t struggle…” he rasped, right when I went to do exactly that. “The more you do, the harder it is for me to control him. Your fear… It tastes just as good as your anger and your arousal. He wants you responding to him, and he doesn’t care much how that happens.”
“That. Is. Fucked. Up.”
I tried for condemnation and instead my voice came out shaky and weak.