“I think her name starts with aK. Kayla? Karla? Kara?”
“Christa,” he said.
“She was really upset.”
“I don’t know why. She came onto me. What did she expect was going to happen?”
“Maybe she really liked you?” I offered.
He scoffed.
“Don’t you think it’s a little fucked up that you’re sleeping around with the same people that you’re going to be leading?”
“It’s just sex,” he replied.
“Maybe to you, but clearly it means more to these girls.”
“Did you come in here just to lecture me, Luke? Because if so, then I’m done with this conversation.”
I nodded and walked out of the room.
Icontinuedmyrunafter saying goodbye to Mike. Kyle and his dad, Haydon, were at the next stop. I felt awkward approaching them, but I had no choice. Since Haydon was the senior in charge, I mindlinked with him.“All good today, Haydon?”
“All good, Beta.”He sounded sad.
Feeling like I couldn’t avoid the topic, I broached it.“How’s Lucy doing?”
“She’s okay. She’ll eventually get over it and meet her mate. I just hate seeing her like this. I know why you broke up with her, and I don’t blame you, but it’s just hard seeing your daughter in so much pain.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I wish things had gone differently. I love Lucy and I hate that I had to hurt her like this. I should have never allowed the relationship to get as serious as it did. We were kidding ourselves thinking things wouldn’t end like this.”
“Hey, it’s ok, Luke. Lucy’s a strong girl. She comes from generations of warriors. So don’t worry too much about her. That’s my job. Go enjoy your mate. There’s nothing like the mate bond. I’m pretty sure Ivy and I lasted only two days before we marked each other. One day it will happen for Lucy too.”
“Thanks, sir, I appreciate it.”I felt an ache in my chest.
Chapter 39
Luke
Ihadtheeveningoff on Wednesday night, so I decided to surprise Jasmine once she ended her shift at work. While on my way, I stopped at the grocery store and picked up a bouquet of roses. I removed a single rose and told the cashier that I’d like her to have the rest. I waited until Jasmine got out of work and met her at the front door as she and Valerie were closing up.
“Well, hello there, Casanova. Have you come to seduce me too?” Valerie laughed. She then lightly punched me in the arm and walked away.
After Valerie disappeared down the street, I turned to Jasmine and said, “I’d like to exchange a single rose for a single Jasmine.” I internally cringed at myself, thinking how corny that sounded. Jasmine giggled, likely out of politeness because that was lame even for me.
She took the rose and smiled, saying, “Thank you.”
“I couldn’t wait to see you again. I hope you didn’t make any other plans tonight.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Ok, perfect. How do you feel about ice-skating?”
“That sounds great.” She smiled. She was so cute looking up at me with her amber eyes. I couldn’t help but pull her in for a deep kiss, enjoying the feeling of sparks as I kissed her. I kissed her down her neck and wished we were alone so I could keep kissing her farther down.
I walked her to my car and opened the door for her, helping her get in and getting a glance at her ass as she climbed into her seat. She did have a nice ass. After closing her door, I hopped into the driver’s seat and sped toward the closest ice-skating rink, which was about a half hour away.
During the car ride, we fell into easy conversation. Being with Jasmine was easy. We had so much in common and laughed at the same things. It was almost like she was the female version of me in some ways. I held her hand during the drive, enjoying the feeling of sparks and calm that fell over me.