“I’m not lying to you. I’m telling you how it is.” His thumb stroked across her lip. “You can choose to believe me or not, but what I meant by those fucking words was that you were way too young for me. You were eighteen. I was forty years old. I’d been on the open road most of my life. I’d never had a pack to call my own. Being an alpha of a pack is not something I’m used to, but you, Ashley, you’re so young. You have grown up in the loving embrace of a pack. They adore you.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t have to believe me. The truth is exactly that. You think I hate your body. It’s the memory of your body, of you, that has kept me going all these years. Thinking about that juicy ass of yours. Imagining your thick thighs wrapped around my waist as I drive inside of you. Not to mention your full tits. Your body is a fucking dream and you have appeared all the time. You have a starring role. What I didn’t like was your age, and I’m not going to lie, even five years older, it bothers me. I’m forty-five years old. I’ve seen the world. I’ve killed people. I’ve not been a good man for a long time. Nothing is going to change who I am.” He sighed. “And I know deep down you deserve a man with the light shining bright in his fucking eyes. I’m not going to say his name, because we both know who deserves you, but I can’t let him have you. You’re mine, Ashley. I’m not going anywhere. That house is the start. I won’t let you go. You belong to me, and I’m not giving you up, not for anyone or anything.”
She stared at him a little taken aback. All this time, she had thought it was because he didn’t like the way she looked.
“I don’t believe you,” she said.
Wolves didn’t care about age. They turned at eighteen so any mates would always be legal. Finding their soulmate came in the transition. No one turned before that time. Age didn’t matter. They aged slowly as well. She had seen men and women with the same age gap as her and Phoenix, grow old together in pictures. Her own grandparents had been the same.
“Believe what you want, it doesn’t change the truth. Now, I can’t be this close to you and not do this.”
Ashley didn’t have the time to stop him as he slammed his lips down on her and kissed her. She melted instantly in his embrace. His lips were hard as they pressed against hers, and she couldn’t help but open up to him as he slid his tongue across her mouth. A moan escaped her, and he placed a hand at the base of her back and pulled her in close.
“Feel that,” he said. “Feel what you do to me. If I wasn’t attracted to you, I wouldn’t be hard as a fucking rock right now. I want you, Ashley, that has never been a problem, trust me. I crave you. I hunger for you, and that is never going to change.”
Was he really telling the truth?
****
The following day, Phoenix arrived in town intent on meeting with Ashley. After the kiss they’d shared, he had taken her home. She thought he didn’t want her because of the way she looked, which was so fucking wrong. It was always her age.
Arriving at her parents’ home, he knocked on the door. Someone was there to see every move he made. He wondered if whoever was stalking him last night had followed him and Ashley into the woods. He wouldn’t put it past them. The pack seemed intent on knowing every detail of his life.
Ben opened the door. “Alpha,” he said.
“Phoenix, please.” He didn’t like to be called Alpha. He held out his hand to his soon-to-be father-in-law. Phoenix had to wonder if Ben would be quite so welcoming if he knew he was Ashley’s mate. “Is Ashley home?” he asked.
“Er, she’s already gone to work for the day.”
Phoenix frowned. “It’s not even eight o’clock.”
“I know, but she already told us what happened.”
“You mean about handing in her resignation?” Phoenix asked.
“Yes, it was quite a surprise. She is such a loyal woman and we know each job she leaves hurts her.” He sighed. “I wish I knew what to do.”
“I don’t want her leaving the pack,” he said. “I was there when she handed in her notice.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Actually, that’s something I wanted to ask you about. I’m moving into the old … place, and er, it kind of needs a woman’s touch. With her working at the DIY store, I’m thinking she could come and help me out. She would know what I need, you know, that kind of thing.”
Ashley was going to kill him.
“That sounds like an amazing idea.” Ben shook his head. “Her mother and I don’t want her to leave. We get that young wolves like to go out and explore, and get all that wanderlust out of their body, but she is our baby girl.”
“I’m going to take care of her,” Phoenix said. “I promise. I better go and ask for Ashley’s help.”
Ben nodded. “Er, my daughter can be quite stubborn, and I don’t know what hurt her, or who, but she has a good heart. She loves this pack. I know she’ll be a huge help to you.”
Guilt swirled in his gut. Deep down, he knew he was the problem. He forced a smile to his lips. Phoenix wasn’t used to having to put this much effort in, or to even want to give this much effort to people.
Heading across town, he stared at the DIY store and saw it wasn’t particularly busy. For his plan to work, he would need to ask her when she was surrounded by the pack. The only way to do that was at lunchtime.
Crap.
What he was doing wasn’t fair. He knew that, but he had to keep Ashley close to him. Tapping his fingers across his thigh, he decided to take a quick walk around the town. He’d stumbled onto this place after he’d run out of gas and had no choice but to push his bike there.
Phoenix hadn’t planned to stick around. He’d intended to fill his bike and be gone, only the scent of the burgers had lured him to the diner. The pack had been lovely. Phoenix had met the old alpha a few times, and he’d not been wowed by the bastard. In fact, he’d known deep in his core the man was a coward. It was all in his handshake. The old alpha had a weak wrist. There had also been a nervousness about him. Phoenix had seen how the pack depended on him, and it hadn’t set well with him. It was one of the many reasons he kept visiting. He never went to the same place twice, and certainly not close together so he’d be remembered. Coming here, he’d broken so many rules.