Filed to story: The Alpha’s Pen Pal Book
“You can order dessert if you want,” I told her, leaning forward.
“No, it’s fine,” she muttered, looking down at her hands in her lap.
It was my turn to frown. She wanted dessert. That was obvious. And if she wanted it, then she was going to get it.
“We’ll share the profiteroles,” I told the server, and she nodded and left to put in our dessert order.
I turned to smile at Haven, and she just stared at me, considering me, as if she was seeing me in a new light.
“What?” I asked her, but she shook her head and looked down at her hands again.
Fuck this. This wasn’t the Haven I knew, the Haven who had been flirting and laughing with me all evening. This wasn’t my Haven.
I lifted my napkin from my lap and moved from my side of the booth to hers, scooting in close and putting my arm behind her on the seat back.
She shifted herself, angling her body towards me, and I moved just a tad closer to her so our knees touched.
“Hey,” I said, moving my hand to her shoulder.
“Hi,” she replied with a small smile.
“Want to tell me why you didn’t want dessert?”
She shook her head, her loose curls bouncing. “It’s silly.”
“I’m sure it’s not,” I said.
She gave me a nervous look, then tucked her hair behind her ear.
“My ex…” she began, and my eyes darkened, and my jaw clenched to block the growl threatening to escape.
She gave me a look that said, “see, this is why I didn’t want to say anything,” and I took a deep breath and gestured at her to continue.
“My ex didn’t like when I ordered desserts,” she confided. “Or did anything, really,” she added.
I held back my growl again. I didn’t even care that she’d been with men before me. Well, okay, I did a little. I couldn’t say anything, though. I had a past too. What I was more upset about was this asshole thinking he could control her and her free spirit.
“What a jackass,” I declared.
She chuckled a little. “I can agree with you on that,” she said. “I broke up with him because of that.”
“Let me guess. He didn’t like you dancing?”
“Nope,” she said.
“Jackass,” I repeated. “He asked you to stop?”
“Wanted me to be Susie Homemaker for him,” she said. “Never mind that I’m barely in my twenties. He wanted me to quit so we could get married, and I could get pregnant right away.”
I grimaced at that. Partially because fuck, what a bastard to force her to quit something she loved just to be a baby-maker. And partially because at the mention of her being pregnant, I imagined just that. Imagined her pregnant with my pup, looking radiant and happy, and I didn’t want her to notice how much that thought excited me.
Because I wouldn’t be like that ex of hers, some immature and insecure ass who dimmed her light to make himself feel more important and powerful.
And I realized now she wasn’t being defiant towards me just for fun. She was being herself and, in her own way, showing me she trusted me. Showing me I made her feel safe, and knew I might tease her for her “disobedience” but would never lash out at her for being independent and sassy.
Because she was independent, and that was part of what drew me to her. She could live her dream of being a ballerina for as long as she wanted before we started a family. Hell, if she never wanted pups, I would be fine with that, too.
Oh, Goddess, I was turning into one of THOSE males. The males who got all gooey and swoony for their woman. And the worst—or maybe best?—part was, I didn’t even mind in the slightest. And my lycan was right there with me, making mushy faces and sighing at Haven in my mind.
Thankfully, the server brought our dessert just then, so she saved me from my sappy thoughts and swooning lycan.
Haven’s eyes lit up as the server set the plate in front of us. I turned towards the table but lowered my left arm so it wrapped around her and rested on her hip. I’m not sure if she realized she did it, but she scooted closer to me as she dug into the cream-filled pastries, making our thighs touch under the table.
I pressed mine closer to hers, my arm holding her a little tighter, my hand rubbing her hip.
Only three profiteroles were on the plate, so we each ate one and then began arguing over who should get the third one.
“You should take it,” Haven said, pushing the plate towards me.
“I want you to have it,” I told her, pushing it back.
“Seriously, Wes, just eat it.”
“Rock paper scissors?” I asked.
She blew out air through her nose. “Fine. I win, you eat it. You win, I eat it.”
“Deal,” I said, smiling.
We lifted our right hands above the table, played one round, and we both picked paper. I made a face at her, and we played again, and both picked rock. She laughed, and we did a third round, only to both get scissors.
“How about we split it?” I suggested, since our rock paper scissors plan was going nowhere. “We’ll be at it all night at this rate,” I added with a chuckle.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?