Page 21 of Fractured Mates
Cold and heartless, I am not.
Will I defend myself without hesitation? Absolutely. Will I also lose sleep later overanalyzing every detail of how I might have been able to do things differently? Undoubtedly.
That’s another thing that annoys me about Kyler. While he hasn’t made all the best decisions, he doesn’t just react. He considers options. Even at the worst of times.
I might have given him grief over that earlier and not agree with letting wolves who were trying to kill us go free, but at least he’s not an emotionless murderer.
Neither are you, my wolf reminds me as we approach the motel.
The building is rundown with faded, grey paint on the stucco exterior and steel doors that sport rust stains. I just hope the rooms are kept up more than the outside is.
There’s a little hallway with an ice machine that isn’t running and a vending machine that’s barely lit up. Just as I’m about to put some money in to test it, Kyler practically growls from behind me.
“You didn’t wait in the car.”
I don’t bother to turn around. Mostly because that growl is fucking hot, and he doesn’t need to see my cheeks flushed. “You took too long.”
Where is the smirking man when I need him? That one, I can ignore. I’m pretty sure. But I can’t lie. I’m a sucker for gruff and tough.
You realize it’s not normal for someone to prefer being choked over coddled, right? my wolf asks, making me snort as I browse my pathetic and possibly stale food options.
You know that I don’t care, right? I counter. At least I’m not sex-obsessed.
Before she can respond, Kyler reaches his hand around, his forearm brushing over my shoulder and absolutely not making my skin tingle from the contact. “There was only one room left. Here’s your key.”
I turn sharply to face him, not realizing just how close he is until it’s too late to back down without showing how he also isn’t affecting me. “Then we’re going somewhere else.”
“No, we’re not,” he says, looking down at me. His impressive height is a whole head taller than me, and his eyes stare as if they can see more than they should, making my stomach churn. When his challenging smile returns and he’s still this close, I realize I might be totally fucked as he adds, “Are you afraid of being alone with me?”
Why is this shifter affecting me like this? Why? Why? Why?
My head is shaking, but not for the reason he might think.
I need to get my shit together right the hell now.
I sense the smugness coming from my wolf in waves, and I decide right then to blame my erratic feelings on her.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” I finally say, answering his previous question. “You repulse me. Simple as that. I wouldn’t want to accidentally rip out your heart and disappoint Dawsyn since she sent you.”
I throw that last jab in there since he’s already seen I’m perfectly capable of doing so. Except when his smile grows wider and he leans in closer, causing me to press my back against the vending machine, I have a feeling that he’s not buying what I’m selling.
“I see you, Sophie.” The words leave his mouth and pierce right through my chest, causing the air to whoosh right out of my lungs.
He turns and starts walking away. It takes me a solid thirty seconds to recover. Nobody has ever spoken to me like that and made me…speechless.
Who the fuck does this guy think he is?
Now I’m angry, and he’s going to see that.
I stomp toward him, eating up the distance he’s created with my lengthened strides. When he’s within touching range, I fist the back of his shirt, force him to face me again, then slam him against the side of the motel. “Let’s get one thing straight. You don’t see shit. You don’t know me and you’re not going to know me. More importantly, I don’t need you. You might have known it was better to get out of that house earlier, but everything after that has been a mess, thanks to you. In the morning, I’m going my own way and you’re not going to do anything to stop me. Whatever Dawsyn thought she was doing by sending you to me, it ends now.”
As I rip into him, my chest heaves and I find it harder and harder to breathe—especially staring into his grey eyes that aren’t nearly as smug as they seemed two seconds ago. When I’m done, there’s a weight off my shoulders that I didn’t even know I was carrying. Except when he grabs my finger that I also didn’t realize I was poking against his chest and that stupid fucking tingle returns, the weight comes right back, twice as heavy as before.
“You’re hangry,” he states calmly. “I took so long in the motel because I asked the reception to order you a pizza. Now, you’re going to go into the room, take a shower, eat the fucking pizza, and sleep. Tomorrow, we can sort out what we are and aren’t doing. Not a second sooner.”
He’s trying to take charge of me, and I…I fucking…lov—hate it.
I throw my hands in the air, because in no way am I going to let him know he’s doing anything other than pissing me the hell off. “Whatever.”