Page 31 of Meant for Two

When Blair tried to wash her hair, she winced when her wrist protested at the scrubbing.Damn. How had her life spiraled out of control like this?

It wasn't just the injured wrist either or the car accident. It was Jeff and Zane. Those two best friends couldn't be any more different—or so she thought until today.

Zane had always been considerate, whereas Jeff seemed to argue with everything she said. Yet after the accident, it was Jeff who seemed more distraught than she was. The way he carefully helped her out of the car and then carried her up the hill contradicted her previous impression of him.

As she rinsed her hair, Blair wanted to put those two out of her thoughts. She needed to concentrate on healing, not on the fact that she had been lonely this past year while she built her company. Yes, she had Avery to bounce ideas off of, but Blair wanted more. She wanted a man—just not two at once.

A knock sounded on her bathroom door, jerking her out of her reverie.

"Is everything okay in there?" That was Zane.

She moved the shower curtain out of the way. "I'm good. I'll be right out."

"Don't rush, but the pizza is here."

She couldn't help but smile. Blair couldn't remember the last time a man had brought over dinner for her. She turned off the water and carefully stepped onto the mat. Part of her was excited to be with her two heroes, but she had to be careful to stay level-headed. Blair had to make sure that nothing else happened or her job might be in jeopardy.

CHAPTERELEVEN

“Remember, we’re here for Blair,”Zane explained. “She’s fragile, so watch what you say.” Sometimes his best friend said what was on his mind, which often resulted in unwanted consequences.

"Fuck you, man, and I mean that in the nicest way. My goal is to get her to trust us. Nothing more—for now. I understand what is at stake."

“Good,” Zane said.

When the bathroom door opened and Blair stepped out, Zane's breath caught in his throat as he took in her appearance— her wet hair, makeup-free face, and form-fitting casual attire. Not only did it send sparks down his spine, he could sense his inner wolf stirring. He didn't need to touch his face to know that his beard had started to sprout—a clear sign that Blair was indeed his destined mate.

Glancing at Jeff, the man who usually kept his emotions in check, Zane watched as his friend’s eyes transformed from brown to a shimmering golden hue. It was confirmation enough for him. Blair Gibson was meant for the two of them.

Zane noted how Jeff quickly diverted his attention to a pizza box, probably to distract himself from Blair’s irresistible allure.

If his stoic friend was struggling, it made sense why Zane was experiencing this lack of discipline over his own body. Since this had never happened before, he wasn’t sure how to handle it.

All too aware of his raging arousal, Zane discreetly shifted to the side, attempting to hide his embarrassingly evident physical reaction from Blair's view.

Blair, thankfully, seemed preoccupied with the food, not paying much attention to them. “This food looks amazing, and I’m starving.” She looked up. "I've got some beer in the fridge if you guys want one."

“I’d love one,” Zane said. Jeff merely nodded. His friend actually seemed unable to form the words.

As soon as Blair stepped into the kitchen, Zane looked over at Jeff."We have to act natural around her or she'll suspect something is going on,"Zane telepathed.

"I'm trying to act natural, but it's like I'm being flooded with testosterone. I swear I almost shifted,"his friend telepathed back.

When Blair returned, she had two beers, a soda, some paper plates, and cutlery. Who ate pizza with a knife and fork? Zane debated for all of one second whether to show her he could be truly civilized and use them, but then he decided that this relationship wouldn't work unless he acted like he always did.

He drank in the sight of Blair again. That was a mistake. His damn teeth sharpened. This instant lust shit was damn inconvenient.

Zane took a swig of the beer she’d brought over. “Has anything else occurred to you about who might have run into you? I know when I shower, all sorts of ideas pop into my head.”

Blair huffed out a laugh that quickly turned into a pained grimace. "It's all I can think about."

"What did you figure out?" Zane asked.

"I'm now certain the person hit me twice. When the front of their vehicle hit the side of my car, I instantly gripped the wheel hard. Pain shot up my wrist, which caused me to pull back a bit, but I swear I stayed on the road, because at that moment, overwhelming fury filled me, granting me enough energy to maintain my grasp. The next thing I knew though, I was hurtling down the hillside. That meant there had to have been a second impact.”

Jeff's jaw tightened. “Any idea who might have wanted to harm you?” His comment prompted her to pick up a piece of pizza and drop it shakily onto her plate before finally speaking.

She shook her head. "Zane met my ex, John Gaines. While he’s a jerk, he would have no reason to harm me. I mean, if my car had flipped over, I might have died or been seriously injured.” She spoke quietly, yet Zane heard the fear in her voice.