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People often did that. Paused to speak to her. Asked her this or that.
He suspected that they were naturally put so at ease by the calm she gave off that they felt comfortable confiding in and consulting with her. She had that same effect on him.
Isaiah didn’t slip himself into the conversation, content to just listen. It was amazing how much more settled he felt now that she was in his line of sight. The same applied to his cat, who’d been antsy all day right up until she’d opened the Alpha’s front door.
Isaiah had initially thought it would get easier to be apart from her; that he’d somehow get used to how uncomfortable it felt. But there was no becoming accustomed to it, no managing to ignore or block it out.
He supposed that made sense, though. The longer they went without a bond, the more their natures would demand they spend time together in order for that to be rectified.
His father had cautioned him to be prepared for this, but Isaiah really hadn’t expected it to be quite so difficult. Hadn’t expected there to be something both comforting and arousing about looking at the brand on her neck. Hadn’t expected that those same emotions would come from seeing the brand on his shoulder.
His protectiveness toward her had grown, as had his sense of proprietorship. No, “grown” wasn’t the right word. They had deepened. Become less a mere result of the claiming; become more about Quinley as a person.
It seemed strange when he’d only known her a week—yes, he counted the day they’d had their first exchange of messages. But some people you could come to know quickly, especially when they were so open with you. Others? You would never really feel that you knew them, no matter how much time you spent around them. The latter didn’t apply to Quinley.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t say that his cat had made any further progress. He still kept his distance from her in many ways. But he hadn’t backtracked, which was a relief.
Isaiah had worried that his cat, despite viewing Quinley as theirs, would come to feel that she was taking up space that should have been Lucinda’s. But the feline didn’t want Quinley to leave; felt she was where she should be. That was something.
Just then, she and the omega rounded up the conversation. With a respectful nod at him, the omega then strode away.
Quinley’s full attention fell on him. “Sorry about that. She’s been having—”
“You never need to apologize for taking time to talk to one of my pride mates.” Fuck knew they approached him often enough about random things—she never did anything but smile. “It pleases me to see you settling in so well and making friends.”
“Oh. Good.”
He leaned forward, placing his lower arms flat on the table. “You got plans for tomorrow?” She often worked Saturdays, but not this weekend.
“I do, actually. I’m going shopping with Blair, Elle, and Bree.”
Tension gripped his gut and threatened to stiffen his muscles—and all at the mere thought that she’d be away from him yet again. It was ridiculous. The fact that his cat reacted in much the same way made him feel less of an idiot.
“When was this arranged?” he asked, careful to keep his voice casual.
“When I stopped by to see Aurora on my way home from work. Bree said her colic was bad again.” Quinley’s brow pinched slightly. “What’s wrong?”
He shrugged, but he suspected that the movement was a little too stiff to come off as nonchalant. “Nothing.”
She twisted her mouth. “I’d invite you to come shopping with us. I mean, it’s a ladies trip, but we’d all pretend you had no penis so that you could be there. We’re shopping for Christmas gifts, though. I don’t want you to see what I buy you.”
He felt his lips twitch. “I wouldn’t horn in on your ‘ladies only’ time. That would be a dick move. I’m just battling the irrational urge to somehow convince you to stay at home.”
She hummed in understanding. “You know, it would be easier for us all to travel there together than use separate cars, but one trunk probably won’t be enough to contain all the bags we’ll have. So I was wondering if maybe there’s a chance you could drop us off in one of the pride’s SUVs and then later pick us up?”
Isaiah’s chest went warm. She didn’t really need that from him. She could easily borrow one of the SUVs herself, as could Elle, Blair, or Bree. But Quinley knew that letting him feel like he was taking care of her in such a way would ease his tension a little. “Trying to make me feel better again?”
Her eyes twinkled. “Did it work? Again?”
“It did. Again. And yes, I’ll take you and pick you up later.”
A passing pride mate, Leia, paused near the table to let a waitress pass. Noticing him and Quinley, Leia gave them an awkward smile and then hurried off.
“She always acts like that around us,” Quinley noted. “An ex-bedmate of yours?”
Yes. “There aren’t many in the pride.”
“Why?”
