“I was. Don’t really have a lot of options around here to defend myself.”
“Could have used your wolf on him. She’s strong.”
He’s right. I could have.
I sigh and take a seat on my bed. “I don’t really know how to do that,” I confess and hold out his mug to him. Thorne takes the mug and my heart rate spikes when his fingers brush against mine.
“What do you mean, don’t know how?” He takes a seat at the foot of the bed. There’s a respectful amount of distance between us with me at the head of my bed and him at the foot. I hate it.
“I’ve only shifted once.”
“But when I saw you in the Meadows…”
I raise my mug in cheers. “Yeah, that was the one time.”
“Hells,” he mutters and takes a sip of his tea. “I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Wasn’t time to explain. Everything happened so fast,” I remind him.
He winces. “Yeah, it did…”
“You never mention that night. Why?” In for a penny, in for a pound on the questions I’ve always wanted to ask but never thought I’d have the nerve to ask apparently.
“Didn’t think you’d want me to. Ronan ordered me to keep watch over you. With me being that close to you, I figured if you wanted us to talk about it you’d find an opening when you were comfortable enough to do it. It’s not easy to join a new pack, at least I’d imagine it wouldn’t be. Seemed like you had enough to deal with without having to worry about me.”
Well shit.
I didn’t think about it like that. I thought he was avoiding what happened between us, burying it and pretending it didn’t happen like Keiran did but he never was. He was waiting for me to bring it up when I was ready. Am I ready now? I guess so, since I brought it up.
“I thought you were trying to pretend it didn’t happen…I didn’t realize…”
Thorne makes a face. “I’d never do that to a female, especially not an omega.”
“Is that what’s going on here? You’re an alpha and I’m an omega so things just happened?”
“As neat of a story as that would make for, no it's not. I don’t make a habit of fooling around with anyone, let alone an unidentified omega that appears in front of me like she’s been conjured by the fae.”
Thorne’s face tells me what he’s saying is very serious and my brain tells me the same but my heart is repeating the phrase, “I don’t make a habit of fooling around with anyone.” That pleases me more than it should.
“I felt drawn to you. I don’t know why. I thought you were going to kill me when you attacked me but it was like a switch. I wanted you and I didn’t care what happened to me if I couldn’t have you.”
He looks me over, gaze on me heavy enough that it feels like his hands. I shiver under his attention and tighten my grip on my tea mug to make sure I keep my hands to myself. I’ve thrown myself at him twice since I’ve met him, so it’s not entirely out of the question now that we’re in my bedroom.
“I felt the same way about you. That's why I’m here now.”
Thorne’s words are exactly what I’ve been starving for. I eat them up with my bare hands, eager for more. I could listen to him say things like that all night. I want to press the issue and get to the bottom of what we’re feeling but a yawn reminds me I’m exhausted and that I spent the night dancing with my friends after I cried my eyes out during the pack meeting. That all feels like it happened a hundred years ago, not hours. Maybe right now, when I’m feeling half drunk from exhaustion isn’t the moment to try and solve this.
“I’m tired,” I tell him and put my mug down on the floor.
Thorne rises from my bed. “You need your rest. It’s already too late.”
This time I’m sure he’s going to leave. He won’t go far, at least he won’t if all the times I know he’s slept nearby hold true. I don’t want him to do that, though. I need him here, not outside my door or on my porch.
I hold out a hand to him. “Stay with me? I mean here. Not outside.”
He looks surprised at my question. “Are you sure?”
I nod and give him what I hope is a convincing smile, an enticing one that makes him want to stay with me. “Yes. Stay with me, please. I’ll sleep better.” It’s true. The sleep I’ve gotten lately has been the best I’ve ever had. I never dared to hope I’d have it this good. Not with the bondrot that I should be carrying from Keiran’s rejection. I’m lucky I haven’t felt it. I pull back the covers and get in bed. My bed has more than enough space for me but with Thorne there won’t be much room to move.
