Bane drains the rest of his beer, setting the bottle down so hard it's a wonder the thing doesn't shatter. "If he's lying, I'm gonna kill him."
"He's not lying," I tell him immediately. "But he could be wrong."
Bane rubs his temple and sighs. "Then that just proves my point, doesn't it? This isn't a sure thing, but you don't seemwilling to let him go. Maybe that means something. Hell, maybe it's a good thing you dated so many losers. You're used to giving people a chance. If you weren't, you would have dismissed this guy immediately."
Like all my dating disasters were just practice to get me ready for the moment the real thing crept into my pack's territory and his ass got tossed in the dungeons? Huh. That sentimental theory is entirely too tempting, so I crack a joke.
"Wow, are you going soft on me?"
"Don't tell anyone," he says wryly. "I've had reason to get back in touch with the more… romantic side of myself." His eyes drift down to the cute oven mitts on the counter Josh picked out, which look like little doggies. "Look, I kind of hate this guy on general principle. But at least you already know exactly the mess you're getting into here.”
"Maybe I'm an idiot," I suggest.
"I don't think so. You may make some bad calls, but your heart's always in the right place." He nudges me with an elbow fondly. "That part hasn't changed."
Except there’s one problem. "But if we're really mates, why haven't I Recognized him?"
"I don't know, man. Just... be careful." He puts a hand on my shoulder. "But if you are meant to be, you gotta trust that it will all work out."
Bane loads the pizza in the oven while I lean against the counter. But my mind isn’t on dinner.
My cousin might be right. I hope he is. That’s the problem. I think Marlow is different from my terrible exes. It would be so easy to just fall into him and not come up for air. But where would that leave me? I'm not sure he's my mate, but Marlow Maddox is entirely the kind of man I could fall for.
It was hard to see at first or maybe I didn't want to see. Now that I do, I can't unsee it.
But that doesn’t mean we want the same things. Hell, Marlow not being interested in love could be interfering and preventing us from Recognizing each other if we are mates. What if I end up wanting more than Marlow's willing to give?
17.Lines in the Sand... or the Hallway
Wynn
From the doorway of the guest room, Marlow and I watch as Bane tapes a line in the hallway. Did he buy red duct tape just to be dramatic?
"So what happens if we cross this line?" Marlow pipes up next to me.
"You don't," Bane says firmly.
"Will it shock us or charm us into doing something silly?"
"No," Josh says. "But someone could spot you in the window if you go past there." A unique circular window in the hallway doesn't lend itself to curtains, so we need to steer clear, just in case.
"What if we duck?" Marlow wonders aloud. That's how we got up here. After we polished off the pizza, they brought us to the guest bedroom.
"Safer to just stay away," I interject, noting my cousin's eye twitching and his growing impatience with the questions.
We’re staying in Bane and Josh's guest bedroom. Our new sanctuary. It’s like some twisted domestic scene. Two gay werewolf dads tucking their fugitive kids into bed.
"If we need something do we ring room service?" The demon next to me asks. I elbow him and he only shoots me an innocent look.
"We aren't room service. You'd better have everything you need for the night," Bane states flatly.
"Well, I wouldn't say no to—"
"Sorry, that wasn't a question. What I meant was,you have everything you need for the night."
With that, Bane storms off. While he told me to trust my instincts with Marlow, they haven’t become instant besties.
What's he so worried about? All the things two good-looking guys who don't hate each other could get up to when confined to a bedroom and sharing one bed? Ha, why would he be worried about that? I'm not, not at all…
