Page 17 of Buckle Up, Buttercup

Hadrian turns to me with an inquisitive look. “You okay? Your scent changed. Did I order wrong?”

I force a laugh. “That’s my starving scent. It’s the I’m-about-to-be-a-feral-cat-if-you-don’t-feed-me smell.”

He stares for another moment, then turns to grab the television remote. Handing it to me, he puts his big feet up on the coffee table. I definitely don’t admire the three thick claw-tipped toes. He has no arch to speak of. His foot is totally flat. I bet you couldn’t knock him over with a bulldozer.

“Pick something you know Jasper wouldn’t wanna watch,” he says, grabbing a water bottle out of the front pocket of his sweater.

I scroll through the options as I tuck my feet up under me. With the sun setting, it’s getting a little chilly, and I hadn’t imagined that for Santa Alaya. I should have, because the wind off the mountains in PG makes everything feel twenty degrees colder. Here they’ve got wind coming off their mountains and the sea. Ultimately, I settle on Galaxy Quest, a movie I fucking adore that I know Jasper hates.

“Good pick.” Hadrian settles his right arm on the back of the sofa. I try not to notice how close his hand is to the back of my head. And I definitely don’t think about what it would be like for him to grip my neck and guide me onto his huge lap.

“I’m gonna get a drink,” I announce, rising off the sofa and heading into the kitchen, praying there are more sodas or something in here. Turns out his fridge is fully stocked, so I grab another drink and busy myself while I try to tamp down the unfortunate hormones.

Hadrian glances over. “Is this gonna be like a typical Tucker movie night where you can’t sit still because you’ve got a to-do list a mile long?”

I take a swig of the soda, willing the cherry flavoring to chemically alter my brain just for tonight. “Yeah,” I admit. “Probably.”

He smiles and turns back to the movie.

“Do you ever go out with the team?” I return to the sofa and flop down just past his reach.

He shakes his head, taking another long drink of water. Fuck, the way his throat bobs as he swallows makes me think things. And wonder things. And I’ve got to rein it in.

I just don’t spend time alone with Hadrian. And that’s a good thing because being alone with Hadrian makes feelings rise inside me, feelings I’ve done a great job of hiding over the years. Feelings I’ve had ever since he got big and brawny and started getting facial hair and a five o’clock shadow.

Finally, he turns to me, scrunching his nose up, which brings out the divot in his chin. “They’re younger guys, mostly, like me, but I’m an old soul. They want to drink and party and taste the local delights, if you know what I mean.”

I snort. “Are you afraid to say the word ‘sex,’ Hadrian?”

He gives me a wry look. “No, Bluebell. My teammates love to go out and fuck hard; is that what you want to hear? Fucking random women isn’t my jam. It’s not interesting to me without a connection. And I can’t connect with someone hopped up on tequila in a random sex club. It’s just…not to mention, it’s hard to know who wants to hang out with you for you and who wants the fame and everything that comes with this.” He waves around at the beautiful suite.

Returning his focus to me, he smiles. “Remember when you were nine, and we wrote out that pact that we’d get married at thirty if we weren’t mated yet?”

My blood freezes in my veins. He’s thirty-four.

“Yeah, I remember.” I take a deep drink of the coke. Please please please don’t tell me you’re thinking it’s time for that.

He shrugs. “Obviously you and I aren’t married, but the spirit of that pact still means something to me. We made it because we knew that the basis of any good partnership is friendship and mutual respect. How can you even have that with someone you just met?”

I’m staring, but I can’t summon words. I’ve had plenty of one-night stands. Nothing ever stuck, and nobody was ever right, but that’s always been fine for me.

“I’ve still got the bracelet we sealed our pact with,” he says with a little chuckle. “It’s at home on my keychain.”

My mouth drops open. “Are you for real?”

He scoffs. “You didn’t notice when you helped me move in? Do you have yours?”

I gulp. “Errr…”

He shrugs. “I’m sappy. I know. It’s symbolic more than anything. I just never met anyone who made me want to throw it away, I guess.”

I’ve gotta do something about this revelation, so I resort to my trademark sarcasm. “Well, you’ve got two months until I’m thirty, and then you’ll be stuck with me for eternity.”

He grins as he watches the opening credits of the movie. “You say that like it’s a bad thing, Bluebell.” He winks at me. “I could do worse than you, you know.”

I roll my eyes. “You couldn’t handle me, Hadrian. I would drive you crazy.”

His teasing smile falls, and a muscle works overtime in his jaw, his tail uncurling from his thigh to thwap against the floor. Cocking his head to the side, he stares at me like he’s seeing me for the first time.