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Eli wrinkled his nose and shook his head at me. “Thanks,” he murmured, closing the door behind him. I heard him turn on the faucet and I groaned, hurrying over to my bag so I could switch my shirt while he was busy.
What iswrongwith me?
Twenty-four hours ago, it would have been too soon if I never saw Eli again. Now, I felt like he’d been helpful. I certainly didn’t feel I needed to throw him out of my motel room. If anything, I—
“Hey.” Eli reappeared from the bathroom, looking refreshed. “Sorry for crashing here unplanned. That was a bit rude of me.”
I snorted and shook my head. “It’s not a big deal. We worked until we fell asleep.”
Eli shrugged. “Still, I feel—”
I shook my head, cutting him off. I didn’t want to go down an apology rabbit hole. “If you feel that bad, buy me a breakfast sandwich.”
That made the alpha laugh, and I felt some tension leave my body. “Is that the key to you, Iris? Just keep supplying you with snacks?”
I arched my brow imperially, trying hard not to break out into a grin — as that was indeed one of my greatest weaknesses. “A girl’s got to eat!” I replied, but I could hear the smile in my voice.
“Sure,” Eli said, heading to the table to find his wallet and keys. “We can hit a drive-thru. I was thinking…” He paused and glanced over at me; I don’t think I’d ever seen him look unsure before. “I haven’t been able to run since I arrived in Texas. The weather looks good. You want to come with me?”
“I— What?” I balked, completely taken aback by the offer. I barely knew the guy, and he wanted to run together? “Don’t you have to go to work today?” I asked, reaching into my pocket for my phone to check the time.
Eli raised a brow. “I mean, technically? Yes. It’s a Wednesday,” he replied as if I didn’t know what day it was. Actually, I didn’t. I often lost track. Weekends didn’t matter when you were a private detective — every day was a workday. “But I don’t have another meeting until Friday, and my assistant knows I won’t always be in. After all, my home is in London….” He trailed off with a shrug.
I paused, not sure how to argue with that. I had kind of forgotten he didn’t live in Texas — and that he ran his own business. If he wanted to go in late, who would stop him?
I haven’t gone for a run since I was like… eleven.But I couldn’t tell him that. It wasn’t something I wantedanyoneto know, and the first thing he’d ask me if I shared would be ‘why?’ Eli and I might be getting along better now, but that didn’t mean I wanted to spill my guts and tell him my entire back story.
He shrugged again. “I’m not going to force you. Either way, though, we need to leave if we’re going to get breakfast.”
“I — Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get out of here,” I replied, unsure what I was agreed to. I didn’t care, as long as the conversation ended there.
Somehow,I agreed to go to the park with Eli after we’d eaten our breakfast. I stared out the car window, already feeling out of place in such an expensive vehicle. It probably cost more than I’d ever made in my entire life; the thought alone made my stomach knot up.
“The park should be pretty quiet right now,” Eli noted. “People who jog before work are already gone, so the morning rush is over.” He chuckled. “Morning rush, hah.” When I didn’t say anything, he continued. “You know, like. Rushing. Going for a morning run… heh.”
I forced a smile, well aware it probably looked plastic. “Heh,” I said, not feeling the mirth at all — and it wasn’t just the poor attempt at a joke.
Silence fell over us for a few moments before he tried again. “So, where are you from? You don’t have much of an American accent.”
I gave him a sideways look. “I don’t have a Texas accent,” I argued, raising a brow. “Have you been all over America and heard all the different accents? It’s a huge country.”
Eli snorted, still staring ahead as he drove. “Well, no. But I’ve watched movies before. I know what a Boston accent sounds like.”
I grumbled but didn’t answer his prying; I never considered my accent or lack thereof, but I’d lived with many different families over the years. I’d probably lost any I might have had — I sounded bland, so no one would have a reason to pick on me. The thought made my mood sour, and I folded my arms over my chest, shrinking into the chair as if Eli might stop asking me questions if I got small enough.
He didn’t seem to get the hint, attempting small talk until we pulled into the parking lot. Once we got there, he quieted down, leading me past the jogging path and further into the greenery. “Remus told me that this is the best area to shift,” he explained, stopping when we came to a small clearing surrounded by thick foliage.
Before I could answer, Eli released his wolf. A large, gray wolf stood before me in the blink of an eye, his bushy tail waving behind him in lazy arcs. His ears pricked forward while he tipped his head, watching me with interest.
I blinked back at him, surprised to see how effortlessly he had shifted — howlargehis wolf was. “You’re quite the alpha, huh?” I asked him, tipping my head to one side. I smiled despite myself and reached a hand out.
Eli rumbled deep in his chest, stepping forward to push his skull into my palm, making a pleased noise as I stroked a hand over his chest. For a moment, I hoped that would be enough for him — but after a few good scratches, he stepped back, stamping a foot impatiently.
“What?” I raised my brow at him, playing dumb.
The wolf snorted, clearly not buying it. He stepped forward to nudge me again. When I didn’t move, he gave my pants a little tug. “Hey! Quit it!”
My wolf stirred, whining softly — or maybe that was just Eli’s whine as he stretched a large paw forward, almost digging at my leg. I could feel the power rolling off of him; it was so much more apparent in this form. He wasn’t just a strong alpha but must come from a line of strong alphas, too. I swallowed against the lump in my throat, feeling more and more disappointing by the moment.
