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Ariel pointed her pencil at Beth. “Let’s say I decide that I can’t live without them. I mean, it’s not like they run around in their wolf form. I have the sense it only happened today because Paul Franklin is a werewolf, as are the people who work for him. They attacked Preston, Benson, and my two bodyguards.”
Beth nodded. “That makes sense. It was why both your men needed to be trained—because they didn’t go out on a Saturday night looking for someone to kill. They were out of practice.”
“Exactly.” Ariel set the book and paper on the coffee table.
The doorbell rang and her heart jumped to her throat.
Beth stood. “It’s probably the pizza delivery guy.”
“Look out the window first before you open up.”
“Don’t worry.” Beth checked. “It’s our food.”
Ariel’s reaction was ridiculous. Clearly, finding out that werewolves existed had traumatized her—as had the fact that she might never be with Preston and Benson again.
“Ariel? What’s wrong?” Beth asked as she placed the pizza on the coffee table.
“Nothing. I was trying to picture my life going forward.”
Beth opened the box, removed two slices, and placed them on the paper plates. “Eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Eat or I’ll make you sleep outside tonight.”
Her ridiculous comment made Ariel smile. “Fine.”
Once she ate the first slice, Ariel’s appetite started to return. It might have been because she was moving closer to thinking having two men who occasionally shifted into a wolf wasn’t so bad after all. “I wonder if they sometimes shift by mistake.”
“Did they say it has ever happened?” Beth asked.
She went over the recent conversation. “To be honest, I don’t think we talked a lot about it once I saw Preston in his wolf form.”
“Maybe you should check to see that Preston is okay. If he collapsed, he could be seriously injured.”
Ariel’s stomach tumbled. Part of her wanted to ask Beth to drive her back to their house, but the more rational part of her brain told her to let it be. “Benson would call if anything bad happened.”
“Didn’t you ask Benson never to contact you?”
Shit. “Yes, but I was upset when I said that.” Ariel finished her second glass of wine and then leaned back against the sofa. “I just need more time.”
“Take whatever time you need, but not too long. Who knows what the men will do. If you are their one and only, they might have to move out of town so they aren’t tempted to be with you.”
That was a horrible thought. “Do you think they would? Preston has a gym to run, and Benson really likes working for the District Attorney’s office.”
Beth shook her head. “Of course not. If you are their one-and-only, they’ll wait for you. Just don’t take too long. In the meantime, are you up for a movie?”
“Sure, as long as it doesn’t involve romance, fighting, or is a documentary about how good wolves are for the environment.”
She smiled. “I have just the thing.”
* * *
It was almost closing time at the clinic, and Ariel was a little disappointed that neither Benson nor Preston had left a message or stopped by. She was well aware she told them she didn’t want anything to do with them, but surely they must have realized she had been in shock. If they really loved her, wouldn’t they at least try to contact her?
“You look lost,” Beth said.
Ariel had been brushing the beagle for quite a while. “Maybe I am.”
