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Jessica huffed and looked away for a moment. When she looked back at me, her face was set. Determined. “Okay. But you scared the rest of the girls. Did you see the looks on their faces?”
I had, but they knew what they were getting into. They signed up for this. I shrugged again, unsure why she was so worked up over this.
“You set the tone for the whole competition tonight, Garrett. Don’t you see that? Coming into dinner like you did, acting disinterested in them—annoyed even. And now you’ve gone and publicly humiliated one of them. What kind of message do you think that sent to the rest of them?”
When I didn’t answer, Jessica let out a tiny growl of frustration that was cuter than it should have been. “Seriously, Garrett. Did you even stop to think about how you would come across? Your first impression was supposed to show the girls what kind of man they’re competing for. What kind of man they’re willing to fight to the death over. The man that showed up tonight didn’t seem like one that anyone would want to fight over.”
Her words shook me. Is that whatshethought of me? That I wasn’t worth fighting for? The idea of it made a strange combination of frustration and desperation rise to the surface.
“You’re charming…” she continued “… no one can deny that. Any one of those women would be lucky to call you hers. But after this stunt you pulled tonight, none of them may ever see past who you showed up as tonight.”
I pushed off the wall, closing the distance between us in two strides. I looked down at her, confused by how much I needed her to know I wasn’t that guy. She stared right back at me, lifting her chin and setting her jaw, not at all intimidated by me, even as I towered over her.
“That’s not who I am, Jessica.” My voice was low, rough.
She swallowed but still didn’t step back as she whispered, “I know.”
Instinct had me stepping closer still, my gaze falling to her full lips. Her tongue darted out, licking nervously, and I didn’t stop to think. I simply acted.
Bending my head, I brushed my mouth over hers. My senses were immediately overwhelmed by the feel of her soft lips and her sweet scent. When her breath hitched, I lost my ability to see reason.
I snaked my arm around her waist, pulling her petite frame against me then pressed my mouth more firmly against hers, deepening the kiss. My pulse kicked into high gear, blood rushing through my body as her hands lifted to my chest, lingering there for a moment.
Holy shit. I hadn’t intended to kiss her, but now that I had her in my arms, it felt so good that I never wanted to let go.
“Garrett…” Her voice was breathy, barely penetrating the haze of lust that was quickly blotting out all sense of propriety.
“Garrett,” she said more firmly, her hands now pushing against my chest.
I broke the kiss, looking down at her, though I kept my arms around her waist. Her deep blue eyes were full of confusion as she whispered, “We can’t do this.”
She was right. This was crazy. I didn’t even know why I’d done it in the first place. But now that I had…
“You have to do better, Garrett. Be better.” Her voice shook, and I blinked, trying to process her words. “So much is riding on this. Everyone is counting on you to fix this.”
Right. She was talking about the Contention. Not the kiss. As if she’d already moved on from it while I was still trying to understand what had happened just now.
I dropped my arms, and she stepped back quickly. “Look…” she continued “… it’s your responsibility to smooth over the problems with the packs. You have an opportunity in front of you to clear the path for everything you and Holden want to accomplish. But you have to be the one to do it. You can’t just have a bad day, take it out on the girls, and then kiss me and expect me to make it all better.”
Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked down at the floor. I didn’t know what to say to that, even if my brain could register that she was right. I had a responsibility to Holden, to the pack. I nodded wordlessly when she glanced back up at me.
“Okay. Good. Just… don’t do that again.” Then she was gone, racing down the hallway back to the dining hall.
But her words lingered in my mind. What had she meant? Don’t treat the contestants like that again? Or don’t kiss her again? I couldn’t be sure, and I still didn’t know what had come over me in the first place.
I punched the button for the elevator, lost in thought. As I stepped inside, regret settled over me. She was right about all of it. I never should have treated the women like I did. I took out my own frustrations on them. This was my fate, and the sooner I could accept it, the better. I was making the ultimate sacrifice, truly taking one for the team. But I had to do better with the contestants. I needed to find the right woman. Scaring them off certainly wouldn’t help my case.
If keeping the peace among the packs was my job, I needed to take it more seriously than I currently was.
The elevator opened on the fourth floor, and I strode to my private quarters, pulling out my phone. The kiss aside—because I wasn’t anywhere near ready to unpack where the hell that had come from—I needed to make amends with Jessica. She was trying her hardest to pull this Contention off successfully, and I’d just made her job harder. She deserved an apology.
When the florist answered on the third ring, I said, “Yes, I’d like to order three dozen white roses for delivery as soon as possible…”
10
JESSICA
Isat in my office, hard at work on plans for the first physical challenge of the Contention. It was scheduled for the following Monday, four days from now, a full week from when the contestants had first arrived.
