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He chuckled awkwardly. “If you gotta ask …”
The lusty haze in her eyes was replaced by a glare. “I know we kissed, but I …Whatwas that? Why?”
Ryland shrugged. “I lost my mind for a second there.”
“Right. Same. Emotions are running high, and we just got …” She scrunched up her nose, looking for the right word.
“We just got confused,” he offered.
“Yeah, confused.” She cleared her throat and walked across the office to lean on the opposing wall. With the desk between them, Ryland couldn’t reach out for her. He couldn’t kiss her again.
But, fuck, he definitely wanted to.
There was nothing he would ever want in his life more than kissing Caroline Knight. His body still stung from the charge that passed between them. His wolf was still howling in his mind for more.
There was no way in hell he would let Caroline out of his sight now. He could take her to the safest house that ever existed, but it wouldn’t be enough. He needed her with him. He needed to make sure she was safe, and it washisjob to keep her.
Not just safe.
Keep her. Full stop.
She was his mate, and until all of this was resolved, she was his.
Ryland opened his mouth to say something … anything … that would get them to the next moment, but he drew a blank. He’d never been speechless in his life, but one kiss from Caroline and he was reduced to a wordless wolf.
“You might want to get that,” she said, gesturing to his pocket.
His cock strained against the seam of his pants, but that wasn’t what she pointed at. His phone was ringing. He reached for it and answered with a bark, “What?”
“Ryland Wolverton,” his mother roared in his ear. He sighed and laid his head back against the wall. This was the last thing he needed. “How come you didn’t tell me you were seeing someone?”
He frowned. “What?”How in the fuck can my mother already know I’ve kissed my mate? Is she a witch?Ryland wouldn’t put it past the formidable Valerie Wolverton. “I didn’t … I’m not!”
“Don’t lie to your mother. I just got off the phone with Arabella, and she told me you’re taken. She was really sad about it, poor thing. She always had a crush on you. But, never mind that. I don’t care about her half as much as I care about your new lady friend. Bring your girlfriend to dinner tomorrow.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. I’m not …” His eyes cut to Caroline, who was listening to the conversation intently. He rolled his eyes at her and mouthed, “Mothers.”
Caroline stuffed her hand over her mouth to keep her giggling from being heard, but the sound of her laughter must’ve reached his mother’s shifter ears.
“I can hear her, Ryland. Bring her, or I’ll sic Wilder on you.”
He sighed. His older brother wasn’t half as terrifying as their mother, but it was safer to keep that knowledge away from her. The power would go straight to her head.
“I mean it, Ryland,” his mother said.
“Fine,” he conceded. It was better to let her think she had won for now. He would find a reasonnotto bring Caroline before tomorrow. He quickly ended the call before his mother could sense his plan. He glared at Caroline. “Happy? Now my mother wants you to come to dinner tomorrow.”
Caroline’s eyes went wide. “What? Why?”
“Thanks to your giggle, my mother thinks we’re dating.”
“That’s insane!”
“Yeah, it is, but until she meets you, she won’t let it go.”
“Don’t you have a long list of bootie calls you can take instead of me?”
“Obviously not. It would give ’em the wrong idea.” He shuddered as he thought of poor Arabella.
