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I pulled back and she whined. I wanted to go back to her, give her whatever she needed, but I couldn’t. Instead, I got up, helped her straighten her clothes, and suggested we get back before it was too late.
8
EDDIE
Sterling popped up at Mystic Falls and called a meeting. He noticed Eliza right away. There was a little bit of attraction in his eyes, but Sterling was mated, and everybody knew he was happy in his arrangement. Eliza was too pretty not to notice, though, even by a happily mated man like Sterling.
“Who is this?” Sterling asked me.
What was I supposed to say? How could I answer that without putting her in danger?
“She is our new accountant. Eliza is the reason that we got the IRS off our backs. I was going to tell you about her at the next rancher’s meeting. Haven’t had an owners meeting in a while, so I haven’t had time to tell you about it. You’re a busy man, Sterling,” Calvin finally answered, and I breathed a little easier. Calvin had a smooth-talking way about him and he never got ruffled. I was definitely ruffled, and lying to the Alpha had never been a strong suit of mine.
“Where is she from? There’s something about her that you’re not telling me, what is it?” He looked to me, and damn if I didn’t immediately give him the answer he was looking for. It’s impossible to lie directly to your Alpha.
Calvin cursed at me under his breath. I knew I had just thrown him under the bus, but I couldn’t help it.
“But you don’t need to worry about her, because even though she’s technically an enemy, I am very sure that she is exactly what this ranch needs,” I explained.
He looked at me in surprise. “And what’s so damn good about having the enemy under foot?”
Calvin was quick to pick up the conversation. “She can be used for some kind of leverage later if need be. Even though she was rejected, she was going to be the alpha’s queen. That has to mean something. She’s already given us some very useful information about the Bransom Country pack. Did you know that they can see perfectly in the dark?”
“Seriously?”
Calvin nodded. “Eliza told me it’s why they always attack at night.”
Knowing the enemy was always preferable to going in blind. If she had more information like that, taking out the Bransom Country pack could be a lot easier than we had first anticipated. I knew that was exactly what Calvin was thinking, and I hoped for all of our sakes that Eliza knew more details that would help in the fight.
“I needed to interrogate her to see what all she knows,” Sterling said.
Calvin stepped closer to our alpha in a surprisingly bold move. “What the hell? I don’t want her to be tortured, Sterling. She is an amazing woman. She has been very helpful here and I told her that she would be safe here. I meant it.”
Sterling had a smile on his face, but it was surely not one that came from humor. It was more of an ironic one, and he just kind of looked at Calvin. “You already have a soft spot for her. I will admit that she is pretty, but she is the enemy, Calvin. Don’t forget yourself. Don’t forget who you’re talking to right now.”
It was not too hard to pick up on the unmistakable threat.
Calvin nodded, then said, “I haven’t claimed her yet, but I am thinking about it.”
That got Sterling’s attention. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t say that I was surprised. I was thinking about the same damn thing if I was being completely honest with myself. Being around her made me feel whole, like I could do anything. Calvin wasn’t the only one who wanted that feeling.
Sterling was shocked, but didn’t look unhappy. “I think I’m going to talk to her.”
Calvin and I both started to protest, but he assured us that he was just going to talk. I didn’t want them talking. I know Calvin didn’t either. There was no telling what Sterling was going to say. He had no chill and sometimes he was a bit much.
There was nothing Calvin or I could do about it but wait and hope that what came out of their discussion was good.
* * *
Later that evening,Eliza, Calvin, and I were having dinner at the bunkhouse. Eliza had been acting weird since her talk with Sterling. I was trying to pin down what was going through her head, but I really had no idea. At one point she turned to me, and it looked like she was making some sort of decision, though I had no idea what it would be about.
Eliza touched my arm,and I turned towards her. The smile I received was amazing. It brightened up her whole face and made me wish it was just the two of us together. She slid closer to me on the bench we shared and leaned her head on my shoulder. Calvin pouted about it.
Eliza looked up at me and asked, “Why haven’t you ever kissed me?”
