Page 101 of A Broody Mate for the Human

His cheeks flush. “Cheering for someone, although you might not share the same interest, is a great thing to do.”

“So, you want to take another ride while I wait down there and take photos and scream your name?” I offer.

Dave giggles. “Yes. If only to see you yell my name while surrounded by people.”

I furrow my brows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Dave gets up, brushing over his pants. “That you’re a bit shy when people are around.”

“I’m not shy!”

Dave just smiles. “Sure.”

I frown, not sure if he is making fun of me or not. Dave uses the moment, though, to turn around and look at the roller coaster. Alright, time to fulfill my promise.

Dave indeed goes on four more rides, and I make sure to wave at him and call his name. There are a bunch of moms next to me who call out to their children, so at least I’m not the only one screaming like a lunatic. Dave’s right, it feels a bit weird to do that, but the smile he rewards me with is worth it.

“You did it.” He beams. “Thank you! How about we do some other stuff now? Anything you’d want to do?”

I have no idea what I want to try, so we try out various things. The labyrinth, the various games, and I even feel brave enough to take one of the slower rides where we can look over the whole town. The whole area is already pitch-black. I didn’t even notice that the sun had set, and it turned into night.

“They are closing down soon.” Dave sighs and looks down at some of the stand keepers cleaning up their stalls.

“It’s not going to be the last fair for us,” I promise him.

Dave turns his head to look at me, and right here below the night sky, he looks so beautiful, so alluring, so ethereal. I never thought a human could ever awake these feelings in me. I reach out my hand to stroke his cheek, my thumb brushing over his lips.

“Raffy,” Dave whispers, his eyes boring into mine.

Before I can even stop myself or overthink what I’m doing, I lean forward, capturing his lips. I allow my fingers to move over his shoulder and up his neck, cupping his cheek. It’s only when Dave parts his lips slightly that I understand what the hell I’m doing.

I move away instantly. “I’m so sorry,” I breathe out. I took advantage of Dave’s vulnerability… shit… he just had a mate, and he is definitely not ready for something new. “I shouldn’t have…”

There is a flash of hurt in his eyes.

“Dave—” I mutter.

Dave turns his head away from me, staring into the night. “No, you’re right. We don’t have time for this anyway.”

We spend the rest of the ride in silence, and I keep cursing myself for ruining the whole mood by having kissed him. I’m so stupid. I wonder if I should say something to loosen the atmosphere, but I have no idea what to say or do. The fair is closing down now, so all we can do is return to the bed-and-breakfast.

Dave seems to be deep in his thoughts when we walk back. I sigh inwardly. Yeah, I have a way to fuck things up with people close to me. And now not even Nero is there and aware enough to guide me through anything.

Right before we reach the bed-and-breakfast, I hear some rustling behind us. My ears perk up, and I could swear my wolf does too. I turn my head slightly, staring into the night. This time there is no squirrel jumping out of the bushes. My stomach churns slightly as a feeling of foreboding settles over me. I can’t quite put a finger on it. I just know we shouldn’t stay much longer.

“We need to continue our trip tomorrow,” I mutter.

Dave looks at me with furrowed brows, clearly surprised by my words. He looks like he wants to ask something but then shakes his head. My thoughts are running wild when we get ready for the night. I still feel so bad for not having respected Dave’s boundaries… I shouldn’t have acted in the moment. He is a human. Things work differently for humans. I can’t just jump him.

Dave lies down in his bed, stretching a bit and snuggling his pillow.

“Are you still mad?” I whisper through the silence.

Dave doesn’t answer. I sigh a bit. He must already be asleep.

Chapter thirty-three

Caveman