Page 8 of Cold Foot Sentry (Wreck’s Mountains #6)

“Are you asking me to fuck you?”

“What? No! I’m asking if you want to hang out while I make cupcakes. You know what? Forget it.”

“Yes to either,” he said as she walked off.

“I’m not asking you to come over for a booty call, Tawk.” She sounded angry.

“Look, every time a female has asked me to come over at night, that’s what they want from me. I just wanted to know up front.”

She was glaring at him, her head cocked, her lips parted. “Forget it.”

“I like cupcakes,” he tried again. “Please forget I asked the other question. I wasn’t asking you for that. I just…I like knowing where I stand and what to expect. If you had needs you wanted me to take care of, I like to know that’s what it is.”

“I can take care of my own needs. With…myself. I don’t even need a man,” she gritted out as she began walking away again.

Shhhit. He’d messed up. In his defense, she confused the hell out of him!

Tawk gripped the back of his hair and muttered a curse. He climbed back into his truck and watched her turn sideways to shimmy between two cars. Her boobs almost brushed a sideview mirror. Hot.

Tawk gritted his teeth and wished he knew what he was doing with this one. Did he even like this? No. She was confusing and hot and cold, and he couldn’t find his footing with her. He didn’t like this. Not at all.

She yanked open the bar door and disappeared inside.

Good riddance. Confounding woman!

He chewed the side of his lip and just sat there in his truck, door open. God, he was so glad the Cold Foot Crew wasn’t still here to witness him air-balling this.

He inhaled deeply and pulled his phone from his back pocket, and typed her number into a text thread, and then typed out, I don’t say the right things to you. I’m confused the whole time we talk. You make me feel like I’ve never talked to a woman before. I don’t like it. Send.

Her text back was almost immediate. I don’t like it either.

Great. It’s solved then. We should stay away from each other. I’ll stop confusing you and you stop confusing me. Good luck with your cupcakes. Send.

The door to the bar swung open, and here came Tornado Tammy, slinging her purse dramatically over her shoulder, with fire in her eyes as she stormed toward him.

He shrank back a little. Why did she look so mad? And why the hell was he sort of afraid of her, but mostly turned on by her?

She yanked open the passenger’s side door and climbed inside like she owned that seat.

“You know where I live.”

“Ummm…”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s clear I can’t leave you alone, Tawk!”

“Why did you just say my name like a cuss word?”

“Because I’m mad that I keep thinking about you and I’m mad that you just upset me with your…your…” she waved her hand at him.

“My what?”

“Your stupid boy-ness! I was inviting you over to spend time and get to know you better and you’re asking if I’m D-T-F.”

“What is D-T-F?”

“Down to fuck.”

“No, I wasn’t asking for that. I was asking if that was what I needed to expect,” he said, trying to stay patient.

“And a part of me was like maybe! A broken freaking part of me was like, is that what I need? Do I just need a good dicken-down by a dangerous boy, and then maybe I will feel more confident in my decision to leave my marriage and leave the only relationship I’ve ever had and leave my hometown, and my friends, and leave my profession, and… and…”

“I don’t think I should be used as a band aid for any of that confusion.”

“But that’s what boys want! Right? You want to fuck a girl before you make cupcakes with her. I saw the dating apps. I tried them! It’s gross out there.”

“I don’t like that.”

“Don’t like what?”

“That you’re on dating apps.”

“Are you on dating apps?”

“Yes.”

Her mouth fell open, and then she flinched back. “Of course you are.”

“Why are you saying that in a mean tone? You’re on them too.”

“Because men like you probably have a bunch of girls you talk to. Probably tonight you will go back to your hotel and talk to three of them. At the same time. And then you’ll tell me I’m the only one you’re talking to.”

“Did Aaron do that to you?”

She clamped her mouth closed and jerked her attention to her window. No more words poured from her emotional little mouth.

He inhaled deep and slow. “Did Aaron have dating apps?”

“I went through his phone. At the end. I went through his phone because I just knew something was wrong. He didn’t do anything with those girls though.

He just talked to a bunch of them, all day every day, but he never met up with any of them.

He didn’t physically cheat. He swore he didn’t.

He was just…lonely I guess. They were easier to talk to than I was. ”

“He didn’t do anything though,” Tawk repeated softly, staring straight ahead. Aaron had done plenty. He’d made her scared of a stranger having a dating app. He’d disappointed her. He’d closed her off.

But he didn’t do anything though.

“Is your car here?”

“No. I walked. I think the battery is dead on my truck. It was okay though. I like walking. I needed to clear my head.”

“Your house is three miles away from here, at least. So, you were going to walk all the way back to your house in the dark after your shift.”

“Any walk less than two miles, and my thoughts aren’t even organized yet. Are you going to sit here all night and judge me and tell me what to do? Tell me how stupid that was?”

“It’s not stupid. You should be able to walk wherever you want to at night and no one ever disturb you. The world is full of assholes, but that isn’t your fault. It’s just not that safe is all.”

“It’s a small town.”

His sigh turned into a growl, and he pulled his door closed. “If I get my first gray hair tonight, woman, I’m naming it Tammy.

She tried to hide her laugh, she did. Tried and failed.

“Oh, it’s funny?”

“Kind of.”

“You stress me out.”

“You asked if I wanted to fuck you on a cupcake baking invite.”

“I said it was a yes to either! It was romantic.”

Tammy belted out a laugh, and now her shoulders were shaking with her giggling. She clapped her hand over her mouth, but her bright blue eyes were dancing, and he could still hear her laughing.

Was she laughing at him? Maybe. He didn’t even care. He liked the way she sounded when she was happy like this.

“Seatbelt,” he muttered as he pulled out of the parking lot. “These cupcakes better not suck.”

“Who said you’re invited anymore?” she said, but he could hear the teasing in her voice.

“Fine. I’ll drop you at a rolling stop. You can just jump out in front of your house. I can’t wait to get back to my hotel and far away from your emotional roller coaster. You’re probably making weird cupcakes anyway, like coffee flavored.”

“Vanilla with butter cream frosting.

Dammit. His favorite. He was a simple man.

“Sprinkles, or no?” he asked dryly.

“Undecided.”

He sighed a put upon sound for her. “Cupcakes are better with sprinkles.”

“Bossing me around again.”

“Woman I don’t think anyone has bossed you around since you left dipshit. I saw you in there handling those drunk guys. You’re fine on your own.”

“If that was true then you wouldn’t have come over when Aaron was there,” she said softly.

“Are there still feelings there?” he asked.

She didn’t answer right away. “I was afraid there would be, but mostly I kept looking at you over at the table. I kind of wanted you to help me make him go away.”

“Do you want me to eat him?”

“What? Ew! No. I just wanted you to make him go away from the bar. Wait. Do you eat people?”

“Did you make cupcakes with Aaron?” he asked.

“Eeerk,” she said, making a sound of a car locking up its brakes. “Have you eaten anyone? I think your answer might be a deal breaker for me. Please be honest.”

“No, I haven’t eaten anyone. I eat power, not people.”

She was quiet for a few moments before she spoke again. “I have not made cupcakes with Aaron because I did not know how to bake when I was with him.”

“Good. I don’t want his cupcake sloppy seconds.”

She laughed and he could feel the tension easing up in her. The air grew lighter in the cab of his truck.

“We didn’t do stuff like that together. We mostly hung out with a huge group of friends.

It was mostly for show. When we were alone, and we were home, it was quiet, and we both seemed to need a lot of space away from each other in the house.

I remember I used to get startled all the time that he was there.

I would turn the corner, and he would be working at his desk, and I would jump, you know?

It happened all the time. I was with him for so long, but I never got used to him in my space. ”

“Mmm.”

“What about you? Did you have anyone you were comfortable with when you lived with them?” She sounded very curious, so he glanced over to read her expression. He couldn’t.

“I never lived with a woman.”

“Why not?”

“Because I wasn’t paired. Why would I want to live with a woman my dragon hadn’t chosen. Sounds annoying.”

“Huh. What would be annoying about living with a woman?”

“I’m very tidy. Women are slobs.”

She snorted. “Go on.”

“They leave their forty-million make-up containers all over the counter, and clothes on the floor, and hair curlers on the counter.”

“Where are you getting these assumptions?”

“Television.”

“Aaah, TV. The perfect place to research females.”

“I can hear your sarcasm.”

“I made it especially for you.”

His chuckle surprised him. He liked how she was witty and quick when she dished it back to him. “I lived with a few other guys in a community house. I just rented a room. The Crew fees for Sister’s Edge were too expensive to buy a house.”

“You had to pay fees? Sounds like a cult.”

“Call it what you want. I’ve heard it before.

Shifters get a bad rap for being in cults, but to me it’s just a Crew.

I’ve always been in one, since I was a kid.

They make sense to me. It’s like a group of friends that have each others’ backs no matter what.

They understand each other while humans can’t.

Of course, humans try to tear apart the bonds a Crew can make.

They don’t understand, and they are afraid of what they don’t understand. ”

“I understand. I’ve been around Wreck’s Crew enough that I think it’s a good thing for shifters to have that sense of community. I had that before with my friend group. It was really big, but we all got along really well.”

“Why did you leave it?”

“Because Aaron was always there. I couldn’t stay in it and move forward at the same time. I couldn’t find myself with them. I changed and they stayed the same. Not their fault. It’s mine.”

“It’s not a fault to move forward,” he said softly. “Do you miss them?”

“Yes.” Her answer was immediate and held emotion in her tone.

“I miss my last Crew too.”

“Why did you leave?” she asked.

“Because I couldn’t stay in it and move forward at the same time,” he repeated her words.

She smiled over at him.

“Plus, I like to feed on witch’s power, and Jess moved away, so I followed the snacks.”

She shook her head. “You almost had me with your lines.”

He pulled into her driveway and parked behind her 4Runner. “What line?”

“The acting like we both left our old lives for similar reasons to build rapport with me. You almost had me.” She pushed her door open and got out, closed it, and left him staring after her.

He’d meant it. That wasn’t some line. He wouldn’t have ever been able to move forward if he had stayed there.

He just hadn’t realized that until he had been listening to her talk about the reasons for leaving her old friends.

He hadn’t known how to say it out loud until she had done it first. Sure, he’d moved away because of Jess too, but so much had happened at the end of his time in Sister’s Edge that he couldn’t stomach any longer.

He’d roasted everyone, and especially his old Alpha, Derek, on the way out.

Maybe Tammy was right.

Perhaps she was the smartest human he’d ever met.

Maybe she had been correct when she’d said they were sitting in the space between their old selves, and the new selves they didn’t quite know yet.

Tawk sure as hell didn’t know who he was here.