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“Don’t worry about it; just get something cute. You don’t have to show him what you buy until you’re ready.” Natalie smiles at me and tries to walk forward, but my feet stay where they are in front of Victoria’s Secret. Is it really possible for me to buy expensive bras and underwear just to wear them for Jaxon?
Skyler says, “And you need more clothes anyway. They have cute nightgowns, and who wouldn’t want more underwear?” How would he know what’s in this store? He is gay! He shouldn’t care about what women wear.
Skyler links his arm with mine before I can ask him. I’m stuck between the two shopaholics who are literally pulling me into the store. My feet are making noise as they walk on the shiny tile floors of the mall. I complain to myself and then push them away and start looking around. I do see some really cute bras now that I’m in here…
I don’t know if it’s because I’m so tired and don’t want to fight with my friends anymore or if I really want to buy something nice for Jaxon, but I end up choosing a few things and trying them on in the dressing room. I choose a lavender and periwinkle lace bra, a light pink bra with a cute shimmer along the edge, and a bright red set of lingerie that Natalie asked for. I don’t know when I’ll wear it, but I do have choices for when I want to impress him.
I look at the clock and see that it’s almost six o’clock. Three hours of shopping is more than enough for me. I’m already having trouble staying awake, and I really want to eat dinner and then go to bed.
I make sure to whine a little when I say, “Can I go home now?” so they know how badly I want to leave. I’ve been nice today!
“Don’t worry. I saw you fall asleep while I was checking out. I already called Jaxon to come get you.”
I shouldn’t be shocked that Skyler called Jaxon, but I’m pretty sure he mind-linked him because I didn’t see him pick up the phone.
“OMG! Do I finally get to meet him?!” Natalie jumps up and down and does a little happy dance in the mall. I laugh at her dance, and when Skyler joins in, I bend over and hold my stomach. I don’t know what kind of dance Skyler thinks he’s doing, but it looks like a mix of the electric slide and the chicken dance.
We decide to go to the food court and wait for Jaxon there after they finish dancing. Because I’m thirsty, I go to a restaurant in the food court and ask for three waters. I hit Skyler and tell him I can pay for water because he looks like he’s going to pay. He lets me, thank goodness.
Natalie starts looking for cute guys in the mall as we sit down. “Wow! He’s kind of cute, don’t you think? Do you think he’s already taken?”
I turn around slowly and as quietly as I can and see a pretty brunette with dark eyes staring at our table. He doesn’t have as many muscles or look as good as Jaxon, but I can see why Natalie would want to know more about him. His dark eyes are pretty, but I’m only interested in Jaxon’s blue eyes.
“Yeah, he’s cute. You can go up to him if you want.” I don’t mean for my answer to sound half-hearted, but it does.
Natalie slams her hands on the table in excitement and says, “Wow!” “You really like Jaxon! You’re not even looking at him!”
I bite my lip shyly and look down at the table. She isn’t wrong…
“Wow! Calla, don’t look now, but a guy who’s ten times hotter just walked in. Oh my god, he’s straight out of a magazine! His arms are huge. He must work out all the time!”
I turn my head and a huge smile spreads across my face. I agree with Natalie that Jaxon is coming over to our table. His tight jeans fit him perfectly today, making him look amazing. His plain white t-shirt hugs his muscular arms and shows off the eight-pack on his stomach.
He looks like a god among men, and when he smiles at me, my heart literally bursts. Even though I’m tired, being around him wakes me up a little.
Skyler laughs and says, “That’s her boyfriend,” when she sees how excited my best friend is about Jaxon.
“SHUT UP! I’m so f*****g proud of you, he’s beautiful! Oh my god, does he just take over? Like, grab you and-”
“Stop talking, Natalie! He can hear you!” I give her the look of a disapproving friend, but she just shrugs it off.
“There’s no way he can hear me from that far away. Tell me how good he is in bed.”
I push Natalie on the shoulder, partly because I’m embarrassed and partly because she didn’t listen to me. She thinks Jaxon can’t hear her from across the food court, but she doesn’t know that he has a werewolf hearing. I can tell he heard everything she said because of the proud smirk on his face. He doesn’t need to feel better about himself!
When Jaxon gets to our table, he picks me up off my chair and hugs me right away. He wraps his arms around me and puts his face in the crook of my neck.
Natalie smiles and says, “Aww! They’re so cute!” I hold Jaxon even tighter.
Skyler says, “Told ya,” and looks at the two of us with pride in his eyes. I bet he’s thinking about how he brought us together. That wolf is so full of himself.
“But you should know that my boyfriend is hotter.” Skyler pulls out his phone and starts showing Natalie pictures of Ezra. From the way she squeals with excitement and awe, I can tell that he’s showing her pictures of Ezra without a shirt on. Show off.
Jaxon moves closer and looks at the pictures Skyler is showing Natalie. He laughs. He really scoffs!
“I have better abs than him,” he says, and then he lifts up his shirt to show her his toned stomach. I really don’t know if he’s just bragging or if he’s feeling bad about himself.
Natalie looks like she’s about to drool, so I quickly pull down Jaxon’s shirt to cover up the beautiful sight. I like his body, but I don’t want other people to be all over him. I agree with you that that’s a fair request.
“Stop it, Jaxon. Keep your shirt on!” He pouts and grabs my hips to pull me closer after I tell him to stop.
“I just had to remind you who was more attractive.” He smiles at me, and if I didn’t know better, I would think he had lost some of his confidence.
“You’re the most handsome guy I’ve ever met. Are you happy? Can we go now?”
He leans in and kisses me, which is a little too public for my taste, but I can’t help but want more. He lets go and picks up my shopping bags. He gives me a dirty smile when he sees the Victoria’s Secret bag. As I quickly say goodbye to Natalie and Skyler, my cheeks get very red.
We walk out of the mall holding hands, and Jaxon opens the door for me on the passenger side. He puts the bags in the back and starts the car. He doesn’t drive me home; instead, he turns to me and takes my hand.
“Do you want to stay at the pack house tonight?”
Do you want to sleep over at Jaxon’s? With all the other werewolves who are going to ask me about my relationship with their Alpha? What if I have another bad dream and can’t sleep at all? He’ll want to know why I can’t sleep, and I’ll have to tell him all about his fake death.
The light squeeze of my hand pulls me out of my thoughts and back into the car. “Hey, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I just want to spend more time with you, and you look really tired. You kind of have all week, and I thought it was the separation that was straining you.”
Just thinking about spending the night with Jaxon gives me butterflies in my stomach. I felt a mix of fear, anxiety, and excitement. I can see the hope and hidden excitement in Jaxon’s eyes. I answer with my heart, not my head.
“Yes, I’ll stay the night.”
When Jaxon smiles at me, I can’t help but smile back. Let’s hope that anxiety doesn’t come up and ruin my night.
Jaxon drives me home to get a bag for the night. He was nice enough to stay in the car while I quickly got my things together. I grab a random outfit and put my toiletries in a small bag to take with me. I’m so worried about making him wait too long in the car that I don’t pay much attention to what I’m grabbing. With the bag over my shoulder, I walk downstairs and yell, “I’m spending the night with a friend, Mom!”
I almost get away, but my mom comes around the corner with Maisie on her hip. My mom is wearing her favorite apron, which has a bikini on it. Maisie is wearing a cute butterfly dress and holding her stuffed bunny close to her.
My mom asks, “Whose house?” She’s only asking because she’s curious, but I’m a little scared to tell her where I’m going. I could lie and say I’m staying at Skyler’s, but I think it’s better to be honest.
“Um, I’m going to stay at Jaxon’s tonight.” I bite my lip and look down at the floor because I’m too nervous to see how she reacts. I slowly look up and am shocked to see a big smile on her face.
“That’s great, honey! I’m glad you two are getting along after that rough patch. Be safe, and text me if I need to come over and kick his a*s!”
“Mom!” I say, pointing at Maisie. “Language!”
As she covers Maisie’s ears, my mom looks guilty, as if that will make her forget the curse word she just said. I feel like I’m the grown-up sometimes.
My mom says, “Go and have fun!” She walks me to the door, and when I go outside, I see Jaxon with his arms crossed leaning on his Tesla. His arms look huge like that, and his triceps are bulging and calling out to me. I can’t wait for him to hug me again. He gives the best hugs.
Jaxon meets me halfway down the driveway and takes my heavy bag from me. He makes it seem like it weighs two pounds instead of twenty when he holds it. Werewolf, for real. He waves to my mom and opens the door for me. He doesn’t have to do it every time, but he still does it because he’s a gentleman. I don’t tell him that it makes me like him more.
Before I know it, we’re driving to the pack house. I’m a little worried about staying there again, but I’m glad Jaxon will be there with me. I feel a lot better now that I’ve met some of the pack members and know that Skyler will be there. I’m glad I’m getting to the house at a normal time and not in the middle of the night.
As soon as we get there, Jaxon takes my hand and my bag and walks us inside. As soon as I walk in, a group of boys who look to be between 14 and 16 years old almost immediately trample me. They are trying to tackle each other and throw a frisbee right by the front door. If Jaxon hadn’t been so quick, I would have been a pancake on the floor.