Page 24 of Pit Stop

CHAPTER

TWELVE

SKYE

We meet Owen a little later than planned. Mainly because I slept like a log, curled up against Maverick. And when we woke, he made sure to give my cock extra attention. Who was I to say no?

I’m getting far too used to being spoiled by him.

I really need to step away and gain some clarity, but it’s hard to do when I’m so intensely drawn to him. I guess I always was, but being with him all the time, living in his space, feeling his emotions…

I can’t bring myself to pull away. Not yet. I’ll let the shaman from Red’s pack make that decision for me. By then, it will be out of my hands.

“Oh gods, that smells so good,” I moan as we approach the trendy breakfast joint. The Early Howler.

“Have you been here before?” Maverick asks, taking my hand in his and squeezing gently.

“Once. With Delphine. She’s a friend and is always pulling me here and there. I found the breakfast plate names insufferable.”

Maverick chuckles as we move into the crowded restaurant. Owen is seated at a table, a menu before him, his eyes scanning the options.

“Hey,” Maverick says as we approach. Owen’s eyes flick up, and he smiles brightly.

“You made it! Oh, you two are so cute together!” He stands up and pulls us both into a hug. “I bet you’re just in heaven, huh?”

He says this to Maverick, who just blushes and clears his throat.

“It’s nice, yeah.”

Owen rolls his eyes and then wrinkles his nose. “Mav here has been obsessed with you. Skye this and Skye that. Brings you up in every conversation now.”

“Shut up, Owen,” Maverick says, his cheeks reddening even more.

“Is that so?” I ask, and Maverick sighs.

“Let’s just sit. Skye is hungry, and it’s making me want to eat.”

“I mean, I’d like to know more about this obsession.”

“Later.” It’s a promise. One I plan on following up on.

We take our seats, Maverick and I sitting across from Owen, our legs intertwining as Owen chatters about the menu items.

“What are you two going to get?” he asks. “I’m thinking the Moons over my Wolfie or the Fangs and Eggs.”

I bite my tongue, not wanting to disparage him and how ridiculous these items are.

“Oh, and there’s this new item on the drink menu. The waiter told me about it. A mimosa with wolf blood in it. Said it was really good.”

“That sounds…nasty.”

“Oh, it’s not real wolf blood. Just blood orange, but it looks like blood. He said they grew them here, in the backyard.”

“Hm,” I say and then glance down at the items on the menu, trying not to roll my eyes at the names. They’re just as bad as I remember. Pack Scramble, Howl and Oates-meal, Alpha Apple Mooncakes, the Wolf in Meat’s Clothing. Good gods. How did they come up with this? Who has the time?

“What are you getting?” Mav asks, his fingers sliding against my thigh and making me lean toward him.

“I’m thinking the Moon Cakes.”

“Sounds good. I think I’m going to order the Doggone Omelet.”

“That was my second choice. Can I have a bite?”

“You can have whatever you’d like.”

Owen sighs, his head in his hand as he watches us. “I can’t wait to find someone who loves me like this.”

Our eyes flash to him, and I sputter. “It’s not—what? Love? What love?”

Maverick’s fingers tighten on my knee before moving off me completely.

“It’s not love,” Maverick explains as I continue to sputter and choke. “It’s just the bond. One which will be dissolved soon.”

“Yes,” I manage to hiss just as the waiter appears, and because I’m still choking and feeling slightly off-kilter, Maverick orders for me. He also orders me a mimosa.

Apparently, he thinks I need it.

His hand lands on my back, and he pats it softly as Owen continues to talk about his job at a small clothing store on the other side of town. He’s trying to become the manager, but one of his brothers fucked the current boss and ran, so there’s a grudge against Owen.

“You’re the only alpha I like,” Owen says. “I told Skye this.”

“You just have assholes for brothers,” Maverick says. He looks at me as the water is set in front of him and my mimosa is scooted over to me. It’s orange with red foam on the top. They really went for this whole wolf thing.

“I’m pretty sure most alphas are assholes,” I tell him, and then I amend, “Not you though. Not most of the time. And my brothers are all right.”

He huffs a laugh and then nudges my mimosa. “Take a drink.”

I look over at Owen, who has a red mustache on the top of his lip before his tongue swipes it away.

“Oh, this is delicious. I wonder what they used for this? Cherries? I don’t know.” He gulps it down and then burps loudly. “Oh gods.”

“Nice one,” a man says from the table beside us and holds out his fist.

Owen shyly bops it as his cheeks flame.

“Burps like a foghorn. That’s how we became friends,” Maverick says. “Burped his way into my life.”

“Shut up,” Owen says and then laughs. “What really happened was my brothers were plying me with drinks and forcing me to burp for their entertainment. They love to watch an omega dance like a circus pet. I almost threw up and kept telling them to leave me alone. Maverick came in and put an end to it. And ever since, I have been a thorn in his side.”

It’s my turn to touch him, my hand landing on his leg and squeezing.

He peers at me from the corner of his eye, and I offer him a small smile. That sounds like something he’d do. As much as I didn’t like Maverick for being far too sexy, he was never one to be a bully. And he never entertained them either.

Food is brought to our table, and I take bites from each plate, deciding that I like Maverick’s the best. He ends up switching our plates so that I can have the breakfast I like the most.

He really should stop being so romantic. The sex is good, hot even, but if he keeps doing shit like this it’s going to be hard for me to break the bond and leave for college.

I really can’t afford to be pining after an alpha while I’m trying to study. When I clear my plate, I decide I need to use the bathroom before the ride home, so I excuse myself and head down the small hallway.

Thank the gods there is no line and I’m able to walk right in. But as soon as the door swings open, Red is there, standing at the urinals. I watch him turn his head, his gaze hitting mine.

“Sean,” he says, and I hold back an eyeroll.

“That’s not my name,” I say as I debate standing near him or going into a stall.

I decide to square my shoulders and head to the one farthest away from him.

I can feel his eyes on me, dropping to my dick for a minute before he shakes and zips himself up.

I refuse to make eye contact or engage in any way.

Fuck, he makes me nervous, makes my skin crawl.

Something about him is nefarious, cruel. I can tell by the way he watches me. I’m a means to an end.

He moves to the sinks and washes his hands for a long time, forcing me to end up at the sink right next to him.

His gaze is predatory as he continues to eye me.

“Your brother messaged me. I haven’t responded yet,” he says, grabbing a paper towel and wiping his hands off.

“Uh, why not?” I ask, and he shrugs, tossing that crumpled piece of paper toward the garbage. It doesn’t land inside, only falls to the floor next to it. Red doesn’t even move to pick it up. Of course not.

“Because I want to make this deal with you.”

My hands shake slightly as I dry them off, trying like hell to keep my composure. I shouldn’t engage, but this may be our only hope, the only way Maverick and I can be free of each other.

The thought makes me sick to my stomach.

“And what kind of deal is that?”

“After your bond is broken, I want to be the one to fuck you during your next heat.”

I stare at him, the paper towel in my hand hanging limply by my side. That uneasy feeling in my stomach worsens.

“Why?”

He grins, predatory and fierce. I can see that he’s an actual shifter through and through. It’s in the way his eyes seem to glow as he watches me, the tilt of his head, the way his nostrils flare.

As if he’s never seen better prey.

Oh gods. Why does he want this from me? I’m no one.

“Because those are my terms.”

My mouth gapes, and he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a pen. His fingers wrap around my wrist, and he scrawls his number on my skin. It makes everything inside of me recoil with disgust.

But this is the only way, right?

“Call me when you’ve made a choice.”

And then with that, he moves out of the bathroom, leaving me panting for breath.

Maverick sees the number on my skin the minute I return to the booth, his nostrils flaring, and I know he can smell the presence of Red on me. I hear his bones crack as he grabs the glass cup holding his water. Some splashes over the edge, and Owen pauses to look at him before chattering on.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper when Owen is not paying attention, not sure if I’m apologizing for speaking to Red or for actually considering fucking another man. It’s not that I want to. But if we need to break this bond…

“It’s fine,” he growls, his eye twitching.

I don’t think it is. Breakfast is ruined. The small buzz I had from the mimosa is gone and I feel slightly nauseous.

Thinking about being in heat with anyone but Maverick makes me ill.

“Oh, you don’t look well,” Owen says, his eyes roving over me. “Is it the fake blood? Sometimes it upsets my stomach.”

I shake my head. “Just ate too fast. I’ll be fine.”

And once again, I realize I may not be.

We make light conversation, Maverick’s words short and slightly terse. If Owen notices, he says nothing. Or maybe he had one too many drinks. He’s probably a lightweight. Not that I’m one to talk.

“I’m going to head to the street fair after this. Do you want to come?” Owen asks as we move up to the register to pay the bill.

I peer up at Maverick, whose jaw is clenched. I can feel his frustration, the anger brewing. He’s worried too. On top of it all, he’s concerned for me.