Page 27 of Someone Else's Wolf

I felt hollow inside. It shouldn't hurt this much, I told myself. It hadn't meant anything. We'd gone into this with our eyes wide open, hadn't we? Except, apparently, I hadn't.Pie-in-the-sky nonsense. Getting your hopes up because he's a nice guy.

So fucking "nice" that he'd never believe his partner would try to sabotage me, or that our workplace would become miserable for me when word got out.

Why had I had any hopes in the first place? I was supposed to be resigned to not having anyone serious and long-term in my life. That was going real well. I'd gotten my stupid heart involved when I knew better.I fucking knew better.

"Shane. Wait." He sounded apologetic now, like he didn't want me to be upset.

Yeah. Great timing. I kept walking, but that didn't stop him from catching up with me easily.

"Shane." Strong arms wrapped around my middle, pulling me back to him, a hug from behind, stopping my indignant walk-off — if it even counts as indignant when you feel sucker-punched and out of breath. I really shouldn't be taking this so seriously. It didn't mean anything.

But it had. To me.

He held me, and I breathed. I wasn't going to get emotional. He'd smell it. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

He pressed his face against my neck, then pressed a kiss there. "Calm down." One of his big, warm hands held my lower abdomen. It shouldn't still feel so good, being touched by him.

"You're the king of mixed messages, you know that?"

"Okay." He rubbed. It wasn't that I meant to shiver; it was an automatic reaction. "I'm not going to call things off, all right? I'm sorry I said that. If you want to work with a stag, if you want to switch careers, it's not my business, is it?"

My heart sank. "I guess it isn't." I should pull away from him. Walk indignantly away. Salvage what dignity I could.

He kissed my neck again and rubbed my lower abdomen gently, pressing close up behind me. He was going to start humping me any second, wasn't he? Right out in public, too. "It's just a surprise, that's all. I'm sure I'll get used to it."

"So, you want to keep seeing each other, then?"

"Yeah. Sure." His fingers dipped lower.

I shifted, uncomfortable now and likely to become more so. "Peter, not here."

"There's a spot I've heard great things about, but I didn't get a chance to test it out while I was here. I'd kinda like to take the chance now."

"Everyone will know," I complained even as hot and spicy thoughts entered my head, thoughts of him and the forest and kissing and sex. How could I get distracted so easily? We were having a conversation, here. Or else I was walking off. Maybe that...

Peter persisted. "But they wouldn't care, not here. Why should they care? I'm not in the program. You're just...having a visit. From a friend. And enjoying it in a certain special way."

Friend, again. I supposed I should be satisfied with that, since a moment ago he'd been ready to walk away forever.Friendwasn't the worst thing, after all. Everyone could use more friends.

"They'll all know," I assured him. "You know they will." Except maybe Trevor. But I had the feeling he didn't need to rely on his sense of smell for everything. He'd take one look at me and know, even before the gossip hit. True, there were no actual rules about not having sex with your totally-not-a-boyfriend friend in the woods. But I figured it was kind of implied.

Peter dipped his hand lower, cupping me, making me squirm, and kissed my neck again. "It wouldn't take long, you know."

He could play me like a violin, and we both knew it. But that didn't mean it was the sensible thing to do.

"Oh, great. Just what I want to hear," I groused, shifting uncomfortably and feeling way too distracted to think sensible thoughts. "Quickie in the woods, and pay for it for days."

He chuffed a soft little laugh against my neck. "Pay for it? How?"

He drew away from me, and I missed his warmth. I turned to face him, trying not to look disappointed.

He reached up and cupped the back of my neck. We were both turned on, although he was handling it better than I. He searched my face with that gaze of his, the one that had made me think he was more fond of me than he actually was.

"I can't figure you out," he said.

"Can't you? I'm pretty see-through." I caught his other hand, bent and kissed it. "Come on. Show me the spot." If I paid for it, I paid for it. At least I'd get to have sex.

His chuckle was low and rich. "I was hoping you'd say that." He patted his pocket. "I came prepared."