Alpha Wolf_A Paranormal Shifter Romance Page 5

  What a weirdo. Amelia smiled. She liked that he was a bit strange too and it put her a little more at ease.

  The sweet potato casserole he slipped into the oven looked so good her mouth watered. He washed his hands and then grabbed his glass of whiskey. “What did you choose?”

  Amelia shrugged. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach so hard she thought she might puke.

  “Would you like to show me around instead?” Kai asked, leaning on the island instead of sitting on the couch.

  No, she didn’t really want to, but Amelia supposed that was the way this was supposed to go. “Well, you can see everything from here. This is it.”

  She waved her hand and indicated the small dining room table next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. A sliding glass door went out to the balcony and her living room was spacious. The furniture was arranged just so, and a set of stairs led up to her bedroom. There was a master bathroom upstairs, and a small powder room downstairs. Her built in shelves framed her desk and it was unusually spotless. Normally there were papers and manuscripts everywhere.

  “Not much for knickknacks and clutter, are you?” Kai asked, looking around.

  Only one wall had pictures and it was not her doing. “Not really, I have what I need.” And she’d busted her ass to get it.

  “What are these pictures?” Kai asked, heading to the wall with small squares that Bonnie had stuck to her wall for her Christmas present.

  Amelia tensed as he walked over to the fireplace. The fire warmed the loft just enough she didn’t suffocate but could still snuggle under the blankets. The small squares made up a larger picture, each one a different experience Bonnie had taken her on.

  Kai busted up laughing when he got to the one Bonnie took during Goat Yoga. Her face was not amused as the goat stood on her back. “This is amazing,” he said. “I never would have thought you were so adventurous.”

  Amelia knew it wasn’t an insult, but still it stung a little to hear. “I’m not adventurous. My friend Bonnie is. I simply tag along.”

  Kai stared at that wall for a long time. “This is great,” he said. “You’re smiling in this one.”

  He pointed at the picture of her and Bonnie paddle boarding. Somehow Bonnie had managed to take the picture at exactly the right time. A whale had surfaced near them and with her selfie stick skills she’d managed to get the both of them and the whale. She nodded.

  He was right. It was the only picture where she smiled. Something about that realization made her uncomfortable. “I’d never noticed,” Amelia murmured looking down into her glass. She downed a bit more than she could handle and ended up coughing.

  Kai was suddenly by her side and rubbing her back. “You okay?” he asked.

  She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. Man that had been rough going down. “I forget how strong the whiskey is sometimes,” she wheezed out.

  His face became serious, that teasing smile was gone. “You’ve done a lot of amazing things,” he told her. “Why aren’t you happy?”

  It was the most personal question anyone had ever asked her. Amelia gasped at his audacity. “It’s not really your problem, is it?”

  Kai shook his head and took a sip of his drink. “Isn’t that what we’re trying to find out?”

  It was too personal. She wasn’t ready. That he was even aware of what made her happy, or what didn’t – frightened her. All of this was happening too fast. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, drawing her shoulders up by her ears. Amelia grabbed the blanket on her couch and wrapped it around her legs, suddenly feeling cold.

  Kai watched her and then set down his whiskey. “Here, let me help.” His strong arms drew her into his lap and he held her close to his chest.

  At first she froze, but it felt so good to be close to him she relaxed. There was the smell of pine trees on his shirt and it was so pleasant Amelia rested her head on his shoulder. This was nice. She supposed this was why people were in relationships.

  Never in five years had she felt the urge to let her guard down and enjoy a man like she did with Kai. It terrified her.

  But if he was going to jump in with both feet and cut right down to the meat of it…he was so careful of her physical boundaries, never getting too close or touching her for too long. Amelia respected the shit out of him for that especially since they’d already slept together once.

  She decided to let him in a little, test the waters.

  “I’m not unhappy,” she told him. “I love my job, and I love Bonnie. University was my first real taste of freedom and I put myself in serious debt to do it. Then I met David and…things kind of went downhill from there.”

  Kai’s arms tightened around her. “What happened?” he asked. His words were so quiet and calm a chill ran down her spine.

  “Well, at first things were amazing. I fell fast and hard and when he asked me to move in with him I did. He said it would help me save money on my dorm. It made sense. Then he started lying to me. Said he would come home after work and then would go out to drink with his friends instead. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but when I asked why, he said he never told me he was coming straight home.”

  Amelia shrugged. She felt so dumb. These weren’t deal-breaker issues. It made her sound like a total crazy person. It was all so embarrassing – how stupid and naïve and dependent she’d been. All her life she’d wanted a prince charming and she’d thought that had been David, but he’d turned out to be the monster instead.

  “What else?” Kai asked. His voice was gruff and strained.

  Amelia turned to look up into his face and there was something in his eyes, that weird glittering silver she’d seen before. Kai had something to hide, and she didn’t know what it was, but she felt it was only fair.

  “If I tell you, will you tell me why your eyes sometimes turn silver?”

  Chapter Nine

  Kai

  Oh his mate was such a firecracker. She must have seen how badly he wanted to help her exorcise her demons.

  “If I told you, your life would be in danger.”

  She gave him a skeptical look and he wanted so badly to make her smile. Kai sighed. “If we continue to date, I promise I will tell you that secret. Ask me anything else but that tonight, and I will answer.”

  She snuggled back into his chest and the fire popped. Kai breathed her in. God, she was gorgeous. He’d been delighted to see she hadn’t dressed up for him. He’d love it on a night they went out on the town, but for something at her home he felt flattered she trusted him. There wasn’t a stitch of makeup on her face, but she was still gorgeous – just in a different way.

  The lighting in her loft was low and he enjoyed the atmosphere of her space. It was very comfortable and efficient. Nothing more than what she needed. There was very minimal decoration and what was there spoke volumes about her.

  Those damn yoga pants made her round ass look absolutely delicious and it was difficult not to try and seduce her. Sex was not the issue, they did that just fine. Kai needed her to trust him enough to go out with him, to open her heart to him.

  “This David is why you don’t date?” Kai asked.

  Amelia nodded and sniffed his shirt. She thought he didn’t notice. Kai couldn’t help a small smile, and he wrapped his arms around her tighter. “So what else happened?” he repeated.

  “Well,” she hedged. “I don’t know. A lot of random stuff that makes me feel stupid.”

  “I promise I won’t laugh or call you crazy.”

  She relaxed a bit more in his arms and sighed. “Fine, but I warned you.” Amelia paused for a moment as she thought and then the words poured out of her. “He told me how pointless it was to get a degree in English. Every time I mentioned getting a job or an internship at one of the local publishing companies he said there was no way I could manage something like that on top of school.”

  His wolf snarled. This man had shattered her self-confidence and identity, ripping her apart from the inside out. One day he would hunt him down and mete out justice for his mate.

  “When he started going to paramedic school, David had strange hours and kept promising me we would go out and spend more time together. He promised that once he had his job as a paramedic he would propose. Then he said if I quit my internship he would propose, because there was no way we could possibly have kids and both of us work.” She shrugged one shoulder and hunched into herself.

  Kai said nothing and rubbed her neck. He hated everything about this, but she needed to tell him. He needed to know what he was up against – to find a way to help her regain her confidence. It was something he’d seen before with the abused in his pack. They needed special handling and care to get them back to some kind of functional normal.

  What was amazing was how Amelia managed to find a way to function on her own. She’d learned from her mistakes in a way, but it had changed everything about her. Those rules she’d created were because she didn’t trust herself.

  Kai wanted to take care of his mate, drag her back to his home, and protect her. But she wouldn’t heal that way. Amelia needed to find her own footing before she allowed him to take care of her.

  “David lied about a lot. He never cheated on me, or hit me, but he would tell me I was the worst cook on the planet and then turn around and praise my baking skills. It was always enough to make me stay. When he finally did propose I said yes of course. We started looking at churches and I was happy. Then one morning with no warning he asked me for the ring back.”

  Her voice was thick and choked up, and Kai wished more than anything he could take away her pain. His hand kept rubbing her shoulders. It was all he could do at the moment.

  “David told me it had all been a mistake and he didn’t really love me, because I’d obviously been cheating on him which wasn’t true. Then he told me to leave. Sarah had been right about him, but whenever I’d say something to David, he said she was lying to me. I don’t know why, but I believed him, because he really wasn’t that bad until the very end. I had no money and fifty thousand dollars in student loans with no work prospects when he forced me out on the street.” Amelia shrugged.

  Jesus Christ that fucker had done a number on his mate. Kai loosened his grip on her and kissed her on the top of her head.

  “After a few months of couch surfing with strangers I got a job at a coffee shop, and then managed to find an internship at the company I work at now. Slowly, but surely I made my way up. Then I got a tiny little studio and every cent I had went to my student loans. I paid them off last year and was able to buy this place.”

  “You’re incredible,” he said against her still damp hair. “Amelia, you’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.”

  His mate turned so she practically straddled him. Those green eyes of hers searched his face as though she wasn’t sure he actually meant what he said, like she didn’t believe him. Kai finally gave in and threaded his fingers through her red hair, pulling her in.

  The kiss was gentle and sweet, he demanded nothing from her. Kai just wanted to show her how he felt. She’d survived and then managed to rebuild. The experience had left its mark, but he thought she was even more beautiful for her scars.

  Amelia wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled the hair tie holding his ponytail in place. She ran her fingers through his hair and pressed up against him. Kai groaned against her mouth, tasting some of the whiskey she’d had. God, his dick was hard and she tested his control like no other.

  His wolf wanted to claim her, wanted Kai to take her upstairs and make love to her.

  Amelia nibbled on his bottom lip and Kai lost it. He grabbed her hips and yanked her to him, rubbing her against his hard cock and she gasped. Yes.

  He kneaded her ass, moving them, grinding them together. Fuck he was going to come and they hadn’t even taken off their clothes.

  The kitchen timer went off and Kai growled against her lips. He wanted more of her; he wanted to taste and touch her until she screamed for him.

  But she also needed food.

  His wolf wanted to take care of her, but he was torn as to how.

  Then her stomach growled. Kai laughed and nipped the soft place between her neck and her shoulder. “Let me feed you as I promised.”

  She looked up at him as though she couldn’t believe he was real. Kai planned to spend every day for the rest of his life convincing Amelia he was the one for her. He got up and had to readjust his dick in his pants.

  She actually giggled. Kai snapped his gaze to her in shock. “Are you laughing at my discomfort?” he asked with a massive grin on his face.

  Amelia nodded and covered her mouth to hide her smile. Kai pulled her hand away and brushed a kiss against her lips. “Never hide your happiness from me,” he whispered.

  Chapter Ten

  Amelia

  She had to catch her breath, because damn. Kai was on the fast track to convincing her to throw out all her stupid rules.

  Somehow this man had gotten her to open up when it had been the last thing she planned to do on their first date together. But he’d been so respectful, she’d felt like he earned the answer. And it had felt good to finally tell someone.

  And that kiss. God, her panties were soaked and she squirmed as she watched him pull out the sweet potato casserole.

  Kai moved around her kitchen, pulling out plates and silverware as though he’d done it a million times before. He set up the food and it smelled amazing. If she wasn’t so hungry she’d tell him to leave it and finish what they’d started.

  He tasted amazing, and the way Kai had moved against her. She’d been so close and he was just making out with her. Amelia had to close her eyes and take a moment. He’d gotten her all worked up.

  Kai brought the food over and set the plates on the coffee table. Then he sat and stretched out, laying his head back against the couch. When he rolled his neck to look at her, the grin on his face was back and she could still see the bulge in his pants. It was difficult not to stare.

  “What did you choose?” he asked.

  “Huh?” Oh right, the movie. “Um, nothing.” She shrugged and let herself smile. Amelia didn’t want to hide the fact she’d forgotten about the movie. Because Kai had made her feel comfortable enough to actually talk, and not once had he made fun of her. Instead he thought she was strong.

  This wasn’t some Netflix and chill date to get into her pants. Kai had meant every word he’d said. This date was for her.

  “I thought you’d pick The Notebook,” he teased, leaning forward to retrieve his plate.

  The pulled pork was between two slices of bread and the sweet potato casserole steamed in the chilly air. It smelled amazing. “They don’t have it on Netflix.”

  “Good,” Kai said. “That movie makes me cry.”

  Amelia snorted, nearly choking on her pulled pork. “Maybe I’ll go out and buy it for next time.”

  His brown eyes glinted in the light from the fireplace. “You want there to be a next time?”

  Dammit, he was way too observant. Amelia shrugged, feeling self-conscious. “Maybe.”

  Kai didn’t push the matter, he just grinned as he tore into his pulled pork sandwich. She’d never seen anyone smile as much as Kai.

  “All right, I’m putting on The Walking Dead because I’ve always wanted to see it but have never got the courage up to watch it by myself,” she told him, selecting the show.

  Bonnie had offered, but Amelia had never felt comfortable enough to grab on to Bonnie for dear life because of fake zombies. For whatever reason she didn’t think Kai would make fun of her for being a scaredy-cat.

  “You’ve never seen it?” he asked.

  She shook her head and let it play in the background while she ate. “This is actually one of the best meals I’ve ever had,” she admitted.

  Kai nodded. “Told you I could cook.”

  “Yes, I was wrong.” Amelia frowned, feeling bad for everything she’d done and said up to that point. “I want to apologize for being a bitch. I’ll always be weird and awkward, but I was rude to you. I’m sorry for that.”

  Kai shook his head and nudged her with his knee. “It’s cool. You’ve got issues and all that. I’m just glad you decided it was worth the risk.”

  Amelia leaned back and studied the man next to her. She took a bite of his casserole and thought she’d died and gone to heaven. Lord, she’d have to see what else he could cook. It didn’t bother her this time when he mentioned her issues, because it was true. She did have them. But Kai didn’t seem to mind.

  She wondered why his eyes turned silver. He’d promised to tell her. Amelia hoped he kept his word, or she might die of curiosity.

  Kai’s phone rang and he checked the number with a frown. “I’m sorry, I have to take this. It’s work.” He stood up and went to the balcony outside.

  A blast of frigid air made her shiver and Amelia pulled the blanket up higher. Kai was glaring at the partial moon as he listened to whoever was on the other line. “Are you sure?” he asked.

  Whatever the other person said made his frown deepen and she could practically feel his anger.

  “I’m in the middle of something. I can’t just leave.”

  Her heart dropped into her stomach.

  “And no one else can handle it, Shane?”

  Kai shook his head at the reply.

  “Fine, I’ll take care of it. Meet me there.”

  If he’d had one of the older phones he probably would have slammed it closed, but he turned it off and threw it in his pocket. Kai raked a hand through his long hair and then grabbed her railing. Amelia could see how white his knuckles were from inside the loft, and for some strange reason she wanted to go out and comfort him. She wanted to wrap her arms around his waist and rest her head on his back until he told her what was wrong.

  It was a strange urge, and it made her nervous. Whatever this was between them was moving fast and she better figure out how to catch up or she may just drown.