The Wolf and His Wife (Wolf 2)

My eyes were focused on my coffee, so I didn’t notice Maverick approach the table.

He pulled out a chair and took a seat.

I lifted my gaze and looked at him, nearly doing a double take when I saw his handsome countenance. It’d been a while since I’d seen him, and now I noticed his hair was a little shorter because he’d cut it. The shadow on his jawline was a little thicker as if he skipped the shave that morning. Unfortunately, there was still a hostile expression in his eyes, like he was just as annoyed with me as he was a week ago.

I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him until we were finally in the same room together. My fingers rested on the handle of the mug as I stared at him, taking in his features like it’d been months since I’d last seen him.

He grabbed the pot and poured the coffee into his mug, his t-shirt gripping his physique nicely. He returned the pot then took a long drink, letting the caffeine wake him. He grabbed his silverware then turned his attention to his food.

I kept staring at him, watching him ignore me as he enjoyed his breakfast.

With his eyes downcast, he acted like I wasn’t there at all.

“How are you?”

He lifted his gaze as he took his time chewing his smoked salmon, his eyes still filled with pieces of coal. “Ramon is dead.”

I’d figured Caspian had butchered him a long time ago.

“My father tortured him then tossed his body into a river.”

Ramon got what he deserved, but I did pity his family. When I rescued them, they knew it was the last time they would ever see him…and they knew what would happen to him before he finally died. “Did that make your father feel better?”

He took another bite, taking his time before he answered. “I doubt it.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know he killed Ramon?”

“His men told me.” He grabbed his coffee and took another drink.

“Did it make you feel better?” Did Maverick sleep better knowing the man who’d raped his mother was finally dead? Did it give him the closure he needed to move on?

He stared at me for a long time, debating the answer behind his eyes.

I waited for him to say something.

He never did. “How are things with your boyfriend?”

He would never ask a question like that because he didn’t care. He was clearly being sarcastic, changing the subject so we wouldn’t have to talk about his father anymore.

“He’s not my boyfriend…and I ended things.”

“Why?”

I shrugged. “Wasn’t feeling anything.”

“Did he fight for you like all the others?” he said, still sarcastic.

Maverick was the only man I’d ever slept with who didn’t want more of me. He didn’t become obsessed or possessive. He wasn’t impressed with me, probably because he’d been with so many beautiful women. “He wasn’t happy about it, but he’ll get over it. What about you?”

“What about me?” he asked, still eating.

“I noticed a lot of women have been staying here.”

“That’s not unusual.”

“Do you like any of them?”

He set down his fork and stared at me. “I don’t like women. I fuck them and then move on.”

He seemed to have moved on from me and didn’t miss me at all. I missed the sex, but he seemed to get what he needed from other people. He was an amazing lover to me, but to him, I must be replaceable. “I’m really sorry about—”

“I don’t want to talk about it ever again.” He dismissed me and picked up his fork again. “Let’s move on.”

“Well…I hope we can be friends again. Because I really miss you.” I stopped the emotion from entering my voice, but I could feel it crackle in my throat. Living in this mansion alone was a form of torture. I had no one to confide in, no one to share my life with. I missed watching movies with Maverick, missed talking in his office. He was my closest friend in the world, but now he was gone.

His eyes didn’t react while he listened to my confession. “Friendships are built on trust. We don’t have trust, so I don’t see how we could ever be friends again.”

“Maverick, I will always be loyal to you. I made a mistake, and I’m sorry for that—”

“But you said you wouldn’t change your decision even if you could. That doesn’t sound like an apology to me.” His eyes flashed with hostility.

“Yes…but I would have done things differently.”

He turned back to his food.

“I know you must care about me. If you didn’t, you would have kicked me out. You changed your mind for a reason.”

He kept eating.

I watched him, hoping for a reaction. “I understand you’re mad at me right now, but I hope I can make it up to you somehow. If there’s anything I can do, tell me. I’ll do it. I want us to trust each other, to depend on each other. I want you to know that I respect and admire you…and I want things to be how they used to be.”