The thought of standing in a line while Abel picked out the woman he wanted didn’t appeal to Cassie in the slightest. In fact, she found it very fucking rude.
Sex was not something she was interested in right now.
She wasn’t a virgin or anything. She’d gotten rid of her V-card when she was eighteen and had screwed her prom date. Deep down, she’d known that the pack were going to make her life hell, so she’d been with a human before she’d turned into a wolf. It had been … interesting.
A little pain, a lot of boring waiting, and hip thrusting, then it had been over.
One thing she did remember from the experience was wet, sloppy kisses, something that reminded her of a dog.
Jessica kept on walking, and, keeping her thoughts to herself, Cassie followed at a steady pace while also checking out the large home. It had an old smell to it, and she noticed lots of artwork on the walls.
She couldn’t really call it a home. It was more like a mansion as they passed several rooms and doors.
“In case you ever need him, Abel’s room is on the top floor. He likes his privacy, and I wouldn’t recommend disturbing him unless you really have to.”
Cassie had no intention of ever disturbing him.
“I’ll let you get settled and then I’ll take you on a grand tour. How does that sound?”
“It sounds lovely, thank you.”
Entering the room, Cassie closed the door behind her. Jessica was already walking away.
Pulling out a couple of her hairpins, she stepped into the room and felt him. Instantly her gaze followed the path, and there Abel stood.
“How did you get in here?” she asked.
“I left the gym before you, and I heard Jessica prattling on.” He stood in the corner. He’d changed out of his workout clothes, and now wore a pair of jeans torn at the knees and a white shirt that stretched over the muscles of his arms. His ink contrasted with the white color.
“Jessica likes you,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat. “Would she know you’re here?”
“No. Jessica is many things, but her sense of smell is off. Unless I make my pack aware, I tend to get around without being detected.” He tilted his head to the side. “You, however, sensed me.”
“Only when I walked into the room.”
“It’s still a huge deal that you knew I was here.”
“I don’t think it is,” she said.
“You like to play down your abilities?”
“I don’t like to talk about them.” She’d been in the process of taking pins out of her hair, and now she felt so fucking silly not finishing.
Abel was the alpha here, and still with her gaze on him, she began to remove her pins, keeping them in one hand as she ran her fingers through her hair. The moment she did, she felt so much better.
The red locks were long, and other than a trim to remove split ends, she liked to keep it long.
All the time she did this, Abel watched her.
“Am I allowed to stay in this room?” she asked.
“This is your room.”
She nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable with his scrutiny.
This was the first time she’d been left alone with an alpha. “You’re not mated.” Again, her cheeks were on fire, and still he kept on staring at her.
“No, no woman would be able to handle me.”
“Are you that bad of a boyfriend?”
He snorted. “No. I’m strong, Cassie. I’ve hurt women who have said they can handle what I do to them, and yet each time, they’ve lied.”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat as she looked at him. His blue eyes held so much pain, and yet she saw death inside him. Like he was constantly thinking of ways to hurt someone.
Licking her suddenly dry lips, she waited for him to turn or to move, but he did neither. He just stayed perfectly still, waiting.
“You’re not curious?”
“No, I’m not.”
He chuckled. The sound didn’t hold much humor to it. “Your pack was afraid of you, weren’t they?”
This time she didn’t look away from him. Keep her gaze locked on his, she refused to glance away, even though she wanted to. “It was because of my weight.”
His gaze did drop, staring down her body.
She was used to men looking at her with a certain amount of disdain, but this man, he wasn’t looking at her like that. There was appreciation there, and did she see a flare of desire?
Clenching her hands into fists, she waited.
“Some men are complete assholes, and a lot of women are bitches. They like to find a person’s weakness and exploit it. I see no problem with your weight. I’m aware that a lot of packs have a problem with certain things. Carl, for instance, he can heal. Jessica’s different-colored eyes. Richard’s need for pain, and how he likes to take it. Each of us has a vice. The thing is you could have been kicked out many years ago when you didn’t lose weight. I take it you couldn’t?”