Garnet (Gems of Wolfe Island)

In the meantime, I simply glare at him.

He doesn’t walk over, and I don’t leave my car to go see him.

Right now, we’re just two alpha males protecting our mates.

Then I let out a scoff.

Mates?

Yes, I fell in love with Aspen. But how is this even possible? I haven’t felt like this since Amira, and even then, I don’t think it was quite this intense.

A little over an hour later, the two women exit the restaurant. Katelyn—who looks vibrant and happy—runs into Luke’s arms. He kisses the top of her head.

Then hands shake, and Aspen gives him a hug.

A knife of jealousy spears through my gut.

I do not want Lucifer Raven’s hands on Aspen.

Aspen gives Katelyn a hug, they talk for a few more seconds, and then she walks towards me and the car. She opens the passenger door and gets in before I can get out to help her. Just as well, I suppose. I don’t want to have to talk to Lucifer Raven.

I mean…Luke. Damn.

“Did you have a good time?” I ask.

“I ate fish tacos.”

I wrinkle my forehead. “You…what?”

“It’s ridiculous, I know. I can’t stand the sight of seafood, as you know, but Buck, this place is supposedly known for their fish tacos, and I felt… I don’t know. I felt like if I could eat fish tacos, I could accomplish anything. Conquer the world, even!” Her eyes are wide, and her skin is glowing.

She’s beautiful. If fish tacos can do this…

“Were they good?”

“Not even slightly. But I ate them, so I know I can do it.”

I chuckle. “You’re something. Other than eating fish tacos, though, did you have fun?”

“I did. I really did. It was so good to see her.”

I clear my throat. “And you met her…Luke.”

“Yeah, Luke. Her fiancé. Funny, I thought he had dark hair.”

“He dyed it when he was in Manhattan. He was in hiding.”

“Yeah, right. Katelyn explained a lot of it. There’s a lot of it I still don’t get, but that’s okay. As long as she’s happy.”

Right. As long as she’s happy.

I purse my lips.

“I was thinking,” Aspen continues, “before we go meet Gloria at the school, could we maybe do some sightseeing?”

“I’m from here, but what do you want to see?”

“I don’t know. The Hollywood Walk of Fame? Grauman’s Chinese Theater? Rodeo Drive?”

“Can you afford anything on Rodeo Drive?”

“Not in this lifetime.”

“Then why do you want to go there?”

I’m aware that I’m being a little short with her. I don’t mean to be. Except maybe I do mean to be. When I saw Lucifer Raven’s arms around her…

“I want to go anyway, Buck. I want to say I walked down Rodeo Drive. I want to be like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.”

“They kicked Julia Roberts out,” I say.

“Sure, at first they did. I just want to see it. I don’t care about five-thousand-dollar handbags and ten-thousand-dollar shoes. But I’d like to say I walked down Rodeo Drive. That I shopped on Rodeo Drive.”

“Sure. Whatever.” I shove the information into my GPS.

Finding a parking spot on Rodeo Drive? Damned near impossible. I finally squeeze into a tiny one on a side street.

Aspen seems happy. Maybe she’ll change her mind. Maybe if she’s happy enough, she’ll get rid of her need for revenge.

I can only hope.

“It was so great to talk to Katelyn,” she says. “I feel like I could really be friends with her.”

“There’s nothing stopping you from putting down some roots here. The whole world is at your beck and call.” Did those words just leave my mouth? I don’t want her to put roots down here. I want her in Manhattan. With me. My heart pounds.

She bites her lip. “I suppose so, but I really should go back to Manhattan. Macy’s there, and the Wolfes are there.”

My heart resumes its normal rhythm. “It’s your decision,” I say a little more tersely than I mean to.

“What do you think, Buck? Where do you live?”

“I live in Manhattan. I work for the Wolfes.”

“Oh.”

Is that disappointment I hear in her voice? She just said she had to go back to Manhattan, so is she disappointed that I live there too?

None of this is making any sense to me. Is she truly not feeling the same things I am? Perhaps she isn’t. She still has a lot of healing to do. I can’t rush her. I can’t risk ruining what we may be able to have if I give her the time she needs.

We walk down Rodeo Drive, and I want to grab Aspen’s hand, but I don’t. Something stops me. Aspen pauses to look at each window, her eyes wide.

“You can go in if you want to,” I say.

“No, that’s okay. It’s not like I’m actually going to buy anything. I only want to look.” She shakes her head. “How do some people pay these prices?”