9
Beau
Every day, my wolf is getting sicker.
I had a plan—
I’d stay with Savannah until she was earning enough to get her own little place. The independence she always talks of. She doesn’t want my money. I told her jokingly that I’ve got enough in the bank to support a whole harem of women. Of course, it was a joke. Because the only one I want is her. But she hated it. Her face went pale, and I felt like the biggest asshole in the universe. I apologized until she forgave me. I wonder what else went on with her pack. She’s not real forthcoming about it. I get the impression she’d rather not think about any of it again.
—If Savannah gets her own place—then what? I’ll watch her from a distance.
Let her take another mate?
Over my dead body, my wolf roars.
I thought if I didn’t touch her, it’d keep the beast in check. But all this frustration seems to be making it worse. It’s feral, aggressive. Whenever I lose focus, it tries to burst out of me, to take control. And the only thing that scares me more than this is the thought of losing Savannah altogether.
* * *
One morning,I drop Savannah off at work. She’s quieter than usual, while most of my attention is going into keeping the beast in check. Trying hard not to notice how hot her ass looks, jiggling in her new skinny jeans.
I hold the door of the bar open for her, and half-way through, she stops and turns to me. Her sweet cherry lips are inches from my face, and that familiar wave of sweet-sick desire floods me. I long to dip my head and claim them. But right now, they’re pale and pinched at the edges.
“You don’t need to watch me today, Beau,” she tells me.
I frown. “Of course, I do.”
“I need to stand on my own two feet.”
A dart of unease pierces my chest. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I can’t spend my life being guarded.” Her lower lip trembles. “I want to work alone today.”
“But I need to keep you safe.”
“Beau, please.”
I study her a moment longer, trying to interpret the emotions at war in her eyes. I want to insist. Know I don’t have the right.
I exhale slowly. “Okay, then. I’ll come pick you up when you’re done.”
She shakes her head. “I’ll make my own way home, Beau.”
“It’s not safe—”
She lays her soft hand on my chest. “I can’t live like this.”
My head spins. “Being protected?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess that’s what I mean.” She stalks through the door and disappears into the bar.
Automatically, I move to go after her. To my wolf, there’s an invisible leash that connects me to her. It can’t stand to be too far away.
But at the last second, I stop myself. There was something new in her expression, and I sense that if I push myself onto her right now, I’ll break her trust.
Instead, I turn around and reorient myself toward the little café on the opposite side of the street. Nothing wrong with watching her if she doesn’t know I’m there.
Inside, I grab a double Americano and settle myself into a seat by the window, which gives me a good view of Sinners’.