The Mates of Monsters

Chapter 36

I shower with the door open, with my mate coming in and out, watching me through the reflection in the mirror. When he repeatedly stops and sits against the counter, I shoo him away and tell him to get dressed when, truthfully, his ogling makes me feel feminine-womanly-and I like that feeling. And I'm sure he can tell.

We aren't perfect by any means, fighting like we did, but I am thankful for how quickly we apologized and well, moved on. My parents arrive within the hour, and the last thing I would have wanted was for David and me to be glaring at each other from across the dining table. I suppose I'll be staring at him for different reasons now-lustful reasons-and he'll be looking back with those eyes that roamed every intimate piece of me. And, of course, our parents will be there, which sounds quite horrific now that I think about it.

I turn off the shower and David appears. The alarm in his head must have adapted to sense me at my most vulnerable-most accessible. I open the glass door that is speckled with water droplets and lift a brow when I see David grab my towel for me. "You can't get enough, can you?" I question.

I step out and he wraps me up, kissing me on the mouth and leaving me yearning for more. "Maybe I shouldn't prance around like this because you've gotten absolutely nothing done."

"Won't you let me enjoy myself?" He asks, "Don't you see how irresistible you are?"

"That may work with me, but Tarlo won't find that a good enough excuse."

"Then it's a good thing Tarlo isn't my Alpha," he mutters and pinches my chin between his fingers, kissing me again. My knees tremble as I think about him losing control, taking me and having me and keeping me from all of my problems.

"I have to meet my parents when they get here," I say, an inch from his mouth. "And you have to check in with Tarlo and your father, and be ready to see my family when I bring them back here at seven."

"And after dinner?"

"After dinner, we will be entirely alone."

David pulls back and says, "Then I have something to look forward to."

The sun begins its descent and casts a late afternoon haze over the land as night lurks behind the distant mountains. The pack and the forest have gone sleepy from the heat, but I wait for my parents' car in front of their guest house-interestingly the one next to Ken's.

My mother will say I've changed, and my father will disagree. It's been almost two months since we said our goodbyes-my physical changes are minimal, but they may as well be meeting a stranger in regard to the developments in my head. A hurricane of emotion has torn through me and wiped everything clean. My wall is in ruins, but a towering shrine for David has become the new main attraction. I've told my mother bits and pieces over the phone, but she will truly have to see for herself.

I want them to see David and my life here-to know that I am doing okay, that my promises through the phone are anything but lies.

I perk up at the sound of their car. The discrete black SUV comes coasting down the small road, and the back door pops open before it comes to a complete stop. My mother jumps out and hurries to me, her arms already open, her kitten-heeled feet bending awkwardly in the gravel. "Hi, mom," I say and embrace her tight, excited hug.

"Oh, Brigie you look so beautiful. You look so healthy. You smell good, did you shower? I gotta shower before dinner; we've been sitting for so long."

My dad walks around the back of the car from the other side. He nods to me with the most significant smile I've seen him make-lifted mouth, generally flat, but curved at the corners. Mom lefts go, and as she looks me over, he asks, "How ya been?"