Running out of Time (#Wattys2017)

Got All Eyes On You

"Let me get you a drink."

"I'm good thanks." I couldn't blame the human for taking an interest in me. At least he was smart enough though to not try any further in offering me a drink. If only all men were like that. Besides, even if he was a nice guy I wasn't stupid enough to take a drink from someone who I don't know. Werewolves can be affected by date rape drugs just like anyone else.

"Well then maybe, you'll consider letting me buy you one." Ryan's tight black shirt hugged his muscles in all the right places. Honestly if I didn't know what a jerk he was I would attempt to seduce him into a one night stand. "Are you stalking me now Ryan? You know I could have Lexa call the cops on that." His deep chuckle sent shivers up my spine. "We both know you won't though. So will you please let me buy you a drink."

So I caved in and let him buy me a shot of tequila. He sort of eyed me as I drank it. "Never seen a girl drink?" He had a deep chuckle that would make any normal girl swoon. "I've seen plenty of girls drink. I just didn't think I would ever see you drink anything other than a soda." Honestly that made a lot of sense. "High school was a lifetime ago Ryan." We were like one of those inverse graphs in math class. He got more mature as he officially stepped into his role as Beta. I became that stereotypical party girl after running away from my family. "Yeah, it was. Just look at us. Who would ever think that the two of us would end up where we are now."

"I'm pretty sure there was a bet in high school that I would be the one to die alone with a lot of dogs." Now it might be like completely cliche, but I hate cats. It wasn't weird though. Pretty much all of the werewolves I've met hate cats. So, instead of being a crazy cat lady I would be a crazy dog lady. Ryan started to say something but then stopped himself. Part of me thought he was going to say, 'No you wouldn't have. You would eventually find your mate.' It didn't help my fantasy that as soon as closed his mouth he took a drink of beer. "Thanks for the drink Ryan, but I'm going home."

I didn't bother to look for Lexa as I left because I knew she was with her newly found mate. Hell, I could see them already laughing and kissing from the bar. What I didn't know was that Ryan followed me out as I left. He grabbed my arm as he said, "You can't walk home! It's freezing for God's sakes. Let me give you a ride home." On the one hand I really didn't want to carry these shoes in my mouth. The were brand new for fucks sakes. Then on the other hand I don't think I could stand being in a car with him. In the end, the want to keep my feet won me over. "Fine. You can drive me straight home."

Now, one good thing about him officially becoming beta was that he became more of a gentleman. He held open the door for me as I got in on the passenger side. The ride home was completely silent. This was the first time ever I had actually been alone with him. Like remember, he rejected me in front of close to 200 people. So what did we have to say to each other?

The lights were on as he pulled up to my house and the lights were on. So either Dad was up working late, or Alice forgot to turn off the lights. Ryan shut the car off but something kept me grounded to the seat. I knew what the pull was. It was the same one that werewolves use to find their mate. Since he rejected me, but my wolf was still desperate even though I wasn't, there was still that slight pull.

"Thanks for the ride home Ryan." As I reached for the handle his callused hands grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. His lips caught mine with little effort. This wasn't just any kiss though. This is one where I felt fireworks building up inside me as his lips took mine. It was that kiss where the subtext boiled down to, he was mine and I was his. It was that kiss I had always wanted, but the one that I never got. As he pulled his lips from mine he whispered the four words I never expected to hear from him.

"I love you Lilly."