Read Online Mating the Alpha by Ivy Sinclair - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ivy Sinclair
Ads: Link
bubbles I had snuck into the water were covering all of the parts of Maren that I really wanted to see. That was good though because seeing her naked body again would serve as nothing but a distraction. I padded as quietly as I could across the floor and turned the knob to stop the stream of water.
Maren had taken one of the washcloths next to the tub and placed it over her face. She looked perfectly relaxed, but I knew better. No matter what she said, her mind was in overdrive reviewing every moment that had happened that evening. She was searching for nuances and things she had missed that might be important. That was just the way my girl’s mind worked.
“Can I get you something for the pain?” Her jaw looked swollen, and unless I was wrong, she’d have a fairly nasty bruise on her cheek by morning. I really wished that I had been able to kill the man responsible for that damage.
“I’m sure it looks worse than it is,” Maren said. Her voice was tired but strong. That made me feel somewhat better.
“You’d be wrong,” I said with a wry grin. “Hopefully you have a stash of make-up. Covering that up is going to take some work.”
Maren groaned, and the washcloth slid down so that her eyes were uncovered. “I have no idea what I’m going to tell my dad. He is going to freak out. Then he’ll want the inside scoop on everything that happened so he can publish it on the front page.”
“Your father was always such a concerned soul when it came to your well-being,” I said. It wasn’t a secret that Mr. Lene didn’t think too highly of me. Actually, I’m pretty sure the guy hated my guts. The news of Maren’s attack and the fact that it was my fault wouldn’t sit well with him at all. It would be just another nail in my coffin as far as he was concerned.
“My father has never made it a secret that he lives and dies for the story,” Maren said. There was a subtle wistfulness in her tone that spoke volumes if you knew her. Maren probably wouldn’t want to admit it, but going into journalism and following in her old man’s footsteps was her way of trying to get his attention. It was sad what we did to get the attention of those we cared about. I knew that better than anyone.
“That doesn’t make it right,” I said.
We fell into a semi-awkward silence. The words that I needed to say gnawed at my insides, but I had no idea where to start or how she was going to react. There were things that needed to be said, and I hoped I hadn’t waited too long to say them.
“Lukas…” she started.
“No, Maren, I need to tell you something,” I said in a rush. “Something I should have told you before, and you deserve to know. After what happened with the announcement with Vivian, I realized that I should have told you already. Then maybe you wouldn’t have felt like you needed to run away from me. You have to trust me when I tell you how I feel about you. It’s going to take some doing, but I’m going to make things work. But only if you want me.”
The cloth slipped completely from her face then and into the bubbly water. I saw her shocked expression, and her mouth opened and closed several times. It was adorable and silly and made me want to kiss her. But I couldn’t do that. Not yet.
“The truth is that I lied to you.”
“You…lied? When? About what?” I saw the guarded expression spring into existence across her face. It was one I was well familiar with and for good reason. Me lying to her wasn’t that unusual of a situation. I lost count at one point how many lies I told her, but they were always in an attempt to cover my true feelings for her. Often, it was stupid stuff to keep her attention right where I wanted it to be: on me. I was a horny, confused, thoroughly idiotic teenage boy, and being a shifter seemed to bring out every negative quality I had in spades.
I felt awful because I knew her mind had immediately gravitated toward me lying about what I had said to her earlier in the
Maren had taken one of the washcloths next to the tub and placed it over her face. She looked perfectly relaxed, but I knew better. No matter what she said, her mind was in overdrive reviewing every moment that had happened that evening. She was searching for nuances and things she had missed that might be important. That was just the way my girl’s mind worked.
“Can I get you something for the pain?” Her jaw looked swollen, and unless I was wrong, she’d have a fairly nasty bruise on her cheek by morning. I really wished that I had been able to kill the man responsible for that damage.
“I’m sure it looks worse than it is,” Maren said. Her voice was tired but strong. That made me feel somewhat better.
“You’d be wrong,” I said with a wry grin. “Hopefully you have a stash of make-up. Covering that up is going to take some work.”
Maren groaned, and the washcloth slid down so that her eyes were uncovered. “I have no idea what I’m going to tell my dad. He is going to freak out. Then he’ll want the inside scoop on everything that happened so he can publish it on the front page.”
“Your father was always such a concerned soul when it came to your well-being,” I said. It wasn’t a secret that Mr. Lene didn’t think too highly of me. Actually, I’m pretty sure the guy hated my guts. The news of Maren’s attack and the fact that it was my fault wouldn’t sit well with him at all. It would be just another nail in my coffin as far as he was concerned.
“My father has never made it a secret that he lives and dies for the story,” Maren said. There was a subtle wistfulness in her tone that spoke volumes if you knew her. Maren probably wouldn’t want to admit it, but going into journalism and following in her old man’s footsteps was her way of trying to get his attention. It was sad what we did to get the attention of those we cared about. I knew that better than anyone.
“That doesn’t make it right,” I said.
We fell into a semi-awkward silence. The words that I needed to say gnawed at my insides, but I had no idea where to start or how she was going to react. There were things that needed to be said, and I hoped I hadn’t waited too long to say them.
“Lukas…” she started.
“No, Maren, I need to tell you something,” I said in a rush. “Something I should have told you before, and you deserve to know. After what happened with the announcement with Vivian, I realized that I should have told you already. Then maybe you wouldn’t have felt like you needed to run away from me. You have to trust me when I tell you how I feel about you. It’s going to take some doing, but I’m going to make things work. But only if you want me.”
The cloth slipped completely from her face then and into the bubbly water. I saw her shocked expression, and her mouth opened and closed several times. It was adorable and silly and made me want to kiss her. But I couldn’t do that. Not yet.
“The truth is that I lied to you.”
“You…lied? When? About what?” I saw the guarded expression spring into existence across her face. It was one I was well familiar with and for good reason. Me lying to her wasn’t that unusual of a situation. I lost count at one point how many lies I told her, but they were always in an attempt to cover my true feelings for her. Often, it was stupid stuff to keep her attention right where I wanted it to be: on me. I was a horny, confused, thoroughly idiotic teenage boy, and being a shifter seemed to bring out every negative quality I had in spades.
I felt awful because I knew her mind had immediately gravitated toward me lying about what I had said to her earlier in the
Similar Books
