A/N: Kudos to my beta, ShadowPast620. Wolfy hugs and kisses to my reviewers. :)
The next couple of chapters will be cut off at awkward places. Sorry. It's either that or you wait a month for a huge update and I figured some, sooner, was better than lots, later. :D
The rest of the day seemed exceptionally quiet to Paul. Not ass awkward quiet, like he and his girl were avoiding each other, but a shy quiet. Urchin had accepted his forest kiss even better than the dining room one, a full five minutes of lip groping taking place before her fear returned. He had already started to pull away when the first sour taste formed and he held her hands while the moment passed.
After the initial revelation of her name beginning with a 'B', Paul had stopped questioning his girl. He'd sit on the information for awhile before he tried to question her again. It'd do neither one of them any fucking good if he tried to push the issue and he was really starting to like calling her 'Urchin' especially when she clung to him. As it stood, even if he finally guessed her real name, he wouldn't stop calling her by the nickname.
He hadn't realized how far they had walked or that she'd tire so quickly. Several times he had thought about just slinging his girl over his shoulder and jogging back home and each time, he stopped, knowing that if he acted out like that now, he'd lose whatever progress they had made.
"Okay, Urchin, dinner's done!" Paul called out, grabbing a skillet of simmering meat and heading to the dining room. The slices of beef smelled like a fucking cloud of heaven as he sat at the table and started to assemble burritos. Aside from a quick smile, Paul tried to stare at his girl as she cautiously shuffled her way to the table, sitting down and waiting.
"Have you ever eaten these?" he asked, filling the tortilla shell beyond bulging before attempting to wrap it. He scowled when the shell refused to stay fucking closed and unwrapped itself before he could slide urchin her plate.
"You might have to grip the damn sides to keep it closed but otherwise it should be good to eat hands on." Paul wasn't able to make all of their meals hands on. He wanted Urchin to feel comfortable using silverware, however, it wasn't a need-to-fucking-do-now project and besides, they had used spoons for the cereal.
His girl waited until Paul had shoved his mouth full of a dripping burrito before bending over her own plate to eat. He internally wilted when he realized that she wasn't taking normal bites. With the wrapping open, his girl was more or less sucking out the insides of her meal; small nibbles that looked like anything but progress.
Whatever she was doing, Urchin stopped eating long before Paul did. By the time he was close to feeling full, most of the food had disappeared.
"Why don't you help me bring some of these dishes into the kitchen? You can put away the leftover cheese and crap while I load the dishwasher, okay?" Paul asked, nodding his head to the plastic containers and bags of condiments.
At her small nod, Paul smiled even more. "Great. Just bring the stuff in and I'll help you if need be, okay?" Not waiting for a reply, Paul took most of the dishes with him. Urchin tensed immediately when he reached for her plate and rather than make her squirm, he detoured to grab a rice bowl and salsa container.
It wasn't until the table had been cleared and Paul was loading the last of the dishes that he became aware of whose plate he was rinsing. Urchin, who hadn't eaten any of the tortilla at dinner, held no trace of it on her plate now. He fucking knew she had saved it to wrap the rest of her meal up and stow it away. If he didn't keep better track of this shit –hidden food- his Urchin would probably end up with food poisoning. Even with the semi-backward assed progress, his new favorite time of the day came quickly.
Paul loved sleeping next to his urchin. Not necessarily on the couch, but the fact that the couch provided such little room made it easy for him to curl around her, hold on tightly and soothe the wolf. It went deeper than that, he knew that and yet he was loathe to admit the strong—very fucking strong- emotions he felt for the wisp of a girl he had been fated to have.
Paul wanted to try that shit out somewhere more expandable for his frame!
That evening, on the couch, he counted to himself as her breaths slowed and deepened, indicating a true slumber of peace and contentment. After a full fifteen minutes he made his move, cradling the figure gently and walking to his room.
Placing her under the thin sheet, he went to join her when she unexpectedly shifted, a small frown blotching her features. She had left her deep sleep and was beginning to awaken at a fast pace. Panicking like a sissy ass bitch, Paul picked her back up, leaving his room to return her to the couch and slide in behind her.
Paul's luck had finally run out for the night. He tried to huddle close in hopes of his girl falling back asleep, but she didn't. She tossed, stretched and curled, her body finally waking completely and barely giving Paul enough time to roll off the furniture, cuss like an ass when he hit the coffee table and then crab limp away down the hall so Urchin wouldn't see him.
After fifteen minutes of his girl sitting up and not falling asleep, he made his way back to his room. Fucking alone. His wolf was acting like a disappointed douche also, trying to convince Paul he should go back out to the living and just check to make sure she wasn't lonely.
Fucking wolf genes and the desire to sleep in a pile with its mate!
Paul started at the ceiling of his bedroom, listening as she finally dropped back off to sleep an hour later leaving him more time to think about shit that needed thinking but drove him insane. The pack thought he was an ass for calling his imprint Urchin and most people might think it was derogatory but to Paul it held a fondness he couldn't describe. It wasn't like the others didn't have pet names for their girls, or that the girls didn't have them for the wolves. Paul could almost taste the vomit every time he heard Claire whispering to Quil about wanting a taste of her 'Chocolate'; a direct reference to the color of Quil's wolf.
Paul didn't want to think that he might owe Leah yet another shitty apology for her name idea slightly panning out. He now knew that Urchin's real name began with the letter 'B' and while there was still a shitload of possibilities, there were even more name possibilities that they could bypass altogether.
He also didn't want to think of himself as a selfish bastard, but a part of Paul knew his feelings would get hurt if Urchin decided she wanted to be addressed by her given name when he spoke to and of her. Frustrated beyond fuck, Paul huffed and rolled over onto his stomach, wondering if he should just get up and go run off some of his pissy-ness. He had patrol tomorrow night for sure, not that there was any point to it. It had been months since a leech had carelessly strolled into this neck of the woods. Most patrols were spent to stretch and flex the wolves, Sam calling a once monthly meeting for everyone to train as a pack, devise and play out possibly scenarios in the event of a vampire apocalypse.
Fuck it! A few unnecessary laps might tire his ass out, Paul thought, rolling off the bed to go outside. The sound of Urchin moving as well caused him to halt and then sit back down. She was waking up fast, her heart beat increasing followed by the sounds of a shifting blanket.
Paul's curiosity doubled when she physically got up off the couch, shuffling about the house in a weird pattern. He almost got up to check on her and make sure she didn't need anything. Instead he waited and counted the seconds, nearly sitting straight up himself when her footfall became more pronounced and louder, indicating she was headed towards him.
With the wolf trying to ooze right the fuck out of him in happiness, Paul struggled to act like he was really asleep. He flopped back into the bed, tossing from one side to the other, and finally deciding on a position when she was suddenly there.
She stopped at the doorway, probably to make sure he was really asleep before making her move, whatever it was going to be. She seemed to stop fidgeting, only her soft exhalations and beating heart telling Paul she was there and he couldn't help himself. One millimeter at a time, he cracked his eyes, zeroing in on his girl and almost making an amateur slip when his wolf started to pant.
Paul forced himself into motherfucking muscle lockdown when the wolf tried to roll his body like a needy puppy seeking the attention of its owner. Damned if his butt didn't flex a few times as his currently nonexistent tail made imaginary wagging motions when Urchin crossed through the door frame and walked to the bed.
When he felt the small indention of the mattress behind him, Paul cursed for having turned to face the doorway before she entered. Now he couldn't face her lest he alert her to the fact that he was awake. His folly was pain in full when the small female figure inched closer to his back, small steps that after fifteen minutes had her pressed firmly against his backside.
His emotional rollercoaster continued to spiral out of control as Paul debated this latest development. This shit couldn't have been easy for Urchin, coming to his room and crawling in bed. It should've been easy. Lots of fucking couples shared sleeping places quickly, although, usually to do anything but sleep.
Urchin still flinched around unexpected noises and movements, hell she wouldn't make a damn decision without watching Paul first and then checking two or three more times to make sure it was okay! Yet, she had made this decision by herself and while the wolf was giddy, the man was contemplating.
Just shut the fuck up and enjoy it, you ball-less bastard, his inner annoying fuck-wit conscious urged.
Paul fucking wished he could. That the old, slutty Lahote could just fake rearrange his body, flip over, pull the female into him and let his hands wander…
… Followed quickly by his tongue and even quicker by his dick, with clothes disappearing and sexy whimpers of encouragement to…
…But no. While his wolf was practically thrumming against the skin on his back to get closer to Urchin, Pansy Paul had apparently set up shop in his mind, searching for an explanation as to why his girl was here in his bed. Eventually, though, the troubling thoughts were ignored as Urchin's presence eased him into a joining sleep; one filled with dreams and expectations of everything working out.
People woke up differently. Some had their eyes open before being aware of what surrounded them, slowly focusing on the sense of sight before the brain registered what was happening. Others, like Paul at times, were fully alert while their eyes remained firmly shut to avoid giving away that they were awake. If what he could make out was real, Paul didn't need to open his damn eyes 'cause he was already in heaven.
He was on his back, his left arm under the pillow Urchin was currently using. His girl, however, was stuck to his side like a barnacle: an enticing, sexy, slightly needy barnacle. Judging from the pressure to his left, she was lying partially on her side, her stomach firmly pressed against his hip with her right arm thrown haphazardly across his chest along with her knee resting over his mid thigh.
Despite having assessed the situation, it still took Paul a few minutes to realize his dick was at full mast and begging for attention from the girl situated so closely at hand. Any and all of his previous concerns were gone as horny morning Paul woke up with his imprint at hand.
He tilted his head in her direction, hoping to get in some kisses and then cussed when he noticed that she was positioned lower than he was. Not to be cock blocked on this glorious morning, he let his left arm slide from under the pillow to brace against her back and his hand to cup her ass.
His intention was to lift her up onto his lap, start kissing her lips and use his hands to guide her hips over his crotch. Nothing but a promising warm up of things to come…and he'd make damn sure they both came multiple times.
Horny Paul motherfucking either forgot or ignored the fact that his girl was asleep and that waking up to something –his leg—flexing against her crotch would not be the same pleasurable experience for her as it was for him.
Every pliant muscle in her body tensed to steel, Urchin's breathing halting entirely as her eyes popped open in fear. He knew she was awake and that in a matter of seconds, his girl would probably realize he was, too, and then she'd fucking freak! Paul slammed his own eyes back shut, hoping she'd just pass this off as comfort- God damn it! This was fucking cuddling! Slightly erotic, pre-sex cuddling and Paul would be damned if he was going to try to name anything else from now on.
I'm a fucking cuddler, get used to it, Lahote! He berated himself.
Now wasn't the best fucking time for a vocabulary lesson and Paul tried to keep his breathing even to let Urchin make the next move.
Slowly, always so fucking slowly, her own hand reached behind to remove his ass cupping one while her leg slid off his frame and helped to push her away from him. It was more difficult than Paul thought it would be, trying to keep his arm relaxed and bendable so that she could move it while still presuming he was asleep.
Urchin kept her movements slow but she sure as hell moved a lot faster when trying to get away as opposed to trying to get closer to Paul. In less than three minutes, she had slid across the bed, off of it, to the floor and had crawled away back to the living room.
Biting his pillow in angry annoyance, Paul mother fucking knew that this shit just wasn't going to work! He'd have to think of a better way to convince Urchin she needed to sleep with him. By the time he was done internally cussing and screaming, he was moving back into the living room to join his once again dozing girl on the couch.
"Well, I think it's weird!" Claudia exclaimed as she busied herself inside of the closet. Her two closest friends, Regina and Denise had come over to visit before the girls had to take off for school.
"Why does it strike you as weird?" Regina asked, as she flipped through a magazine, Denise pointing out the ad for a new type of nail polish and halting the movement.
"Come on, Gina. It doesn't strike you at all as unordinary that Lahote's imprint happens to be the exact opposite of the rest of us?" Claudia questioned, leaving the closet and walking over to lean across the bed to look at the ad her friends were studying.
"I have no idea, seeing as I haven't met her yet." Regina's eyes shot a glance over her shoulder to Claudia's in a casual manner.
"I met her," Denise piped up, earning disbelieving looks from her two friends. "What? It wasn't really planned. Leah was going over to his house and Collin felt like he needed to chaperone. I was kinda excited to get the chance to see her."
"And? Is she really that much different than Lahote?" Claudia asked snidely. "I bet she's just acting, trying to lure everyone into believing she's all nice and innocent when she's really just a bitch."
Regina gave a humorless laugh. "That's harsh, Dia. What do you care who Paul's eternal pussy supplier is? His imprint, his problem. I don't understand why you think it's such a big deal."
"He beat the crap out of Seth for no reason, whatsoever, Gina, and Seth shrugged it off, saying it was because of the new imprint. I think I have a reason to be somewhat hostile towards the imprint that causes my own wolf to be hurt."
"The guys fight all the time, rough housing and crap. It doesn't mean anything," Regina half heartedly argued, turning a few pages of the magazine. When she first met Brady, he had been quick to explain the 'Lahote Lament'. Paul was just Paul and if you valued your sanity, you steered clear of the man at all costs.
"This wasn't an incident where a wolf accidently thought of a snide comment or from a gathering where the games turned to rough. Lahote hunted down Seth, in wolf form! If I hadn't come home, who knows what would've happened."
"Nothing would've happened, Dia, you know that. Eventually one of the others would've heard the fight and jumped in to help or called Sam to rein it in."
"Look, I'm not trying to take sides here," Denise said hesitantly, "but she's really different. Not only from Lahote, but us as well."
"So you spoke to her?" Claudia asked, walking over to her bureau to tie her back.
"No. I mean…didn't Seth tell you? The girl doesn't talk." Denise stared at Claudia's reflection in the mirror, meeting the angry girl's eyes with sympathy for Arial. She had thought the same thing Claudia had about Lahote's imprint, but after spending a few brief minutes in the girl's bedroom, she now had doubts.
"Exactly!" Claudia demanded, twirling around to face her friends. "She doesn't talk? Tell me that doesn't sound weird to you. Who doesn't talk?"
Denise was a lot more passive than her friends when it came to arguments and she dropped her gaze, unknowing of how to answer Claudia.
Regina wasn't as lenient. "I don't know," she answered head on. "I've never tried to talk to a homeless person before. Maybe they just don't talk?"
"She couldn't have always been homeless; she had to have had a home at some point in her life. Maybe she's just a normal runaway," Claudia said, making her back over to the bed to sit down and put her shoes on.
"If she was that bad, though, don't you think Leah would've been all over that crap?" Regina asked, leaning up from her sprawled position. "Clearwater doesn't praise anyone and yet she keeps talking about Arial and the things she wants to do to help the girl."
Both shoes on, Claudia gave her full attention back to the discussion. "I think Leah only wants to help her because she's tired of Paul bringing trash to the Rez. Just because she's excited doesn't mean I'm going to welcome Arial with open arms."
"I don't get you," Regina commented offhandedly, throwing the magazine down. "Does it even matter? No one is asking you to be Arial's new BFF."
"Not yet, but if she's keeps up this poverty/abused act, everyone is going to let their guard down. Then when her true colors come to light, we're all going to be in trouble."
Unexpectedly, Denise giggled. "Claudia, the girl is tiny. She almost looks like she's barely legal. I'm pretty sure that out of all the wolves, Paul will be able to handle an imprint that probably literally doesn't weigh more than his right arm."
"Uggh! You guys are impossible!" Jumping up from the bed, Claudia grabbed her books to arrange in a messy pile. "What happens when she goes back to wherever she came from and tells them about the wolves, huh? She'll bring trouble right to our front doors!"
"Maybe," Regina agreed, still not caring. "But first she'd have to talk."
"And what are you going to do when she does and it blows up in our faces?" Claudia whined, clutching her books to her chest. She couldn't understand why her friends were being so cavalier about the problem.
"You think being a bitch to her is going to keep her silent?" Regina questioned seriously.
"No." Nervously, Claudia licked her lips, wondering how to make them understand her point of view. "But if she learns quickly that we aren't a bunch of pushovers, she'll be less inclined to make fools of us."
"Look," Regina said slowly, an idea beginning to form. Standing up, she gathered her things to leave, knowing Claudia had to get to school. "I'm not going to go out of my way or anything, but I'll play it by ear and see what happens if and when I get the opportunity."
"Fine. If you need any help or backup, you know where to find me," Claudia agreed, following her friends out of the room so she could get to class.
"Do you hear water dripping, Urchin?" Paul asked the shadowed figure in his bedroom. It was a quiet pattern, but consistent and distracting Paul from eye fucking his imprint. Urchin was such a small creature, sprawled out on his bed and waiting for him to join her. Her smallness accented the fact that he had more room to play with her.
As soon as the obnoxious dripping stopped, Paul glided to the end of the bed, preparing to make his approach on top of the waiting female; a move he had perfected years ago. His fingers flexed and grasped the sheets as he placed first one knee then the other on the mattress to claim his prize.
He could see her eyes fucking clearly, a becoming smile on her lips as she whispered words he couldn't make out but knew were erotic pleas to have him inside of her. Urchin, whose body temperature usually felt cool or cold, seemed to be heating up by the time Paul was positioned completely over her.
The incessant dripping started again, halting Paul's game and his head whipped to the side, growling in anger at the elusive source. The noise couldn't be very close, definitely not in the bedroom and he felt the presence of Urchin's hand ghost the side of his face, he gave up on figuring out what it was.
Neither he nor his girl were wearing any type of clothes to obstruct the fuck awesome view of two bodies meant to get down and dirty with each other. Paul roved his eyes downward from her head, to the delicate and beckoning neck and fastened to the bared breast.
"I'm going to make you feel real good, urchin," he promised, lowering his head to taste her flesh. Mere inches from his gal and the dripping started again; louder this time, and insistent.
"Motherfuck—" Paul's loud curse was cut short when his eyes suddenly popped open and he found himself still clinging to the couch next to his girl.
The light tapping was fucking annoying and real. Paul was going to rip the inconsiderate asshole's arms right the fuck off once he got up off the couch and answered the door. Pressing forward into Urchin's sleeping back, Paul took a deep breath before pulling back to get up.
If he wasn't hell bent on getting rid of the interfering tapper, Paul might have slowed down to readjust himself. Priorities were fucking priorities, though, and killing the cocksucker, who had just interrupted the best dream ever, was more important than moving his junk. Besides, if he killed the bastard in less than thirty seconds, he had a good chance of being able to rejoin Urchin and continue with his dream.
"You best be motherfucking dyi-Fuller!" Paul's whispered threat turned into surprise as he flung open the front door. Peering outside, he looked to see if anyone else was here as well before turning back to the lone man and resuming his ire. "Why the fuck are you here?"
Stepping into the house, Brady Fuller tried not to look as sheepish as he felt and missed Paul's hostility. "Oh, you know, I was just stopping by to make sure everything was okay with you and your imprint," he offered by way as explanation.
"Busy!" Paul barked out as a statement, demand and threat all rolled into one word. He couldn't fucking believe the audacity of the stupid wolf that strolled inside as if this were a common occurrence.
"I won't be long, Paul, promise," Brady explained, slowly realizing that he must have interrupted something more than Paul's sleep. True, he didn't want to know anymore than he had to about Paul's bedroom conquests, but if he was getting somewhere with his imprint, it had to be a good sign, right?
"Sam sent you, didn't he?" Paul asked, closing the door and not waiting for confirmation. "As you can sense, no one has died. Feel free to see yourself out." Walking past a surprised Brady, Paul went into the kitchen to start some coffee. Leave it to a pack mate to ruin an otherwise decent late morning.
"I see imprinting hasn't changed your hospitality," Brady joked, following Paul into his kitchen. "Where's the gentle, caring wolf Leah talks about?"
"His ass is still asleep. Are you going to be here long?" Paul demanded. Eyeing the canister of ground beans, he was tempted to just throw the shit directly into a glass of water and drink it straight.
"For a bit," Brady answered nonchalantly, deciding to see what else he could learn during this visit. As Paul seemed to pour a deadly amount of coffee into the filter, Brady changed his mind about waiting for it to brew. "Can I get a glass of water?"
Paul waved his hand in a flagging acceptance towards the cabinets before rubbing tiredly at his face. He wasn't sleepy just not fucking awake yet. "Sit. Drink. Be merry and don't wake my girl. I'll be right back; I need to wake up before we have this retarded heart-to-heart."
Laughing, Brady went to the cupboard to pull out a glass, filling it with ice before adding water and letting it sit to cool further. He could hear Paul mutter an endearing 'I'm right here, Urchin' before he moved deeper into the house and turned a sink on.
When Brady felt like the water had cooled sufficiently, he took a deep drink, smacking his lips before venturing out of the kitchen and into the living room. He hadn't realized the girl would be out here, assuming she had been sleeping in one of the bedrooms.
She certainly was a tiny creature, her thin frame sunk between the back and bottom cushions of the couch and partially wrapped in a fleece blanket. He had seen the mental images of her scars and wounds through the other wolves and Brady wondered when she would explain her reason for being homeless and give them all a name to call her. Arial was better than Urchin, but neither name seemed to bother her.
The couch she was sleeping on was free standing in the room, allowing one to walk around it. Brady did so, standing behind it to stare at the new pack family member in curiosity. Arial looked like she had seen better days.
"Why is she sleeping on the couch?" Brady asked softly, leaning over the figure to gaze at her neck and partially exposed face turned into the cushions. Paul always had lucked out in enjoying the company of beautiful women and his imprint was no exception, aside from being daintier than he usually associated with.
"What the fuck do you care? Paul called back. "I don't know why you guys insist on treating us like a freak show. You've seen her; she's fine. Go back and tell Sam I haven't broken her yet. Although, why he sent you here is beyond me. I'm sure Leah will come banging in here later today to make sure."
Brady only smirked in light of Paul's usual hostile cadence. "Actually I'm here because Regina wanted to know if you guys wanted to go out to the movies tonight. A late show and then maybe some ice cream."
Paul's answering snort of disbelief said more than his next sentence. "You know, most normal fucking people just call their friends with plans rather than showing up so goddamn early in the morning."
"Good thing we aren't normal then. Besides it's almost nine. Do you guys always sleep this late?" Brady asked before rattling the glass of ice water and taking another drink, draining the contents quickly.
It was on the tip of Paul's tongue to tell Brady it was none of his goddamn business how late they slept. Urchin didn't sleep well at night and when she slept soundly in several hour increments, Paul would be damned if he was going to make her get up. Especially since there wasn't any where they needed to be or go.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Bella screamed out in terror and projected pain.
Paul cleared the room fast enough to see Brady's look of shock and his little urchin scurrying across the room on her hands and knees. Crawling up on the mantle, her blanket was still tangled around her torso and snagged on the leg of the coffee table. Half heartedly she gave it a tug before giving up and placing her hands protectively around her head.
"What the fuck did you do to her, you piece of shit!" Paul thundered as he approached the crying girl. With one hard yank, he freed the blanket, leaning down to scoop up it and his girl to hold her tightly in a protective embrace.
Her arms wrapped around his neck fearfully, ironically distracting the wolf within from thoughts of shredding Brady. "Are you okay, Urchin? What happened?" Paul whispered lowly. He sure as fuck was awake now, plotting to sit Urchin back down and then dive across the room at the cockroach Brady who had done exactly what he was told not to!
"I didn't do anything," Brady explained, hands held up in innocence. "You and I were talking and then she flipped."
"Urchin?" Paul questioned. His girl had a lot of faults, but she hadn't ever woken up outright screaming and running. Brady had to have hurt her somehow.
Hesitantly, his girl unlatched one of her arms from his neck to rub at her own; Paul moving her hair out of the way to see if she had a bruise or cut. The only thing there was a few drops of water that his little urchin was trying to rub away. He placed his hand over the area, his warmth absorbing the cold.
"Did the water scare you?" he asked softly while shooting a death glare at Brady. "I told you to leave her alone," he spat at his friend. Paul goddamn well knew the whole pack had seen the bath incident a few days ago. If Brady had purposely flicked water at the sleeping girl, he was going to lose body parts. Most likely all of them.
"I didn't know she'd freak like that," Brady tried to plead, watching Paul offensively tense. "I didn't even do it on purpose. The condensation must have dripped off at the wrong place and time." His words were hurried and Paul doubted Urchin was even paying attention, still rubbing at her neck and looking around the room for something.
"I'm really sorry, Arial," Brady offered when her gaze finally caught his. She blinked once before slouching into Paul and becoming nervous.
"Do you want me to rip off his fingers?" Paul semi-teased in a low voice most people would assume was whispering. His girl wouldn't know that Brady could hear both the words and the underlying threat of bodily harm should she ask for it.
Paul's wolf was chomping on the inside for some form of vigilance in honor of its mate. Both man and wolf were slightly disappointed when the girl failed to answer.
"Look, Arial, I really am sorry. I came over here to ask if you and Paul wanted to go out tonight and see a movie. My girl, Regina, would like to meet you. What do you say? I'll even make it up to you and take you both for some ice cream afterwards," Brady promised, feeling guilty for scaring her. He had heard about the bath incident and just attributed her reaction to that.
Both wolves waited patiently for the girl to decide, Paul offering an encouraging smile when she pulled back to look at him, her eyes once again searching for some elusive factor. She continued to stare as she slowly nodded.
"Great!" Brady beamed, excited to have made two imprints happy with one answer and relieved to be leaving Paul's house in one piece. "Paul, do you want me to swing by and pick you guys up or do you want to meet up at the theater?"
"We aren't in high school, Brady, and this isn't a damn double date," Paul scoffed. "I'll meet you there. What time?"
"Seven?" Brady offered, entranced as he watched Lahote make very subtle and affectionate gestures towards Arial. The girl was clearly uncomfortable in general, but didn't make any moves to push Paul away, nor did she struggle to get out of his arms as he rubbed his check against hers.
The whole thing was really weird to see Paul do, and Brady almost missed the man's next comment as he wondered whether or not Paul had punched him and this was just a delusional dream.
"Fine!" Paul snapped, finally realizing that Brady was in fact still here and staring like a pervert. "You know my number if something changes or whatever."
Numbly Brady nodded, still watching as Paul basically dismissed him and went back to coddling his imprint and whispering apologies for his "shitty friends" disturbing her like that. It wasn't until Arial looked back at Brady and then trembled that Paul jerked his head away and gave the onlooker another look of death. Brady didn't need to be reminded twice and left quickly, still amazed at the behavior difference in Paul.