After Tate and I finished dinner, I helped him clean up the kitchen and then retreated to my room to make my daily phone calls. Bailey informed me that Asher has a tooth coming in. I hate I can’t be there to see it. There have been no more sightings of Killian and his men, according to Cedric and Laila. It makes me wonder how long they’re going to search for me. Will they ever give up? The only way for that to happen is for me to find my mate. I’ll be useless to them once I do. My mate and I will be stronger than Killian and his witch once we’re bonded. If Laila hadn’t told us that, I never would’ve known.
Sitting on the bed, I lean against the headboard and scroll to Micah’s name on my phone. I always save him for last since I talk to him the most. I press send, and it rings only once before I hear his voice.
“Hey,” he answers.
“Hey. Did you have a good day?”
He chuckles. “I did. Amelie and I trained this morning. She’s gotten so much stronger. The woman loves to give me hell.”
I burst out laughing. “She’s making up for the hell I’m not there to give you.”
“Yeah, I think you might be right. I like it, though. She has fire.” They would make a perfect match, but they haven’t shown any of the mating signs. I hear a splash outside and walk over to the side window in my room. When I look out, I see Tate swimming around in the pool, his smooth skin glistening in the water. My heart races and my body tightens in all the right places.
“Faith, you still there?”
“Yes.” I quickly move away from the window, hoping like hell Tate didn’t catch me watching him. “Sorry.”
“You okay?” he asks.
“I’m fine. Just got a little distracted.” I clear my throat, trying to think of something quick to say. “Tate and I are almost done with the house I was telling you about. The nursery is so cute. I’ll send you pictures when I get done tomorrow.” I look over at the window, wishing I could peek through the curtains.
“Nice. I can’t wait to see it.”
We talk for a few more minutes, and then we say our goodbyes. I set my phone down on the nightstand and slowly creep over to the window. Tate is still in the pool, swimming laps. I have the strongest urge to go down there and join him. But do I? I have a bikini packed with my things, but I feel like I’ll just be adding fuel to the flames. Do I want to stoke the fire? As exciting as it sounds, it’s best I don’t. It’s not fair to either one of us, especially not Tate. The last thing I need to do is flaunt my body in front of him. So instead, I’ll go down there in my denim shorts and paint-covered T-shirt.
Once downstairs, I slip out the back door. Tate is still swimming laps and hasn’t noticed me yet. I stop at the edge of the pool, right by the diving board. Tate swims toward me and stops at the edge, lifting his head out of the water.
He swipes a hand over his face and smiles up at me. “Hey. I didn’t know you were going to come out here.”
I shrug. “I finished my phone calls early. Thought I’d enjoy the night air.” I flourish a hand about the pool. “Do you swim a lot?”
Still looking up at me, he rests his arms over the edge. “All the time. You should jump in.
“That’s okay,” I say, laughing as I glance down at my clothes. “I didn’t bring a swimsuit.” Total lie, but it’s all I can think of to get out of swimming.
A wolfish grin spreads across his face. “Oh, you don’t need a bathing suit.” I don’t have time to react before he grabs my legs and tosses me into the pool. The water muffles my screams.
I surface fast and splash him in the face. “You’re such an asshole.”
He splashes me back, and a water war ensues. “You should’ve known better than to stand near the edge.”
Laughing, I charge after him and push him under. He reaches around me and takes me with him. His deep laugh echoes under the water, and I smile. I don’t want to fight against him with his arms around me, but I can’t let him know how good it feels. Pushing him away, I swim over to the edge, and he does the same, only leaving about two feet between us. He looks at me and laughs, and I splash him one more time.
“I’ll pay you back for this,” I tell him.
He winks. “I look forward to it.” We stare at each other for a few seconds, and then his expression turns serious. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
My heart stops, and I hold my breath. “What is it?”
His eyes flash to his wolf’s, and when he closes and opens them back up, they’re his usual bright blue. “Anson asked me today if I’d let you spend time with the other males in the pack.”
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly. “And what did you say?”
He looks away. “I told him no.”
Heart racing, I freeze. When his eyes meet mine, it’s like he can sense how much I want him. His need washes over me, drawing me closer. “Why did you say no?”
This time, he’s the one who swims closer. We’re now only a foot apart. “I said no because I don’t want to share you. But then, it’s not my place to deny you. If you wish to spend time with my pack, I won’t stop you.” Mouth gaping, I can’t find the words to say. He moves closer, and we’re only a breath apart. I can feel the heat from his lips. “I wish you knew how fucking bad I want you as my mate. Your face is all I see when I close my eyes at night.” I want to kiss him, but he swims away and gets out of the pool. His swim shorts ride low on his hips, and I can’t hide my attraction to him. Even the cool water can’t ease off the heat of my skin. He picks up his towel and runs it over his face. “I can sense what your body does around me. It drives me crazy not to act on it.” Still keeping his back to me, he turns his head to the side but doesn’t fully look at me. “What kind of mate do you want, Faith?”
I don’t want to lie to him. Climbing out of the pool, I walk over to him, but he still keeps his back to me. “If I had my choice, I’d want someone like you.” A few seconds pass, and I resist the urge to touch him. It gets harder and harder the longer I’m around him.