“Hate to break it to you, but you don’t look at her like a friend.”
I groaned. “Shit. Do you think she noticed?”
“I don’t think so, but I don’t know her well enough to say for sure.” His eyes narrowed. “I know you’ve been to see Emma a few times since she moved here, but I didn’t think you were interested in her. I’ve never seen you get worked up over a girl like this. Did something happen today?”
I rubbed my face. “I’m not sure when it started. I think it was that first night I went to her place after Lex and Julie scared her. All we did was talk. Nothing happened today either. I always thought she was pretty, but the more I get to know her, the more I like her.”
“Ah, man. That’s…”
“That’s life. She’s human and not for me. Unless you know a way to stop my wolf from imprinting, I’m out of luck.” I stared at the sparks flying from the fire that was out of my sight. “She probably wouldn’t want a werewolf anyway, so it’s a moot point.”
“I don’t know. She looks happy around you.”
“Not helping, Pete.”
“Sorry.” He waved at the van. “You should get her Coke and go back before she thinks you ran off.”
We started toward the van when a group of people walked up from the parking lot. I swore softly when I recognized Lex, Julie, and a redhead named April with Paul and Dell. What the hell were they doing here? My night had just gone from bad to worse.
Pete put a hand on my shoulder. “You know, maybe this is a good thing. You haven’t tried to get to know any of them. You might like them if you gave them a chance like I did with Shannon.”
I stared at him. “Did you miss the part where I said I didn’t want a mate yet?”
He shrugged. “Listen, your wolf will choose, whether it’s now or in five years, and chances are, it’ll be one of the females you meet this summer. Who knows, you might even hit it off with one of them.”
I shook my head. “They’re too clingy, and they’d rather feel me up than have a real conversation.”
Pete barked a laugh. “Did I just hear you complain about girls wanting to make out instead of talking to you? Hold on; let me get out my phone so you can say that again. Sara won’t want to miss this.”
“You know what I mean, smartass. Half of them only want me because I’m the Alpha’s nephew. They think having sex will make my wolf choose them.”
“Then talk to the other half. They’re not all like that.”
“Roland!”
I hid my grimace as Lex locked on us like a heat-seeking missile. The other girls trailed her, followed by Paul and Dell. Paul gave me an apologetic look from behind their backs, telling me that coming here hadn’t been his idea.
“We wondered where you two had gotten to tonight,” said Lex, who was stunning in a short, flared, blue dress that showed off her long legs. Dell was practically drooling over her, and I saw more than one guy following her with their eyes. The other girls were dressed similarly, all looking like they were dressed for a night club instead of a beach party.
“We were going to Portland, but the girls heard about the party and wanted to check it out,” Paul explained.
Lex pouted at me. “I thought you were working tonight.”
“I was supposed to, but I thought I’d catch up with some of my old friends.”
I stuck my hands in my pockets, annoyed that I had to explain myself to them. This was yet another reason I didn’t want a mate. I liked my freedom and not having to check in with someone all the time.
“Where’s Shannon tonight, Peter?” Julie asked, a note of jealousy in her voice.
“She’s down by the fire. We were just about to go back to them.”
Lex’s eyes narrowed. “Them?”
“Our human friends,” I said in a low voice, suddenly worried about Emma. She was still nervous about werewolves, and Lex and Julie had already frightened her once. The possessive glint in Lex’s eyes made me not want to let the aggressive female wolf anywhere near Emma.
Lex smiled again. “Oh, I’d love to meet some of your friends. I might be living here myself one of these days.”
Not if there’s a God, I thought unhappily.
I pointed at their feet. “I don’t think you can walk down there in those heels.”
“No problem.” Lex kicked hers off and picked them up. “I like to go bare.”
The other girls followed suit, and I knew there was no way to keep them away from the fire and Emma.
“Let me grab some Cokes, and we’ll head down,” I said reluctantly.
I led the way to the rough path to the beach, and the girls descended ahead of me. Paul and I were the last to go.
“I’m sorry, Roland. I tried to get them to go to Portland.”
“No need to explain. I know how determined Lex can be.”
I followed the others and caught up to them before they reached the fire. Lex and Julie’s eyes widened in recognition when they saw Emma, but they didn’t say anything. She didn’t know them because they’d been in wolf form the last time she saw them.
I made the introductions, and the moment I said the girls were visiting for a few weeks, fear flickered in Emma’s eyes. I could see she was becoming overwhelmed being surrounded by werewolves, but I couldn’t go to her without drawing attention. I caught her eye and smiled to let her know she was safe.
“So, you and Roland went to school together?” Julie asked Scott. “You must have some good stories about him.”
“Roland and I never hung out much in school,” he said.
“How about you, Emma? How well do you know our Roland?” Lex asked Emma, placing her hand on my arm in a clear display of ownership that annoyed the hell out of me. I wanted to push it off, but I didn’t want to make a scene.
“We met a month ago,” Emma replied.
Lex put a finger to her lips. “You look awfully familiar. Have we run into each other before?”
Emma’s brow furrowed. “I don’t think so.”
Julie snickered, and I growled just loud enough for her and Lex to hear. They were walking on thin ice, and this time they wouldn’t get off with a mild scolding.
Lex stiffened, and Julie cast a nervous glance at me. Message delivered.
“How long will you all be in town?” Emma asked politely, though I saw she was still uneasy.
“I’m here until the end of August,” said April, one of the nice ones Pete had mentioned. “Maybe we could get together sometime.”
“I…sure.”
“Great!” April gave Emma a friendly smile, earning her points in my book. “Do you like espresso? I can’t get enough of it.”
Emma returned her smile, looking more comfortable. “I love it.”
Shannon piped in. “Peter took me to a place called The Hub. We should go there. The coffee was amazing.”
“How about tomorrow?” April asked.
Emma shook her head. “I’m working tomorrow. Monday?”
Shannon grinned. “It’s a date.”
April looked down at her black dress and sighed. “I’m all dressed up to party, and we’re just standing around the fire. Who wants to dance?”
“I’ll dance with you.” Paul stepped forward to take her hand. “Let’s go.”
Pete held out a hand to Shannon. “You up for a dance?”
“You bet.” She took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet.
Scott nudged Emma with his arm. “You want to show them how us diner folks dance?”
She nodded, and he helped her up, sending another stab of jealousy through me because he had the freedom to do what I couldn’t.
“Excuse me,” Emma said to Lex as she moved around her.
Lex inhaled sharply, and her grip tightened on my arm. “Why are you wearing Roland’s sweater?”
Emma recoiled at the bite in Lex’s tone. “I was cold, and he loaned it to me.”
“You don’t look cold now,” Lex stated frostily.
“No.” Emma’s gaze flicked to me, and she pulled the sweater off before I could say anything. She held it out to me. “Thanks.”