Stormbound by J. C. McKenzie

Author:J. C. McKenzie [McKenzie, J. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JCM Publications
Published: 2021-02-13T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Eric enjoyed watching Brenna’s best fish-out-of-water impression. Her confusion wiped away quickly, as a look of relief played across her pixie features. Her expressive face read like a book. The hunger burning in her gaze earlier hadn’t been a figment of his imagination, nor were the flashes of doubt. He needed to clear up their past.

“I never slept with Anna,” he repeated. “Not that night. Not ever.”

“But I thought—”

“I know what you thought, and I let you think it. I was eighteen. I didn’t know how I felt about finding my true mate so quickly. I thought I’d have time. When you walked in on Anna throwing herself on me, I went with it. I didn’t sleep with her, though, and as soon as you left, I wished I could take everything back. I wanted to make it right, but I was too late.”

Back then, not everyone had a cell phone. Certainly not Brenna Jones. When he realized his mistake, he’d sought her out, only to learn from her parents she’d left for university and had met some guy during orientation week. The news gutted him. The words still haunted his dreams.

Werewolves gained the ability to sense their true mates at eighteen. Brenna had her birthday, realized the depths of his actions, discarded the bond, and left without a second thought. It still cut, but he had no one to blame but himself.

“Too late?” she said.

“You were dating someone. Josh something-or-other. Your parents seemed to like him.” Well damn, his tone came out a bit more bitter than he’d like.

She didn’t comment, but a wry smile spread across her face as if recalling a funny memory. He didn’t care about past boyfriends. He cared about now. They sat in silence while he watched the wheels turn in her head.

“You spoke to my parents?” she asked.

“I wanted to find you to explain things, but you’d already moved on.”

Brenna studied her hands in her lap. How he wanted to pick them up and place them on his body, feel her wanting him as much as he wanted her.

“I thought about you,” she said.

“You did?”

She nodded. “Thought about what a jerk you were, and how I’d fallen for your act.”

He winced. “It wasn’t an act.”

“How do I know this isn’t an act, too? You’re very charming.”

He clenched his teeth, and his hands balled into fists. “I’m not playing around, Brenna.”

She flinched before turning that large soulful gaze on him. “Not now, I get that, but can you understand how much you hurt me?”

He nodded. Against every alpha instinct in his body, he went for honesty, accepting the truth and owning his mistakes. She deserved that. “You’d confronted me at a party and told me I’d been a jerk to you throughout high school. I acknowledged my stupidity and apologized for it. I explained I treated you that way because I really liked you. You admitted when I wasn’t a jerk, you really liked me, too. I believe you mentioned a ‘passionate girl crush.

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