Temporary Mate (Brides for Beasts: Bears Book 5) by Candace Ayers & Kym Dillon

Author:Candace Ayers & Kym Dillon [Ayers, Candace & Dillon, Kym]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lovestruck Romance
Published: 2023-08-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Kiko

“Try the tuna salad.” Otto reaches into the wicker basket and pulls out a styrofoam container with a variety of finger sandwiches.

“Did you make all these, Otto?”

He looks a little sheepish. “No, I paid Lou at Mama’s Den to make me up a spread.”

Otto has brought me to a breathtaking spot where he’s laid out a picnic spread, and I can't help but appreciate the effort. If only my mind would stop wandering off like a rebellious teenager.

It’s been two days. Forty-eight hours. Two-thousand-eight-hundred-and-eighty minutes. That's how long I've avoided Lake, not that I'm counting or anything. Yet, I can't seem to erase him from my mind for more than a minute. He seems to have planted his flag in every corner of my brain, and it's harder than my high school calculus class to get him out.

I bite into the tuna sandwich triangle, my taste buds rejoicing at the delightful mix of flavors. Otto displays a dazzling smile as I hum in appreciation. The sun catches in his blonde hair, and for a split second, I think maybe he and I…

No. In theory, Otto is everything I could ask for in a guy. He's handsome, intelligent, and able to converse for hours about my favorite subject—books. But there's just one problem. Lake.

Otto sits up and slides his arm around me, his gaze penetrating. My heart should be thumping in my chest, right? That's the usual reaction when a good-looking guy shows interest. But instead, it feels more like…my heart is shrugging out a mediocre little meh.

"Kiko, what do you think of Mystic Hollow?"

I force a smile and try not to flinch, mentally slapping myself for letting my mind drift back to Lake—again.

You're on a date with a handsome man. Stop thinking about someone who is off-limits to you.

"It's beautiful, Otto. So different from LA. The air's cleaner, the pace of life is slower, and somehow gentler. And the people are friendlier."

Otto nods, and I can see he's genuinely trying to make this a good date. And so am I. Truly, I am. But it's like trying to watch a movie while wearing earbuds that are streaming an entirely different movie.

Suddenly, I sense something shift in the air. It's like the charge before a storm or when you get that weird feeling that someone’s watching you but you don't see anyone. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end and a low, menacing growl rips through the silence, making me jump.

My eyes grow wide, and my heartbeat picks up pace until it pounds in my chest like it's trying to shatter my rib cage. Not because of Otto. No, it's all because of the towering figure that's just emerged from the shadows, his eyes burning with a wild, feral rage.

Lake.

His gaze is savage as it swings from Otto to me, and I can't look away.

Jealousy.

The realization hits me like a tidal wave. He's jealous. Of Otto being with me. I don't know how I know that, but I'm certain of it.

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