“Why don't you mind your own business, Holtz?”
Chloe tightened her grip on Grayson. Her body filling with unbelievable amounts of warmth and tingling for him.
“Just mess off,” he pulled Chloe off him and she stepped back, watching as Grayson approached him.
Bruce smiled, “We were perfectly fine.”
“Really?” Grayson snapped. “Didn't look like it.”
“What's the deal? She's just a little pack-slut.”
“I am not!” Chloe burst.
“Get outside, Collins!” Grayson snapped. “You think you'll win this fight, I'll show you how wrong you are!”
Chloe walked towards them and grabbed Grayson, “Stop. It's okay, Gray.”
He glanced at her and back to Bruce.
Bruce smiled, “We'll see who finishes last, Holtz.” He turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Chloe looked to Grayson, “Are you okay?”
“What?” He stared at her, creasing his brow, “Stay away from him.” He went to walk, but she stopped him.
“Grayson, wait.”
“What!” his anger flew at her.
“I thought...” she swallowed. “I thought you weren't coming.”
“Yeah, I thought that too, but my friends convinced me to not sit around all night and mope about a girl.”
She sputtered for more words, her heart in her throat, “A girl?”
He rolled his eyes, “Never mind. Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”
“No,” she shook her head, “He didn't.”
He looked away as she stepped up to him, putting her hands on his chest, “Grayson?”
“Chloe.”
She pushed her face into him. Clingy, she might have been a bit clingy, but her head wasn't in charge of her anymore.
He stiffened and removed himself from her, “Chloe.”
She moved closer and he moved back, it hurt. Her body ached, “Grayson, I...”
“I have to go, Chloe. Bye,” he walked away and headed towards the gymnasium doors.
She watched him and began to panic in her heated confusion.
“No!” she put her hands to her forehead and jogged after him, bypassing the coat check and into the frigid sub-below temperatures.
Squinting into the darkness, she searched for him. The familiar beep of the truck opening made her turn and she watched him open the driver's side door.
She was about die of frost bite she was sure, “Grayson!” she saw him pause and then walk back around to the front of the truck. They were about fifty feet apart, she wanted to walk towards him but her legs were starting to freeze and make her shake.
He stood stalk still, “What are you doing!”
“What are you doing!” She shouted back, wobbling on her heels
He walked towards her, “Are you crazy? It's minus thirteen!”
Chloe's eyes started to water as he approached, “Do you hate me?”
“What!” he snapped, “Have you gone crazy in the last day?”
She shook from the cold, “N-No... w-well, maybe...”
He unzipped his jacket and threw it over her shoulders.
Warmth enveloped her, but with exposed legs she continued to get colder.
“Go back inside!” he pointed to the building.
“No!” she shook her head.
“What are you doing, Chloe! What do you want?” he was angry, very angry.
“G-Grayson...”
He rolled his eyes, “Get inside. I'll talk to you in there.”
She blubbered, “You'll.... You'll... You'll talk...”
“Oh my god!” he grabbed her and picked her up off the ground, taking her back inside. It wasn't that warm, but it was a lot better than outside.
He dropped her to her high heeled feet and stepped back, “Chloe, you can't stand out there in minus thirteen, you'll die!”
She stared at him, “B-But you...”
“Chloe!” he shot, gripping his neck.
She was trying to think of how to talk to him. This perhaps his wolf side coming out, as he struggled to compose himself in front of her. Whatever the case, he was intimidating, but sort of hot.
He stepped towards her, “Let me remind you, you rejected me. So, what are you doing?”
“Are you saying you don't care! Why did you help me with Bruce then?”
“Collins is a big scum bag. I would have done that for anyone.”
That hurt her; maybe he was trying to hurt her? No, she didn't think Grayson would do that.
She swallowed, “Grayson.”
He rolled his eyes and walked away.
“Grayson!” she snapped at him, “I'm...”
“I can't deal with this, Chloe. You rejected me. I don't need this.” He paced, “What do you want? Tell me now!” he demanded.
Chloe blinked, hugging his jacket around her, “I'm sorry.”
He stopped, “What?” Flabbergasted, his face fell.
She nodded, “Yeah, I'm sorry.”
“Sorry? For?” he waved his large hand in the air.
She watched and caught his fingers in hers, stepping up to him, “I'm sorry for rejecting you.”
“Huh?”
She couldn't figure out why he looked so confused, “I freaked out. The week freaked me out. The last twenty-four hours, I've spent sick to my stomach. Literally, I threw up a bunch,” she felt his fingers wrapped around hers.
“You better explain what you're doing, Little. Now.” His voice weary again.
She swallowed, not believing what she was about to say, “Grayson, I want you.”
He growled, “I don't think you mean that.”
Chloe dropped her palms to his chest and gripped his blue dress shirt, “Yes, all this scares the crap out of me. It's true. I didn't understand it though, till I turned it down. Till, I was puking and I felt,” she pushed up against him, swallowing her fear, “that pull.”
He took her hands off him, “I can't deal with the whole mate rejecting me situation.” He stalked away and begun to pace.
She nodded, “I've just never felt so...”
“Disorientated? Messed up? Lonely? Like dying of hypothermia would be more fun!” He came back to her, breathing heavily.
She tried not to smirk, but she did, “Yes.”
“Death by zombies would be more fun than being rejected by a mate!” he snarled, looking rather sexy and dishevelling.
She nodded, watching his jaw harden, “Yeah...”
He creased his brow, “Yeah, what?”
“Grayson, I didn't understand before.” She tried.
“What didn't you understand? You felt it, obviously.”
“Not like this. I felt a pull, but not puking, death grips! It makes me want you.”
He titled his head with weary eyes, “I'm not sure.”
“I screwed it up, didn't I?” She always screwed everything up it seemed.
He sighed, “My mate should be the one person I can trust. I trusted you, Chloe, but you also tore it away from me yesterday. I'm not easy to give forgiveness. I have issues trusting people.”
“Is that why Mike is your only real friend?”
“What?” He snapped.
“Nothing.” She chirped, cringing at herself.
She'd screwed it up. Just like she had screwed up her life in California by killing her mother's dog, she had screwed up the potential to be with Grayson in Polar, Alaska.
Grumbling, he rubbed his neck, “I felt like I wasn't given the proper chance.”
“I didn't give you chance.” She admitted, “I was afraid.”
“I love you.” He repeated the words.
She took a sharp breath and slammed her eyes shut as her body wracked with heat pulsing sensations.
His hands dropped around her waist, “Chloe?”
She didn't know how, but she was starting to see how much the seventeen year old werewolf was actually in love with her.
Opening her eyes, she swept her fingers over his neck to the bit of exposed chest. She felt like a different person, this wasn't normal for her, but it felt right. Was her whole life just leading up to be a Wolf-girl?
She swallowed, grabbed his shirt collar, and pulled him down to her. Her hands cupped his cheeks and she sunk her mouth against his. Whatever held them together was amazing and Chloe felt the full effects of it.
Motionless to her creeping fingers on his neck, her tongue slipping inside his mouth was enough to break him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and her feet left the ground as he picked her up around his waist. The best kiss of her life easy, it really should have been the first kiss of her life. They parted, panting with swollen lips.
He closed his eyes and ran his nose along hers, “Chloe...”
“Say it, Grayson,” she breathed. “This time, I won't freak out. I promise. Just say it.”
His grip tightened on her small frame, “You are mine.”
Her body waves of tingling, she enjoyed herself, “Mmm.”
He dropped her back to her heeled feet, “Do you want to go? This dance is not as interesting as I thought it would be.”
Her lips parted and she stared at him, wanting to go but-, “My dad. He's supposed to come get me.”
“Can you call him and tell him I'll give you a ride home?”
“Where are we going?” she asked, nervous. She didn't know what came next, if he just wanted to jump straight to the whole wolfgirl thing or if they'd wait.
“I'd like to go see my father and explain everything.”
“Really?” she squeaked.
He stepped back, “Fine, what do you want to do?”
“Wait... just a bit. I might need a more human speed, Gray.”
He growled, he didn't like that idea, “What's that mean?”
“Some time?”
He creased his brow, “Okay.”
“No, it's fine. We can talk to them.” Afraid to lose him, more so then telling his parents they were forever-chihuahuas.
“I'll call my dad and get my coat.”
He nodded and waited by the door as she walked away. Her mind reeled at a million miles a minute.
She got her parka and slipped it on. Fishing her cell phone from her purse, she walked back to the main lobby to call her father. Grayson waited patiently by the front doors for her.
“Hello?” her dad's stern officer voice filled the tiny speaker.
She snapped her eyes off Grayson, “Er, Dad, Grayson is going to drive me home.”
“What... umm....” Henry paused, “Grayson showed up?”
“Yeah, his friend's convinced him to come. Anyway, then you don't need to worry about picking me up.”
Henry grumbled, not answering her.
She rolled her eyes, “Dad?”
“Yeah, okay. I'll see you in the morning, Chloe. Have a good night and...”
She beamed, “See you, Daddy!” making a face as she mouthed the dumb version of her father's name to herself.
“Alright Loe, be careful.”
“Sure thing.” she forced the happy voice back down.
“Bye.”
“Bye.” she snapped off the phone and put it back in her purse. Walking to Grayson, she gave him his coat. He slipped it on and they walked out of the building together.
Still a bit stiff and off, he walked beside her, silent.
“Do you and Bruce not like each other?”
Grayson smirked, “He's the Alpha's son of Balant. I guess there's some sort of instinctive competition?”
“You two don't like each other because of that?” she wrinkled her nose.
They came to the truck and helped her inside. Slipping on the step up bar, he caught her around the waist, ridding her dress up her thighs almost to her underwear.
“Ah.” She caught herself.
His hand caught her above the knee and hoisted her in the door.
Red and wide eyed, she apologized, “Sorry.”
“Uh, it's okay.” He tried not to smile and slammed the door shut.
Attempting to recompose herself as he walked around to the driver's side, she fixed her dress along her lap.
He jumped in and started the protesting diesel.
“I'm freezing.” She wrapped her arms around herself.
Grayson turned the heat up, leaning over, “Here.” He stripped his jacket and brought it over her lap. His hand stayed against her thigh though, his fingertips gripping into her.
Her lips parted as his touch made her tremble, something she'd been fighting in past experiences with him, but now she allowed herself the pleasure of having Grayson.
She wrapped her small fingers around his thick wrist and his palm flattened to her leg.
“You feel cold.” He grumbled, pushing the truck in drive.
Her thighs clenched from where his hand was under her bunched dress.
“I am.” She got out, gulping the lump in her throat. It made her nervous, but at the same time, it excited her. No boy had touched her like Grayson did.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her. His hand slipped up her thigh and it made more nervous but a good nervous.
He pulled his hand from her and kissed her cheek, before moving the truck forward.
“Are you a...” She bit her lip, stopping her words.
He adjusted himself, driving, “A what?”
She swallowed, “A virgin?”
He burst into a single laugh, “Really?”
She blinked, “So, that's a no.” Feeling like she should have known better.
“Uh.” He moved his grip around the steering wheel, “I'm a... yeah, no, I am.” He admitted.
Her heart swelled, “For real?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, glancing at her, “Are you?”
She hit his shoulder, “Seriously?”
He smiled, his shoulders dropping, “Seriously what?”
“Er, yeah, I am. Of course, I am. Look at who I am. No one wants me.” She looked away, flushing and huddling herself under the blankets.
“I want you.” He lifted his hand on her thigh and put his arm around her shoulder, “Come here.”
Chloe looked to him and smiled, “You really do like me?”
He lifted his eyebrow, “I more than like you as I said; I love you.”
She scooted closer to him, tucking her cheek against his bicep. Grayson Holtz had melted her to bubbling, smooth butter.
She nuzzled him, enjoying his warmth.
“What did you think of the dance?”
“I had better ones back home,” she admitted.
“Yeah, well, this is Polar, Alaska. Fine pickings.” He chuckled.
Her eyes darted up to him, “You've never gone out with any girls then?”
“No.” He smiled.
“Oh.” She liked that answer for some reason.
“I wasn't interested, not many girls, all too annoying,” he continued. “All the blubbering, dumb things. I've never felt the need to torture myself with mindless dating, when I'd get a mate one day.”
“Oh, yeah, I'm the best of the best and like they never begged.” She pulled back from him, clasping her hands in front of her chest, “Grayson Holtz, pick me... pick me!”
He laughed, “Okay, I pick you.”
She rolled her eyes at him, “You wish.”
“I did.” He breathed in a soft voice.
She looked to him, not knowing what to say to that one.